Page 51 of The Men of Summer Collection

Present Day

Declan broke my heart.

But baseball? Baseball doesn’t let me down. Baseball shows up the next day with a first-aid kit.

It gets to work on the wounded heart that River started to fix with friendship.

With three days left in spring training, Fisher calls me aside after a morning workout. I trot over to him by the third-base line, where he rests his elbow against the stands.

“Let’s talk, Blackwood.”

I straighten and square my shoulders, ready to take his news, whatever it is, like a man.

“Yes, sir.”

He sets a hand on my shoulder, looks me in the eye, and draws out the silence until his lips twitch and give him away. “How would you like to be our starting catcher on Opening Day?”

I try not to grin like a fool, but it’s futile. When your greatest dream comes true, grinning should be a requirement.

“I’d love it,” I say, as sunshine floods my veins.

“Good. Starting catcher job is yours, rookie.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much, coach.”

“No need to thank me. We’re not handing out favors here. Everything you get, you earn,” he says, then gives a crisp nod and turns away.

I raise my face to the sky. It’s bright and blue and full of possibility. It’s a brand-new day, and I am going to savor it.

I run a finger across my chest, over my uniform, tracing the place where the arrow is tattooed on my skin.

Goals, protection, a future.

I dodged a bullet.

I nearly lost the love of my life thanks to a man.

Now, I have a fresh chance with baseball, and I swear I will take this chance and be faithful to baseball.

A few days later, I get on the team plane and return to San Francisco, leaving Arizona with its desert and wide-open skies and memories of first times behind me.

I’ve been through worse than this and came out on the other side.

The key to survival is you don’t let the people who hurt you back in.