He slammed the Explorer door and headed to the porch. He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door and then waited until it swung open. Her hair was falling out of a messy bun, and she was in pajama shorts and tank top, but he’d never seen anything more beautiful. He wanted to pull her into his arms and never let her go.
Bridget’s dark eyes widened. “Ryan.Your elbow.”
He glanced at the sling on his arm before stepping inside the house. He watched her silently while she shut the door behind him.
“I got another cortisone shot. I’ll rest tomorrow, but I start rehab after that. I’ll be out for a few weeks. If I want to be able to move my arm in ten years, I’ve got to start taking care of it.”
Ryan looked her over again, taking in her beautiful dark eyes, her plump lower lip—currently being worried between her teeth—and the way her hands fidgeted in front of her abdomen. His eyes locked there.
On her stomach.
A warmth spread through him as he was smacked hard with the realization that their child was growing inside her. He’d worked through ideas on the plane, but seeing her, knowing she was carrying their child, made everything more real. It was scary and wonderful all rolled into one.
She crossed her arms under her chest, bringing his attention back to her face.
She cocked her head to the side. “Jo told you?” The question was all accusation.
“Jo gave me some clues. She didn’t spill any secrets, I swear, but our conversation had me thinking back to your phone call. I should have picked up on it. Should have known something more important than me missing a few games was going on.”
“Oh.”
This was where she usually clammed up, so he continued. “Bridg—”
She put one finger up, and he halted, shocked that she was going to keep talking.
“I know a baby speeds things up. And maybe makes this thing between us more serious than you wanted. We don’t even live on the same side of the country more than half the year.” She paused and took a big breath.
It took everything in Ryan not to jump in and correct her. She was so wrong about what he wanted. But he needed to let her finish.
“But Ryan, I know we can figure it out because—” Her brown eyes met his, so full of emotion. “I love you.”
Before the last word had even left her mouth, he reached out with his good arm and pulled her against him. The soft, sweet scent of coconut filled his nose, and his world fell into place. “I love you too, baby. I’ve known that for weeks. I was just waiting for you to catch up.”
“What?” Bridget pulled back and looked up at him.
Ryan stepped back and undid the top three buttons on his shirt. He tugged the left side, revealing her name on his chest.
“You were always a dream for me, and when I finally got to dip my toes in that fantasy, you scorched yourself onto my heart faster than I knew was possible. So it’s only fitting to have you branded onto my chest.”
She lifted her hand to trace the harsh red letters. Scabs still covered half the letters he’d had branded onto his chest the day he got back to New York from the All-Star break. It would take months for it to fully heal, but her name would forever rest above his heart.
“I talked to my agent about a trade to the Tahoe Sharks.”
Her head shot up and her mouth fell open.
“Ryan, no! You can’t leave your team. You love those guys.” Bridget shook her head.
“Baby, I love pitching, but it’s a job. But you—you’re my endgame. I want to be in the same state as you and our child as much as I can. I’m going to have travel, and baseball can be a bitch for families, but I want to be with you two as much as possible.”
Bridget swallowed. “Well, I was thinking. Since it would be nice to be home and not juggling a baby and a full-time job like I did with Aidan, there’s no reason I can’t take some time off and come to New York.”
Ryan would never ask her to quit her job. He’d never expect her to give up the career she loved and the autonomy that went along with it, but traveling together as a family was his ideal.
“Winters in Tahoe; summers in New York?” he asked.
“I think we could make it work for a few years.”
Ryan shook his head and smiled. “No, Bridg, Iknowwe can make this work forever.”