Chapter Twenty-Six
David
It’s the bottom of the ninth, and we’re up by three runs. But the Brewers came out to play and are having their best inning of the game.
Their lineup started with the lead batter, who hit a line drive straight up the center of the field, making his way to first.
The second at bat hit a ball out to right field, the kind of hit that floats through the air, right over the infielder’s head and bounces when it hits the grass, making the outfielder field it. This landed him on first and advanced the other player all the way to third.
Now we have their cleanup hitter. If he gets the right hit, that hit could land all three of them crossing home plate, tying the game.
With one out shy of the game being over, Coach Abbott called a timeout and replaced pitcher Nick Knight with the Smokies' closer, Trey Spencer.
While Trey is taking a few warm-up pitches, I let my gaze find Cat.
She’s beaming at the person sitting beside her, her feet resting on the chair in front of her, laughing at something the person just said. The excited murmuring of the crowd ripples through me, matching my humming pulse.
Her face is radiant and relaxed. Warmth spreads through my chest, and the corners of my lips tug up. As if feeling my gaze, she turns and looks in my direction. When her eyes meet mine, my grin creeps across my face.
Cat’s eyes soften and her smile brightens, making my pulse spike. Anticipation about spending time with her after the game zips through me. It’s the first time the two of us will be alone since getting married.
“Happy to see you getting a chance for some alone time with the wife,” O’Hara says from behind me, pulling my attention from Cat to him. I glance over my shoulder to find a smirk on his face. “I was getting a bit worried about your play. But it looks like whatever you changed has it fixed.”
He turns toward the stands and waves at his wife, before tapping me on the shoulder with his glove and running back to left field as Logan brings the last pitch back to Spencer. A signal that the game is about to start up again.
Taking one last glance in Cat’s direction, I find her attention on the activity happening on the field. Logan walks back to home plate, but stops to make sure everyone is ready before lowering into position.
The Brewers’ batter swings a few times before placing one foot in the batter's box and pointing toward the outfield.
The home team fans go crazy, and a smirk pulls up.
Baseball players, most athletes, have enormous egos, but the odds of this guy hitting a home run with the right pitch are high. With a runner on first and third, he could be the one who changes the trajectory of this game.
But if Spencer strikes him out, it’s game over.
We get to leave with a ‘W’, and I get to spend time with my wife. Alone. With one bed.
The batter steps fully into the batter's box, and I crouch into position, focusing on what’s happening on the field. Trey waits for the call but shakes Logan off, not once but twice, before throwing a pitch.
“Strike One,” the plate umpire calls as the batter watches the pitch. The guys from the dugout and on the field are cheering Spencer on.
Logan calls the pitch again, and Spencer nods, then throws a fastball.
When the batter swings, there is a collective intake of breath from the stands, followed by a sigh of disappointment as the umpire yells. “Strike two.” The scoreboard flashes the 3-2 count.
“Last one, Spence,” I yell, hitting my glove with my fist. “You got this!”
Claps can be heard from around the stadium as each fan cheers on their player.
Logan calls the pitch, and Spencer shakes him off before finally nodding at Logan’s fourth suggestion.
He winds up, and the ball leaves his hand.
Dink.
We all watch as the ball makes its way out to left field. It has the height, but does it have the distance…
My gaze lands on O’Hara. I can see him tracking the ball, his eye on it, and in a few more seconds, his glove.
Thirty minutes later, I exit the clubhouse to find Cat standing near the visitors' exit by left field. She hasn’t seen me yet and is leaning against a wall, a neutral expression on her face. I let my gaze leisurely take her in.
She’s wearing jeans, a blue Smokies button-down jersey, and a white team t-shirt underneath, both of which display my number. She’s a vision and the only thing I see.
A smirk crawls on my lips, and I feel satisfied to know this woman is mine. When my gaze makes its way to her face, I find her watching me. Her eyes track their way up my body, and my smirk turns into a full-blown grin.
When Cat’s eyes find mine, her mouth lifts at both corners, and my heart flips.
“That was so much fun,” she says, stopping a little more than a foot away from me. Not close enough for me, and I close the distance a few inches. Needing to touch her, I gently push a loose strand of hair behind her ear. When I hear her breath catch, my gaze falls to her lips.
The overwhelming desire to kiss her stuns me, but I control the urge. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated, and I want to make sure that I’m not moving too fast. But when Cat’s eyes flick to my lips, I thank my lucky stars and don’t hesitate.
Sliding my hand to the back of her neck, I lean in and gently press my lips to hers. “I’m glad,” I whisper, my mouth still against hers, before pulling back so that I can look her in the eyes. “Are you ready for dinner?”
“Would you be upset if I said I wasn’t hungry?” she asks sheepishly, placing a hand on my chest. Heat spreads throughout my chest, branding my heart. “I know the plan was to eat, but I took Scarlett’s advice and grabbed some of the food here.”
“Scarlett?” My brows shoot up.
“Ava did a video chat and put Scarlett on. She was watching the game with me for a bit.” Warmth spreads through me and wraps its way around my heart. “That little girl of yours is pretty amazing! I can’t get over her in-depth knowledge of baseball.”
An overwhelming amount of pride fills me, and I grin. Loving the fact that my daughter is a sports fanatic. “That’s my girl! What did you think would happen with both her father and uncle playing professional sports?”
Cat’s face scrunches up, and I run my hand down her arm, grabbing her hand. Her blue eyes pin mine before she pushes up on her toes and gently presses her lips to mine. Sending tingles down my spine.
“Cat!” Logan calls out. “Did you have fun tonight?”
She turns toward Logan but leans closer to me, and without thinking, I wrap my arm around her waist, pressing her back to my chest. “I did, but is there any way to make the game a bit shorter?”
Logan and I laugh, but when she looks quizzically at both of us, we stop.
“Oh, you’re serious,” he says, surprised, but then Cat’s eyes sparkle and Logan throws his head back, laughing. “Nice one.”
“What are you doing tonight?” I ask him.
“I’m actually going to head to my room and call it a night. What about the two of you? Heading out for dinner?”
Cat steps away and glances up at me. I reach for her hand again and lace her fingers with mine. “No, we’re going to head down to the RiverWalk before heading back to the hotel.”
“It’s the perfect night for it,” Logan says distractedly as he pulls his phone from his back pocket and looks at the name on the screen. “I have to take this. See you tomorrow, Cat?”
Cat nods, and he smiles distractedly as he picks up the call.
“Oh, you have to see this.” Cat reaches for her phone and taps the screen before handing it over to me. A picture of Scarlett, Duncan, and Emmy are all sitting in front of the TV wearing Smokies jerseys while I’m at bat. “Can I use this photo on your account?”
My chest expands at the message this photo sends, and I nod, swallowing hard. Handing the phone back to her. “Did you get any other pictures?”
“Just a couple hundred,” she beams, and I’m not sure if she’s serious or joking. “Some of you throwing the ball, catching a grounder, covering second and third…these are reusable shots where time and game don’t matter. It makes for easy social media content.”
My eyes widen, and I stare at her, a slow grin riding across my face.
“What?” she asks, a self-conscious look on her face.
My hand slides around her waist, pulling her up against me, and I whisper in her ear. “You talking baseball is sexy, Catherine James.”
A shiver runs through her, and my hand around her waist tightens. She slides her palms up my chest and leans back against my arm, letting me support her.
A swarm of emotions overwhelms me, but the one that squeezes my heart is the trust she’s gifting me.
Her eyes sparkle as she meets my gaze. “Are you ready to go?”
Go? My eyes narrow as I try to remember what she’s talking about.
“For a walk along the river?” She smiles, but then her brow furrows. “But if you’re tired, we can call it a night. I’m good either way.”
Leaning in, I press my lips to hers again and feel her sigh against my lips.
Twenty minutes later, her hand in mine, we’re walking along the Milwaukee RiverWalk. The river lapping gently against the stonewall, murmurs from people sitting at nearby restaurants, and Cream City brick make our backdrop. We walk in a comfortable silence, each in our own thoughts.
“What was life like when you moved away?” I ask. At the same time she questions, “Will you tell me about Fiona?”
We both chuckle, and a tiny bit of relief floods me when she begins to answer my question.
“It was hard. My mom was always worried that someone was going to come after us to get to my dad. She was so afraid, which trickled down to me. But Aunt Dottie made everything easier…”
She blows out a deep breath and stretches her fingers in my hand before continuing.
“Aunt Dottie had a way of looking at things and focusing on the good in life. I didn’t realize how much I needed that or how much it changed my life. She was always happy, and I wanted that so much.”
“You were always happy when we were together,” I interject, memories of the two of us together.
“Around you I was,” she whispers, and her chin falls to her chest. “At home though…”
There’s a heaviness rolling off of her, and I want to help her carry it, but I don’t know how. I give her hand a squeeze, letting her know she’s not alone.
“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone we were leaving.” She stops and looks up at me, her eyes filled with an emotion that has my heart clenching. “And as terrified as my mom was, I couldn’t leave without letting you know.”
When Cat left, she took a part of me with her. I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but I knew it was significant. How would I have felt if she had left without an explanation?
Turning to kiss the side of her head, I murmur, “Thank you for telling me.”
She nods stiffly, but wraps her other hand around my arm, pressing her body closer. My chest expands. I’m not sure I’ll ever grow tired of wanting to be her safe place.
“Tell me more about Aunt Dottie.” I nudge her gently, and her surprise laughter makes the lights along the river feel brighter.
“My aunt was an amazing woman and a character.” A smile lines her face. “As you know, by the marriage stipulation in her will.”
“If she were alive, I’d thank her for that,” I say seriously, and she giggles, hip-checking me.
“Maybe I should thank her too,” she murmurs, her face taking on a faraway look, like she’s lost in a memory. “She’d love you. And she would adore Scarlett. Aunt Dottie saved me in so many ways…”
Cat tells me about the part of her life I missed. The sadness she felt at leaving, how her mother fell apart after they left, and never fully recovered. My heart breaks for the girl I remember and the trials she had to go through.
When we finally make it to our room, our sleeping arrangements are all but forgotten as we talk late into the night, making up for decades of separation.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30 (Reading here)
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37