Page 88 of Strike Zone

“Maybe that’s it,” she says. “I wish I had the option to be here. I wish I could choose this.” Her eyes close and a single tear drips down her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb. “You can stay and you won’t do it.”

There is a lot to unpack in that statement. She wants to choose this. To choose me. Is that what she’s saying? Instead I focus on me and the choice I need to make for myself.

“You really think it will work?”

“I know it will.”

I pull her into my arms. “I believe in you, birdie. I’m your number one fan.” I dip my head into her neck and she wraps her arms around my middle. “Will you show me everything tomorrow? Then I’ll decide. But don’t doubt for a second that I don't believe in you.”

“I believe in you too. And your family. This place. It’s something special.”

Is it foolish of me to think that if I stay, maybe she will too? That maybe I can get her to believe in us one day as much as she believes in this farm and my family?

23

WYATT

“Lenny, you done with your chores already?” Ford asks when Lenny shows up where we’ve been planting all morning.

“Aunt Wren is getting the eggs but I finished everything else,” Lenny says. I don’t correct her that Wren isn’t her aunt—probably because I like the sound of it too much.

“Can she do it by herself?” I ask. Last I heard, Wren still isn’t on the best of terms with the chickens.

“I showed her the other day. She said she could handle it.” Lenny shrugs. Ford looks at me to see what I think.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” No sooner do I get the words out there’s a scream from the chicken coop. We all turn to see Wren fly out of the coop with her hair all over the place.

“I’m okay!” she shouts over to us. Then pushes her hair out of her face and walks proudly back to the house with her basket of eggs.

“Told ya she’d be fine.” I grin at Ford and Lenny.

“I’m going to go check on her. She may need my help,” Lenny says, then runs off to the house.

“I think Lenny likes her,” I say.

“The whole family does, Wyatt. I’d say you more than like her.” My brother Ford. Always so observant.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s not mine to like forever. Not like that.” Saying it out loud doesn’t make it feel any more true. She feels like she’s a part of me, like someone I’m going to be missing a whole hell of a lot in a few months.

“I thought maybe the two of you were getting closer.”

“We are.” It’s all I’m willing to say about Wren. Every day I feel myself getting more attached to her. And I think she is feeling the same way. You don’t shed tears over someone leaving if you don’t care.

The more I think about what she said last night. I know she’s right. I can choose this. I’ve had it in my head for so long that baseball was the only way. But maybe she’s right.

“What’s got your mind turning?”

“What’s next.” I wipe sweat off my forehead with my shirt and adjust my hat. “I keep thinking about what’s next for me.”

“You’re going to get drafted and play baseball.” He moves to the next section of dirt with another tray of plants. The planter broke down again forcing us to do everything by hand until Colt can get it fixed.

“And if I didn’t?”

“Then you work the farm with us. Unless you’ve got Georgia on your mind.” His lip tilts in a grin.

“Is it that simple?” I ask, ignoring his Georgia comment.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

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