Page 115 of Wild Hit
“That we’re up against the Eagles and then it’ll be the Riders,” the Boricua shortstop says.
Our batter connects with the ball and it sets the diamond in motion. The runner on first takes off, and the Eagles focus on him rather than the batter. We’re tied and they clearly don’t want us to score before our batting lineup rotates back to the top. I’d do the same if I was them, especially being at the bottom of the eighth on game seven. Whoever wins this one gets the ticket for the big, big show.
Lava courses through my veins at the thought of it. It’s funny because on the one hand, I’d also have been one step away from the World Series if I’d stayed in Denver, but that possibility would’ve been so much emptier. Marty would still be in a bad place in school, and there would be no Audrey in the picture. Also, none of these cows.
“Save that for after we win this game,” Logan grunts.
But Lucky doesn’t leave it alone. “Shouldn’t you be the second most excited about getting this bag?”
“The second?” the Cowboy asks before blowing a huge bubble with his gum.
“Yeah, I mean grumps over there is about to get sweet, sweet revenge on his estranged weirdo of a brother, and our softie over there is gonna save his marriage.”
The three of them turn to me and my eyebrows rise. “I’m the softie?”
“Yes.”
“No doubt.”
“Uh huh.”
Touching the crucifix and wedding band at my neck, I face forward just as the Eagles manager and a handful of players are surrounding their pitcher to strategize. Lewis Kim, the pitcher and mastermind of that whole team, appears to be screaming at his catcher. I’m sure that’s gonna work out great.
“It’s not about saving a fake marriage,” I muse, chewing on cinnamon gum with all my might. “I just want a chance to love her openly and for real.”
Heck of a lot of silence on the barrier. Turns out the three original stooges are looking at me like I’m a raccoon in a zoo cage.
“What?”
“Damn.” Cade drawls out the word with gusto. “This really isn’t for the pizza anymore.”
“What?” I repeat, now even more confused.
“You used the big L-word,” Logan translates and if he wasn’t such a master at the art of a poker face, I’d confirm whether he’s smirking on the inside. “Have you told her already?”
“Of course not. I don’t want to spook her.”
This is followed by various sounds of agreement to that.
“But you do love her?” Lucky insists, his eyes wide like a cartoon.
The unbelievable thing is that… yeah, I do.
I don’t even know how or when it happened. It’d be easy to say that it happened with every moment Audrey brought my daughter out of her shell, or even since the first hint that she was someone who could change my life while she wrestled with her mailbox, and ended up delivering a wild hit to my eye. Everything Audrey has done has marked me one way or another, my body, my mind, my soul. She’s made me laugh, woken up my deepest instincts, made me hungrier than I’ve ever been for a woman.
There’s so much more about her that I don’t know. That I crave to know. There’s still so much of her life for her to walk, and I’m sure I can be the right companion for her. That Marty and I can be her family.
And I desperately need her to want all that.
I swallow hard. Yeah, I’m in love, a’ight.
“Look at his face,” our captain says drily. “I bet he’s writing a romance novel in his head.”
“Well, he is the one who most helped you draft your letter to Rose,” Cade casually tosses out there. Somehow I had forgotten about that.
“Clearly it’s our turn to help you back,” Lucky says, pulling away from the fence. “So, watch me score a run for your happy ending, old man.”
I scrunch up my face. “Since when am I an old man?”
