Page 120 of Trip Through Your Wires

“You’re forgetting one thing,” he smiles mischievously.

“And that is?”

“Pitching,” he grins.

“Pitching?” I repeat, voice lifting an octave. “Jake, are you high?”

“Not at all. Sparky, you’re a natural. Your knee is solid. I don’t know what doctor you saw, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.”

“No.” I shake my head, refusing to think for even a second that what he is proposing is possible. “That dream died.”

“Well someone once told me the funny thing about dreams were that they could be a part of you for so long, and when you least expect it, change. No less bright, just…different.” My chest tightens remembering what I told him that night at Nana’s. “Listen to me,” he cups my face, holding it still, “this is your dream and you can do it. I know you can. And I will be there every step of the way, helping, and supporting you. If you practice through the summer you can try out for the team at CU in the fall.”

My throat tightens, the idea too crazy. “And if I they won’t let me?”

“They will,” he smiles. “Coach has a contact there and I asked him to reach out for me.”

“What?”

“It’s true,” I nod. “They looked at your high school stats and were more than eager to have you come up and try out.”

My chest tightens at the possibility of playing ball again. “What if I don’t make it?” I whisper.

“You will, and you know why? Because you and me, we’re meant to be, Sparky. And the four of us, we’re a family. Dreams are dreams but the shit we’ve gone through is the kind of glue that sticks. The universe wants this, why else would it have led me to you not once, not twice, but three times.”

“Three times?” I shake my head.

“Last summer,” he holds up one finger. “The weekend I flew to Davenport,” he holds up a second. “And last night,” he holds up third.

“What about the Mets?” I ask lamely, not knowing what else to say.

“The Mets?” he laughs. “What about them?”

“They were your dream.”

“Were. Past tense. You and me, our friends in Colorado, this is my dream now. Although, my first pro game will be against them next April when I make my debut in the majors, so I do still get to share a field with them in a way.”

I stare back at him, not believing this is happening.

“What about Richardson?” I whisper the question I have been afraid to ask since we left the club.

“He’s gone,” Jake says simply. “He is not going to hurt you or our friends, ever again.”

“Jake, don’t tell me you—”

“He had a heart attack,” Jake cuts me off. “Did I beat the shit out of him? Yes. But when he got up to come for me, he clutched his chest and fell to the floor. He’s gone. And this is your future.”

I lick my lips and look down, too scared to believe this could work.

“Listen to me,” he grips the sides of my face and I look up. “Your dream may have changed once, but when it did, it led you to where you are right now. And through all of that—the good, bad, even the ugly—you’re still standing. That’s the same with my dream, only it stayed the path and because it did it led me to you. Had I not been recruited to Highland, I’d have never met Cruz, and followed him to Cherry Cove where my life changed forever last summer in the best way possible. But now it’s time for my dream to change and yours to come true. This is meant to be, Sparky. It’s a sign from the universe. We’d be fools not to take it.”

“You can’t toss aside your dreams for me. You will hate me.”

“Hate you?” He smiles. “I could never hate you. And I’m not tossing them aside. I’m living them…with you. You know as well as I do that I could play in the minors for years without ever getting to play in the majors. I’m good, sure, but so are hundreds of other guys waiting for their shot. But playing for Colorado I will be pro from the get-go. What better way to be a legend than by being part of a team’s first year? It will be good for me….for us.”

“What is good for me doesn’t matter.”

“You know that’s not true. What’s good for you is all that matters.” My eyes fill with tears. “I want you, Jenica. All of you. Your hopes and dreams just as you have my flaws and scars.”

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