Page 80 of Sliding Into Love
Then they pored over photos of tiny Ethan in an oversized baseball hat propped on top of ears too big for his little head, perched on his father’s shoulders. Toddler Ethan running across the infield in only a diaper. Elementary Ethan in a Little League uniform, covered in dirt and Gatorade, holding a shining trophy.
“He was so cute!” Ivy squealed, handing the photos back to Laura.
“Jase reminds me a lot of Ethan at that age.” Laura nodded to where Jase stood behind Janna, waving to the mascot, but still more solemn than the other kids his age. “Always so serious.”
Inside the dugout,Ethan had to resist the urge to casually observe Ivy and Laura together. Instead, he resorted to pacing in a tight line behind a rack of unused gear.
“Fis— ah, Ethan,” Harkness said. “You're up.”
Shit, he was next on deck. Quickly, Ethan tugged off his hat and jammed on his helmet, grabbing the bat Jen handed him on his way out of the dugout. He tried to catch a glimpse of Ivy and Laura since their seats were right behind home plate, but he took too long, and the umpire glared at him from behind the plate. Shaking his shoulders, Ethan stepped up to the plate. After two fouls, he knocked one down the center, far enough to get whichever teammate was on third all the way home. He had no idea who was on third, but they scored, so it didn'treallymatter. Ethan knew he shouldn’t try to see them, but he wanted to know how it was going.
Ethan was astonished to find Ivy and Laura deep in conversation as Janna happily devoured a cotton candy cloud. Jase had binoculars trained in his direction, and he gave the boy a sharp nod, just like Jimmy did when Ethan was young.
Readjusting his hat, Ethan trained his eyes on the pitcher. The shortstop moved nearer, and when the second baseman edged a few steps further away in preparation for Jen’s hit, he saw his chance.
Slowly crouching so the movement drew less attention, Ethan edged as far as possible while remaining on first, taking advantage of his long legs. When the pitcher set his back foot on the rubber, Ethan’s fingers twitched, and he took off, making it a third of the way to second before the other team was even aware of his movement. He dove, sliding into second, and the umpire called him safe. The crowd on the home side went wild, with popcorn flying and fans screaming. To the side, Ethan saw Jase jumping and screaming too, but he resolved not to let himself get distracted by Ivy again.
Ethan watched and waited until Derek hit a home run, pulling the Hawks even with the Brewers, tying the game.
And when he jogged home, Ethan took the opportunity to glance at the stands. Ivy and Jase were jumping up and down together, waving at him, and Janna held Laura’s hands, doing a silly dance with her. They were all grinning like fiends and screaming at him as his teammates crowded around Ethan, Jen, and Derek.
Ethan grinned, accepting the ‘good games’ and fist bumps from his teammates without glowering.
And having someone waiting for him, watching his games, actually feeling like a part of the team? It was electrifying, making him want to be the best, not just out of obligation, but for theteam.
At the top of the sixth, raindrops splattered over his forearms where he stood on the mound, watching and waiting as Derek signaled him from where he squatted behind home plate. Rain was fairly uncommon this time of year, and Ethan squinted past the stadium lights into the now dark, cloudy sky.
It was as though the sky split open, and both teams raced back to their respective dugouts, though they were already soaked. Ethan jogged in from the mound and gratefully accepted a towel from a bat boy. It did nothing to dry his soaked uniform, but at least he was no longer blinded by raindrops.
“Freak rainstorm, huh?” Derek leaned over the rail, holding out a hand to catch drops in his palm.
Isaac slung an arm around Derek’s shoulders.
“It’s fun, though, right? Makes me feel like a kid again, playing in the rain.”
After a few minutes, music poured from the speakers, and the stadium cameras began panning over the seats, looking for fans entertaining themselves to wait out the rain.
Ryan’s voice interrupted the music, informing fans the local weatherman had assured him the rain should end shortly, so the game should resume in about half an hour, and the music returned. Applause burst out, and on the screen, Ethan saw the fans getting more into the music, dancing in the aisles and on the throughway.
Isaac jumped over the dugout railing, landing with a splash as he danced to the music, some song with a fast beat about thunder, and Derek followed, leading Jen. Isaac bopped over to Harkness, beckoning for her to join them. More of their teammates joined in, and Jen and Derek splashed their way over to Ethan, who reluctantly let them drag him into their dancing. And then, the whole team, coaches, trainers, and bat boys and all, danced on the sidelines while they waited out the rain.
When the song ended, Ethan returned to the dugout. Harkness sat the next song out, too, so they watched the JumboTron, with Harkness laughing at the crowd’s antics, and Ethan hoping for a glimpse of Ivy.
Someone in the tech department decided it was time for a KissCam. The camera panned over couples, many of whom put on a big show for the camera. A twinge of jealousy hit Ethan since he’d never participated in that particular baseball pastime.
As though thinking of her summoned her, Ivy appeared on the screen. She was dancing in the uncovered area in the front row of seats behind home. She was soaked, but she sang while she twirled in the rain. Ethan guessed she saw herself on the screen because she winked and blew a kiss to the camera. Behind her, Janna gave Jase a smacking kiss on his cheek. He rolled his eyes.
“That’s your girl?” Harkness asked from her seat beside him.
“Yeah. Ivy.” He couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, where the camera lingered on her dancing. A few others joined her, taking her hands or dancing together in the aisle. Ethan watched while Ivy held Janna’s hands as they spun around each other.
“Go get her. Dance with her.”
Ethan, sure he’d misheard, glanced over at Harkness, who made shooing motions at him.
“Go on. We’ll be here for a while.”
“Thank you?” he said, and then he was out of the dugout and vaulting himself over the rails into the stands. And there she was in all her rain-soaked glory. The last notes of the song she was dancing to floated away, and a new one began, slower, with a stronger beat. Ivy’s hips swayed, rocking into the rhythm. He crossed the final few steps and she saw him right before he crashed into her.
