I smile, thinking back on a few of my mishaps as a parent. “But I also promise you that it’s the best job I’ve ever had and the best title I’ll ever hold. The good times far outweigh the bad. I promise,” I tell her, hoping I haven’t scared her too much.
“Oh, I know. One little boy I used to babysit in high school used to blow out his diaper every single time I watched him. He loved his little jumper contraption, but the thing always caused that to happen.”
“Ah yes, the girls did the same thing sometimes when we’d put them in theirs,” I tell her.
“On that note, I’m going to get out of here with them. We’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Have fun,” I call out as she ushers the girls to the door.
“What would you like to eat?” Derek asks me once they’re gone.
“Maybe a grilled cheese?”
“Perfect, something I actually know how to make,” he teases. I take a seat at the counter and watch as he pulls the items from the fridge and the bread from the cabinet. “So, how long do I have to wait until you’ll marry me again?”
I shrug my shoulders at him as he places the sandwich on the hot pan. “Um, I don’t know. We don’t need anything elaborate. But you’re leaving in the morning and won’t be back for a few weeks, so it will have to wait until at least then.”
“I’ll be back in six weeks. We can go down to the courthouse the next day and get it done.”
“That will work.”
“Damn straight, it will,” he says, placing a plate in front of me with a perfectly grilled sandwich. He leans even further over and presses a chaste kiss against my lips before pulling back and making himself a couple sandwiches.
We move to relax on the couch once we finish up lunch. My stomach is handling the sandwich well, and hopefully that continues for the rest of the night. I’m finally starting to feel better now that I’m hydrated and have some food in me. As we sit here, watching TV, I try to wrap my mind around the fact that we’re pregnant and having another baby. The thought brings tears to my eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Derek asks.
“Nothing,” I tell him, sniffling as I attempt to stop the tears.
“It’s not nothing. Talk to me, baby,” he says, rolling me over so I’m facing him.
“It just hit me that we’re having another baby. They’re good tears, I promise. I’m just shocked, overjoyed, scared, thinking what in the hell did we just get ourselves into. We’re going to be outnumbered, Derek. How am I going to take care of three babies when you’re gone?” I word vomit all over him, not holding back as my mind races with the questions and what-ifs.
“We’ll figure it out as we go. And, the last time I checked, you are kind of Supermom. I’m sure you’ll rock this ‘mom of three’ thing. It might be crazy, and hard at times, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t you tell me early on in our dating days that I’d better be okay with a house full of kids since you wanted at least four?”
“I might recall that conversation,” I reply as he wipes the tears from my cheeks. “But I’m far from being Supermom. Do you know how many days we don’t even change out of our PJ’s until after lunchtime? Or how many nights I make them grilled cheese and soup because I don’t feel like cooking a big meal?”
“Nothing is wrong with either of those scenarios. What do you remember most about your childhood? What your mom cooked each night? Or what time of day you got dressed? No, you remember the good times—the family trips, traditions, your favorite meal that she’d make for specific occasions. Those are the things that our kids will remember.”
“I know, I just don’t like the labels of being a Supermom or Instagram-ready. We already have so much pressure on us from every angle, the thought of being that perfect parent is just one that I can’t handle being put on my shoulders, because I will fail at some point. I just always hope that it isn’t when anyone is watching.”
“Even if they are, I’d challenge them to tell me who is a perfect parent. No one, that’s who. Everyone fucks up at some point or another. It’s how one grows from that experience that shows their true colors and maturity.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the one that said those exact words to you, not long ago,” I tell him, snuggling in closer as exhaustion hits me out of nowhere—thank you, first trimester tiredness mixed with being sick for the last day. I nod off in Derek’s arms, the steady beat of his heart lulling me off to sleep.
“Shh… Mommy’s napping,” I hear Derek tell Penelope and Addison. “She needs to sleep to feel better.” They quietly sit down on the floor next to the couch. I’m not fully awake, and still have my eyes closed, but I can sense they’re close by. “How was the park?” he asks Riley, his voice whisper quiet.
“Good. We had the place to ourselves,” she softly tells him. It sounds like she’s sitting on the recliner a few feet away. “How’s she doing?”
“Good. Has kept down her lunch and fell asleep maybe twenty minutes ago.”
“Probably needed both the food and the sleep.”
“That she does. I’m really glad that you’ll be around to help her out while I’m gone. I hate that I have to leave tomorrow morning, but we knew the time was coming.”
“You know I don’t have any problem with helping out, it’s the least I can do for everything that the two of you are doing for me.”
I feel bad practically eavesdropping on their conversation, but I’ll hopefully drift back into a deep sleep if I just stay here, still and with my eyes closed. I’m not ready for my nap to end just yet.
“I appreciate that,” he tells her.
“Penny, Addison.” Riley gently calls the girls’ names to gather their attention. “Let’s go potty and then go lay down for a nap. Aunt RyRy needs a nap. You wore me out!” I listen as they get up and follow her out of the room without one ounce of fight. I wish they’d do the same for me that easily. With the conversation stopped, the sound of Derek’s heart beating lulls me back to sleep.
Twenty-Three
Derek
I’ve been in Arizona at training camp for almost two weeks already. The first few days sucked being away from Jillian, Penelope, and Addison. That all changes today when they, along with my sister, fly in to spend the next three weeks down here with me. Jillian was able to find a nice house to rent on Airbnb for the time, so they’ll have more room than just a hotel. With being here for that long, having a kitchen is a necessity, as is laundry and just space, in general.
Derek: Got everything ready to head to the airport?
Jillian: Just about. Ry is here and helping me. I swear, these girls have more crap to bring than your entire team does.
Derek: Just think what a third one is going to add to the mix.
Jillian: Don’t remind me. Just be thankful I’ve saved most of the baby things. We’ll hopefully only need to buy a few new things and just re-use everything else.
Derek: Baby things are the least of my worries today, babe. How are you feeling today? I’m hoping you’re feeling good as I have grand plans for after the girls are sleeping tonight. :devilish grin:
Jillian: I’m feeling pretty good today so far. I swear, this baby must be a boy for how differently this pregnancy has been compared to the girls.
Derek: Maybe! We can find out in what, eleven weeks?
Jillian: More like thirteen. Sometimes they’ll take a guess if they can get a good look that early, but the standard time is around twenty weeks. So, we’ve still got some time to go before we’ll know.
Derek: What are you hoping for?
Jillian: Just a healthy baby. A girl would just fit into the fold so easy since that’s all I know how to be the mom of, but a little brother would be pretty damn fun. What about you?
Derek: Same, babe. As long as he or she is healthy and looks like you is fine with me. I’ll love them just as much as I love our big girls, hell, I already do, and all I’ve seen is the flicker of the heartbeat.
Jillian: Sorry to break
up this serious conversation, but our ride just pulled up and I need to get the girls loaded up so we can head for the airport. I’ll text you once we’re boarded and on our way. See you later tonight. Love you.
Derek: Love you and be safe. I can’t wait to see all of you. I’ve missed you all so much these past couple of weeks.
I slide my phone onto the shelf of my locker and head for the field. We’re playing a mid-afternoon pre-season game against Texas and I’m starting. I hit the field and head straight for the pitcher’s area to start warming up my arm. I pitch for ten minutes or so, throwing balls at the target. Once my arm starts to feel loose and warm, I move out and start pitching to JJ. He’s joined me out here, dressed in his catcher’s equipment.
“You feeling good today?” he asks, after I throw a dozen or so pitches at him.
“Yeah, why?”
“No reason, just making sure.” He throws the ball back to me. I toss it down on the ground and move onto some stretching. The last thing I want to do is pull a muscle and hurt myself before the regular season starts.
JJ joins me on the side of the field as I work my way through my pre-game ritual. We’ve been doing this since our rookie season, when we first started playing together. Like nearly all sports, and athletes, we each have our own way of getting mentally prepared for the game, and this is just one of the many things we do. Once the game starts, not many people will talk to me between innings while I’m pitching. I don’t want the distraction. Call me superstitious, but the more I can focus in on the game, the better I am at throwing strikes.
“What time is Jillian and the crew arriving?” he asks when we finish up stretching and move on to some wind sprints.
“Flight gets in just after six. She’s picking up the rental at the airport and will drive over to the house. I just plan on going to the house once we can leave here. Depending on how long this game goes, I might even beat them there.”
“You staying there tonight or coming back to the hotel?”
“I’ll probably end up staying. With having tomorrow off, I’ll be over there all day anyways, so I might as well just stay. That, and I haven’t gotten laid in a few weeks. Time to change that.”
“Pussy whipped,” he says under his breath. “I’ve gotten laid every night I’ve been here,” he adds, as if it’s something to be proud of.
“Yeah, and how many names can you even remember?”
“Uhhh… maybe one? That is, if she even gave me her real name.”
“That shit is going to get you in trouble one of these days. For all you know, you’ve got some kids running around out there.”
“Shut your mouth,” he says seriously, turning to look at me. “I might fuck around a lot, but I never go without protection.”
“You do know that shit doesn’t always work, right? Like, only ninety-nine-point-nine percent, or some shit like that.”
“I’m aware, and thank my lucky stars I’ve never had a condom break on me, and so far, no one has showed up on my doorstep claiming I’m their baby daddy. Well, there was that one crazy chick a few years ago, but a simple paternity test proved her wrong.”
“Just be careful, would you?” I warn him. “One of these days, you’re not going to be so lucky. Or you’re going to meet a woman and she’s going to knock you on your ass, and you won’t know what hit you.”
“Once again, shut your mouth,” he says, punctuating each word with a punch to my chest. I just laugh at his complete horror at the thought of kids or settling down.
“Enough about all that, we’ve got a ball game to win,” I tell him as I take off for one last sprint.
After my warmup, I head back to the locker room and check my cell one last time for any messages from Jillian. They should be to the airport by now, but I resist calling her as she’s probably busy trying to get everyone checked in and through security.
I hold the ball in my hand, rolling it around, and feel the threads as they lace around the ball. I watch as JJ flashes me signals for the type of ball he wants me to throw. He signals for a fastball, and I shake my head, telling him no. Breaking ball is the next signal, and that one I like. I nod slightly, letting him know that’s what to expect.
I stand to my full height, check my players, and wind up my arm. The ball seamlessly leaves my fingertips and does exactly what it’s supposed to do. The batter swings and misses. The umpire calls the strike, and the batter is out. He’s the sixth straight batter I’ve struck out. That doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s a great feeling. I pull my hat off and wipe the sweat that’s gathered along my hairline before tugging my cap back on, then I run for the dugout and take my seat off to the side of everyone else. JJ is the only one to come close, and even he keeps his distance, giving me my space to keep myself in my own head. If I allow the distractions around me to get inside my head, my game will go to shit.
Our first baseman, Matt O’Riley, is up to bat first. He fouls the first pitch by a sliver of space off the third base line. Texas’ pitcher must not like the signals his catcher is sending his way, as it takes them a good thirty seconds or so to decide what pitch to throw. Indecisiveness like that shows how immature and unsure the pitcher is of his own game.
He winds up his arm and releases the ball. Unfortunately for the pitcher, he read Matt completely wrong. Matt connects with the ball and sends it up and out of the park. Single home run, adding to our already cushy lead of eight to zero. The rest of the eighth inning goes by without any more runs; we strand one guy on second base when Texas is able to close out the inning. The ninth inning goes about the same, although I let one guy on base. Thankfully, he doesn’t get past that point when we finish out the game. Although it’s only the pre-season, it’s still nice to get the win. The majority of our team are all returning players, but we’ve got a few new players who have to adjust to the way we do things.
As soon as the game is over, I head for the locker room. After talking with a few reporters about how I felt after pitching a full game today, I head for the showers. Jillian texted that they made it and she was just waiting for the rental car, then they’d be on their way to the house. I rush through my shower and as soon as Coach releases us, I head straight for my own rental car out in the players’ parking lot.
I plug the address of the rental house into my GPS and pull out. The house is only about ten minutes or so away from here, so it’s nice and close. It will be easy for me to go over and see them during my off time. I’m required to stay with the team for most of the preseason, but during my off time, you can be damn sure I’ll be with my family this year.
Twenty-Four
Jillian
I pull into the driveway of the house we’ve rented for the next two weeks and punch in the code for the gate. I love that we have that small added level of security. Not that I think any crazy fans will bother us, but you can never be too safe. It’s one of the reasons I don’t mind living in the gated community we do back in Indianapolis. Knowing we’re not going to have random people driving by our house and taking pictures of the girls out playing is comforting.
Once the gate opens, I pull up to the house and park in front of the garage.
“I’m going to go in and open the garage. I’ll be right back,” I tell Riley and my girls.
“We’ll be here,” she replies from the passenger seat. She’s been a godsend the last few weeks, helping me, as I’ve been exhausted and dealing with some morning sickness I never had to deal with for either girl.
I head up the steps and punch in the door code I was given. The instructions also said I’d find the garage door opener on the kitchen counter, so I head straight for that, finding it, along with a paper with some more details about the house and welcoming us for our stay. I find my way to the garage, open the door, then pull the rental car in. Riley hops out and helps me get the girls, then starts unloading the luggage.
“Don’t feel like you have to get all of it. Derek can get the rest when he gets here,” I tell her as
I follow the girls in.
We go exploring, looking in each room to get the lay of the house. I drop the one bag I carried in of mine in the master bedroom, then take the girls down the hall and show them the room where they’ll be sleeping. This house is perfect for us, as it has a room with two twin beds all set up for two little girls, the master for me and Derek when he can be here, and another junior master on the other side of the house for Riley to use. The backyard is a kid’s oasis, with a large playground set and lots of open space to run and play.
The girls each take a turn laying down on the beds and pick what ones they each want. Thankfully, they don’t want the same one, so no fights to referee over that. We head back up to the living room and my phone starts ringing. It’s an unknown number, so I answer it to find it’s the grocery delivery I’d set up, needing in the gate. I let them in, and once they’ve finished unloading, we get to work putting everything away.
Riley is right there helping me, just as she has been since Derek left. She was so ecstatic when I told her we were expecting again. I still haven’t told Addison and Penelope about the baby yet, but they’ve sure been suspicious about why I’ve been so sick lately. But I’ve been able to brush it off with them so far. I only give it a few more weeks before I break down and tell them.
With all the groceries put away, I relax on the couch while the girls pull out some toys they found in one of the closets. Riley joins me as we wait for Derek to show up. I stop on a station recapping the games that took place today and we get to see a few small clips of Derek pitching. The commentators talk about how calm and confident he appeared out on the mound today. How strong his pitches were and speculate that if he can pitch like that for the majority of the season, the Lightning will go far this year. They’ve been a strong team for a few years now, making it into the postseason for the last three years, just falling short of making the finals and earning the ultimate trophy by winning the World Series.
The Perfect Pitch (Indianapolis Lightning Book 1) Page 16
