without words. That infused her dancing, often bringing grown adults to tears. Indeed, her solo was bound to be the show-stealer of the recital.
With that thought, Jasmine got back to making sure everyone was ready for the rehearsal to begin. She wanted the crowd to enjoy every minute.
In the end, it went off with only a few minor hitches that she and her staff worked through in quick time. She couldn’t have been more pleased and was sure to praise all of her students afterward.
As she stood with them in the wings, the sound of the microphone turning back on drew her attention to the stage. Alima stood in front of the microphone.
“I know you’re all eager to collect your precious little ones and depart,” she told the crowd of parents still waiting in their seats, “but I’d like to ask Jasmine to come back onstage and take a bow. Don’t you think she deserves the spotlight for all of her work on this recital?”
The loud round of applause and cheering had Jasmine’s eyes going wide. Alima hadn’t done this at their last recital around Christmas. She couldn’t imagine why she was doing it now.
Still, the crowd had made its opinion known.
She took a deep breath and planted a smile on her face, stepping out from behind the curtain and walking onto the stage. The applause got even louder, making her grin and take the bow Alima mentioned. A rush went through her not unlike what she used to feel when she took a bow after a performance as a dancer.
Maybe even more of one, she admitted, since it was her vision and orchestration that had brought all of this together.
The applause faded. Jasmine was about to lift her hand for a final wave when Will and Katie walked onto the stage. Will had a microphone in his hand.
What in the world?
“Hi, folks,” he said, addressing the crowd. “This is unusual, I know. I didn’t want to take the spotlight away from the kids during the big recital tomorrow, but Katie and I cooked up a little performance of our own. I thought you might want to see it.”
The resulting cheer resounded through the auditorium.
Will grinned and took a bow. Alima hurried forward and took the mic from him, alerting Jasmine to the fact that her friend knew about whatever was happening.
When Will approached Jasmine, she wanted to ask him what he was up to. He lifted a finger in a shushing gesture before bending to place a brief kiss on her lips. That kept her from arguing as he guided her over to a spot on the left side of the stage.
“Now stay put,” he told her in a voice that carried.
The crowd laughed. Jasmine saw cameras in nearly everyone’s hands. It had her heart jumping into overdrive.
Across the stage, Will and Katie moved into what were obviously well-practiced positions. A few seconds later, a song started playing. When Jasmine recognized the song as Bruno Mars’ “Marry You,” she brought her hands to her face.
She watched with tears in her eyes as Will and Katie danced a surprisingly well-coordinated routine that she assumed Alima helped them learn together. Tears spilled down her cheeks when the routine ended with Will and Katie each going to one knee in front of her. They grabbed two pieces of poster board she hadn’t noticed on the ground and held them up for her and the audience to read.
Will’s read, Will you be my wife?
Katie’s read, Will you be my mommy?
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jasmine said, “Yes,” to both of them.
The noise from the crowd was deafening.
Smiling wide, Will got to his feet. He placed a ring on her finger, sealing it with a kiss. When he stepped back, Katie moved forward. Seeing she had a gift, as well, Jasmine lowered so they were eye-to-eye. Katie opened a jewelry case to reveal a mother’s necklace styled like Will’s necklace, but in platinum. She and Will helped secure it around Jasmine’s neck.
She silently vowed to never take it off.
As she returned to her feet with Will holding one hand and Katie the other, she realized that the happiness she felt earlier while taking a bow was nothing compared to this…and she couldn’t wait for the three of them to officially become a family.
# # #
Thanks so much for reading For the Win! If you enjoyed Will and Jasmine’s story, don’t miss my other standalone baseball romances where you can read about the Happily Ever Afters of