Playing for the Save (Men of Spring Baseball Book 3)

by Rachelle Ayala

“When I walked in, Ryan was in the bedroom with Drew.”

  “And my mother was there.”

  Her mother had told her everything, including his threats. Jamie tried to walk around Andrew, but he grabbed her arm.

  “The bathroom mirror was busted. Your lazy mother let Ryan clean Drew up and give him a bath. How do I know he didn’t molest him?”

  “You jerk.” Jamie tugged at her arm, but Andrew was squeezing it too hard. “Let go of me.”

  “You heard her,” Marcia said. “Let go of her, or I’m calling the police.”

  “You stay out of our business.” Andrew yanked Jamie around like a rag doll. “My wife goes out all night, neglecting her children and you have the nerve to butt in?”

  Marcia pointed her cell phone at them, probably in video mode. “Keep manhandling her. I bet she’ll have bruises.”

  “Get off my property.” Andrew snarled, but let go of Jamie, who winced and rubbed her sore arm.

  “She’s my guest, and you’re not,” Jamie said to Andrew.

  “Keep moving,” Marcia said, her cell phone trained on Andrew. “I’m sure Jamie’s lawyer would love to see you in action.”

  “Don’t you dare threaten me,” Andrew said. “I’m the one paying for all of her expenses. Without me, she and those boys of hers would be on the street.”

  “Doesn’t give you the right to abuse your ex-wife,” Marcia said.

  “Doesn’t give her the right to go whoring around with the entire baseball team.” Andrew threw his parting shot and waddled to his car. “By the way, don’t expect me to take the kids out this weekend. I’m going to be out of town.”

  Jamie held her breath until Andrew’s car turned the corner.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that.” Jamie’s voice trembled. “You must think we’re nuts.”

  Marcia put her phone down and shook her head. “No, the only one nuts is that man. Does he do this often?”

  Jamie nodded. She swallowed a lump and tears welled in her eyes.

  Marcia put her arm around her and together they went into the house with Marcia’s young son.

  “Car, car, truck.” The little boy toddled to the line of cars Drew had arranged against the hallway.

  “Is it okay if he plays with them?” Marcia asked.

  “Of course.” Jamie dabbed at her eyes. “Let me make tea or coffee. Does he want any milk? Cookies?”

  “Junior’s fine,” Marcia said, following Jamie to the kitchen. “It’s you I’m worried about. Do you ever get time for yourself? I’m betting you don’t.”

  “Technically, I’m by myself right now.”

  “Yes, but you’re busy cleaning and worrying about Drew, Andrew, Ben, everyone but yourself.” She reached for the tea kettle. “English breakfast okay?”

  “I should get that for you,” Jamie said weakly.

  “It’s just boiling water. Now, sit down and let’s talk. Not about your ex-husband. He’s a pain we need to get rid of. What I want to know is how it went with Ryan last night.”

  Jamie should have been put off by Marcia’s take charge attitude, but she’d been on her own for so long, it was a relief to have someone she didn’t have to measure her words with. With her mother, she was always trying to appear as if she had her act together, that she was able to handle everything thrown at her.

  Frankly, she could use some girl talk without worrying about consequences.

  Jamie sat on a bar stool and wiped her hair from her face. “If I tell you, you have to promise not to share anything with Brock, because he’s Ryan’s buddy, and that would be awkward.”

  Marcia hooked a smile, and her warm brown eyes lit up. She extended her pinky. “Pinky promise. My lips are sealed.”

  Jamie shook on it and picked up a tangerine from the fruit bowl, offering it to Marcia. “The truth is, I’m confused. I can’t understand why he didn’t come to the movies with us and then turned around to spend time with Drew.”

  “Maybe he meant to call and put it off. Did you call or text him to let him know?”

  “No, I figured he was only being nice to Ben. I didn’t think he really wanted to come, even though you and Brock were trying to help set it up.” Jamie felt stupid for admitting how childish she was. “I should have called.”

  “He ended up calling and talking to your mother.” Marcia filled the tea kettle and put it on the stove. “Maybe she invited him over.”

  “Uh, I don’t know.” Jamie felt a flush of heat rise from her chest. “Drew was having a meltdown when he called, so he came to the rescue.”

  “Ah, a true hero, and a man who’s interested.” Marcia teased. “You have to admit you appreciated it.”

  “I did.” Jamie averted her eyes and stared at the speckled countertop. “I appreciate him helping with Drew, and my mother says it seems he’s like magic. He knew how to calm Drew down and get him to eat his vegetables. He even had Drew rolling the ball back to him. It’s a big deal, because Drew doesn’t usually play with others. He plays alongside, doing his own thing, but he doesn’t do back and forth.”

  “Meaning, he doesn’t play catch?”

  “Not at all. But my mother said he was showing Drew how to roll the ball to the left and right, like inside pitches or outside pitches, and Drew seemed to have followed all of it. He then taped lines on the carpet with masking tape, and Drew rolled the balls on the lines with Ryan sitting on the other side.”

  “I don’t know much about autism, but it seems that did the trick.” Marcia grabbed the whistling tea kettle and poured the hot water into the teacups. “Wouldn’t you say Ryan’s a pretty special guy?”

  Jamie’s cheeks warmed and she wiggled in her seat. “I’m too busy to think about him as anything more than a friend.”

  Hopefully, Brock hadn’t spotted her kissing Ryan in the hospital room. What would he think of her? Taking advantage of a guy right out of the operating room.

  “At least keep an open mind,” Marcia said. “You do like him, right?”

  Jamie couldn’t lie. “I do, but he’s way out of my league.”

  “Why would you say that?” Marcia wiped her hand through her dark brown hair, so similar to Jamie’s.

  “I come with so much baggage, Drew’s problems, Ben, and of course that horrible ex of mine who never leaves me alone.”

  “Baggage makes life more interesting.” Marcia took a sip of her tea. “Not that I know what it’s like to deal with autism, but we don’t give up on our loved ones because of baggage.”

  “True, but Ryan’s not part of the family. He doesn’t have to put up with my issues.” Jamie inhaled the fragrance of the tea and it calmed her nerves. “It’s a nice fantasy, to believe a guy like him could stop what he’s doing to spend time with me.”

  “He’s got plenty of time the next few weeks,” Marcia said. “Believe me, he’ll go stir crazy if he doesn’t have people to care about and do things with.”

  “I’m part of his rehab?” Jamie liked the thought that she could be useful.

  “Definitely.” Marcia patted her arm. “He’s going to need some tender, loving care himself. Not being able to pitch for four to six weeks is going to be tough.”

  “So, we’re a perfect match of problems. Except mine are overwhelming. It’s not really fair of me to impinge on his spare time. Besides, once he goes back to baseball, he’ll be too busy for us.”

  “Not if he starts caring about you.” Marcia set her teacup down. “I don’t know if you know, but last year, around this time, I was really suffering. Brock was busy and I had to manage the bar because our manager left. I almost had a breakdown.”

  Marcia owned a popular sports bar, The Hot Corner, in metropolitan Phoenix. Spring training was their busiest season since half of the major league teams were in town.

  “Oh, I didn’t know.” Jamie only met Marcia at the beginning of this school year when Ben and Bianca were in the same classroom.

  “I had postpartum depression,” Marcia said. “A lot of it was me not wan
ting anyone to help. I thought I had to do it all, and couldn’t figure out why I was dragging myself around. Brock stopped everything he was doing to get help for me. I’m sure Ryan would do the same for you.”

  “You act as if Ryan and I were in a relationship somehow,” Jamie retorted, even though the very thought sent tingles of delight through her body. She warmed her hands with the teacup and couldn’t help sighing. “Stop putting hope in my head.”

  Marcia swirled the last of her tea and smiled. “You already have hope in your heart. Why not follow it and see where it leads?”

  “The boys like him,” Jamie considered. “And he does need me now that he’s hurt.”

  “Yep, he’ll need a woman to fuss after him.”

  “I’m good with fussing after a guy,” Jamie said, finishing her tea. “And I do like him, a lot.”

  With Andrew gone on a business trip, she just might get a chance to spread her wings. With her fingers crossed, Jamie set her teacup down and gave Marcia a pinkie shake. “You promise not to go back and tell Brock anything, right?”

  Ryan’s hospital room looked like the stadium during the seventh inning stretch. Half the pitching staff and all his buddies crowded near the doorway of his room.

  The nurses minimally tried to enforce visiting rules, but most were too enamored with the men and were busy gathering autographs or asking for free tickets to the games.

  “Have you seen your social media?” Jay Pak asked, flashing his cell phone at him. “You got a lot of fans tweeting you. There’s also a picture of your Porsche wrapped around that tree.”

  “My mom runs my social media,” Ryan said. “I’ve no clue what she’s sharing.”

  “How long are you going to be out?” Timmy asked while thumbing his phone. He and Jay were starting pitchers with blazing fastballs. “We need you to save our games.”

  “If you don’t give up any runs, you won’t need a relief pitcher,” Ryan said, knowing that wasn’t exactly true. The teams saved the arms of their starting pitchers, and during spring training, if they got ahead, they brought in other pitchers to give them a chance to play.

  “It’s only spring training,” Timmy said. “You better get back before we go to the playoffs.”

  “I’ll be tip top well before then.” Ryan looked over at Hideo Honda, the new relief pitcher who was picked up in a trade. The guy was accurate and consistent, but he let pressure get to him. His arm was still strong, and he’d learned all the trick pitches. If he could control them during crunch time, he’d fill in well as a closer.

  Hideo was buddies with Josh who was the backup catcher. Last year, the Rattler’s starting catcher, Kirk Kennedy, was shot and out for half the season, so Josh got plenty of playing time. Josh’s problem was stubbornness and inability to read the batters. He went by their stats and didn’t trust his gut, something Kirk was a pro at.

  Kirk wandered to his bedside and rubbed his right shoulder. “Now you’ll have a chance to rest that joint well.”

  “I don’t get why I can’t do anything just because my spleen’s gone.”

  “You’re not allowed to lift weights, bat, or pitch, so you’re pretty much on vacation.” Kirk faked a punch at Ryan’s side, causing him to wince. “See what I mean?”

  “I’m going to push through this.”

  “Not a good idea if you don’t want complications.” Kirk nodded at Brock for reinforcements.

  “That’s right, old man,” Brock said. “At your age, you just don’t bounce back.”

  “I’ll bounce both of you into a haystack if you keep this up.” Ryan acted grouchy, but he knew they were ribbing him because they cared. “I had such big plans for the season. Not sure what I can do now.”

  “You can work on your social life, or maybe start a family,” Brock said, slapping his shoulder. “Heard you got a head start last night.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ryan’s jaw dropped. He hadn’t slept with anyone, least of all Jamie, although he’d fantasized about her in his dreams.

  “No use denying what I saw.” Brock laughed. “She’s a good woman.”

  “I didn’t say she’s not,” Ryan groused, as all eyes seemed to be focused on him, and the rest of the gang had stopped talking among themselves. “What?”

  “Ryan got a chick?” asked Timmy, who got his slang terms from old movies. “Dy-na-mite!”

  “You going to ask her out?” Josh punched his fist into his hand. “If you don’t, maybe I will.”

  “I beat you to it,” Ryan said. The noise and commotion around him was boiling over. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “Just playing you,” Josh said. “She’s too old for me anyway, although she’s got a nice ass.”

  Ryan narrowed his eyes and his upper lip curled. “No one asked your opinion.”

  “Whoa, looks like I touched a sore spot,” Josh said, backing into Timmy. “You get well, old man. Timmy and I got chicks to pick up.”

  “Yeah, psychedelic,” Ryan said. “Look, I hate to break up the party, but don’t you guys need to be at the ballpark?”

  “Watch us on TV.” Timmy hooked him a thumbs up.

  One by one, the guys said goodbye, and after they filed out of the room, Ryan grabbed a pillow and put it over his face, seeking that cool dark tunnel of peace and quiet.

  The only voice he wanted to hear right now was Jamie’s. After ten minutes of counting fish, he pulled out his phone and texted her.

  Miss you. Text or call me whenever you’re free.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jamie smiled at the incoming text on her phone. Flutters of delight winged through her belly, and her heart felt giddy like that of a teenage girl.

  She was all thumbs as she texted him.

  How are the nurses treating you?

  They love me.

  Well then, why are you texting me?

  Because you love me more.

  Yeah, right. He was a big flirt all right and he had a big head.

  When do you think you’ll be out of the hospital?

  She saved his contact information and gave him a nickname, Big Arm. It was hard to believe a professional baseball player was actually texting her. Didn’t he have groupies for that sort of thing? Or was that only for rock stars?

  Jamie had no clue, since she had been Andrew’s girlfriend since she was sixteen, and he pretty much monopolized all of her time through college where she’d hung around with him and his friends, and never had close friends of her own.

  Hopefully Friday. They have to monitor me for internal bleeding and infection, but I’m boring you, I’m sure.

  She texted. No, not at all.

  A few seconds later he called.

  “Hey,” he said when she answered. “I had to hear your voice. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “You’ll never disturb me.”

  Gosh, did she have to be so gushing? But what would any woman do when a star fawned all over her?

  “Oh, I don’t know if you’d still feel that way a few years from now.”

  “A few years?” His words made her feel warm and wanted. Was he planning on being in her life longer than a few days?

  “Actually, I’ll hold you to it,” he said. “You’ll never get to complain that I disturb you, even if I sing off-key, or whistle the same jingle in the car, or snore.”

  “I’m sure you don’t snore.”

  “Like a buzz saw.” He chuckled, and she wondered what medications he was on. “What are the boys doing?”

  “They’re out back throwing the ball against the brick wall. I put up some old targets I got from a shooting range.”

  “I bet they’re getting really good.”

  “They are. Drew’s actually speaking more. He even asked Ben to play today.”

  “That’s fabulous,” he exclaimed. “It’s a big improvement, isn’t it?”

  “Definitely. Baseball’s one of his obsessions right now, and as long as you talk baseball, he’ll talk your ear off.”

&n
bsp; “Ben’s into baseball, too,” Ryan said. “Have you thought about putting them in T-ball or pee-wee league?”

  Jamie squirmed as she rubbed the back of her neck, suddenly hot. “I, uh, never had time. You know, with Drew’s therapists and counselors. But I should do something for Ben. His father wants him to go to baseball camp this summer.”

  “Does he do a lot of things with his father?” Ryan’s voice sounded cautious.

  “His father’s a very busy man.”

  “Hmmm … I see. He calls you his wife, still.”

  Ah, now they were treading on dangerous ground.

  “We’ve been divorced almost three years,” Jamie explained.

  “The way he sounded, it felt like it was recent. If you don’t feel like talking about it, it’s okay.”

  “I don’t want to speak ill of him,” Jamie said. “He hasn’t accepted the divorce, even though he proposed it. I think he was shocked I accepted it.”

  “Oh, sounds like you called his bluff.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Any chance of getting back together? For the boys’ sake?”

  Jamie could tell Ryan was trying to sound casual, but then, maybe he really didn’t care, or he was making conversation.

  “Not from my perspective,” Jamie said. “It’s water under the bridge by now. He walked away when I needed him the most, and all the money he throws at us isn’t going to make me fall under his spell ever again.”

  Not after he’d made her choose between him and Drew.

  “I’m hoping this is a green light for me.” Ryan’s voice had lowered into a husky rasp. “I’ve got time on my hands, and I could use a friend. Of course, if you’re too busy.”

  “I’d like to have a friend, too,” Jamie quickly interjected. “The boys love you.”

  “Yeah, and so do you. I know it,” he teased. “We still on for lunch with the boys?”

  “You promised dinner.” She feigned indignation and realized she was flirting.

  “Dinner, it is. Just you and me, but a picnic lunch with the boys sounds perfect.”

  Too perfect. Jamie held a hand over her fluttering heart. This must be how Cinderella felt when she danced with Prince Charming. Although it was only a matter of time before her carriage turned back into a pumpkin and her footmen into mice.