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forty-four

Lane

I haven’t enjoyed Spring Training in five years.

Four years ago, Spring Training was right after my grandparents died. Every year since, I’ve had to be away from Sage for a month and a half, just getting FaceTime calls and the occasional visit.

But this year, I get to miss Olive, too.

She’s been my girlfriend officially for only a few days, and we haven’t been able to spend much time together since—all of the Stars players and staff flew down to Bradenton yesterday, and we won’t be back until a few days before the season starts at the end of March.

The days are really going to drag. I’m hoping to be able to distract myself with practice today until I can call Sage later this afternoon. She spends all of Spring Training with Rory.

First up for today is strength training, so I head into the weight room. Since it’s early, I’m the first one here, so I take a bit of time before the rest of the guys barrel in to warm myself up in the quiet.

The doors open behind me, and I wonder if the guys showed up early, but all I hear are soft footsteps until a feminine voice severs the silence.

“Knew I’d find you here already, Brooks,” Lucia chuckles, coming to stand beside me, clipboard in hand.

“Hey, Torres,” I say, turning to face her. “What are you doing here now? Training doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes.”

“I’m here because I knew you’d be here. You, my friend, aren’t as young as you used to be. I put together a conditioning plan for you to help prevent injuries this season.”

“Wow,” I scoff. “You’re not much younger than me, you know.”

Lucia rolls her eyes. “I’m still only thirty, and I’m not a professional athlete. You know if you get injured, I’m the one that gets bitched at for you not having the right conditioning.”

“You know Dr. Coltrain,”— our team physician —“wouldn’t give you shit about that.”

“Dr. Coltrain isn’t who I’m worried about. Logan is.”

I groan at that. Logan is another of our team’s athletic trainers, and he’s firmly planted himself up Dr. Coltrain’s ass.

He’s a prick, and he always gives Lucia hell since she’s the only woman.

None of the players like him because of that—Lucia is basically the team-favorite trainer.

Logan is good at what he does, but his demeanor is so off-putting.

“Logan can kick rocks,” I say.

“I fucking wish he would,” she chides. “But I’m not that lucky. You know that the Head Trainer, Dave, is leaving after next season, and Logan wants the position just as much as I do.”

“You’re a better trainer than Logan, though, Luc,” I reassure her. “Don’t worry too much about that.”

She sighs. “I’m the only woman, Lane, and misogyny is still alive and well. Dr. Coltrain is amazing, but I wouldn’t put it past Logan to try to undermine me to make himself look better.”

“Don’t focus on that. You’re great at what you do, and I’m sure Dr. Coltrain will be able to see that.”

Lucia lets out a breath. “Thanks, Lane. Let’s focus on something else. Like how Friday night went…”

I chuckle because I’m not at all surprised by how Lucia is now redirecting this conversation. “Friday was great,” I answer. “Bit of a rough moment when we ran into someone in Central Park, but otherwise, we had a perfect night.”

“What happened in Central Park?”

“We just… bumped into someone Olive knew back when she was seventeen.”

Lucia thinks that over before I see understanding wash over her face. “Seventeen? Oh my God, did you guys run into Jake?!”

That takes me by surprise. “You know about him?”

“Yeah,” she breathes. “Olive opened up at our last girl’s night. She told us that you already knew, but she filled us in on all of it. Harlow was ready to lead a mob that night.”

I laugh at the thought of Lo leading an angry mob at Jake. But I’d love to see that.

“Don’t say anything to Olive,” I say, “but yes, it was Jake. God, I wanted to hurt him, but she made sure I didn’t. Honestly, she stood up to him herself. He was practically cowering in fear like the little bitch he is.”

“Way to fucking go, Liv,” Lucia smiles. “I want you to know that we all adore her, and if you ever hurt her, the girls are taking her side.”

“Wow, thanks,” I laugh earnestly. “I have no plans to hurt her, though. We’re actually dating now.”

“Wait, really?” she asks excitedly.

I can’t hide my grin. “Yeah. I might have told Jake she was my girlfriend, and we talked about that after. It’s official now.”

“I love her for you, honestly. She’s such a sweetheart.”

“She is,” I reply. “And Sage just fucking adores her. She doesn’t know we’re together, though.”

“You’re still new,” Lucia shrugs. “You don’t need to rush to tell Sage about it. She’s only three.”

“I know. How was your weekend, though? Did Aunt Lucia get some action like she wanted?”

She laughs, but it doesn’t sound genuine. “It was fine. We went out to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Saturday, and yes, I did, in fact, get some action after that.”

I’ve known Lucia for nine years, and the way she’s acting now is off. She’s not smiling and happy the way I expect her to be, and I don’t like it.

“I know we’ve all tried to stay out of this, but we can all tell that something is off between you and Matt.” I flash her a friendly smile. “You know you can talk to any of us, right?”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out.

“Things just don’t feel like they used to.

I hardly get to see him because he’s always working.

We barely have sex anymore, and when we do, it’s not at all how it was when we first got together.

Matt is still great, and I do love him, but I miss the way things used to be. ”

“He should be making time for you,” I assert. “Don’t let him push you to the side, Luc.”

“I just… don’t want to give up, I guess. We’ve been together for a year now. I don’t want to just throw that down the drain, you know?”

“I don’t think you’d be throwing anything away.” I sigh. “You deserve someone who will make you a priority. And give you consistently good sex.”

Lucia finally laughs now. “I’m hopeful that will get better after some time apart. Things should be better after I get back to New York.”

“I hope you’re right.”

The doors open again, and the team starts filtering in.

Lucia helps me through the conditioning plan she put together for me, and she looks a bit brighter as we go.

Hopefully, Matt will either get his head out of his ass, or she’ll ditch him.

I’m okay with either of those.

After some brutal field practice after strength training, Cole and I trudge back to our room in desperate need of showers.

Thanks to the MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, we technically all have the right to our own rooms, but not all of us care that much.

During the season, I do make sure I get a solo room since Sage travels with us—at least until she’s school-age—and I like to keep her with me.

But during Spring Training, she stays back in New York with Rory because I don’t want her to be away from home for a straight month and a half.

Cole and I decided to room together since it’s his wife with my daughter, and it’s easier to just talk to them together.

When we’re both clean and sweat-free, I grab my MacBook and call Rory so we can FaceTime our girls.

After a few rings, we’re greeted by Sage’s face right in front of the camera. “Daddy!”

“There’s my Lovebug!” I smile. “I miss you, Sagie.”

“Miss you, Daddy.”

Rory pulls Sage back from the camera so we can see them both, and she has a devious look on her face. “I miss my Daddy, too.”

“Oh God,” I say, scrunching my nose, and then I turn to Cole and lower my voice. “Does she actually call you Daddy?”

Cole just throws his head back and groans. “Rory, it’s okay to keep some things between us.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she smirks.

“Are you teasing your husband?” I hear a voice say offscreen.

When she comes into view, my heartbeat quickens. “Hey, Ballerina.”

“Hi, Hotshot.” Olive’s smile is so sweet and tender, and it engrains itself in my soul.

“What are you doing over there?”

“I had my therapy appointment this afternoon, and I figured I’d stop by to see Rory.”

“And Sage, I’m sure,” Cole chuckles.

Olive blushes slightly. “Yes, I definitely wanted to see Sage, too.”

“Oh, she wanted to see you as well,” Rory laughs. “She talked all morning about that tea party you took her to.”

“My girl sure loves her tea parties,” I chuckle.

“Which girl?” Cole teases, and my response is to elbow him in the side. I’m still trying to not have my daughter ask questions.

Olive ignores his quip. “I like to make Sage happy.”

“I don’t think you have to try too hard to do that, Liv,” Rory smiles. “She’s smitten with you.”

“Is that true, sweet girl?” Liv asks, bopping my daughter’s nose. “Are you smitten with me?”

Sage looks at her in confusion. “I don’t know…”

We all laugh, but we know the answer even if Sage doesn’t understand the question.

But she’s not the only one smitten.

God, I’m completely enamored by Olive.

She strutted into Urban Grind and took my breath away on day one, and now, months later, she’s all I can think about.

She’s all I want to think about.

She’s the best part of every day, and I finally feel that connection I’ve been craving.

I’m falling harder every day, and there’s no end in sight.

Because I think I might maybe be a little bit in love with Olive Finch.