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ELEVEN

What the hell was I doing?

I should have been in my truck, heading back to the field for our game tonight.

I’d already pushed my luck by sneaking out of practice, hoping to get back before our manager realized I’d ducked out.

But I’d forgotten one of my good luck charms, and there was no way I could play knowing it sat on my end table.

Damien covered for me as I rushed back to the house.

The rest of the guys would be relaxing in the clubhouse anyway, trying to get their heads together before we had to take the field.

I should have hopped right back into my truck and slammed on the gas, should have already been on the highway, praying a trooper didn’t pull me over. Instead, when I left the house, my feet faltered when I saw Hadley unraveling in her car.

It was jarring. The girl never got rattled and always seemed to be in an annoyingly good mood. She was all smiles and rays of light. So, seeing her close to tears brought an uncomfortable ache to my chest.

Before I questioned my actions, I stepped to the driver’s side of her car and rapped my knuckles on her window.

Her blue eyes darted to mine, and I sucked in a breath, almost losing the ability to speak when she looked at me like that.

Shit, had I ever really looked at Hadley?

Sure, I’d spent time with her, knew the girl was beautiful.

But now that we were so close, I couldn’t help but take in the little details I’d overlooked before.

The deep blue of her eyes, the color like the deepest trenches of the ocean.

The dusting of freckles that covered the bridge of her nose.

How her lips pouted so perfectly when she was surprised.

“What are you doing in there, menace?” I called out, unable to ignore the feeling in my chest. The longer I stared at Hadley, the more I noticed, which was a fucking problem. I needed her to piss me off and remind me why she irritated me so much.

She shoved open the car door, almost taking me out in the process. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you it’s rude to spy on people?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I scoffed. “You’re having a meltdown in the middle of the driveway. I’d have to be a dick to ignore that.”

“Never stopped you before.”

But her words didn’t hold their usual level of snark, and when I looked down at her, it seemed like she was doing everything to keep herself standing tall. It softened the walls in my chest, wanting to take that look off her face. “You wanna talk about it?”

Hadley’s eyes darted up to me, her brow furrowing in confusion. “You want to talk? To me?”

“If you want.” I shrugged. “You seem like you could use someone right now.”

It was the absolute last thing I should do right now. Every minute I stood here was a minute I missed from my pre-game ritual. I’d be cutting it close, and now, there was an even bigger risk of Benny catching me sneaking back into the stadium.

Hadley shook her head, “No. Thank you, but the last thing I want to do is talk right now. Honestly…” She chewed on her lower lip, looking over to the carriage house, then back over to me. “I need to get out of my head, find something to do for the night that doesn’t require me to think.”

“Come with me.”

The words came out before I realized it, flying out with some sort of need to help.

I should’ve taken them back, said anything else to get Hadley out of my space.

I was playing with fire, and God knows she loved to burn me.

Seeing her so defeated fucked with my head, and for some damn reason, I wanted to be the one to fix it.

I nodded over to my truck. “Come to the game with me. I can hook you up with a ticket, and you can sit with some of the other families and friends.”

“You want me to come to your game?” Hadley repeated slowly.

I shrugged. “If you want to. No thinking required, just some overpriced beer and cheering for our team.”

“If I decide to come, do I have to cheer for you?” Hadley asked, some of that familiar spark coming back into her voice.

I just shook my head and held out my hand for her stuff. “Come on, menace. Get your ass in the truck.”

Home games were a different beast. Tension hung in the air, almost as if the stadium was waiting to see what the team would pull together.

With our newer team breaking even in losses and wins, fans filled the seats, cautiously optimistic about our season so far.

Even though the Hawks were new to the city, it had embraced the team, and people came out in droves to experience the stadium for the very first time.

Now, if only I felt the same way. Becoming part of the team was a change, one I appreciated and didn’t take lightly. I’d found my stride in the outfield, but the whole thing seemed like an audition. One wrong move, and they’d kick me right back down to the minors.

I stared at the phone in my hand, desperately waiting for it to ring. My eyes darted up to the clock, knowing it was now or never. Just as I started to lose faith, my phone rang out, Victoria’s brother on the other side of the line.

“Hey, man. Sorry about that,” Cole huffed out. “We walked down to the lake, and I left my phone at the house. Here’s your girl.”

All the tension left my shoulders when Emilia got on the screen, her toothy smile wide as she looked at me. “Is it time for your game, Daddy?”

“Almost, baby. You ready?”

“Yup.” She smiled back at me. “Love you.”

“Love you more,” I said into the phone.

“Love you forever and ever,” we both said at the same time.

It was a simple tradition we’d started, way back when Emilia’s words were more like babbles.

We’d said the same phrases, and I had one of the best games of my career—the one that got me picked up by our local minor league team.

Ever since, I needed to hear her voice before I headed out onto the field.

Call it superstition, call it luck, but whenever I heard my daughter’s voice before the game, I always played better.

We said a quick goodbye, and I got back into my pre-game ritual, taking the time to get my head right before we got started. I was usually good at tuning out the rest of the world, but tonight, it was harder to focus. Maybe it was the pressure of wanting to do well.

Or maybe it had something to do with Hadley being out in the crowd.

When we got to the stadium earlier, I asked one of the guest services reps to help her find her seat while I went to the locker room, watching a little too long as she walked away.

Sadness still clung to her, but it wasn’t as strong as before.

Hopefully, the game would help her escape her worries for a while.

I wished she’d tell me what had upset her.

My fists clenched at the image of her in that car, defeat coming off her in waves.

But I wasn’t someone she’d ever confide in. That was Victoria’s role.

My phone dinged, and an alert from a cash-sharing app awaited me. Hadley had sent me money for the seat. I chuckled, automatically sending it right back to her.

As soon as I moved down here, I bought three season tickets, hoping Victoria, Adam, and Emilia could attend some of my home games.

They wouldn’t be able to make all of them, but I didn’t want them to have to worry about seats if they wanted to come.

I liked that someone was using them, even if it was Hadley.

My phone pinged again, and there was the same amount, with Hadley sending a follow-up text.

MENACE

Accept the damn payment, sarge.

ME

Nope. I asked you here. Seat’s my treat.

I stared at my phone, waiting for a response. When it finally came through, I couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across my face.

MENACE

Fine. But I will make it up to you somehow.

ME

Stop giving Emilia glitter, and we’ll call it even.

Never gonna happen.

Have a good game, Cam. You’ve got this.

“Fuck, man,” Damien said from my side, breaking my focus from my phone. “Must be texting someone good. You’ve got that goofy grin.”

“Nah,” I said, trying to fix my face. “Nothing like that. Just getting my head in the game.”

Damien nodded, fidgeting with the chain around his neck.

He touched each of the pendants before tucking it under his jersey and patted it twice.

As he turned back toward me, I ducked my head, not wanting him to know I was watching.

Baseball players were notoriously superstitious about their pre-game routines, and I didn’t want to be the one to throw him off.

Damien grabbed the towel from the top of his locker and twisted it in his hands. “How do you think we’re looking?”

“Pretty good,” I said. I truly believed it.

Our team might be new and untested, but we’d walked away from our last series as the victors.

Despite Weber’s comments, we’d done well in practice.

At least, most of us had. I jutted my chin across the locker room to where another group of players gathered.

“You might have to have words with Jace.”

“Still refusing to pass the ball?”

“Yup,” I bit out. In the outfield, it was my job to end runs.

It meant I had to work closely with the infield players and needed to trust they’d be where they were supposed to be.

But our second baseman had an attitude, one that had steadily grown since I joined the team.

Jace was a lot like me, drafted up from the minors and looking to make a name for himself.

What he hadn’t realized? Teams hate selfish players, especially the kind who would screw over other players to get the headlines.

Damien shook his head. “Don’t worry about him. If Coach doesn’t talk some sense into him, Gray will. He’s got no patience for that shit.”

I turned, studying the expression on Damien’s face. “Is that weird for you? Going from him being your teammate to your coach?”

“Nah, Anders always had it in him. And that last season, his heart wasn’t in it. He seems happier now, so I’m happy for him. Makes me think there might be life after retirement.”

My jaw locked up. “Are you thinking about calling it?”

“Nah, man,” Damien chuckled. “You’ll have to drag my old ass off the field. I’m here as long as my body will let me.”

“Good to know,” I said right as the coaches shuffled in. With a few quick words and reminders about what we were playing for, we all headed off, ready to show our fans what we had under the lights.