Page 41 of Double Play

“I’m pretty sure he cheated on me. He was always so secretive and territorial about his phone. He never made real attempts to get to know my family. Quincy hated him and was never shy about it.”

I let out a laugh. “I have no doubt. Quincy would hate anyone you dated.”

She nods. “True. Marc never came to my games. I know he was busy with his own career, but I think it’s weird that he never cared enough to come cheer for me. I’m not sure I realized it until you and the gang started coming to our games. I know you’re contractually obligated to come, but…”

“I’d come to your games even if I wasn’t obligated. I love watching you play.”

She blows out a breath. “I know you do. That’s what made me realize how strange it was that he didn’t. After the breakup, I stopped going out. I spent a lot of time on the beach. Alone. If there’s one thing I miss about Southern California, it’s the beaches.”

“The Jersey shore is only like an hour away. It’s not as pretty as Southern California beaches, but it gets the job done.”

“Maybe I’ll check it out after the season.”

I smile. “Remember, we have seasons here.”

She lets out a laugh. “Right. I need to prepare myself for my first Philly winter.”

“It gets cold.Verycold.”

She stops running. “Can we sit for a minute?”

I immediately stop with her. “Of course.”

We find a nearby bench and sit. Her eyes fill up with tears. It physically hurts my heart to see her in pain.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a really emotional thing for me to talk about.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“I want you to know. It will help you understand me a bit better. My family and Ripley are the only people in the world that know the full story. Can I trust you to keep it between us?”

“Of course.”

I take her hand in mine, knowing she needs it. I’m relieved that she lets me.

“Marc and I fought a lot. I kept telling myself it was passion, but I know now it wasn’t. A week before our wedding, I found out I was pregnant. I was honestly over-the-moon excited. I’ve always wanted to grow my family and didn’t think it was a big deal to start a little earlier than expected. Marc didn’t feel the same. He said he wasn’t ready for kids. He also mentioned possibly not being ready for marriage. I foolishly thought it was run-of-the-mill, average nerves and stayed the course. I thought once we were married, he’d feel differently. I loved him…or I thought I did. Sometimes I’m not so sure. Nonetheless, I moved forward as if he didn’t express his concerns to me.”

The tears are freefalling now. I can’t help but wipe them with my thumb and then taste her tears with my tongue. I don’t know why I did that. I wanted to take away her pain. She watches on, her eyes darkening. We stare at each other in silence. My eyes must mirror the longing I see in hers.

A little girl softly saying, “Excuse me,” breaks whatever just happened between us.

I turn and smile at her. She’s holding a piece of paper and a pen. “Do you want my autograph, sweetie?”

She shakes her head and points to Arizona.

“You want Arizona’s?”

She nods. Arizona discreetly wipes the remaining tears and smiles as she gives the little girl her autograph and poses for a picture.

Once the little girl is gone, I wrap my arm around Arizona, sensing she needs it. “Continue. Please.” For some reason, I need to know.

“You know the callous way he broke things off, via text. I was in shock and hysterical for days. Inconsolable. Three days after the non-wedding, I suffered a miscarriage.” I squeeze her close to me. “You never know the real reasons for these things happening, but I imagine being emotionally distraught was a contributing factor.”

“Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.”

She nods. “That’s what my family and Ripley always say. I know they’re right. It wasn’t the ideal circumstances to bring a child into the world. It doesn’t make it hurt less. I can’t explain it. I was prepared to spend my life with him, yet he ended things via text. Then the fact that he didn’t care enough to at least contact me regarding our baby cut me even deeper. It’s not something you easily move past. The whole situation robbed me of the joy I once had.”

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