Page 7 of Play Along

“I was busy.”

A picture of me, my mom, and my brother is taped to the top of my stall, hidden from anyone else’s view, and my thumb dusts over it when I set my watch down on one of the shelves.

“Yeah,” Cody laughs, pointing across the clubhouse. “Busy with that one.”

In only my boxer briefs, I turn to find Kennedy speaking with Dr. Fredrick. I watch as he clenches his jaw and flares his nostrils, and I note the exact moment she tells him she’s taking the job.

Travis lets out a low whistle. “Pretty.”

“Smart too,” I add, but I don’t fill them in on what I know because Kennedy asked me not to, and I like knowing something about the new athletic trainer that no one else does. “Hey, what color would you say her hair is?”

“Red,” Travis answers simply.

“C’mon, Trav. I’ve told you. You’ve got to be more descriptive than that for him.” Cody studies her for a moment. “I’d call it auburn. It’s a mix of warm red and earthy brown, but she’s also got some copper in there.”

“Like a penny?”

“Exactly.”

This is why I ask Cody these things. The guy gets that I need the details.

Keeping my eyes locked on her from across the room, I watch her find me at the same time Dr. Fredrick is preaching something at her. Her attention starts at my feet and works up my bare legs, only to linger over my boxer briefs and take their time tracing my shirtless chest. But when she drifts up to my face, I smile as arrogantly as possible, making sure she knows I caught her.

She looks away instantly, and I can’t help but grin.

Travis nudges my shoulder. “So, who is she?”

On this day, where everything feels like a sign, I don’t hesitate when I say, “My future wife.”

The boys both burst out in laughter, but I keep my eyes on the only woman in the entire building.

Kennedy tucks a rogue strand of auburn hair behind her ear, and that’s when I see it—an impossible-to-miss diamond ring overtaking her left ring finger. Though somehow, I didn’t notice it before this moment.

“Sorry, man.” Cody laughs again, palm connecting with my shoulder. “Looks like someone already beat you to it.”

And just like that, it’s the worst day of the year again.

Chapter 1

Isaiah

Present

“There’s my guys.” I swing an arm over both Cody and Travis’s shoulders when I find them on the casino level of our hotel. “Where are we headed?”

“About time, Rhodes.” Travis, our catcher, shrugs out from under me. “You take longer to get ready than anyone I know, and your socks still don’t fucking match.”

I look down at my feet, where my pants hit right at my ankles. “They match to me.”

“We have a table waiting with bottle service at the club in Caesars Palace.” Cody gestures down the strip. “Let’s go.”

Our first baseman takes off with excited strides, the rest of the team following closely behind, with me bringing up the rear of the group.

We’ve been in Vegas for a few days now, and this is our final night here. Every year, before the season starts, the boys and I take a preseason trip as an excuse for some team bonding. It’s typically somewhere hot or tropical as a reward for surviving the Chicago winter, and though Las Vegas isn’t too hot this time of the year, the stuffy clubs and overpriced alcohol are keeping us all plenty warm.

Not that we’ve had to worry about the price of alcohol or pay for much of anything. As a professional baseball team, we’ve been gifted tables at clubs and endless booze each night we’ve been here.

Two years ago, my older brother Kai got picked up by the Windy City Warriors, finally putting us on the same team. He’s not with us in Vegas, opting to stay in Chicago with his son and soon-to-be fiancée, but I have the rest of my guys here and other than spending time with my family, there’s not much I enjoy more than hanging with my friends and throwing back a few drinks.

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