Epilogue

Ninth inning. The game is tied. I'm at the plate, pinch hitting. The count is three and two. Martin is throwing with heat right now. There are two outs. It's my first plate appearance since getting injured. The crowd keeps going nuts for me. Pitch after pitch. I've worked the count to ten pitches.

Martin is tired. And he's pissed.

I'm predicting a sinker I can get a piece of and foul off…

Martin winds up.

The pitch comes in.

It's a sinker and I foul it away.

Which means he's going to now give me a fastball down the middle.

He thinks I'm going to just stand there and take the strike three.

Here comes the pitch.

I swing.

The second my bat touches the ball I know it's a home run.

The stadium erupts into a chaotic scream. I throw my helmet into the air and scream like a wild man. The ball is gone. Home run.

I trot the bases, cheering and waving to the fans who are all on their feet, cheering and waving at me.

The guys all gather around home plate ready to attack me.

I turn at third base and pick up speed.

I run home, touch the plate, then everyone is on top of me.

A game winning home run as my first hit back from an injury.

Not a bad way to get this thing going, huh?

I get to my feet and give the fans another wave.

PJ appears with a cooler and dumps water all over me.

I give a quick postgame interview on the field, then hurry into the clubhouse.

I take the fastest shower of my life and hurry to get dressed.

Reporters all around me, asking question after question.

I answer as many as I can as honestly as I can.

"Where's the fire at? You're in a hurry."

I'm not sure who says it to me but I stop everything I'm doing and I smile.

"I'm out of here. I made a promise to someone and I'm not going to break it."

I get a security escort to the player parking lot and I'm out of there in a heartbeat.

I hit the GPS screen and grit my teeth.

"I'm going to make it on time," I say. "I've got this."

I drive as fast as I can.

I probably look like a total jerk in my big, fancy truck, weaving in and out of traffic.

But, hey, like I said, I made a promise…

Piper texts me and it shows up on the screen.

Reassuring me it's not a big deal if I can't make it.

I shake my head.

I keep driving.

I cross the Morgalen city line in record time and the GPS takes me to a small shopping center.

When I see the building at the far end, I smile.

I've made it.

I park and jump out of my truck and jog up to the doors.

As soon as I open them, a small crowd looks at me.

A guy points at me. "Holy crap, Cutter Buckley. Nice hit earlier!"

"Thanks," I say.

I turn to my left and see a sign that says performers only.

I ignore the sign and open the door.

That's where I find Piper and Saxon.

They both look at me and gasp, then both their faces light up.

"I'm here," I say. "You ready for this, Saxon?"

"I'm really nervous," he says.

I crouch down. "Hey, you've got this. You've been practicing your butt off. Just stay calm and do your thing. And, hey, if something goes wrong, just look at me and blink twice."

"What happens then?" Saxon asks.

"I'll stand up and do something embarrassing and make everyone look at me."

Saxon smiles.

We fist bump.

He hugs his mother.

Then I take Piper's hand and we leave the room.

It's Saxon's first solo performance with his music school.

"You really showed up," Piper says.

"Of course I did."

She pulls at my hand.

Her eyes fill with tears.

I touch her face. "Hey. What is it?"

"You really did show up, Cutter. You have no idea what it means to him. Or to me."

I smile and nod.

It's bittersweet.

Saxon's father is not here. No interest or desire.

Stuff like that in life we can't figure out and just have to find a way to let it go.

What I know for sure is that Piper and Saxon will never have to worry about me showing up.

I lean down and gently kiss Piper.

She slides her hand to the back of my head and keeps me there.

A gentle kiss turns into something more.

And that's the story of Piper Maple.

More.

She wants more.

I want to give her more.

Our love. Our life.

We want more of it all.

"You don't know how badly I want to find a room for us right now," Piper whispers into my mouth. "Bathroom. Office. I don't care. I want you inside me."

"I love when you get wild, sweetie," I whisper back. "I'll make it worth your while later. I swear on my life."

We kiss once more.

We go into an auditorium, find seats, and then sit, hold hands and wait for Saxon to take the small stage and play two songs.

I've hit hundreds of home runs in my career…

… but having Piper and Saxon… feels like a grand slam.

(Note to the reader: All the cardinal eggs that Maryanne found hatched and all the baby birds were fed as needed and taken care of. On a random Wednesday in the early afternoon, they flew off from the nest. Maryanne shed a few tears and went next door to tell Piper about it. She used the spare key Piper gave her and found Piper sitting on the counter with her legs wrapped around Cutter's shoulders. That was the last time Maryanne went into Piper's house without knocking and being invited in.)