The last two months had been a whirlwind of activity. We were now juggling three houses, twice a week doctor’s appointments, a puppy, and the long hours of my baseball schedule. Emily took it all in stride. We finally got facetime to work on her phone, and besides our nightly chats that were becoming a staple of our relationship while I was on the road, she also used it to show me houses she was touring in Trenton, New Jersey.

Trenton was a nice compromise. I could easily drive there after a game, and it was only an hour outside of New York City. Although deep down, she’d always be a New York girl, Philadelphia was growing on her. She had started connecting with several of the local charities and was considering opening another center.

The transition wasn’t only rocky for her. It was taking me awhile to find my footing. A new player coming on mid-season was always hard. And it was especially hard for me. New York was the only team I’ve ever played for. But my new teammates were welcoming, and it didn’t take long before I felt like one of the guys.

Everything seemed to be falling into place. However, there was still one thing that was left unresolved. And tonight, I was going to fix that.

The stadium was packed. We were well on our way to sweeping Boston after a six-game series. And despite being new to the team, I played a major role in those wins.

But tonight, the team was going to have to close out the game without me. Up in the stand, Emily and Ben were watching, and I had something special planned.

At the seventh inning split, the head coach replaced me. There was a bat boy waiting off field with a bag, and I made my way through the back halls until I made my way to the stand.

A few rows down, Emily sat next to my best friend listening to a local choir sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game. As I made my way down the steep stairs, the crowd started to take notice. I held up the black velvet box in my hand, pointed to Emily, and then pressed a finger to my lips.

After the song was over, the announcers came on and updated everyone to the change in the roster. When she heard my name, Emily looked up and scanned the field. I could tell by the set of her shoulder, she was concerned, but I wasn’t going to make her wait in suspense much longer.

The jumbotron flashed with a big heart and started scanning the crowd. The tinny chords of a love song began playing over the stadium's speakers.

Couple after couple were captured and prompted to kiss by the crowd. And then the camera fell on Emily and Ben. She shook her head emphatically and tried to wave the cameras off. The crowd around them went wild.

“Kiss him!”

“Go on, kiss him!”

Ben leaned over, and she leaned away almost falling out of her seat. He started laughing and said something I couldn’t hear. While the crowd continued to egg her on, I made my way down the row directly behind them and waited.

“It doesn’t look like Emily Oliver is interested in kissing her companion,” the announcer said over the speakers.

The sound of her name stopped her and she looked up, scanning the field again.

“Turn around,” Someone in the crowd yelled.

“I think you’re right, John,” the other announcer said. “Maybe she’d be more interested in the fellow behind her. What does the crowd think?”

Almost everyone around her was now yelling for her to turn around. She stood up and turned, coming face-to-face with me.

“Cooper? Why aren’t you on the field? Did you know about this?” she asked, shooting Ben the stink eye over her shoulder.

“I plead the fifth,” he said, laughing.

“I don’t understand. What are you—” She sucked in a breath as I got down on one knee.

“Emily, will you make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me?”

In a typical Emily response, she started to cry and almost looked like she was going to faint from the shock. The sappy love song continued to play in the background, and everyone held their collective breaths, waiting for her to answer.

“Yes! Of course, I’ll marry you.”

She leaned over the back of the seat and threw her arms around me. A collective “awww” went up around the stadium as I slipped the ring on her finger. Then I kissed her with everything I had. And this kiss was the best one yet. It was a beginning. We’d made it through a lot of ups and downs, but always came back to each other. And this time, I wasn’t ever going to let her go.