Page 20 of (Un)Rivaled

I stared into her dark brown eyes, almost twins of my own. But where my reflection often felt cold and aloof, Calla’s was full of warmth, like a tight hug on a winter’s night. My baby sister was my whole heart, the better half of me. Maybe that was why I hesitated on the wordno, unable to say the same thing I’d told every other living soul about moving home again.

Because, in truth, going home was the opposite of whatshe thought it would be. Moving on had never really been an option, not for me. Not when I’d closed my heart off after everything with Gray, and, despite my best attempts to forget him, he still held the key.

But as I glanced over her shoulder at my computer, I thought about what Tomas had found. Through my digging, I’d managed to unearth some information, but the dots weren’t connecting just yet. All I knew was the files mentioned Saint Stephen’s Lake, and I needed to understand why.

I smiled at Calla and nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

TEN

After grabbing a cup of coffee at the local shop, Cole and I headed to the Lost Tavern, ignoring the brisk wind whipping through Main Street. This winter was holding up to its fickle nature, and after a few gorgeous days of sunshine, we were back to freezing winds and threats of snow.

“Shit,” Cole said as he walked a little faster. “Remind me again why I moved here? California’s sixty degrees right now.”

“Might have something to do with that ring on your finger.”

“Yeah.” Cole smiled, looking down at his hand. “Being here with Alex is worth it, even if the winter never fucking ends.”

I shook my head as we continued to pace through the parking lot. Ever since I opened up about my dad’s struggles a couple of weeks ago, Cole had been checking in more, trying to join me at the cages at least once a week. It meant a lot—it gave me a moment to breathe. Plus, watching him try to match my speed was endlessly entertaining.

When we walked inside, I waved hello to the twoservers on shift and walked around the bar. Most lunches were slow, and I didn’t usually bother checking in. My parents’ staff had worked at the Lost Tavern for years, if not decades. They weren’t the most efficient crew, but that was part of the charm of small-town life. We weren’t worried about Michelin stars, just good food and good company.

Michelle, one of our bartenders, clapped my back as I walked by her. “Hitting the batting cages again? Martin’s gonna be thrilled someone’s taking advantage of them.”

“Yeah,” I said as I dropped my stuff by the door to the back room. “Felt good to get back out there. Been feeling out of practice.”

“Wouldn’t know it by watching you,” Cole chuckled. He sat down at one of the stools. “Not bad for a guy who always used a pinch hitter.”

“Not my call,” I grunted out. “Too much of a liability if I got hurt. If I had my way, I would have been up to bat as much as possible.”

Just another reason why the glassy veneer of professional sports wasn’t what I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing ball. Walking up to the pitch and hearing the fans calling my name were all highs I would never be able to replicate. But when I went pro, baseball stopped being about having fun and the love of the game. When you played at that level, you were always focused on getting better, on continuing to prove yourself. Even when I got to the top of the pack, there was so much pressure to stay there, I lost that passion I once had.

“Do you miss it?” Cole called out. “Playing in the majors?”

“Some days,” I answered honestly. “I miss the rush.” I didn’t think it would ever go away—that feeling when you heard the ball hit the glove and you knew you had them.But the rest of it? The travel and being away from home more days than not? Definitely not. I shook my head. “It was time.”

“Heard they offered you a big bonus to sign back up.”

I almost choked when I heard the offer from the team’s manager. He’d called right after I finished packing my shit, begging me to reconsider, but there was no changing my mind. I was a stubborn ass that way. Maybe in twenty or thirty years, I’d regret my choice.

But I doubted it.

The bell above the door rang, and we both turned to face it, finding our friend, Theo, walking inside. Compared to every other patron, Theo looked out of place in his designer jacket and shiny dress shoes. Even though he’d been living in town for months, he refused to give up his city style, which was constant fodder for the town’s gossip circle.

I’d met Theo last year because of his wife, Calla. He was a talent agent who used to lead one of the largest firms in the country but got demoted after he fell in love with Calla while she was his assistant. Despite years of hard work, he’d decided he was done with that life, choosing his now-wife over his career. If you asked him, it was the best decision he ever made, especially now that they were expecting.

“Please tell me you still have those sliders,” Theo muttered as he sat down next to Cole.

“Calla’s got a craving?” he asked.

Theo shook his head. “Callaalwayshas a craving, and they change constantly, so I like to have everything on hand, just in case.”

“Sounds like a nightmare,” I grumbled while putting his order into the POS system.

Theo leaned back, stretching his arms across the back of the chairs. “She’s growing our daughter. Making sure my wife is happy and has what she wants is the least I can do.” He nodded toward Cole. “You’ll find out soon enough. Alex was asking Calla all about pregnancy stuff earlier.”

Cole chuckled, shaking his head. “Not yet. I’m dying to have a kid with her, but Alex wants to wait until Fox Creek is in a better place. With all the renovations and hiring a night manager, our plates are already full.” He smirked. “But hopefully soon.”

“If my wife gets her way, all of them would be having babies at the same time.” Theo shook his head, pulling out his phone. “Actually, Gray—can you add a blue cheese burger to that order?”

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