by J. Sterling
He was currently sitting at one of the tables with the twins, eating something my mom had ordered, I wasn’t sure what. The only people missing were Gran and Gramps. Since they couldn’t travel the way that they used to and hated flying, my mom had them on video chat on her phone. The best part was that I could only see Gran’s eyeballs and Gramps’s mouth. Neither one of their full faces was in frame, and Danika couldn’t stop giggling about it as she sat next to me on the couch, her hand in mine.
Speaking of Danika, she’d graduated from Fullton State two weeks ago, and instead of heading back home to New York after, she stayed with me and came to all of my post-season games. I’d tried to encourage her to go home and get things figured out before draft day—mostly, I meant for her to pack everything she owned and get ready to move with me—but she’d refused to leave while I still had games to play. She was amazing, and I was grateful.
Even more amazing was her dad. He had flown out to watch the regional games in person and to be here for the draft. Ralph and I had grown pretty close in the last couple of months. He followed all of my games online and sent me text messages regularly, and I kept him updated on his daughter and sent him a lot of selfies. He liked that, and I liked keeping him happy.
Everyone was sitting on couches and chairs, pretending not to notice the camera filming us, as we waited for the Major League Baseball Draft to begin. The only thing I couldn’t stand was how my sister was currently dressed. It wasn’t so much her clothes as it was the full face of makeup. She looked like a damn twenty-year-old movie star, and I hated it.
“Remind me to put on my social media later that my sister is only fifteen,” I growled toward Danika, who laughed at me and called me crazy.
But I knew how guys would react to seeing her on TV, and I wanted to stop that shit before it started. My little twin cousins weren’t much better in the makeup department, and I’d almost insisted that the three of them go hide in the bathroom when the filming started, so they wouldn’t be seen.
Uncle Dean walked up and asked to pull me aside. He let me know that I was going to get drafted in the first round, but he wouldn’t tell me which team was interested, no matter how many times I asked. He just got a funny look on his face and shrugged like it didn’t matter. And honestly, it didn’t. We all knew that I’d go play for whoever wanted me. I’d passed up this opportunity after high school, but I wasn’t going to do that now. It was time.
“How certain are you?” I asked my uncle, referring to the first-round part.
Going in the first round was a big deal, and I hated getting my hopes up if they were only going to come crashing down around me. I’d seen it happen before. I’d been with guys who thought they were going early in the draft, only to end up going late or not at all. It was absolutely crushing to watch. There was nothing comparable to watching your dreams explode all around you, knowing that you couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it from happening.
“I’d say, ninety-eight percent,” he said. “Don’t worry. You’re getting drafted today. Even though you can’t accept the offer until you’re done playing all of your college games,” he informed me, as if I needed the reminder. “And I’m not your agent until after then either.”
“I know, Uncle.”
If I got drafted today, I couldn’t officially accept; otherwise, I wouldn’t be eligible to play the rest of Fullton’s season. I would be considered a professional athlete at that point, and professionals couldn’t play in the NCAA. We had to hold off on making a decision until the last college game was over and done. But in the meantime, that would give my uncle time to work on negotiating the signing bonus and other details, like an injury clause, when it came time. And I could focus on winning the College World Series.
“It’s time,” someone announced. Maybe it was the guy behind the camera or the one with the notepad—I couldn’t be sure.
My eyes roamed the room and met Mac’s, and he gave me a supportive nod. I nodded back before heading toward the couch.
I sat down between the two most important women in my life. Danika was on my left, and my mom was on my right. I knew that everyone else in the room was rotating between staring at me and the TV, but all I could do was stare straight ahead.
Looking at the television screen, I willed it to say my name while trying to pretend that I wasn’t nervous as hell as the baseball commissioner appeared. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the red light come on the camera, and I knew that they were filming. There had been talk that I was a top ten contender, but no one had ever claimed that I’d go in the number one spot, so I wasn’t expecting it. That had been deemed for some kid from Florida, and just like the experts had said, they were right. His name was called first, and I imagined how excited he must be as his family suddenly appeared on the TV. They were jumping up and down, screaming and yelling, and I couldn’t help but be happy for the guy.
We didn’t have to wait much longer as my imagination turned to reality at the sound of my own name coming out of the TV speakers. Our hotel room erupted. So did the rooms around us, where I knew my teammates were.
“Holy shit,” I said to no one in particular, but Danika was at my side, kissing my face and telling me, “Congratulations,” at the same time as my mom was hugging me, shoving her phone in my face so I could see Gran’s and Gramps’s partial faces.
“Congratulations, Chance!” they both said.
I told them, “Thank you,” even though I was pretty sure they couldn’t hear me.
“I love you. I’m so proud of you,” Danika said into my ear, and I turned to kiss her like no one else was in the room, not even her dad. I’d gotten past thinking that he might murder me at any point just for existing … at least for the most part.
“I love you too,” I said, the grin feeling like it took up my entire face.
No matter what anyone had said to me in the past, this hadn’t been a sure thing until it actually happened. And it was a much different experience from when it had happened in high school. I’d gotten drafted then, too, but it hadn’t felt anywhere close to this. It wasn’t in the first round, and no one was filming my reaction to the news. To be honest, I wasn’t even watching the draft in the first place. I’d heard the news from one of my teammates on my summer ball team, and I’d been totally caught off guard.
This couldn’t have been more opposite.
“Son.” My dad was suddenly standing in front of me, his hand extended. I reached for it, and he pulled me up. “I couldn’t be prouder. I’m so happy for you. You deserve this.”
“Dad”—I felt myself getting emotional—“I’m going to be a fucking Met,” I said as it all started to sink in.
The New York Mets had drafted me. Getting the chance to play on the same team that my old man had made this even more fulfilling. I would have played anywhere, of course, but this made all the dreams I’d had as a little boy who worshipped his father come true.
“Ain’t that something?” Ralph said, and I looked at him before taking his hand and shaking it as well. “Can’t believe I have to root for the Mets again. I’ll never live it down,” he pretended to grumble with a grin.
“Another Carter jersey to hang on your wall,” I said hopefully. I wasn’t in the Major Leagues yet.
“Proudly, son.”
Shit. Ralph had called me son. This day could not get any better.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be on the same team as Dad was.” Jacey threw her arms around me and hugged me tight.
“Pretty cool, huh?” I asked, hugging her back.
“You’re happy, right?”
“So happy.”
“I can’t believe you’ll be in New York before me. I’m definitely coming to college there now,” she said, her tone more excited than I’d ever heard it before.
“You’re only fifteen. You might change your mind by then,” I said, not meaning anything by it, but I could tell that I had offended her.
My little sister was strong-minded and determi
ned, and no one told her what to do with her life, least of all me.
“I’m not a little kid, you know.”
“I know. Guess I’ll see you in New York then,” I said, if only to appease her, but the smile on her face told me that I should know better.
She’d already made up her mind about where she wanted to go to college, and I would definitely be seeing her in the city at some point.
God help Manhattan.
“Can I interrupt?” Uncle Dean stood between Jacey and me, and I gave him a nod.
“What’s up?” I asked as Jacey walked away from us and back toward our parents.
“Obviously, we can talk about the specifics later, but they’re offering a five-point-two-five million dollar bonus,” he said, and I wanted to laugh at how unbelievable that was.
The fact that I’d not only get to play baseball for a living, but they also wanted to give me millions of dollars on top of it just to sign with them was insanity. So many other people in different jobs deserved that kind of money more than I did, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to take it. I wanted to live a comfortable life. I wasn’t interested in struggling, but maybe Danika and I could start a charity.
“You good with that?” my uncle asked, and I wondered if he’d been talking to me that whole time while I’d been talking to myself. “It’s more than your dad got,” he added.
I’d already known that. My dad had gotten a five-million-dollar signing bonus.
“Not by much, but it’s still over the top,” I said.
“Welcome to the world of being a professional athlete in America.” He slapped my shoulder before giving me a hug. “Congratulations, Chance. You’ve worked hard for this. And you’ll continue working hard every single day for as long as you play. You deserve to be paid well for it. This isn’t a normal nine-to-five job.”
I knew all of that. It was just a weird feeling, was all—to have this money being basically tossed at me when, yesterday, I’d had none of it.
My uncle threw me a hat, and I caught it easily. Looking at it, I noted the Mets logo and smiled.
“Don’t put that on yet,” he directed, and I firmly placed it on my head. “Rebel. Just like your sister.”
“Chance.” It was Mac.
I had no idea why I was so anxious to look at him. We’d both been with Cole last year when he got drafted, and there were no hard feelings. But then again, neither one of us had been eligible to get drafted yet.
“Holy shit, man. You did it! I told you!” He seemed genuinely excited.
“Thanks.” I gave him a hug and felt like I’d hugged more people in the last ten minutes than I had in my entire life. “You good?”
He blew out an uncomfortable sounding breath. “Yeah. Totally. Draft’s not over yet,” he said.
I knew that he was still holding out hope for himself. And I did the same.
“No, it’s not,” I agreed before reminding myself to ask my uncle if Mac was on anyone’s radar or not.
“Chance, we need you,” the camera guy shouted over the chaos, and I looked toward the wall where they’d set up a white sheet for filming.
“I’ll be back,” I said.
As I headed toward the film crew, I watched as Mac quietly slipped out of the room. He thought that no one had noticed, but I had.
After filming a handful of various video clips and taking pictures that wouldn’t be shown or aired until after my last college game, I pulled Danika into one of the bedrooms so that I could talk to her privately. The room, even though it was filled with family, was still celebrating. The film crew was packing up to leave, and my phone was blowing up with text messages and internet notifications.
“So,” Danika said with a smile as she pulled at the collar of my T-shirt, so she could reach my mouth, “I’m dating a New York Met?”
“Not yet,” I said because I still couldn’t say yes to them officially. “But soon. How’s it feel?”
“Feels like it did yesterday. And the day before that.” She pressed a kiss against my lips after each sentence. “Like I’m dating a hotshot,” she said, and I bit out a laugh as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tighter.
“Do you know where their farm teams are located?” I teased because I knew she had zero idea.
Her expression grew serious. “Where? They’re not actually in New York, are they?”
I looked at her, watching her grow distressed with each second that ticked by. “They’re in some city in Florida; Binghamton, New York; and Syracuse, New York.”
She slapped my shoulder. “Shut up, babe. Seriously?”
“Seriously. So, what do you say? Will you come with me?” I asked because I had to. Even though we’d already decided to move together, I still wanted to ask.
“I’d go anywhere with you,” she answered before giving me another kiss.
And she would.
Epilogue
Mac Davies
It was stupid, and I was being an idiot. Here I was, back in my and Chance’s shared hotel room, feeling sorry for myself. I was happy for him. I’d always be happy for him because he’d deserved to get drafted, but I wanted it too. That was why I’d left when he sat down with the reporters. I was afraid that he’d be able to see my jealousy. And I hadn’t wanted to ruin that moment for him.
When the days came and went and my name was never called in the draft, I couldn’t help but feel that pang of disappointment in my guts. I wondered if that was how Cole had felt when he didn’t get drafted his junior year. I thought about calling him and asking. I needed someone to talk to, but I didn’t want to sound like a pussy.
I had one more year left. One more year to show the scouts that I was worth drafting. That I was good enough to play professional baseball for them. But honestly, I wasn’t sure that I was. I was good enough to play for one of the best college baseball teams in the country, but that didn’t mean that I had what the scouts were looking for to go beyond that. So far, not a single one had approached me. There were no agents banging down my door, hoping to represent me when the time came. No emails, no phone calls, no messages through Coach Jackson. No nothing.
And as much as I hated to admit it, there was a pretty damn good possibility that I’d be going back home to Arizona after my senior year and taking a job with my dad’s company. It had always been the backup plan. One I hoped I’d never need. One my dad had assumed I always would. The thought alone made me want to get on a plane and disappear. Having my failure thrown in my face daily wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I really fucking wanted to prove my dad wrong. But so far, all I was doing was proving him right.
Fullton State had ended up making it to the College World Series. We didn’t win though. A bad call by the umpire at home lost the game for us. Chance had clearly tagged the guy out at home plate, but the umpire had called him safe. The thing about bad calls was, they couldn’t be taken back. So, even though we reviewed the tape a hundred times after the game was over and saw that the runner really was out, it was too late. It’d changed nothing. In our minds, we knew we’d won, but on paper, we’d lost. And to everyone else, we weren’t the champions.
Chance and Danika had left for Florida soon after we got back from Omaha. The Mets had sent him to Class A-Advanced instead of regular Single-A. I knew he wouldn’t be there long either, so I hoped Danika liked packing up and moving. They seemed really happy though.
And that was when I realized that playing professional baseball wasn’t the only thing I wanted for my life.
I wanted the one other thing that had kept eluding me—a real girlfriend. I knew I came off as the team’s biggest player, but it was all a front. A defense mechanism. As long as I called all the shots, I couldn’t get hurt like I had freshman year. All that needed to change. And I had no idea how to do it. Especially when all the girls only wanted to hook up with me because I was a baseball player.
What happened if I no longer was one?
THE END
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Holy smokes! How are you? I mean… CHANCE EFFIN CARTER!!!! Did you love it? I really hope you loved it? Are you excited for Mac’s story? He is going to be epic and he’s coming up next! You’ve read Cole & Christina’s story, right? If not, THE NINTH INNING was the first book in this stand-alone Boys of Baseball series and you can read it right now!
THE NINTH INNING
Also, you know Chance’s parents story, right? If not, click below to start reading the epic love story that started it all, THE PERFECT GAME.
THE PERFECT GAME SERIES
If you already know Jack & Cassie, then I have a set of three bartending brothers you have got to meet! I just know you’re going to love them! The first book in the Fisher Brothers series is called No Bad Days.
CLICK HERE TO START READING NOW
Or if celebrity romances set in Hollywood are more your thing, click here to start reading the incredibly fun Celebrity Series today! Each book is a standalone set in the same world.
THE CELEBRITY SERIES
Other Books by J. Sterling
Bitter Rivals—an enemies to lovers romance
Dear Heart, I Hate You
10 Years Later—A Second Chance Romance
In Dreams—a new adult college romance
Chance Encounters—a coming of age story
The Game Series:
The Perfect Game—Book One
The Game Changer—Book Two
The Sweetest Game—Book Three
The Other Game (Dean Carter)—Book Four
The Playboy Serial:
Avoiding the Playboy—Episode #1
Resisting the Playboy—Episode #2
Wanting the Playboy—Episode #3
The Celebrity Series:
Seeing Stars—Madison & Walker
Breaking Stars—Paige & Tatum
