Page 12 of Sometimes You Fall

Her words hit me square in the chest. The past—our past—is sitting like a ghost right between us, haunting me with everything I never said, everything I never did—and the girl I never chased because I was too busy chasing something else.

“It felt hard coming back home after everything…and Chase.” She swallows hard. “His life is down in Winterville.”

“Where is that?”

“It’s a suburb of Athens. I stayed close to UGA so I could finish school, and then I got hired at the elementary school down the street just after Chase turned four. It’s home now, and I…”

“Don’t leave tonight,” I interrupt, almost commanding her to stay.

She licks her lips, bites her bottom one, and then says in a sultry voice that travels straight to my dick, “I’m not going anywhere just yet.”

***

Scottie slaps the bar beside her. “God, that last game was a nail-biter!”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’ve never felt pressure like that in my entire life, but damn, what a rush.”

We’ve each had two more drinks since Scottie sat down on the stool across from me over three hours ago, and both of us are beginning to slur our words. It’s nearing one in the morning, and I have no desire to leave. But the glares from the bartenders tell me that our time is coming to an end sooner rather than later.

Ricky’s has nearly cleared out. Scottie’s mom and her friends left hours ago, but I assured her mother I’d make sure she got home safe. Scottie is the spitting image of her mom and it felt nice to meet the woman responsible for raising her to be the spitfire I knew and the strong woman she is now.

“But you won, Grady.” She reaches over and squeezes my arm, touching me for the hundredth time tonight.

I may be reading this all wrong, and it could just be the alcohol talking, but Scottie’s made it a point to touch me any chance she gets, scooting closer and closer as the night goes on. And I’d be a fucking liar if I said I wasn’t thinking about how this night could end if I give in to the same draw I feel toward her.

So much time has passed, and yet it feels like none has at all. The girl who offered me her friendship all those years ago is still in there, butshe’s different too. I can tell her life trajectory has changed her, made her strong in ways she never knew she’d have to be for her and her son.

But as I sit here and stare at her, I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I had chosen a different path myself. Would the ache of losing baseball even be there if I had never tasted a World Series title? Would the extra time with my friends and family have made it worth it, not missing all those milestones and birthdays?

And what if I had gone after the woman in front of me? If I hadn’t held back and had let her know how I felt all those years ago?

These feelings are flooding my chest, my body humming with energy and making me feel alive for the first time in years—almost five years to be exact.

“I did. The team won, and it was a night I won’t ever forget.”Much like this one.

“Do you have your ring with you?” she asks, peering down at my hands even though she’s been touching them all night and already knows the answer to that question.

“No,” I scoff. “I don’t wear that thing around, Scottie.”

“Why not?” She throws her hands up in the air, nearly falling from her stool but I catch her before she hits the ground.

“Easy there.”

She shrugs me off. “I’m fine. But seriously, Reynolds? If it were me, I’d be flashing that thing in anyone’s face I could. You won a freaking World Series! Do you know how freaking amazing—”

“We close in ten minutes!” the bartender from earlier interjects, cutting Scottie off. The irritation on his face tells me he doesn’t give a shit if I won the World Series or not.

“Here.” I toss my credit card to him over the counter, then turn back to Scottie. “We’d better be going.”

“Yeah.” She stands from her stool, gaining her balance before brushing her curls from her face. “I’m just gonna use the bathroom.”

“You gonna be okay walking over there?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

My eyes trail her ass as her hips sway from side to side until she disappears down the hallway to the restrooms. While she’s gone, I order an Uber and settle our bar tab. I’m grabbing my coat from the back of my stool just as she reappears.

“Thanks for the drinks.” She reaches for her own coat, and I help her slip it on before putting on my own.

---