Page 7

Chapter Seven

David

“James.” I whip my head around and see Coach John Abbott, standing in his office door, waving me in. I quickly finish the text I’m typing.

David:

Did you and Duncan get a new dog?

Ava sent a picture of Duncan’s latest creation and his newest taste tester. Though honestly, that pup of mine will eat anything, so I’m not sure how valuable her opinion is. But she does look pretty darn cute sitting there. Her dainty body and sweet face give her the appearance of an angel.

I scoff. That girl is anything but an angel. Last night I left my duffel bag by the door with one of my protein snacks in a zipped pocket. When I grabbed it this morning, I saw the wrapper on the floor, but didn’t notice the hole in the pocket until I put my duffel bag on the bench by my locker.

It’s like having a toddler all over again. Except with teeth, that chews everything in her path.

Ava:

Maybe.

Duncan is working on something special for Scarlett, and Emmy is the inspiration.

Another image comes through, and my mouth falls open at my brother’s creation. Scarlett may not be too far off about pushing him to open his own shop.

“James!” Coach’s voice has a tinge of annoyance to it, tearing my attention from my screen and back to him.

“Sorry, Coach,” I yell, sliding my phone into the locker. I jog over to his office and lean against the door frame.

“Come on in and sit down.” He tips his head toward the chair across from his desk, briefly glancing up from what he’s working on.

I sit and quietly watch him as he finishes up. A memory of me sitting in this exact chair after my first practice back when Fiona died pops in my head. A heaviness I haven’t felt in years presses against my ribcage, and my insides lurch. Lifting my hand to my heart, I try to rub the tightness out.

Where’s this coming from? An image of dark hair and green eyes flashes and the grip tightens.

“Sorry about that.” My hand freezes, and my head snaps up at his words. “I just needed to write that down before I forgot.”

I stiffly nod, my hand still pressed against my sternum.

“I have some news for you…” He stops talking and inspects my face, his eyebrows pulled together in concern. “Are you okay? You look exhausted.”

I rake a hand through my hair and scrub my chin. “It’s been a rough few days.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Coach’s expression opens up, and he leans his elbow on his desk. “I know you’ve had a rough few years—”

“No, it’s not that,” I cut him off. “I adopted a dog over the weekend.”

He stares at me, processing what I just said, before throwing his head back and laughing so hard I’m afraid he’s going to hurt himself. Heat crawls up my neck, and a quick glance out the office door shows my teammates looking on in curiosity.

I immediately regret not closing the door.

“I’m sorry,” he says through chuckles, wiping a tear from his eye. “I did that once. The kids were still young, and it was chaos. Good thing my wife—” Coach stops and whips his gaze to mine, regret hovering there.

“It’s okay, Coach.” I force my lips to pull up, while dropping my hand from my chest. “Having Fiona here would make it all so much easier.”

The picture behind his desk catches my attention. It’s of his family and their dog. “Luckily, Duncan and Ava are around to help for the time being.”

“Support systems are so important,” he says as he picks up a pen from his desk and starts rolling it through his fingers. “Remember that the Smokies are here to help you, too.”

This time, when I look at him, a real smirk slides across my lips. “You mean with my social media account.”

His mouth drops open before snapping shut, and one of my brows raises. Clearing his throat, he says. “With that, too. But I meant the dog. You don’t have to do this all alone, David.”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I recall saying almost the exact same words to my brother about this recently.

I also remember how I stubbornly told everyone I could do it all myself right after Fi died.

Good thing my mother didn’t listen to me because I desperately needed help.

I wouldn’t have been able to get back on the field as quickly as I did without her support.

Taking care of Scarlett was, and is, my number one priority, but baseball is what helped me to live again.

The sport saved my life, and the team kept me afloat, helping me to be the father my daughter needed.

“I’ll try to remember that, Coach. It’s easy for me to get stuck in the ‘needing to do it all myself’.” I shrug. “My dad did.”

Coach’s mouth twitches. “How old are you now, David? Thirty-five?”

“Almost.” I narrow my eyes at him and tilt my head, trying to figure out where he’s going with this line of questioning.

“Then I think it’s safe to fill you in on a secret.” He leans over and motions for me to come closer before saying softly. “Your dad couldn’t have ‘done it all’ without your mom. That’s why you have couples. Neither one of you can do what is needed to support a family alone.”

I take a moment to think about what he just said, and my gut twists. For the first time, it hits me why I feel like a failure when it comes to balancing my work life and Scarlett. I’ve been trying to do something that is nearly impossible by myself.

My dad was always larger than life, but I forgot about the steady presence behind him. My mom.

There is no shame in asking for help. In letting others see your vulnerabilities. “Okay.”

“Okay, what, exactly?” Coach asks, a confused look on his face.

“Not having to do it alone.” A slow grin rides up my face. “I’ll drop Emmy off tonight. I just need your address.”

“Woah, David.” Coach holds out his arms, panic in his eyes. “I didn’t mean I want your dog.”

Letting the laughter I’ve been holding back free. His panicked expression turns to a scowl, and I laugh a bit harder and hold my hands up, a smile still on my face. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I was talking about social media. I’ll take the help with my profile.”

His brows shoot up. “But I didn’t bring that up yet—”

“I’ve bumped into Cat a few times, and Logan happened to witness it.” I throw my thumb over my shoulder. “The second time he mentioned she was our new director of fan experience, and I assumed she would be the one watching over my shoulder.”

“He was flirting,” Logan yells from behind me. I turn to find him with both hands on the side of the door frame, leaning forward with a huge grin on his face.

Heat works its way up my face. “I wasn’t—”

“He was flirting,” he repeats, nodding his head. “And so was she.”

“Cat, huh?” I flip my gaze back to Coach. The corner of his mouth lifted and a brow quirked. “Interesting.”

“Are we done here, Coach?” I push up from my chair and start backing up toward his door. When he nods, I turn to make a quick getaway.

“See? Flirting,” Logan stage whispers, and the entire locker room bursts out laughing. Making sure not to catch anyone’s gaze, I grab my stuff and all but run out the door. But not before I hear Logan yell, “Make sure you look both ways first!”

“Daddy,” Scarlett yells and throws herself in my arms as soon as I walk through the front door, making my heart flip. There’s no sign of Emmy, so I assume she’s in the kitchen with whoever’s cooking. “Wait until you see what Uncle Dunky did!”

“I can’t wait.” My mouth pulls up, and I kiss her on the cheek. “How was school today?”

“It was okay.” She shrugs, playing with the collar of my shirt. My daughter is never shy; in fact, I have a hard time getting her to be quiet most days, but lately she’s been talking about a boy named Steven. Whenever something happens with him at school, this is the version of her I see.

“Just okay?” She shrugs, and a tiny prick of sadness hits my heart with the fact that my little girl is growing up way too fast. I used to be the person she shared everything that happened in her life, but not with this topic. Luckily, she has her godmother to talk to about boys.

“Hey, David,” Ava yells from the kitchen, just as Duncan shows up in the dining room carrying a dish of lasagna. Emmy follows close behind.

“I think you have a fan.” I nod toward my dog. Watching Duncan place the food on an already set table. “Is she going home with you tonight?”

“Not funny, Daddy!” Scarlett chastises me, scooting out of my arms. “This is Emmy’s home, and she’s staying. Right, Emmy?”

As if that dog understands every word my daughter says, she glares at me—yes, glares —and then huffs before turning around and following Scarlett into the kitchen.

Duncan chuckles. The smile on his face is so wide I swear it’s going to split. “I don’t know how you did it, but now you have two of them.”

A sigh falls from me. He’s not even a little bit wrong. Making my way to the table, I sit at the end.

“Babe, can you grab the iced tea from the fridge?” Ava asks Duncan, her gaze warm with affection. When he reaches her, he leans and gives her a kiss, then whispers something in her ear before heading back to the kitchen. Her cheeks flush.

“There are children present,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Is that child sitting at the table?” Ava teases as she takes the seat next to me. Reaching out, she puts her hand on my arm. “How are you? Are you feeling better about your recent addition?”

Placing my hand over hers, I squeeze. “You and Dunc have been lifesavers. Thank you for helping me.”

“First, I’m glad you asked.” She smirks, and I can’t help but chuckle. “Second, you know that you never have to beg me or Duncan to spend extra time with Scarlett.”

“But it wasn’t just—”

“David,” she says firmly. “That goes for your new dog, too.”

As if on cue, my daughter walks out carrying a bowl of salad, with her mini-me close behind. Duncan places the iced tea on the table and takes the empty seat next to Ava. Scarlett settles in next to me, and Emmy makes herself comfortable under the table.

Glancing around the room, my heart beating calmly, I enjoy the feeling of peace that settles deep in my bones. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Scarlett taking a carrot from her salad and sliding her hand down.

“Scarlett,” I growl.

“What, Daddy?” she asks, slowly pulling her hand out from under the table. A look of pure innocence lighting her face.

Duncan and Ava both cough to cover up their laughs. A tail gently wags against my leg, the soft sound of chomping filling the silence. A wry grin creeps up my face, and I snort out a laugh.

I guess it’s safe to say my life is anything but boring.