Page 48

FORTY-SEVEN

“Seda, I need to talk to you for a minute.”

My hand gripped my phone, staring at the blank screen, hoping for a message or call to come through at the last second. Emilia had already called earlier, checking that off my pre-game list before Victoria and the rest of Hadley’s friends hopped in the car to drive to Boston.

It was only a four-hour drive. They should have arrived at the hospital early this morning, but the only message I received was a quick check-in from Victoria, nothing else. I kept staring, hoping Hadley’s name would glide across my screen, telling me she was coming home to me.

There was so much left to say, so many words I’d held back for fear of getting distracted. As much as I wanted to go for a ride to Boston and bring her home myself, I also needed Hadley to make that choice. I needed her to want to come back to me.

Benny’s eyes found me across the clubhouse, motioning for me to hurry and join him, but my legs felt like lead.

Despite my improved performance, my fate was still on the line.

I tried to ignore the trade deadline, channeling all my frustrations into the game.

However, it always lingered above me like a guillotine, waiting for the last thread to snap.

When I walked inside the office, I scanned the room, happy to see there was no one else waiting for me.

Benny settled into his chair behind the desk, kicking his feet up. “Gonna make this quick, Cam, because I know this has been bothering you for a while.”

Dread pooled in my stomach, unsure what would come out of his mouth next.

I’d already made my peace with leaving the league, willing to lose this part of my life if it meant holding on to everything else.

But the reality of it sucked all the breath out of my lungs. “Where’d they trade me to, Benny?”

“Nowhere.”

My eyes jumped up to meet his, a slow smirk forming on his face. Nowhere. I wasn’t leaving. The word didn’t quite compute, as if I’d already settled for the loss. My hand jumped up to my mouth, blocking the shocked laugh that barreled up from my chest. “Wait, so I’m sticking around?”

“Hell yeah, kid.” Benny shook his head. “The suits upstairs might be out of touch, but they recognize talent when they see it. You’ve been steady since you got here, and with more time and consistency, you’ll be a standout on our roster.”

I shook my head, dropping my elbows down on my knees. “I, uh—thanks, Benny. Got to be honest, I didn't think this was how it was going to go. I was thinking about hanging up my jersey for good.”

Benny leaned forward. “I’ve been there, kid.

Maybe my life would look a lot different if I had.

” He dipped his finger, slamming it into his desk.

“We leave everything on that field for one-hundred sixty-two games a year. Injuries, pain, heartbreaking losses. But we don’t owe this game our lives, Cam.

If you want to give it all up, I’m not going to stop you.

” He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms around his chest. “However, if you want to give this a shot, I think we can shape this team into something great, something worthy of the time and effort we pour into it.”

My smile was wide and bold as I stepped back into the clubhouse, ready to take on the world after my conversation with Benny.

I was sticking around. Life wasn’t always going to be easy, but at least I was going to be close to my family and would get to see Emilia as often as our schedules would allow.

It might change in the future—God knows most baseball players don’t spend their entire careers in one city—but at least it was a shot. A chance.

With another hour until we had to hit the field, I walked over to my locker and grabbed my phone before settling on the couch.

When I unlocked the screen, my brow furrowed as I took in the notifications piling up.

I opened my social media app, finding more notifications than I’d ever seen in my life.

Unsure what was going on, I pulled up my account and saw someone had tagged me in several photos.

I clicked on the first one, a photo of me doing karaoke back in college.

The team decided we’d all dress up on Halloween and hit up a bar in Austin.

Victoria even tagged along, leaving Emilia with family for the night so we could all hang together.

We’d dressed up as Sonny and Cher, me wearing the long, black sequined dress and her rocking a seventies style mustache.

But in this picture, it wasn’t the two of us.

Instead, it was of the moment I fumbled on the stage, too nervous to get the words out despite the number of shots I’d had beforehand.

In true Hadley fashion, she’d jumped up onto the stage with me, belting out the words without a hint of shame.

My cheeks may have been dark red, but I watched her, smiling wider than I had in a long time.

As I shook my head, I read the caption. Because you never back down from a challenge.

Hadley . It finally clicked she’d tagged me in all the photos, linking our two accounts.

When I’d posted the photos of her, a part of me worried I was going too far, but I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I wanted to claim her for the world to see, wanted everyone to know that somehow, this beautiful girl was mine, and I was completely and utterly hers.

Even if it all blew up in my face, I’d always belong to Hadley.

I kept scrolling through the pictures Hadley tagged me in. I couldn’t help the wide smile across my face. They were pictures of our lives together—when we were friends, when we hated each other, and when we’d finally fallen for each other’s charms.

And they were all captioned with simple phrases: because you know how I take my coffee, because you’re the best dad in the world, because you always make me smile.

By the time I reached the end of the photos, my heart was incredibly full.

Hadley had laid out all the reasons she loved me, even without saying the words themselves.

My head bolted up, my eyes instantly finding the clock on the wall.

Only forty minutes until game time. Normally, I’d be deep in prep mode, trying to relax before I stepped out onto the field.

But right now, I couldn’t relax, couldn’t think of anything else but getting to Hadley.

I jumped up. “What the fuck am I doing here?”

No one answered, but it didn’t matter. I might not be able to get to Boston right now, but if I left right after the game, I’d get there before the sun came up. At least then, I’d be able to tell Hadley in person how I felt. Until then, though, I needed to call her, needed to hear her voice.

I pushed open the doors of the clubhouse, clutching my phone in my hand as I stepped into the hall. Before I pressed her contact card, someone cleared their throat in front of me.

“Another reason I love you? You have impeccable timing.”

As soon as my eyes connected with Hadley’s, I dropped my phone, rushing forward to scoop her into my arms. I held her close, inhaling the sunshine and honey scent I’d come to depend on.

Hadley held me just as close, and in that moment, I knew it was all worth it.

The fights, the stress, the doubt—everything had led Hadley into my arms, and there was nothing I wanted more than to keep her forever.

I pulled back. “I love you, Hadley McKay. I love you so much.”

She smiled brightly back at me. “So much, huh? I thought I was just a menace.”

“You are.” I leaned forward and captured her lips, sealing us together. Hadley’s fingers knotted in my hair, and I groaned at the sensation. “You’re my menace, Hadley. And I’m going to need you to keep tormenting me for a long, long time.”

She grinned up at me. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I love you too, Cam. Besides…” Her blue eyes twinkled with mayhem. “You still owe me a date.”