Chapter 12: Home Plate
Right on time, Kirby pulled her car into a parking area at the address Dave had given her. Only it wasn’t really a parking area. It was an open field, and the spot her GPS told her was the address to go to. Confused, she pulled off the road and onto the grass, and fished for her phone in the bag she had on the passenger seat. She intended to call Dave and make sure she had the right place since, at least according to her assessment, she was in the middle of nowhere.
She got out of her car to stretch as the drive to the address from Breckenridge had taken about a half hour and her legs felt tight from the car ride. Looking down she saw that her phone had no signal. She looked around her, trying to figure out where she was and to see if Dave’s car was anywhere in sight, which it wasn’t. The light was fading, but still she could see the outline of the mountains lifting above a thick forest of evergreens at the edge of an open field covered in patches of snow. It was so quiet out here. All she could hear was the sound of a creek flowing somewhere nearby, and it was lovely. She stood a moment to enjoy her surroundings.
She saw headlights coming up the road and moved closer to her car for safety. The car pulled off the road and parked next to hers, and Dave got out.
“You found the place!” he said.
“Yes, I did. But what is this ‘place’? It’s just a field…” she stammered, confused.
“Did you bring warm clothes?” he asked.
“Yep, and I’ve got boots on and an extra pair of long johns in the car, but… I don’t understand what this is about.”
Dave just smiled and reached out his hand to take hers. It was warm and strong and her hand fit in his like it belonged there.
“Come, walk a bit with me. We don’t have much day light left,” he said, pulling her along behind him into the snowy field.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” she asked again.
“Shhh, shhhh, shhhh, soon. Just enjoy this. I promise, I will tell you. I want to show you something first,” he said.
They walked through the snow for a ways until Dave stopped, midway between where their cars were parked and where the meadow met the trees.
“Right here,” he said.
“Yes? What’s right here?”
“Do you hear the creek? It’s just over that rise, not far at all. Do you see the mountains behind us and all the trees, and do you hear how quiet it is out here?”
“Yes, yes, and yes… in that order,” she teased.
“Great. Then, do you remember what I said about the place where I wanted to build my mountain house?”
“Yes, in the mountains, in the trees, next to a creek. Dave, is this the spot you’re going to build on?”
“Do you remember the paper you handed me?”
“Why do you keep having to answer my questions with questions?”
Dave laughed then. “I will tell you everything, but for right now, in this spot, I just want to hold you. Can I?”
He put his arms around Kirby, drawing her close and into his chest, and through their layers of clothing and heavy coats, they could hear the thudding of the other’s heartbeat. It was warm in their embrace, and safe. He backed away from their hug slightly, so that his face was close to hers, and he leaned in to kiss her ever so gently on the lips. She responded, enjoying the softness of his lips and the warmth of his breath, and how perfectly their lips fit together like two puzzle pieces. Their kiss deepened and her mouth opened to his; his arms tightened around her and mid-kiss, he swung her around in circles until she was breathless and giggling.
“Dave, what are we doing out here?” she asked again.
“You are standing in the living room,” he said. Pointing this way and that excitedly, he continued. “The kitchen will be over there, the driveway will come in from that main road and there will be a grand circle entrance and as you walk into the house, the foyer will be here and the staircase, and the backyard with a huge wrap around deck that looks off into the trees with the mountains behind it, and I think there will be room for some batting cages too, and maybe a huge outdoor kitchen with an herb garden and I can’t tell yet if there will be room for a pool or not but…” Kirby put her arm on his to stop him from continuing his wild gesturing and crazy yammering.
“Is this your parents’ property? The land you wanted to build on?” she asked with anticipation.
“No, I couldn’t afford that one,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because it required more than I was willing to pay. That’s sort of the definition of not being able to afford something…” He didn’t mean to sound so defensive, but he was not sure he really wanted to get into the specifics with Kirby and risk having to mention Trevor’s name in front of her again.
“I don’t know what you mean. Money doesn’t seem like an issue for you, especially now that the Rockies called,” she said, slyly.
He sighed deeply and looked into her eyes, hoping she would see how hard it was for him to talk about this. “The price was you. If I wanted that land, I had to walk away from you forever. And not just that, I had to walk away in such a way that you would never chase me. I had to break your heart, break it in two, hurt you and make sure the world heard about it. Trevor. He wanted Smear Campaign part two, at my hand, in order for him to agree to sell that property.”
Kirby was quiet then. It wasn’t quite what she had expected. She knew Trevor had wanted something from Dave, but she never would have guessed it could have been something quite so cruel. But something didn’t add up for her. Had he been headed down the road of hurting her all along, or was Trevor’s offer only put on the table once Trevor realized they were an item?
“When did Trevor make you that deal, Dave?”
“The morning after we spent the night together. I think you saw the text message. I called him back that morning after you left, and heard him out. Kirby, I was never even tempted to take him up on it, not at all! How could I? How could I ever hurt you? I’ve fallen so hard for you, my heart is so full of love for you. I don’t even have it in me to hurt you, not in any way. I love you, Kirby,” he said tenderly, placing his hands around her face and planting a sweet kiss on her lips.
“Dave, I love you too. I can’t believe how quickly it happened. One moment I was resisting you, afraid you were just looking for a safe wife, just like Trevor was, and the next minute I was falling so hard for you. It hurt me to think that you and he were plotting something against me, and I should have given you a chance to explain. I’m so sorry, so very sorry,” she said, nuzzling into his chest. “I should have trusted you.”
“I understand why you didn’t, Kirby. I know the whole story. If I were you, I never would have trusted anyone again either. I get it, I really do.”
They stayed in each other’s arms watching the sun set behind the mountains and then gradually broke their embrace.
“If this isn’t your parents’ property, then whose was it?” Kirby asked suddenly.
“Well, that’s the surprise. All this time I thought that most of Breckenridge was owned by the von Stoup family, at least the decent plots of land. And then one day this week, waiting for you in Bud’s hardware store, I mentioned that very thing to him. He said, ‘The von Stoups don’t own everything, boy.’” Kirby laughed at Dave’s sturdy, good ol’ boy impression of Bud.
“So, he knew about something the von Stoups didn’t own? Something that was miraculously for sale? I didn’t realize Bud had connections like that,” she said.
“Yes. He knew of something the von Stoups didn’t own, something they have tried to buy off of him for years and he has simply refused to sell anything to them. This was a piece of property Bud and LuLu bought towards the end of their life together. They planned on building a home here and retiring to this place. And then, as you know, she died. And he couldn’t bring himself to build here without her. So…”
“So?”
“He sold it to me, for a very reasonable price I might add, on one condition.”
“What was the condition?”
“Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I agreed to the condition on your behalf. It was a condition for you.”
“Me? Why me? What was it?”
“Bud made me promise that I would build a house here and that he would sell me the land on one condition. That is, that you would be my wife. Kirby, will you marry me?”
Dave was on one knee now, looking up at Kirby expectantly, and Kirby couldn’t speak. His proposal had taken her completely off guard and she stood looking down at him with a combination of happy tears and shock.
“Kirby, I’ve traveled most of my life playing baseball, I have had a million experiences, seen a lot of the world and met so many people. And now, coming back to Breckenridge, coming back home, under these stars I have found that there is only one person that makes my life make any sense. I loved you from the first moment you made me chase you down the mountain on those skis. You never cease to amaze me with your beauty, with how generous your heart is even after all that has been done to you and all that has been taken from you, and when you were gone… Kirby, I can’t breathe without you. I need you. I want you, always and only you, forever. Will you? Will you marry me?”
She was a puddle of tears then, stooped down on the ground in his arms crying on his shoulder and repeating, “Yes, yes, yes, I will,” into his shoulder as her tears streamed down. “Dave, you’re everything to me, everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. And do you know the moment I knew?”
“When?” he said, brushing aside her tears with his finger.
“When I heard you on the phone, talking to Trevor outside Bud’s shop, telling him what a dirt bag he is. I knew then how strong and brave you are, and how true your love for me is. You went to bat for me not knowing if you would ever even see me again. I loved you so much in that moment, and I always will, forever.”
They walked back to the cars, hand in hand, talking excitedly about how they would plan the layout of their new house.
“I have soup and sandwiches and hot chocolate in my car,” Dave said. “And a big back seat and lots of blankets,” he added. “Oh, and a moon roof so we can see the stars.”
They snuggled into the backseat together and looked up at the stars and basked in the glow of their new engagement.
Then, they spoke at once.
“So, about your ring…” he said.
“So, about Keystone…” she said.
They laughed together. “You first,” he said.
“Oh, I was just going to say, I’m sad that I won’t be able to teach ski school at Keystone. I was really looking forward to it,” Kirby said.
“Well, I was going to mention that myself. You see, there’s a reason I didn’t have time to shop for a ring today… Remember that press conference I said I had to go to?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well, it had nothing really to do with baseball, you might be surprised to know.”
“Oh?”
“I wanted to announce my retirement from baseball, for one thing. I’ve graciously declined the Rockies generous offer, and made my retirement official. But more importantly, I’ve given money to Breckenridge resort earmarked for a ski school for kids with developmental disabilities, like Downs Syndrome. And, I’ve announced that it will open next winter, with dedicated instruction staff, and I mentioned that I have already hired a teacher to head up the school. I hope she’ll accept…”
“What?! Really? That’s amazing! Of course I accept! I can’t wait! But what about baseball? Won’t you miss it?”
“Oh, I don’t think so, not really. I’ve had my fill of it and coming back here has helped me put some things in perspective, just like my dad always said it would. I want to live my life with an amazing lady by my side, raise a family, enjoy little things and big things, and fall in love with my bride over and over again, each and every day of our lives together. And now I’ve found that, and I couldn’t possibly find anything more enjoyable than that on a pitcher’s mound surrounded by stinky guys scratching themselves and spiting,” Dave said, laughing.
“Well, I’m flattered you’ve chosen our life together over that,” Kirby said. “You make it sound so glamourous, you know?”
“One thing still puzzles me about you, Kirby,” Dave said.
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“You’ve never asked me about my nick name, and why people call me Big Dave.”
If it hadn’t been pitch dark around them, Dave would have seen Kirby blushing.
“It’s because I already know why they call you Big Dave,” she said. Her hand moved down to the button of his fly and began undoing the buttons one by one, slowly. She could feel him hardening beneath her touch, and it excited her.
Dave moved his hand to her shirt and slid off her sweater, caressing the soft warmth of her breasts with his hand tucked under her bra. He moved down to hold each nipple in his mouth in turn, one then the other, tickling her nipples with his tongue and appreciating how they perked up for him. He helped her out of her pants and then took off his own shirt. It was a little crowded in the back of the car, but it was worth it to be next to each other, skin touching, hands caressing each other, and mouths exploring. Dave lowered himself on top of Kirby, looking deep into her eyes as he penetrated her and slowly rocked into her eager, wet opening.
“That’s why they call you Big Dave,” she said breathlessly.
“And this is why I rented a car with a big back seat,” he said, showering her belly with kisses as he made love to his fiancée for the first time.
The End
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