Page 56 of Catch Me (Becoming Us #4)

Travis

I threw my glove at the wall and dropped onto the bench. Hanging my head, I gripped my hair tightly and tried to breathe.

“Hey, we can still do this,” Jude said.

“In two innings?” I scoffed and looked up at him. “No use being positive.”

“You’re always positive.”

I dropped my gaze to the ground. Coming in here today, I was. Losing the first game wasn’t that big of a deal and we could make up for it. With every inning, though, I felt annoyed, and it was turning into anger.

“We’re at bat next,” he noted. “We can finish out the seventh strong and keep them off the bases next time.”

“McKinney,” our coach, Spencer, called. “You good?”

“Yeah.”

“I think his arm is sore today,” Anthony taunted. “Too much of...” He made a jerking motion with his hand, and I leapt to my feet.

Getting in his face, I barely restrained myself from putting my hands on him. It was the smile he wore that held me back. I knew he wanted me to start something so I’d get pulled.

“You wanna pitch?” I asked.

“Clearly, you’re not getting us the win today.”

“Did the Braves ever make it to the World Series when you were the starter, Tony?”

Anger twisted his expression. I stepped back and tugged on my batting gloves.

“Everyone calm the fuck down,” Spencer demanded. “It’s the first game. Hold it together. You’re up to bat, Trav.”

“Don’t choke,” Anthony said.

“Your dick’s too small for that to ever happen,” I returned before I cleared the steps and walked onto the field.

My eyes traveled up to the suite the group was in. There were people visible up there, but I didn’t take the time to figure out who they were. Clearing my head, I took a deep breath and tapped my bat on the ground as I got into position.

Pitching was where I excelled, but I was damn good at hitting a ball too, which was why they were letting me cover for Marcus after he fucked up his hand last inning.

It rarely happened, and I was actually excited for it.

I’d been watching this pitcher closely all day, and even though I couldn’t be sure exactly how he’d throw this round, I was confident that I could adjust to whatever came at me.

The crack of the bat hitting the ball was like that first breath when I broke the water’s surface. It was a risk, but I pushed myself to make it to third. My foot touched the base just in time, and I broke into a smile.

“Good fucking hit,” Amir, the third baseman, noted. “Better than your throw earlier.”

I laughed, keeping my eyes on home plate. “Watch me turn it around.”

“Give us some actual competition.”

“I don’t want your daughter to see you strike out.”

“I’m a good sport. You got any plans to celebrate your loss tonight?”

Glancing at him, I rolled my eyes lightheartedly. “Don’t try to throw me off by flirting with me. ”

“You’re just no fun, always turning me down. It hurts my ego. Mallory needs a stepdad. Tessa needs a stepdad.”

I readied myself to run, but Pat struck out. “If you came out, you’d have plenty of men to choose from.”

“Eventually. You came into the major leagues already out. I’m trying to establish my career first.”

“Fair.” While I waited for the next batter to come up, I straightened and tapped the back of my hand against Amir’s chest. “It’ll work out. Be fearless, man. There’s more support out there than you think.”

He grinned, then nodded toward home as Grisham readied his pitch. As soon as the bat hit, I took off. The ball didn’t soar, but it was enough for me to make it. I pointed at Vince on first base and blew him a kiss. Some people in the crowd laughed, and it made my mood lift a little.

Spencer squeezed my shoulder when I got back to the dugout. “Good hit, Trav. Your arm good for the eighth, Tony?”

“Hell yeah, it is,” he said, throwing me a glare.

His arm was pretty good the rest of the game, but winning wasn’t only about the pitch. We didn’t score enough runs to catch up, and the game ended with us two behind. Since Dan was our third to strike out in the ninth, he was angrier than usual.

“We’ve got them the next game,” I said as we walked through the tunnel, hoping to make him feel better, even though he didn’t deserve it.

“Fuck off, McKinney.”

“Relax, man. We’re still a team. Act like it once in a while.”

He shoved my shoulder, then sped up to walk beside Anthony. I’d worked past most of my anger, but that move didn’t help one bit. Vince tried to talk to me, but I ignored him.

After I’d showered, I rushed up to the suite.

When I got there, everyone was gathering their things to leave.

Sen and the rest of the guys were horsing around while they did it, and I saw West put Linc in a headlock.

Tessa barked, her tail wagging from the excitement.

When Roman patted his leg, she turned her attention to him immediately.

“Hey,” Dad said. “You were great out there. Sorry you guys lost. ”

I shrugged, shifting my attention to him. “It’s the first game. We’ll take the next one.”

“I know you will. Whatever happens, I’ll be proud as hell of you.”

We left the suite and headed for the parking lot, staying just behind the rest of the gang. I pulled my hat further down, hoping that it would keep anyone from recognizing me. I got a few long stares, but thankfully, we made it outside without being harassed.

“You remember that Rangers game we went to?” I asked, tucking my fingers into my pockets to hide them from the cold.

His head tilted a little. “In twenty-ten?” When I nodded, he smiled. “Of course I do. Why?”

“I was just thinking about it earlier. I remember...” My lips pulled to the side as I considered my words.

“When they got that win, it was like the world shifted. I was blown away by it, and I thought that it had to be the best moment of their lives. And I was right, of course. Winning the game that got us here was the most joy I’ve ever felt. ”

“Is this about losing today?” Dad asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the guys circled back around and interrupted us.

“We’re coming to hang out,” West announced, stretching his arms above his head. Linc jabbed the exposed part of his stomach, which made West suck in a breath and sidestep, raising his hands in a karate formation.

“Oh, Trav,” Dad said. “If we stop at Costco, I can grill up some burgers and dogs. Best way to feed a bunch of growing boys.”

The idea of stopping anywhere was as unappealing as taking a fastball to the nuts. But if he wanted to grill, I could suck it up. Besides, it was a good idea. I was starving.

“I can pick up whatever you need,” Roman offered.

He was standing at the edge of the group, and I hadn’t noticed him until now. Tessa was next to him, nudging his fingers, so he moved his hand to her head to scratch her ears, which made her smile up at him.

“I’ve got it,” I said.

“No, you should get back and rest,” Dad countered. “Me and, uh...”

“Roman,” he filled in.

“Me and Roman can take care of the shopping. ”

Roman’s eyes widened, but he quickly smoothed his expression. My dad held out his hand and looked at me expectantly. I wanted to argue, but what could I say at this point?

Reluctantly, I passed him my keys. He waved me off, so I joined Sen to catch a ride back with him.

Roman stepped to the side, giving me a wide berth, then headed toward my Jeep.

It felt wrong when I got into Sen’s rental car, but as soon as I leaned the seat back, I couldn’t ignore how heavy my eyes were.

“Take a nap, big guy,” Kai said, patting my thigh a few times. “But let it be known, I only serenade Seneca.”

With my eyes closed, I smiled. “Maybe Seneca will serenade me, then.”

“Stop with that shit,” Sen grumbled from the back seat.

“What are you gonna do? Weld my door shut?”

Kai laughed, but Sen snorted. “Maybe I’ll give you a nice, dick-shaped hood ornament.”

“Make it thick and veiny.”

“Is there any other way?” Kai asked.

“Not if I choose to live in the land of delusions and fairytales.”

“Facts.”

“Alright, shut up now. I’m gonna take a nap.” Throwing an arm over my face, I blocked out the light. “Don’t wake me when we get there. Someone better carry my ass to my bed.”