Page 29 of Crew

No one was next to us or looking our way and the cameras were once again focused on the action on the field.

“You looked good out there,” he whispered. “And I’m not just talking about the swing.”

My face flushed, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the running I’d done or his words. He was always cautious—worried others might find out his secret—so his flirting, however covert it was, showed he was letting go a little bit, and I loved it.

But he wasn’tdone.

“You might want to save some of that energy for later, though.” He winked and turned back toward the bench like he hadn’t said anything.

If things between us were a game, his wink would have been the scoring run. But it wasn’t a game. It hadn’t been for a while, and from our conversation the night before, he didn’t see it that way either.

Tonight, I finally started to believe I belonged in the majors.

And maybe I belonged with Crew Stratton too.

11

CREW

A few days later,we were back at home, and I received a text from my agent saying he’d set up an appointment for me to take the paternity test. Jessica, the woman with whom I’d had the one-night stand (I now remembered her name) had called Lee as I’d told her to. Apparently, it wasn’t the first time he’d had a Rockies player who needed a paternity test, so he knew exactly where I could go.

I sat behind the wheel of my truck, one hand tight around the steering wheel. The clinic wasn’t far, yet traffic made it feel like an eternity. My fingers tapped against the gear shift as my nerves got the best of me.

Singleton sat beside me, his arm resting on the console. “You gonna make it?”

“Yeah.”

His gaze dropped to my hand, then back up. “Liar.”

I exhaled and focused on the road. “I’m not ready for this.”

“I know.”

“My brother Finn was ready. Married his high school girlfriend,had a kid before he turned twenty-two.” I stared out the windshield. “That was never me. I wanted this—baseball, a career, the chance to live before settling down. And I got it. Still do.” My throat tightened. “I can’t be a dad right now. Not with how much time I spend on the road.”

He reached over, his touch comforting on my leg. “If this baby is yours, you’ll figure it out.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Yeah? How?”

“I think parents just do.”

It sounded so simple when he said it. Like I wasn’t about to park the truck and possibly have my entire life flipped upside down. Like no matter what, everything was going to be fine.

The clinic came into view. I pulled into a spot and shut off the engine, but I didn’t move. My hands stayed on the wheel. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

He unbuckled his seatbelt. “You can.”

My chest felt tight. “And if it’s mine? Then what?”

“Then you take a breath and go from there.” He popped open his door. “But first, we go inside.”

I swallowed hard and got out.

We made it into the clinic, where the receptionist took my name and told me to have a seat. Singleton dropped onto the chair beside me.

“I wouldn’t be there every day,” I admitted in a whisper. My mind was still racing. “I couldn’t be the kind of dad that’s home every night, tucking them in.”

Just like my father.