Dane

I step out of the dugout, swinging the bat slightly in my hand. The pitcher is talking to the ref. More likely the ref is chewing out the pitcher for almost hitting one of our players in the head. "You got this." Noah calls to me. It's the bottom of the ninth inning, we're down by two, and I've hit for shit the whole game. We've got two players on base, two outs, and their pitcher seems to be on a roll.

I've been trying to scan the stands for Mackenzie the whole game, because I know that she's here, but I haven't found her yet. I figure she'll be sitting by herself, since her roommates don't seem to be big fans of baseball. Also, it's an away game. Only an hour drive from school, but still, a commitment.

Finally, I find her. She's in the first row, and the reason I didn't see her is because she's sandwiched in between my father and Mellie, on one side, and Henry and Jadyn, on the other. She's wearing a large smile, and nodding along to something my father is saying.

He looks relaxed, and by some odd miracle, he's also smiling. Mackenzie sees me looking and gives me a double thumbs up. Jadyn blows me a kiss, Henry waves, my step-mom smiles, and my father mimics Mackenzie's thumbs up. The two of them getting along is still mind-boggling to me. I think he might like her more than he likes me.

I step up to the plate as the referee walks away from the mound. The pitcher and I make eye contact, and then I let myself relax, feeling my breath, feeling the slight breeze tickle my cheeks. The throw is hard and fast, and as I swing, I'm thinking I'm hitting a line drive down left-center.

Instead, my bat collides with the ball just right, and I feel the solid impact. I throw the bat and take off sprinting, but I hear the booing and the cheering, and look up just in time to see my ball sail over the fence.

A home run. Game over.

"Sawyer! Sawyer! Sawyer!" I hear Noah chanting from the dugout. I ease myself into a jog, and watch as my teammates run through home. Their pitcher looks fucking pissed. Rightfully so. I can't keep the smile off my face as I cross home.

I look at Mackenzie and point at her. She's standing on her feet, clapping, cheering, and jumping up and down. Henry, on her other side is yelling into his hands. Jadyn has both of his hands up and is just outright screaming, his face tilted up slightly towards the sky. He looks like a madman. Mellie is choosing the more-demure route of clapping. My eyes finally land on my father.

He's standing as well. He gives me the a-okay symbol, a massive smile plastered across his face. And I hear his voice, out of all of the noise. "Yeah! Dane!" Someone behind them says something and my dad turns around, suddenly looking pissed.

Both Mackenzie and my step-mom grab him, say something, and he turns back around, shaking his head. Probably ready to fight some fan from the other team.

I can't wipe the grin off my face as my team floods out of the dugout and surrounds me. Noah flings his arm around my shoulders. "Fucking incredible man."

"Did you know they were all coming?" I demand, as I get slapped on the back repeatedly. Noah rolls his eyes.

"It was a surprise." Noah mutters, as if I'm the slowest person alive.

"Did Mackenzie know?" Noah shrugs. "Did they invite you to dinner?" The smile he gives me is enormous.

"Of course." He tells me. "I'm your best friend."

Everything is a blur as we leave the field, shower, and get dressed. Noah informs me that we're riding home with my family and Mackenzie, instead of the team, and then drags me out of the away-team locker room.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!" Noah chants as we exit the facility. They're all waiting, watching us. Henry, Jadyn, and my father join in. Mackenzie steps forward and gives me a massive hug, tucking her face against my chest. I breathe in the smell of her shampoo. Slightly minty. One of my favorite smells. She tilts her head back to smile at me, and I lean down to kiss her.

As always, her lips are soft, and I can feel her relax into me slightly. Her mouth is still curved up, like she's smiling. I tangle my hand in in her hair, pulling her closer to me. Then I step back, aware that I should probably greet the rest of my family.

Mackenzie winks at me as I step in to give Henry a hug. "I want a kiss like that too." Henry tells me. Jadyn punches him in the arm.

"Perv." Jadyn mutters. I hug Jadyn next.

"Thanks for coming." I mumble in his ear.

"Mackenzie's idea." He whispers to me. "But I didn't tell you."

Mellie gives me a hug, and then I turn to my dad. "What a way to end the game." He tells me, before yanking me in for a classic dad bear hug. He slaps me on the back a couple of times. "I'm really proud of you." He tells me quietly, still holding me. I feel my heart beat faster. "For your internship, for baseball, for finding someone like Mackenzie."

"Thanks, dad." I manage.

He steps back and gives Mackenzie a smile. "Dinner time?" He asks her. She nods. "Excellent." He says, grabbing my step-mom's hand and starting towards the parking lot. "I'm starving."

"I even brought him snacks." Mackenzie mutters. I smile to myself.

Mackenzie and I trail behind the rest of the group, and she leans into me as I kiss her on the forehead. "What were you and my dad talking about?" I whisper. I don't know why I bother, the rest of them are walking ahead of us, talking animatedly.

"Baseball." She mutters, rolling her eyes slightly. "The man is a walking encyclopedia of baseball trivia. It's insane."

"You looked amused."

"Oh, that's because he was showing me pictures on his phone of you as a kid."

"He has pictures of me on his phone?"

"Yeah. Said he sent them to himself so that he could look back and see where you started." Mackenzie gives me a squeeze, and I swallow, trying not to let tears form.

"Of me playing baseball?" I ask

"No." She says. "Mostly of you and your dad playing together. Blocks, trains, toy soldiers. There's a picture of him reading to you."

I wipe my eyes, trying not to let Mackenzie see that today is actually getting to me. I don't know why I bother, since she always seems to pick up on what I'm feeling anyway.

"That's allowed to make you emotional." She murmurs, giving me another squeeze. "It's very sweet."

I nod. "I know."

"Sure you do." She lets out a short laugh.

"Did you plan all this?" I ask.

"Did Jadyn fucking snitch?" She asked.

"Umm--" I try to think of a clever lie. "No?"

"Liar." She pokes me in the ribs. "It was him or Noah, and I made Noah swear on Hannah's life."

"How do you know it wasn't Henry?"

"He didn't whisper anything to you." She rolls her eyes. Always so observant, even when I think she's been a part of the rest of the conversation. "Fine, it was me. I just thought it would be nice to have everyone together, since you and your dad seem to be getting along. I tried to do it for the first home game of the year, but this was the weekend that worked out the best, and it wasn't too bad of a drive." She sighs. "Do you not like it?"

"It's very nice." I stop her and look at her. She's biting her lip like she's nervous. "I like it, Mackenzie. I promise." She gives me a tentative smile.

"Yeah?"

"Of course. I like everything that you give me." She laughs and I lean down to kiss her again, pressing myself against her, sliding my tongue over hers. It's an inconvenient time to think that I'd really love to just take her home, but the thought slides through my brain anyway.

"They're waiting for us." She whispers as I pull back. I wind my hand around her waist and we walk towards my family, leaning against each other. I feel safe and loved and like I can accomplish anything with her by my side.

"I love you, Mackenzie Brooks." I tell her.

"And I love you, Dane Sawyer."