Page 40 of Sometimes You Fall

Grady stands on the front porch of my house, his arms laden with bags. “This isn’t all food, but a lot of it is. We had a busy day at the shop and I’m starving. I remember how I ate as a teenage boy, so I know Chase can put away some food.”

I gesture for him to come into the house. “Well, thank you for bringing dinner, even though I told you not to. Guess you’re not as good at listening as you were back in high school.”

“You’re welcome,” he grumbles, casting me a glance over his shoulder from the kitchen as he sets the bags on the counter and heaves out a sigh. “Before I forget to ask, does Chase know…” His eyes dip down to my stomach and I cover the baby growing inside of me on instinct.

“No. I figured we should talk first before I let him know, especially given the fact he’ll be essentially working for you in the coming weeks.”

Grady nods, the scowl still on his face. “I think that’s smart.”

“He’s in his room. Should I call him out here?” Standing in front of Grady now, especially after our last two interactions, has made me nervous. But god, he looks so handsome, even though his grumpy disposition is off-putting. He’s freshly showered and wearing dark jeans and a plain black t-shirt, looking just as delectable, if not more so, than he did that night that changed the trajectory of our lives.

“Maybe we should talk first. I mean, what is your schedule like? I’d like to be accommodating to you both if I can, especially since I know he’ll have baseball practice starting next week.”

“His tryout is tomorrow, right?” I ask as I lean against the other side of the counter. Since we moved here after the initial team tryouts, the coaching staff made an exception to give him a chance to play, especially because he’s a pitcher—like Grady was.

“Yeah.” Grady blows out a breath. “I’m supposed to meet with the coaching staff around noon, and then I guess I’m officially a coach as of tomorrow.”

“You’re going to be an amazing coach, Grady,” I say, trying to decide if his lack of confidence is because of what’s happening between us and Chase, or because he honestly doesn’t think he’ll be good at it. But how could he think otherwise? The man was unstoppable on the mound. I’m sure the boys on the team will be stoked to learn from him and see the game from his perspective.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” Shaking his head, he gestures toward the bags. “I hope you’re in the mood for a burger. Dallas’s restaurant, Catch & Release, has some of the best in town, and their onion rings are freaking amazing, so I figured it was a safe bet.” He begins pulling containers out, popping the lids on them just as Chase comes out from his room and into the kitchen.

“Oh. I didn’t realize we had company.” My son and Grady lock eyes with one another as the energy shifts in the room.

“You remember Grady, right, Chase?” I ask awkwardly, as if the two of them could ever forget the night Grady pinned him to the ground and Chase ended up in handcuffs.

Chase’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “What’s he doing here?”

Grady clears his throat. “I’m here to discuss your schedule for working at my garage. I agreed to let you work off your debt instead of pressing charges.”

“My mom mentioned that.” Chase stares down at the ground, avoiding Grady’s gaze when he says, “Thanks.”

“I remember being a teenage boy, so I know that your brain doesn’t work right most of the time. But I promise you, if there’s a next time, the next person won’t be as forgiving.” Chase nods, still staring at the ground. “And we’re going to be spending a lot more time together at baseball practice, so it’s best that we put all of this behind us.”

That last detail grabs my son’s attention. I hadn’t told him that Grady is one of the baseball coaches yet.

“What are you talking about? You’re a coach?”

“Yup.” Grady tips his chin, twisting to face my son head-on now as he crosses his arms over his chest. “And your mom tells me you’re a pitcher, so guess who you’ll probably be working with the most?”

Chase’s jaw tenses. “Just perfect.”

“This is why you shouldn’t do stupid shit, Chase,” I chime in. “Sometimes life can throw you a curveball and your past mistakes can come back to bite you in the ass.”

Are you speaking to your son, or yourself, Scottie?

“It’s going to be a learning curve for all of us,” Grady grates out, sliding a Styrofoam container across the counter toward my son. “I brought plenty.”

Chase’s eyes dart over to me, silently asking for permission.

“Go ahead, Chase. Grady brought us dinner, which you can thank him for as well.”

Chase reaches for the container, grabs a few sides of ketchup from the bags, then says, “Thanks,” before turning to me. “I’m going to eat in my room.”

Knowing it’s probably for the best so Grady and I can speak candidly about everything we need to, I nod as Chase scurries down the hall, shutting his door softly, leaving Grady and me alone again.

“I hope you’re ready to deal with teenage attitudes. I swear, sometimes I feel like I’m walking on eggshells in my own damn house.”

Grady grunts. “Teenagers don’t scare me.”

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