61. Baxter

It's been nearly two years since Tammy and Kai moved to Nolan.

It's definitely had its ups and downs. Hudson tried to get that court case pumping after Tammy sent him the divorce papers. He was out to hurt her for leaving him and he did pretty well too. She cried buckets throughout the process. He got nasty, accusing her of all kinds of shit she never did. Thankfully, Asher's family hooked us up with a kick-ass lawyer and Hudson got put in his place. They were able to settle within the year.

Hudson now sees Kai once a month in Gladstone. Well, his parents definitely do. Hudson doesn't always make it, much to my annoyance.

It means we have to travel back to our hometown the last weekend of every month, but it's a good chance to see my dad, and we're making it work. Kai and Hudson stay with the Clarks while we stay with Dad, and Tammy pops next door to visit with her folks. Not sure I'll ever be invited over there myself—Kai and Tammy do a special Tan dinner just before we fly back each Sunday evening.

Her dad did wave to me over the fence last time I was raking leaves on Dad's lawn, so that's a win, right?

But I still haven't heard back from the message I left on his voicemail last week. "Mr. Tan. I just wanted you to know that I'm planning on asking Tamara to marry me. I'm not asking for your permission, as it's her decision, but it'd be so much easier and more joyful for her if we could have your blessing. I've loved your daughter most of my life, and I promise that's not going to change. We make a great team, and I'm really hoping you and Mrs. Tan can get behind us on this. Tammy deserves for this to be the happiest time in her life."

I was going to wait until I heard back from him before popping the question, but it's been six days, and I have to ask her tonight.

Tammy's due home from her summer job at Busy Bees Daycare any minute.

"She's coming!" Kai's voice pitches as he rushes into the kitchen and starts jumping by the counter. His energy levels have skyrocketed since starting school. He's going to be a big first grader this year. I honestly thought kindergarten would tire him out, but Nolan Elementary has awoken his boisterous side. He's made awesome friends, and on the days I pick him up from school, he talks so fast that I can barely keep up with him. I listen with a smile as we drive to hockey practice or the grocery store or whatever else needs doing. We've found ourselves a happy routine. Tammy loved her first year of college and is practically counting the days until summer break is over—craziness.

But I get it. She's finally getting to do all the things she couldn't before, and I'm happy for her.

With Asher's help, I've started up a handyman business and have a steady stream of work keeping me busy. Word of mouth is my main marketing tool, which is a relief because thanks to losing a bet with Mikayla (I should have known better, right?), my small company is called Baxter's Got You Covered.

I wanted to go with something simple like BB Repairs, but no, apparently that was boring and dumb, and Mick tricked me into this stupid bet. Now I've got business cards with a cheesy cartoon of me in my tool belt doing the thumbs-up with a speech bubble that reads "No matter the problem, I've got you covered."

Ugh.

The front door clicks, and I ping straight, Kai doing an excited little dance at my feet.

"Okay, chill, lil' dude," I whisper, resting my hands on his shoulders to calm him while nerves fire through me in a frenzy.

"Sorry I'm late," Tammy calls through the house. "I was just at the…" Her voice trails off when she walks into the kitchen, pushing up her sleeves and instantly knowing something is up. Her eyes narrow as she crosses her arms. "What's going on in here?"

Kai laughs and runs behind me, pushing me forward until I nearly stand on her.

"Oomph." I catch her around the waist and fight a smirk. "Sorry about that. He's excited."

"I can tell." She grins. "What's he so excited about?"

"Well…" I guide her to the back of the house.

Kai races out ahead of us, opening the door to our little backyard… which we spent all afternoon decorating with fairy lights and candles.

Tammy gasps. "Oh, it's so beautiful!" She smiles, her mouth opening with delight. "You guys did all this?"

"Yeah, we wanted to surprise you." Kai's impish grin is going to give everything away, but I've gotta admit, I love his enthusiasm.

I hold her hand as we walk down the steps, and she starts to laugh. "Seriously, is there like a birthday or anniversary I'm forgetting about? What is all this?"

"I wanted to celebrate with you."

"Celebrate what?"

"Well…" I take her hand, my throat suddenly feeling thick and gummy. "It's July Fourth tomorrow and… on that day, however many years ago…" I let out a nervous laugh. "I fell in love with you."

She sucks in a soft breath.

"I can still picture it all so clearly. You had red ribbons in your hair, and you were wearing this Stars and Stripes T-shirt. And…" I smile, brushing my thumb down her cheek. "You winked at me… I was a goner."

She grins and winks at me again, sending my insides into a frenzy as I slowly drop to one knee.

"Oh my gosh." Her fingers are trembling as she presses them against her mouth.

"Tammy Tan… I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life doing that."

"I love you too," she squeaks and then starts sniffing, laughing and crying in the same breath.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes." She doesn't even make me wait a beat, and I catch her against me, kissing her when she plants her lips on mine.

"She said yes!" Casey shouts from the bushes, and then our Hockey House family appear from their hiding places.

Tammy pulls away from me with a delighted gasp, laughing and greeting everyone as they form a circle around us. Everyone starts cheering behind me, and I hear the clinking of beer bottles as they celebrate this win.

Perching on my knee, Tammy spins so Kai can present the ring to her.

"It's so beautiful," she gushes.

"I helped pick it out." He's so proud as he slides it onto her finger, and I share a grin with him.

"I love it." She looks between us. "I love you guys!" Wrapping her arms around our necks, she pulls us into a family hug, and then Ethan's big arms come around us all.

Soon, we've got a Hockey House pile on our hands—and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love these people. They're my favorite, and I can't wait to see what else life throws at us while we all do this thing together.

Thank you so much for reading Baxter and Tammy's romance. Watching them finally come together was such a joy, and my insides are bubbling as I think ahead to their future, which, yes… you're going to get a snapshot of.

From the very beginning, I always wanted to write an epilogue novel for these characters. And I'll be fast-forwarding three years down the road. You'll get to see each couple as they're met with new challenges in the world outside college. I don't want to give too much away, but get ready for: a wedding, a proposal, a pregnancy, a foster kid, and a marriage crisis that I promise will get resolved.

Bring on those happily-ever-afters in THE FOREVER GAME.