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“There’s part of me that still can’t believe he’s gone,” I said to Cami.

Her eyes glistened. “I know.”

“I saw Chase at the funeral yesterday. I kept meaning to go take a minute to talk to him but by the time I got around to it he’d left.”

“He understands,” Cami said. “He knows it’s not easy for you given the situation.”

“You mean because Derek’s his son.”

“Yes.” She examined me. “Are you going to be okay if they don’t charge him with manslaughter?”

I shrugged. “What good would revenge do in this case? Derek was drunk. Hale was drunk and tearing through the streets like Mad Max. They both fucking knew better.” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t hate Derek if that’s what you’re asking.”

Cami reached for me. “I know. It’s not in you to hate anyone. It just hurts to see you in so much pain. It hurts that there’s nothing that I can do to make it any better.”

A strand of hair had escaped Cami’s ponytail. I tucked it behind her ear.

“Another kiss could help ease the pain a little.”

A fleeting smile crossed her lips and then she leaned in for a long, slow kiss that got my heart pounding and my dick alert. But she pulled away and checked her watch.

“The rush hour rat race awaits,” she said and gave me one last peck. “Love you, husband.”

“Love you too, my wife.” I lifted her left hand and kissed the wedding band I’d placed there.

There was no point in sitting here alone, brooding into my coffee cup, so I quickly got ready and left. Once I was on my way to Dream Fields, the baseball training facility I’d helped found, my mood lightened a bit. The people who worked for me were all dedicated and incredible. And the kids in the summer program would be around all day, most of them probably taking advantage of the indoor batting cages since the weather outside was so hot.

The first person I ran into in the administrative offices was Harold Fulton, the legendary slugger who was also my business partner and a friend. He’d been at my wedding. And at Hale’s funeral.

“Dalton,” he said, obviously surprised to encounter me. “Look, I know I’m not usually around full time but you can be sure I’ll cover everything here if you’d like to take some more time off.”

I shook my head. “I’m not the type to sit home. I’ll go stir crazy.”

Harold peered at me. He still looked as fit and strong as he did the day he stepped off the diamond over a decade ago. “I guess the honeymoon’s on hold?”

“Yeah. Cami and I decided we’d take the trip another time.”

He blew out a breath. “Dalton, I’m damn sorry about the way things turned out. You need anything you let me know.”

“Will do,” I said, and reached out to meet his handshake. Harold Fulton had been one of the game’s biggest stars but no one would ever call him a diva. He was as humble as he was talented and now that he was retired he was very active in a variety of philanthropic missions. He’d helped turn Dream Fields into a world class training facility, ensuring that money wouldn’t be an obstacle to talented kids who loved the game.

There were only a few pieces of mail waiting on the desk in my office. Alma, the office manager, had already separated out the bills and other important business, leaving only some glossy flyers and sports magazines. My email took a lot more time to sort through but all in all there didn’t seem to be much in the way of urgency. Sitting behind a desk had never really been my choice work environment so after a while I decided to wander out to the batting cages and check out the action. Along the way I ran into a few other employees who were surprised to see me and eager to offer their condolences.

The twelve indoor batting cage stalls were all occupied by kids practicing their swings by taking balls from the pitching machines while the coaches checked on their progress. This group appeared to be young, probably the ten to twelve year olds. I could hear the older kids outside on the field. Mick, one of the part time coaches, spotted me standing behind the mesh fences and acknowledged me with a friendly wave.

“Ease up on the bat,” he said to the boy who was ready to take a pitch. “If you relax your grip you’ll have an easier time swinging.”

Mick watched with satisfaction as the kid belted the next ball that came his way. He told the kid to keep it up before he exited the stall and joined me behind the mesh.

“Harold said you were here today,” he said after shaking my hand and telling me he was damn sorry about Hale.

I nodded at the kids. “Yeah. It does my heart good to see them out here doing what they love.”

Mick cracked a grin. “They’re a great bunch.”

A burst of cheering came from outside and I looked toward the open door that led to the field.

“Just a short three inning game before lunch break,” Mick explained. “Mark and Carrie are out there coaching I think. The winners get free ice cream.”

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