Page 137 of Unexpected Forever
My heart races and my stomach is hollow thinking of my girl here, but I keep breathing.
I take it as a good sign.
I head back downstairs and slowly walk out onto the deck.
Memories of our last night together wash over me. I want to touch her, hold her in my arms again so badly my muscles ache from the loss.
I lean against the railing and watch the sea crash along the shore. It’s a beautiful day, the December sun high in the sky, and the beach is deserted. It makes me feel even more alone.
All the words said by Megan, Darcy, and Lucas tumble through my brain.
The fact that for all my efforts, Megan hadn’t been completely insulated from our parents’ abuse.
Knowing Lucas—playboy extraordinaire—had met someone and lost it all, makes me want to never be that guy. The guy who only has memories to keep him warm for the rest of his life. The guy with an empty void in his chest that’s never satisfied.
I saw the pain in his eyes when he spoke of the mystery woman. It was like looking in a mirror.
And to know Charley—my beautiful Firefly—had her heart broken a long time ago and it changed everything for her.
Like she changed my world the second I saw her on the other side of the door, wearing a dress that brought me to my knees.
Baseball was my first love. It saved me during a time when I needed to be saved.
But every playing season ends, so a new one can begin. If you’re lucky, the team is better than it was before.
I’m in a new season of life. While the game will still be a part of it, it isn’t baseball I need to save me anymore. It’s a five-two, blue-eyed, sassy ball of energy, carrying my baby.
And has been all along. I was just too caught up in my head to realize it.
She’s my magic. My Firefly. The prize I’ve been chasing my whole life and never knew it.
My chest lightens, and I feel like I can finally breathe again.
I close my eyes and grin, inhaling the salt air wrapping around me and energizing me.
After a few moments, I turn and head back into the house.
It’s time to step up to the plate even though it won’t be easy.
I’m up against a pitcher who knows how to strike me out while looking.
But this time, I plan to swing for the fences.
TWENTY-EIGHT
charley
I standat the door to Mom’s house, trying to decide if I really want to walk inside and open a can of worms.
It’s been two weeks since I walked out of the house Nate and I shared. I’ve been the hot mess express ever since.
The tears finally stopped about three days ago, and my eyes are starting to lose their puffiness. On the outside, I look like I’m getting my shit together.
On the inside?
I’m a raging storm of emotions decimating everything in its path.
Yesterday, I managed to go a full five minutes without thinking about Nate. The distraction came in the form of false contractions, where I try to breathe through the panic that inevitably floods my system like a dam just broke.
