Dare to Dream: The Maxwell Series

by S. B. Alexander

  I held the ball a tad off center, cocked my wrist, and threw. The ball landed in Mark’s glove with a thud.

  “Ball,” the umpire said, deep and loud.

  Argh. I stretched my neck one way then the other, and, out of habit, checked Finn at first. Then I wound up, raised my left leg, and released the ball. In slow motion, it traveled down to home plate. The batter swung at air as the ball thudded into Mark’s glove.

  “Strike,” the umpire called.

  The fans were still standing. I stepped off the mound and caught the ball Mark threw. I returned to the mound, released a breath, settled into my stance, and threw another slider. The batter swung, and the ball popped off his bat behind Mark.

  “One ball and two strikes,” the umpire announced.

  One more strike, I chanted to myself. This time Mark signaled a fastball. While my fastball was the bomb, my slider was working with two strikes. However, Mark was one of those great catchers that could read a batter. Since he was expecting another slider, Mark had a point. The dude wouldn’t be expecting my fastball.

  My gaze drifted to Kade. He angled his head. My eyes shifted to his mom then back to him. My hand trembled in my glove as I thought about Julie and Mom.

  “Something wrong?” Aaron’s voice drifted in amid the crowd’s chatter.

  Yeah, my life. Your life consists of baseball. Focus.

  “Robinson, get your head out of your ass.” Aaron’s tone was snarky and hard.

  I despised him, but his voice snapped me back. So I threw the pitch.

  “Ball,” the umpire said.

  Damn it. I circled the mound.

  Mark returned the ball. Aaron jogged up, as did Kelton.

  “Get back, Maxwell. I’ll handle this,” Aaron said.

  Kelton pressed forward.

  “It’s fine, Kelton,” I said. Aaron wasn’t about to do anything stupid.

  Kelton hesitated a minute before he returned to his position.

  “I want this win. You want this win. Pitch the ball like you have been. In and tight. Got it?”

  I hadn’t expected any of those words out of his mouth. I was waiting for I’ll break your arm if you don’t win this game. “Yeah.”

  He jogged back to third base.

  I did want this win, and letting my team down because of my problems wasn’t an option. With all the energy left in me, I gripped the ball and let it fly. I didn’t hear the umpire. All I saw was the batter swing at air, and the next thing I knew, I was in someone’s arms and they were lifting me up. The way the guy was squeezing me, I thought it was Kelton until I went to smack him and locked eyes with Aaron. Oh, my word. Aaron Seever was holding me like he hadn’t seen me in ages and wanted to kiss me.

  Shock rocked my body. I immediately squashed it. I wanted to savor this moment for all kinds of reasons. I’d pitched my first complete game. I’d reached my all-time best. We won the game. Aaron was lifting me high in the air, and I was on top of the world. For all the bad that had happened, the game and the win gave me hope that I was back. The last time I’d felt that elated had been when the coach at Crestview, my old school in California, had put me in to close a game with one out. The first batter I’d pitched to had popped out, and the second kept fouling the ball until he swung at one of my curveballs and struck out. That game had clinched the playoffs for us.

  But within seconds of Aaron picking me up, Kelton snatched me from him with unease flashing in his blue eyes. I almost told him to chill. Then I remembered Chloe’s words of wisdom: you can’t tame a protector. And Kelton was just as protective as Kade.

  After we celebrated as a team on the field, Coach came up to me. “You did good, Robinson.” He proceeded to pat my head.

  The last person to bump fists with me was Renee. “Awesome, Lacey.” Her lips curled with one side of her mouth turned upward, reminding me of my sister, Julie. The resemblance was so uncanny that it had caused me to black out when I first pitched to Renee at tryouts last fall. Now I felt as though Julie was with me in spirit.

  “You were awesome, too, girl.” She’d batted in a run and hit a home run, giving us two of our three runs to win the game.

  I searched for Dad. He was standing with the Maxwells. He said something to Kade, who had been talking to his mom. Dad touched the tip of his ball cap, and Kade waved with a somewhat cheerful smile. When he said something to his mom, I tore my gaze away. My anger over his deceit had transformed into despair, and I was close to tears. I didn’t want to ruin the high I had over the win.

  Renee and I walked off the field. The media barricaded us, firing off a barrage of questions. How does it feel to win your first game, Lacey? Renee, how does it feel to be responsible for two RBIs? Ladies, how did it feel to show the boys on the other team you could play like them?

  Before I could answer, Aaron came up alongside me, mumbling under his breath. I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I was certain that he didn’t like us getting all the attention. After all, he’d hated when the media had paid attention to the last girl on the team, Mandy Shear.

  “The win feels great,” I said. “The real credit goes to my teammates, though. I couldn’t have pitched a good game without them.” I wrapped one arm around Renee and the other around Aaron. He tensed. “These two are great ball players, especially our captain.” I flicked my head at Aaron. It was the truth. The guy could field a ball every which way, and he could hit. He was responsible for the other home run.

  “So, how does it feel to be playing with two girls?” an attractive brunette reporter asked, shoving the microphone in Aaron’s face.

  This I had to hear.

  He moved away from me, flipped off his ball cap, then combed his fingers through his sweaty hair. “I see them as just one of the players on the team. Gender doesn’t play a role on the field.” He jutted out his chin.

  Renee had a wildly surprised look, and I imagined I did as well. What the hell? Given the confidence in his tone, I couldn’t decipher if he was telling the media what they wanted to hear, or if he was sincere. Whatever. I wasn’t going to complain, at least not right now.

  When the reporter asked Aaron about college, I tuned them out and lifted my gaze back to Dad. It landed on Kade instead. He waved again, only this time with a wider smile. I went to return the gesture when out of nowhere Tyler came running onto the field. He lifted me up in his arms like Aaron had, squeezing me.

  “Is that your boyfriend, Lacey?” a reporter asked. “Star pitcher dates star quarterback. Great headline.”

  “Give me a break,” Aaron murmured, brushing past me.

  “Tyler, you’re embarrassing me,” I said. “Please put me down.” I didn’t mind a hug from Tyler. When I’d told him that Kade and I were on a break, he’d given me a hug, telling me that Kade and I would work things out. I didn’t want to draw attention away from the win and the team to become a reporter’s headline, though.

  He grinned, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “I love your slider. You’ve gotten so much better.”

  At that moment, Kade appeared. “Put her down, Langley.” His voice was rough as he emphasized each word.

  “You’re dating a Maxwell, too?” the reporter crooned.

  Renee rolled her eyes. “Seriously?” she said to the reporter before she followed Aaron off the field. “See ya, Lacey.”

  The reporter was worse than the gossip mill at school. As Tyler slowly released me, he planted a kiss on my lips. Next thing I knew, someone had pulled me away from Tyler, and Kade’s fist was flying into Tyler’s face. Tyler returned a punch to Kade’s chin.

  “I told you to stay away from her,” Kade growled.

  “You’re not dating her anymore. I told you you’d screw things up with her.” Tyler kept his hands clenched at his sides.

  “Are you getting this, Frank?” the female reporter asked in a jaunty voice.

  The cameraman was filming the scene playing out like it was a soap opera. Our great win was squashed by two guys fighting over
me. The headline wouldn’t be about how Lacey Robinson pitched a great game or how a girl shut down an entire team of boys. It would read that two men had vied for the attention of the star pitcher. No one would take girls seriously in the game.

  Heat clawed its way up my neck to settle in my face. If I yelled at either one of them, I’d only add more substance to the juicy story the reporter was developing.

  Kelton and Kross came over. Kelton pulled Kade away, and Kross stepped in between Kade and Tyler.

  “Bro, not here. Dad has eyes on you, and he’s not happy. And let’s not forget Mom,” Kelton said.

  Kade tore his arm from Kelton and stalked off the field. I sought out my dad. This wasn’t the place to give Kade and Tyler a piece of my mind. So I gathered my gear and met Dad at the base of the stairs to the parking lot.

  When we were alone in the car I blurted out, “Men.”

  “Sweet Pea, Kade loves you. It’s my fault he didn’t tell you about Chloe sooner.”

  “Don’t take the blame for him. He could’ve told me everything, and when it came to who Chloe is, he could’ve just said he’d let you tell that part. Then I would’ve bugged you and you would’ve told me. I’ve been upset with you, but not as mad as I am at him. I want to make my own decisions. I want to feel like I’m his partner and not his daughter or a fragile person who can’t handle anything.”

  “You’re right. I always viewed your mom as my partner, asking for her advice and including her in my decisions. A relationship is about being partners, no matter what. I’ll do my part to include you in family matters.”

  Finally, a breakthrough. “Thank you.”

  Another mission ahead of me was to get Kade to come to the same conclusion, only as my boyfriend. But I wasn’t sure he could.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Kade

  I paced in long furious strides inside my garage. I couldn’t go into the house knowing my father wanted to tear me a new one. I’d shamed the family in public. I’d acted out in front of my mom. A searing pain shot through every limb in my body. I couldn’t face her at the moment. I would crumble into nothing if I’d upset her.

  Tyler was right. I’d pushed Lacey right into his arms. I didn’t know how to fix our relationship. We couldn’t pick up where we’d left off. I’d dug a hole so deep that crawling out of it wasn’t enough. Not this time. The only good thing was that she was safe. I’d been calling Hunt every night to check in with him. Part of me was jealous of my best friend. He was spending time with her, eating dinner and watching movies.

  I rubbed the back of my neck. The side door opened, and my father came in on a gust of wind. His expression was blank, which was never a good sign.

  “Should we suit up and get in the ring?” I asked, nodding to the ring Dad had put in so Kross could work out.

  “Is that what you want? You want to feel pain, son?” He pinched his chin.

  “It’s better than the pain inside here.” I tapped on my chest.

  “Hitting someone isn’t the answer, Kade. Not even in a jealous rage. I’ve taught you better than that.”

  “Well, I’ve never been in love before.” I smoothed a hand over my hair, fighting the urge to pull it out.

  He wandered up to the boxing ring. “You remind me a lot of myself. I hated when men looked at your mother when we were dating. I wanted to wipe every last suggestion of lust off their faces. But that wouldn’t have accomplished anything.”

  “How did you handle it?” Give me something to take away the pain clawing in my chest.

  “I tried not to show your mother any outward signs of jealousy. It was extremely hard. When you’re in love with someone, it’s hard not to display your feelings. You have to trust your relationship. You have to communicate with one another about how you feel. Men are going to gawk at Lacey. Women will do the same to you. Talk about how it makes you both feel.”

  “Tyler is in love with Lacey.”

  “So?” He shrugged. “She’s not in love with him.”

  “She confides in him.” I joined my father as we both sat on the edge of the padded floor of the ring.

  “Maybe because he listens. Or maybe she feels like he gets her. I don’t have the answer. Son, open up to her more about your feelings, and I don’t just mean love. Tell her what makes you mad, sad, happy, what you’re afraid of. You get my drift.”

  He had a point. I knew Lacey was happiest on a baseball field. I knew what made her mad. But aside from her PTSD triggers, I didn’t know what else frightened her. For me, spiders were high on the list. I’d wrestle a bear over a spider. I hated the feeling of a spider crawling on me.

  He patted my leg. “There’s a lot going on. It’s time to relax a little and enjoy your senior year. You only get to live this time in your life once. Why don’t you boys have a party down by the lake?”

  “How can we? We’re still watching over Lacey. Until we know what Lorenzino is up to, relaxing’s hard.” And I certainly hadn’t done anything to help the situation. She didn’t want to talk to me. I wasn’t sure what I could do. Maybe a party would be a way of breaking the ice with Lacey.

  “Let law enforcement do their job. Shake off your anger then march into the house and apologize to your mother. She’s a little shaken up that Tyler hit you. She’s in the formal living room with the triplets.”

  Fuck. If I’d ruined any of her progress toward coming home permanently, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. My pulse beat rapidly as I went in search of my mom.

  A lamp glowed on the table near the bay window in the living room, and a fire crackled in the stone fireplace along the back wall. The triplets were scattered around Mom, who was sitting on the couch. All heads turned when I walked in.

  “Are you hurt?” Mom’s voice was soft and delicate, her blue gaze drifting down to my jaw.

  “I’m not. I’m sorry you had to see that.” I grasped one of her hands gently as I settled next to her.

  Water filled her eyes.

  “Guys, can you give us a minute alone?” I asked.

  “Sure thing, bro,” Kody said.

  One by one they kissed Mom on the forehead before leaving.

  “I can’t handle seeing any of you boys hurt. Karen can’t either.” She brushed a strand of hair off my forehead, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

  “I promise. I’m not hurt. I love you and Karen. Will you tell Karen that for me?” My own eyes clouded with tears. My entire body should burn for upsetting my mother.

  She blinked, a tear catching on her eyelashes.

  I had to get my jealousy and anger—and everything else in my world—under control or else I was about to screw up my family circle and hurt those I loved the most.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lacey

  I barely had enough time when I got home after the game to change and freshen up before our guests would arrive—let alone think about Kade and Tyler’s feud. Apparently, they’d had words prior to today. I buried that for now. I didn’t want to dwell on anything that would sour my mood in front of Dad’s adoptive family.

  An enticing aroma floated through the house. Dad had prepared beef stew in a crockpot with the help of one of Mary’s recipes. It would’ve been nice to have Mary here to cook one of her amazing lasagna dishes along with her famous red velvet cake, but the stew smelled delicious. My stomach grumbled.

  The doorbell rang just as I was brushing out my hair. I was curious how Dad would handle himself given he hadn’t seen Gloria in ages. I was also interested in meeting the infamous man of Boston. I checked myself one last time in the mirror then started downstairs.

  Chloe bounced in as beautiful as ever. Behind her was a petite lady who wore her blond hair up in an artfully messy style, and on her heels was a tall man with dark eyes and dark hair with graying sideburns. He wore an open collar shirt underneath a black blazer.

  “James,” Gloria said. “It’s so good to see you, and I’m so happy you called.” She hugged Dad as her husband closed t
he door.

  “Smells amazing,” Chloe said as she waved at me. “Lacey, did you win?”

  Her bubbly personality was the medicine I needed to take away my sour mood. “First game, first win.” I beamed from ear to ear.

  Dad appeared relaxed as he shook Jeremy’s hand. Chloe hugged Dad then me. The girl had a touch fetish. When she’d touched Kade’s hand in the emergency room, a pang of jealousy had whipped through me. I guessed touching people was in her nature.

  Gloria wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. “I’ve heard so much about you,” she said. “Sometimes I wish Chloe had taken up a sport. It would’ve toughened her up.”

  “Mom.” Chloe rolled her eyes.

  Their interaction reminded me of my mom. She had always said just the opposite. I wish Lacey had a little more interest in girly things.

  “Lacey.” Jeremy and I exchanged a loose hug, his suit jacket smelling like cigars.

  Once the pleasantries were out of the way, we made ourselves comfortable around the dining table just off the kitchen. Dad had everything prepared so that we could serve up the bowls of stew ourselves, making the atmosphere casual. Jeremy and Gloria sat on one side of the table, and Chloe and I were on the other. Dad sat at the head of the table.

  “A girl pitcher, huh?” Jeremy said as he placed his napkin on his lap. He raised an eyebrow. “And how fast is your fastball?”

  “Seventy-five miles per hour.”

  “No kidding? I’d like to see you pitch.”

  Dad swallowed a bite of stew quickly and said, “Then come to a game. She did so well today. She’s worked really hard despite what we’ve been through. I’m extremely proud of her.”

  Warmth radiated through me to hear Dad’s declaration. I had worked my butt off. I couldn’t have gotten to this juncture without him.

  “One of the reasons for my call”—he glanced at Gloria—“was to reconnect. I also wanted to share with you that Lorenzino could be my father.”