Page 16 of Sawyer
“Kevin!”I slam on the brakes but smile when I hear him laugh as he runs down to the field where all his friends are waiting.
“Kev, Kev!”Noah squeals and I turn off the ignition, grab my things, and get him from the car.
“You want to play baseball one day, Noah?”I ask him as he holds my hand and walks next to me, stumbling a little as we head down to the grassy patch where kids and parents all gather.
“Yes.Baseball is my favorite.”He grins, his baby teeth on show.He’s the cutest little boy, and I pray every night he never has to experience going without like Kevin has.My stomach drops just thinking about it.
“Good morning, Annabelle.Is Kevin all ready for today?”Hudson, our local doctor and the father of Kevin's friend, Harvey, asks.
“He’s so excited.I’m not sure he even slept last night.”I grin, trying to stifle the yawn that threatens because I didn’t sleep much either.
“Yeah, I think he’ll love it.It’s all Harvey’s been speaking about this week.”Hudson and I stand together, watching them all get ready.The kids look comically small for all the equipment.
“Alright, boys.Let’s play ball!”I hear Bob yell from the side.He’s the general manager of the team, and all the kids scramble as they gather around their coach, another one of the parents, volunteering his time.
“Ahh, about time he showed up,” I hear Hudson say, and I follow his gaze, stalling when I see who he’s talking about.Sawyer is walking toward us.He isn’t in a suit today.Instead, he’s wearing jeans and a Henley, with a jacket over the top.Casual, yet still extremely well put together.
“Is he coming to watch Harvey?”I have no idea why he would be here at a Saturday morning kids’ baseball game.
“Yeah, he’s also sponsoring the team this year, so I made him come.”
“Ohhh…” is all I can muster, still in shock at seeing him here.I watch as Sawyer chats to Bob, shaking hands and passing over something that looks like a check.If he’s a sponsor, then it’s likely he’ll come to more games.I’ll probably see him most weekends if he decides to support the team with more than just his bank account.
“Seesaw… Seesaw…” Noah says, giggling, jumping up and down, clearly remembering the man who visited us.At the noise, Sawyer looks up, locking eyes with me.
I offer a small smile as I grip on to Noah’s hand, keeping him close as the kids get settled on the field and the game begins.I try to watch, but my eyes continue to flick to Sawyer, where he still stands talking with Bob before their conversation ends and he heads our way.
“Morning,” Sawyer says casually to both Hudson and me as he stands next to me.Noah gazes up at him like he’s a real-life superhero or something.I’m now in the middle of two men who are both probably worth more than most of the town residents put together.
“Seesaw!”Noah says a little louder, and we all laugh.
“Hey, champ.”Sawyer puts out his fist, my little son fist-bumping him, and my chest heats.“Nice to see you, Annabelle.”His face is a little softer than the other few times we’ve met.Must be because it’s the weekend and he’s out of work mode.
“Didn’t pick you as someone who would take in kids’ sports on a Saturday morning.”
He grins at me, and I squeeze Noah's hand to keep me grounded so I don’t swoon.
“Yeah, well, Whispers is growing on me a little.”His eyes travel down my front and back up again, and my body tingles.God, is it hot here?
“It has that effect on people.”A tornado could run through the game at the moment and we wouldn't know.Our gazes are locked, our bodies close enough that I can feel his warmth against my own.I have no idea what’s going on, but it’s like I’m buzzing just from being this close to him.
“Oh, Harvey’s up,” Hudson says, popping whatever bubble we just found ourselves in, and we all focus.The pitcher is a big kid, and I wonder if he’s the correct age for this group.
“Ahhh, what age group is this?”I didn’t look at the details; I just signed Kevin up because I knew he wanted to play so badly.
“We only have enough kids to put one team together, so sometimes that means we play older kids.Not always ideal, but at least our kids get to play,” Hudson explains, and I frown as I look back to the field.
The pitch is thrown, and it’s fast, but Harvey hits it, immediately running to first base, and we all clap.
“That kid looks like he belongs in high school,” Sawyer says, and I look up at him, his brow furrowed, not liking this setup any more than I do.As I look back at the game, Kevin’s walking up to the plate.
“Oh, Kevin’s up next.”My heart feels like it’s pounding out of my chest as I try to rein in my excitement and pride at seeing him actually playing sports with his friends.
“He looks confident,” Sawyer murmurs, and I see him eyeing the pitcher and then Kevin as they get ready to play and my heart races.
“Kev!Kev!”Noah shouts, and when Kevin looks our way, I give him a wave.We’re probably embarrassing him, but he smiles, happy just to be on the field.
“Has Kevin played before?”Sawyer asks me, and I shake my head.
