by Marie Force
However, nothing about my circumstances is normal right now. I huff out a laugh at how quickly everything has changed. It took one hour in Maria’s presence the other night to upend my plan for the off-season. I toss my equipment bag in the pile to go back to Baltimore and head out to get on the bus for the ride to the hotel. I take the elevator to the suite I reserved for my parents and Everly after it was decided we’d be doing something with Maria at yesterday’s game.
Everly lets out a scream when I walk in. “Dada!” She runs across the room and launches herself into my arms, knowing I’ll always catch her.
The greeting I get from her every time I come home to wherever she is makes me feel ten feet tall. I scoop her up and lift her over my head, her smile revealing sweet baby teeth. I never gave much thought to how cute baby teeth are until she had them. Every part of her is perfect to me. I give her a squeeze that has her wrapping those pudgy arms around my neck in the stranglehold that tells me I’m home. I love her unreasonably.
“Miss Cranky Pants is all smiles now that Dada is here,” Mom says. “She’s been a bear since they took you out of the game. She put on quite a show for Maria.”
My heart skips a happy beat at the mention of Maria. “My baby isn’t a bear.” I make a face that has Everly giggling. “Are you a bear, Pooh?”
“No bear.”
“The words are coming fast and furious all of a sudden,” Mom says.
“Thank goodness for that.” Her developmental delays have been a source of grave concern to me and my parents. The doctors haven’t been as worried, so we’ve tried to chill and let her come around to talking on her own time, but we’re all thankful that time seems to have finally arrived.
“Is the team heading back to Baltimore tonight, son?” Dad asks.
“Yep.”
“What time do you guys fly out?” Mom asks.
“They’re leaving around seven thirty.”
“You’re not going with them?”
“I was thinking Ev and I might hang out here for a few more days.”
“And do what?” Mom asks.
“Enjoy the pool and the beach and the time together.”
Mom raises a brow the way only a professional mother can do. “And that’s all?”
As the son of a professional mother, I’m wise enough to know when I’m cornered by the expert. “I’d also like to spend some more time with Maria.”
Mom claps her hands and then fist-pumps the air. “Yes! I knew it!”
I glance at Dad, who shrugs. “You know how your lovely mother can be when she catches the scent of romance with any of her sons.”
“I know all too well.” Mom despised Kasey and never tried to hide it, and that was some kind of fun, let me tell you. That she’s so happy I’m staying to spend more time with Maria is a good sign, and one I don’t take lightly. It was horrible being involved with someone my mom actively disliked, and that she turned out to be so right about Kasey is another thing that still rankles all these years later. I should’ve listened to her concerns, but if I had, I wouldn’t have Everly. So there is that…
“She’s absolutely lovely,” Mom says of Maria.
“Is she? I haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, please, Austin, tell that to someone who doesn’t know you the way I do. I told your father last night after dinner that there’s something brewing between you two, and you know how much I love to be right.”
Dad and I share a long-suffering eye roll. My mom had to become scrappy, being the only woman in a family full of men, and she more than holds her own with us.
“Why don’t you let us take Everly home with us so you two can have some time alone together?” Mom says.
As much as I’d love to be alone with Maria, I can’t do that to Ev after all the time we’ve spent apart during the season. “Thanks for the offer, but I want to be with Ev, too.”
Everly squeezes my neck, which is her way of voicing her approval. “Dada.”
“Are you sure?”
I can’t bear the thought of being separated from her so soon after the last road trip. “Yeah, I am.”
Mom pats my face the way she used to when I was little. “You’re a wonderful father, Austin. You make me so proud—on and off the field.”
“I love her.”
“I know, son.”
“Let me ask you this…” I take a deep breath and let it out, hoping they’re going to go for my other idea. After all they’ve done for me and Ev, I’d never remove her from their daily lives for months on end if I can avoid that.
“What’s up?” Dad asks.
“What would you guys think of spending the winter here in Miami?”
Mom looks at Dad and then back at me. “Like move here?”
“Temporarily. We’re going to be moving somewhere by spring. Why not spend the winter in the warm sunshine?”
“Everly’s doctors are in Baltimore,” Mom reminds me, as if I need the reminder.
“I’m aware of that, but she could have checkups here in consultation with them. We could work something out.”
“Is this because of Maria?” Mom asks.
Though my inclination is to keep my private life private, this involves them, too, so I look her in the eye and tell her the truth. “Yes.”
She does the clapping thing again, and while I want to be exasperated with her, I feel the same way she does. “I love this so much.”
“So you’ll think about winter in Miami?”
“How do you see this working?” Dad asks.
“I find a house to rent with room for all of us, we drive down and spend the winter.” Could it really be that simple? I’ve got a few months off, they’re retired, so why not?
“When did you decide to do this?” Mom asks.
“Uh, over the last couple of days?”
“Since you met Maria in person,” Mom says with a knowing nod.
“Something like that.” I’m amused by her when I’m normally super resistant to anything that smacks of maternal prying into my love life. But I can’t deny that Maria is the reason I’m making a whole new plan for the off-season from the one we had a few short weeks ago. We’d talked about spending part of the winter with my brother Asher in Arizona.
“We promised Ash we’d spend a few weeks with him,” Dad reminds Mom.
“We can still do that,” Mom says. “It’d help Austin to have us here with him so he can spend time with Maria when Everly is in bed at night.”
“I like how you think, Mom.”
“Whatever we can do to help you spend more time with that wonderful girl. Have I mentioned that I absolutely love her?”
“You might’ve said something to that effect.”
“Dad and I will go home and start packing.”
“Just like that?” Dad asks, seeming amused. I knew I wouldn’t have to try hard to convince him. He’d love nothing more than to spend the winter playing golf, and he doesn’t care where that happens. As long as Everly is part of the package, I figured he’d be on board.
“Just like that,” Mom says.
When she makes up her mind about something, there’s no point in arguing with her. I love when that works to my advantage. “I know I say it all the time, but you guys really are the best.”
“Are you kidding? Our friends back in Wisconsin will be green with envy that we’re spending the winter in Miami while they’re buried under two feet of snow. We appreciate that you made it possible for us to retire early and enjoy this ride with you and Ev.” Mom goes up on tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “Does Maria know you’re staying or thinking about spending the winter here?”
“Nope.” I can’t wait to surprise her.
Mom smiles. “I love this. I can’t wait to hear how she reacts.”
“You and me both.”
Chapter 13
MARIA
I don’t hear from Austin after the game, but I watch the extensive coverage of his twenty-second and final win for the season, including the pe
rfect game in Detroit. I absorb the speculation about where he might end up next year like a crazy stalker.
“My money’s on Seattle.” The commentator goes into a lengthy explanation about why he feels the Mariners would be the best fit for Austin and how they’re likely to make the most lucrative offer. “I’ll tell you one thing, Mike. It’s a very good time to be Austin Jacobs.”
“For sure. I hear Vegas is taking odds on where he’ll end up in what’s sure to be the big story of this off-season.”
I’m stunned to see footage of myself on the field from yesterday’s ceremony.
“This time last year, things were anything but certain for the ace pitcher. His little girl was battling a life-threatening illness, his career was on hold, and it was anyone’s guess as to whether we’d ever see Austin Jacobs take the mound again. Thanks to Maria Giordino in Miami, Everly Jacobs received a life-saving bone marrow transplant and achieved full remission. Her dad was back to work with a vengeance this season and is a shoo-in for another American League Cy Young Award. We’ll be following AJ’s story this off-season, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted.”
I hang on their every word. It’s surreal to me that I could have any stake in where he ends up playing next season.
I check my phone, surprised there’s still nothing from him.
I think about texting him, but I don’t want to bother him while he’s with his teammates, preparing to return to Baltimore.
Knowing he’s on his way out of town leaves me feeling empty and depleted. It’s the lowest of lows after the highest of highs. “This is what you get for allowing yourself to be carried away by a man who doesn’t live here.” I get out the leftover salad from Friday night, add some grilled chicken and use the last of the house Italian dressing from my takeout order. Sitting at the counter, I try not to relive the momentous kiss that occurred right here about forty-eight hours ago, but that proves impossible.
I relive that stupendous kiss a thousand times while forcing myself to eat food I don’t really want, pushing lettuce around on my plate until it’s wilted and inedible. I wash the small amount left down the garage disposal, put the plate in the dishwasher and tear up at the sight of our plates from Friday night still waiting to be run through.
“Now you’re going to cry over dirty plates? I’m starting to actively hate you.” I turn on the dishwasher, angry-clean the kitchen until it’s sparkling and make my lunch for tomorrow. It’s time to get my shit together and return to my workweek routine.
I’m on my way to an early bedtime when someone knocks at my door. Figuring it’s Carmen coming with wine therapy, I throw open the door and blink a couple of times before my brain catches up with the fact that Austin is there with Everly on his shoulders.
“We were wondering if you know where we can get some ice cream around here.”
MARIA
“Wh-what’re you doing here? I thought you were gone.”
“Nope.” He’s smiling and clearly pleased with himself because he can tell he’s completely shocked me by showing up at my door.
“Rie!” Everly says.
“That’s her name for you,” he says. “The words are starting to come. Ev, tell Rie what we want for dessert.”
“Scream!”
“That’s right. What do you say, Rie?”
Could they be any cuter? “I say scream sounds good, and I know just the place.” I step back from the doorway. “Come in. I need to change.”
“Hey,” he says.
I glance at him, trying to ignore the light-headed, breathless way I feel when he’s around—and even when he isn’t.
“This is okay, right?”
“Of course. I’m thrilled to see you guys. I just thought…”
“I know, and we’ll talk about that. After scream.”
“Make yourselves at home. I’ll be quick.” I run into my bedroom and try to figure out what to wear for scream with Austin and Everly. I’ve got folded laundry in the basket that I rifle through, finding shorts, bra and a T-shirt. Once I’m dressed, I go into the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth, put on mascara and lip gloss.
I wish I had another hour to prepare, but they’re waiting for me, so I put on flip-flops and rejoin them in the living room.
Austin is wearing a Nike T-shirt and shorts, and to look at him, you’d never know he’s an award-winning professional baseball player. Right in this moment, he’s just a dad with a little girl who wants scream.
“Ready when you are.”
He picks up Everly and leads the way out of my place.
I’m so rattled, I nearly forget my keys. The last thing I want to do tonight is call my uncle to come let me into my place. I grab the keys, go down the stairs and find Austin buckling Everly into a car seat.
“Where’d you get the car?”
“Rented it earlier.”
“Where’re your parents?”
He checks his watch. “About to take off for Baltimore.”
“So wait… They left, and you…”
After closing Everly’s door, he leans in to kiss me. “We stayed.”
“Oh.”
Grinning, he opens the passenger door and holds it for me. “Madam.”
Completely frazzled by this unexpected bonus time with them, I get in the car and put on my seat belt.
He gets in and does the same. “Where to?”
I direct him to Azúcar on 8th Street, which is only a few blocks from my house. We actually could’ve walked, but I’m so rattled that I never thought to suggest it. “We can park at the restaurant lot and walk from there.”
A few minutes later, he pulls in behind Giordino’s, and we walk the short distance from there.
“Cute place,” he says when he sees Azúcar.
“They have the best scream in Miami.”
“You’re the boss.” Austin, who’s got Everly in one arm, places his free hand on my lower back to guide me inside.
“What’s your favorite?” he asks when we contemplate the menu.
“Café con leche, which is their Cuban coffee and Oreo flavor.”
“Yum. That sounds good to me. Ev, what do you feel like? You want to try the s’mores or the birthday cake?”
“Cake!”
“Cake it is.” Austin orders for all of us, and when he reaches for his wallet, I take Everly from him as if it’s the most natural thing in the world to hold her while he pays.
She comes to me, but she keeps her gaze fixed on him as if she’s concerned he might get away.
With cones for us and a cup for Everly, we make our way to a table on the sidewalk. It’s a warm early-autumn night, and I’m thrilled to be spending it with them.
Everly is focused on her ice cream as Austin keeps a close eye on her to make sure it doesn’t end up all over her.
“I thought you guys were going back to Baltimore tonight.”
“The team took off an hour ago, but I decided to hang out here for a bit.”
“For how long?”
He shrugs. “Haven’t decided yet.” Nodding at my melting cone, he says, “Eat your scream.”
Everly pipes up. “Rie! Scream!”
I love the name she’s given me and how cute she is in a pink-and-yellow-striped shirt with pink shorts and her blond curls in a ponytail.
“Do what the lady tells you, Rie, and eat your scream!”
Everly giggles at the way he mimics her.
I’m captivated by how cute they are together, by the way he mops up the ice cream on her face without missing a beat and by the obvious love they have for each other. They make me want to be part of them, part of what they have with each other. So much for protecting my heart in the face of their crazy cuteness.
“So…” I raise a brow, hoping he will fill in the blanks for me.
“So… I decided to hang in Miami for a while since the season is over, and I can do what I want.”
“How long is a while?”
He shrugs as if he hasn’t a care in th
e world, which he probably doesn’t since he’s on vacation for the next few months. “We haven’t decided yet.”
Is he being intentionally vague, or is it just my imagination? “What do you guys have planned for your time in Miami?”
“Lots of hotel pool time, right, Ev?”
“Rie! Pool!”
His smile lights up his handsome face and makes him even dreamier than he is when he’s not smiling. He is inordinately blessed when it comes to sexiness. And watching him lick that cone is making me wonder what it would be like…
Stop! There’s a child present!
“We’ve been a little concerned about her speech delays,” Austin says softly while Everly is fixated on her ice cream. “All of a sudden, it’s like a door opened, and the words are coming fast. Pool makes ten new ones today alone.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Pool, Dada.”
“Tomorrow, pumpkin. First we sleep, then we swim.”
Everly isn’t sure she likes that answer.
“I have a feeling I’m in for some early morning swimming tomorrow. What else should we do while we’re here?”
“You should check out the zoo, the Seaquarium, Jungle Island, the children’s museum and the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, which is the pool of pools. You could take a picnic to Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, and of course, I’m partial to Little Havana, but I’m not sure that would hold Everly’s attention. Oh, and don't forget the beach.”
“That all sounds fun. I wish you could join us.”
“Me, too, but alas, some of us still have to work.”
“Maybe we could save the picnic and the beach for the weekend if you’re free?”
“I’m free other than work on Saturday night and brunch on Sunday, but you guys could come to brunch if you’d like to.”
“We’d love to.”
“Except…”
“What?”
“My whole family comes to brunch, and if I bring you guys, that’s kind of a big ‘statement.’”
