I nod. That’s a hard situation for someone so young to deal with.
“The worst part is, I lost one of my best friends. Then, the town ran the Lynches, Crosby’s family, out of Beltline, so Crosby disappeared two years ago. He just came here this fall. That’s why I’m so close with Ella. We were all each other had during that time.”
He picks up his head from staring at our hands and focuses out onto the field. “Today is Noah’s birthday.”
He licks his lips, sucking his bottom one into his mouth, and I watch his Adam’s apple bounce up and down.
“You shared a birthday?”
He nods. “Every year, we would have a double party. When we were ten, Crosby actually whined and threw a fit because he felt like we were in a group he couldn’t belong to.”
I giggle, and he joins me.
“Dumbass. But we were all close. That’s why Ella makes a huge deal about my birthday even though she knows I hate to celebrate it.”
I slide closer and rest my head on his strong shoulder. His shoulders have had to bear more than a young kid should.
“Ella’s a good friend.”
He turns, and my head picks up from his shoulder. There’s determination in his eyes.
“Yes, she is, but that’s all she is. The three of us have mourned and suffered, and I wonder if the guilt of surviving will ever go away. The guilt that I wasn’t there that night. Maybe I could have seen the car coming at Crosby before he did or told Kedsey to keep her seat belt on. Maybe I would have thrown a fit about being at the hill, and we would have left five minutes earlier. I could have stopped it.”
A tear slips down his cheek but only one, and I imagine he has a thousand more that want to tumble down after it, but he won’t let them loose. Not in front of me. And that’s okay. Right now, I wipe the wetness from his cheek.
“It was an accident, and you can’t go back to that day, Brax. You can’t change the past, but you can live for the future. Live for Noah and Kedsey because that is what they’d want you to do.”
His dead eyes start to show more life in them. “I’m sorry for treating you so shitty today. I never want you to see that side of me.”
I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Will you do me a favor?” I ask.
He nods into the crook of my neck.
“Open my MCAT envelope for me?”
I feel his smile on my skin, and he pulls me onto his lap.
My hands fall to his stubbled cheeks. “See, I’ve been scared of the future, too, but maybe we need to face that it’s happening whether we embrace it or not.”
“So, you forgive me?” he asks.
I’ve never seen Brax this melancholy.
“How about we forgive each other? I’ll forgive you for today if you forgive me for being too scared at the end of summer.”
I raise my eyebrows, and a smile forms on his face.
“Deal.”
I stand and get my feet ready. “Now, do you think you can catch me?”
I jet off up the stairs and to the diamond, running to first base.
“You’d better hurry, Winslow.”
I hear the laughter in his voice, and I’m glad I can bring him some humor by running around the bases.
“Oh, you don’t scare me,” I toss the comeback over my shoulder, my pajama pants dragging along the dirt ground.
Right before I reach home plate, his arms wrap around me and pull me into him, swinging me around in a circle.
“Don’t you know, girl? Home base is mine.”
He drops me down to my feet, and his hands rest on either side of my cheeks.
“Come home with me this weekend?” he asks.
“Sure.”
He bends down, and his lips meet mine. Somehow, I have hope that we might actually have a future.
17
Brax
Ainsley and I cross the city limits of Beltline, and she inhales a deep breath. She’s been antsy all morning about meeting my parents. Even though I’ve repeated plenty of times that she has no worries, she’s Ainsley. The same girl who said she wanted to wait until today to open her MCAT even though she’d asked me to open them the other night. So, the envelope is in her overnight bag, and I have a special place for her to open it.
I move my hand on to her thigh, squeezing lightly. Her hand covers mine, and she squeezes back.
“You’re all good,” I assure her.
She nods a few times.
“This is a town where cows outnumber the people.”
She laughs, her eyes zoning in on the land of cornfields.
“Well, there are only two people I’m worried about this weekend. Plus, I’m trusting Delaney with Cade. I hope he doesn’t become a daddy this weekend.” She shoots me a look of torment. I get the teenage pregnancy thing, but with how freaked out she is, you’d think Ainsley was the activist who goes around high schools, supplying condoms.
I don’t mention what would happen if I were in high school and had no adult supervision all weekend.
“No worries. I had a conversation with him, telling him not to give you any trouble this weekend. And I told Derek to stay the fuck away from Delaney.”
I waggle my eyebrows at her, pulling the first true smile from her since she got in my truck. She still doesn’t seem completely calm, but once she meets my parents, she’ll relax.
My heart hiccups when I see the yellow house approaching. Staring at it for a few seconds, I decide it will distract Ainsley.
“That’s Noah’s mom’s house.” I point to the yellow house on our right. “Crosby and I put on the new shutters this fall and installed the porch swing.”
With Noah’s dad passing years before him, Crosby took it upon himself to help out Noah’s mom when he returned back home last fall. We did see a guy a few times, and that same sedan is in the driveway now. Hopefully, she’s found some happiness.
Ainsley’s hand moves up and covers her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
“Yeah, we aren’t the stereotypical jocks who only care about themselves.”
She smiles over to me and places her hand on the back of my neck, rubbing gently up and down.
Two minutes after we’ve passed Noah’s house, Ella’s parents’ house comes into view. The difference between the two is, Ella’s family has a working farm, whereas Noah’s mom doesn’t own land.
“That’s Ella’s farm.”
Her eyes look over at the white farm house. “She doesn’t seem like a farm girl.”
“Oh, she’s a farm girl. Milking cows, barreling hay, fetching eggs. That’s Ella. Usually, during harvest, the three of us would help out. As a thank-you, her dad set up a place in the back edge of their land for us to throw and hit. Her parents are awesome.” I smile, remembering how nice her parents always were even if they thought that I was a manwhore.
“Where did Crosby live?” she asks.
My plan has worked, and now, her worry about meeting my parents isn’t in the forefront of her mind. Instead, she’s enjoying the town that built me.
“He lived in the city part of Beltline but his family moved right after the accident. They’re in Colorado now, but his parents do missionary work, so they spend the majority of their time out of the country.”
Crosby lived two blocks away from me, and usually, either the two of us were at Noah’s or Noah would spend the night at one of our houses. The three of us were never far from one another.
We hit the small downtown area of Beltline, and I turn down my parents’ street. The trees are bare of leaves, and I’ve always hated the dreariness of this time of year.
She straightens her back and rubs her palms on her thighs. Probably repeating some self-encouraging rant. Little does she know how down-to-earth my parents are.
My dad developed an app when the whole technology craze of cell phones came about, and he sold it, making millions. He moved us here from San Francisco for small-town living. How my parents picked Beltline, I have no idea, but my brother an
d I had a great life here.
The fifth house on the right is my parents’ three-story red brick house. It’s a normal four-bedroom home that doesn’t scream we have more money than this whole town put together. My parents are everyday folks who have contributed to many improvements to this town, but that’s all. They don’t flaunt, don’t brag, and don’t give it willingly to my brother and me.
I park in the driveway, and Ainsley stares up at the house. It’s bigger than her own, yes, but nothing that should make her more uncomfortable.
“Let’s go.” I turn off the ignition, and my hand moves to the door handle of the truck.
Ainsley’s hand lands on my other one, stopping my movements.
“Brax, if they don’t like me, what are we going to do?”
I shake my head. “Impossible. They’ll love you.”
“What if they don’t?”
I laugh.
I’ve never brought a girl home, so my parents will be thrilled with that fact alone. Hell, my mom almost blew my eardrum when I told her. My dad did his usual nice comment. Never overly excited. Ainsley will be able to tell who I take after.
“If they don’t, I’ll have to disappoint my parents.” I squeeze her hand in mine. “No worries, babe.”
She nods a few times, her eyes focused on the house in front of her. “Okay.”
She releases my hand and opens her own door.
I knew my parents would love her. What’s not to like? Her premed status? Her polite manners? Her awesome ass? Well, it’s not like my parents care about her ass, but it’s a bonus in my book.
My dad walks into the kitchen, setting his pie and coffee on the table, and sits down in front of me. “So, Brax, have you made up your mind about the draft?”
Here we go again. Bring on the yelling.
“Not yet.” My eyes veer to Ainsley, who’s still at the kitchen counter, chatting with my mom about rhubarb and Ella’s grandmother, who first gave my mom a pie when we moved to the area.
Every time she makes rhubarb pie, I hear the story and how she thought that maybe I’d end up with Ella down the line. I do laugh about that. Crosby owned Ella’s heart way before I moved to Beltline.
“Maybe Ainsley will convince you to stay and graduate next year.”
I shrug. He’s not going to make me commit to a decision right now.
“I’m not staying back for a girl.”
He smiles, the one that says, You have no idea what you’ll do when you’re in love.
“I’m so happy Brax brought you home for the weekend, Ainsley.” My mom swoons over Ainsley and sits next to my dad while Ainsley rounds the table and sits next to me.
The four of us eat pie and drink coffee like we’re in the retirement home down on Ridge Drive.
“I’m glad he brought me, too,” she says.
I place my hand on her thigh. She slides it away, and my hand thuds on the wooden chair.
“So, you’re premed?” my dad asks her.
I knew he’d love that fact.
To my dad, baseball is secondary in my life. He believes I can’t fall back on that, but I don’t think he ever banked on me being good enough to get into the majors in the first place. So, now, we have the debate of putting my education on hold.
“I am. I start filling out paperwork for my interviews in a few months.”
“Where do you want to go?”
My dad focuses all of his attention on Ainsley, which is fine because I’m done with talking about my future unless it’s about when I can get my lips and hands on Ainsley’s hot body.
“I’m looking at a few places, but I really want to go to Chicago.” She glances over to me with a guilty look.
“Oh, we lived in Chicago for a brief stint,” my mom coos, her hand planting on my dad’s arm. “It’s a great city.”
She shoots him one of those looks that says, Remember how nice the days were before we had kids?
Or, God forbid, she’s talking about something sexual. Yeah, nix that out of my head right now.
“I’ve never been,” Ainsley says.
She’s cute with an embarrassed small smile. I don’t suppose she’s traveled a lot.
“Well, Kurt, Brax’s brother, was stationed up north of the city. We went up there a few times, but now, he’s in North Carolina.”
Ainsley looks at me, surprised. “Your brother is in the military?”
I nod, pushing my plate away.
My brother is five years older than me, and we have very different lives. He had a baby out of wedlock, married the girl at eighteen, and joined the military, leaving us far behind. Even now, he rarely comes back to Beltline.
“My dad was a Marine,” she says, her hand covering her heart in a way that says, I can’t believe we have that in common.
“Is he retired?” my dad asks her.
I know that her dad died in combat.
“No.” She pushes the crushed rhubarb around on her plate. “He died when we were younger.”
This time, when I lay my hand on her thigh, she doesn’t slide it over, but instead, she allows the condolences I’m offering.
“I’m sorry,” my mom says, reaching over the table and covering her hand with her own.
“It was a long time ago.”
“And your mother?” my mom asks.
I eye her across the table to say, Cut the questions, but it’s too late.
“She died during childbirth with Cade, my younger brother.”
“Oh, Ainsley.” Now, my mom stands and moves to the kitchen.
“I’m very sorry,” my dad says.
“Thank you. It was a long time ago. My grandmother raised me and Cade.”
Her back is pressed to the chair, and she’s so even-keeled.
My mom returns with a bowl of mismatched chocolate candy and places it on the table. Her fix-all. After Noah and Kedsey passed, there was a candy bar on my pillow every night when I went to bed.
“Have some candy. It always brings happiness.”
Ainsley does smile, small but noticeable, and of course, not wanting to be a bad guest, she takes a Snickers bar.
“Oh, Brax’s favorite,” my mom tells her.
She looks over at me, a smile on her lips.
There. She just learned one of my favorites.
I laugh, and she opens it up. Conservatively, she pulls a piece off and pops it into her mouth.
“That’s no way to eat a Snickers bar.” I steal it from her hand.
I place it in the side of my mouth and yank off a sizable chunk.
I move to hand it back to her, but she’s laughing so hard and pushing it back toward me.
“It’s yours now.”
“There’s more,” my mom offers. “I buy stock in Snickers when he’s around.”
Ainsley shakes her head. “Thank you, but between the pie and the Snickers, I’ll need to actually work out tomorrow, and I’d rather not do that.”
I stand, and the chair slides along my parents’ hardwood floor. “Do I have time to take Ainsley for a tour around town?” I ask.
“We have dinner around six or so.” My mom gets up and collects all the plates, moving toward the sink.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” my dad asks, nodding to his office.
I look at him for a minute. Why now?
Then, Ainsley’s shoulder is nudging mine. “Go. I’ll help your mom.”
I blow out a breath and I follow my dad into the office.
Right before he shuts the door, I hear my mom asking Ainsley how long we’ve been together. Yeah, Ainsley doesn’t know how hard she’s just made her life for the next fifteen minutes.
My dad sits on the couch, and I sit in the chair next to him. He spends hours in this room, sometimes all night.
“I know you want to go pro, and I know we’ve been around this subject a million times, but, Brax, you have to consider your choices. Finishing your degree and pushing off the majors for one more year isn’t a horrible problem to have.”
<
br /> I blow out an exasperated breath. “I get that, Dad, but at the same time, my education will always be there. Let’s say, I get hurt my first year. Finishing college in another year wouldn’t be hard. It’s a win-win.”
He glances to his desk, pictures of him and my mom and us boys cover the entire surface. I’m not ignorant to the fact that my dad sacrificed to give us a different life. That he could be in San Francisco, collaborating with others, and probably be ten times the millionaire he is now.
“You’re the last person I have to tell that life can throw you a curveball you weren’t prepared for. Brax, stay the course, and play it safe. Just this once.”
I shake my head. “Dad, I want to play ball. Nothing makes me happier than that.”
“Not even Ainsley?” he asks.
I put my hand up in the air. “Don’t, Dad.”
“Don’t what? You obviously like her. You’ve never brought a girl home to meet your mom or me. To actually bring her home for the weekend? That’s a big step for you, Brax. What is your plan?”
Why does every action need to have a plan attached to it?
Maybe I should lie down, so he can psychoanalyze me.
“We’re dating. She means a lot to me, but we’re both aware that we have different future goals.”
“I remember when I first met your mom. I was in my sophomore year at MIT, and she was a freshman.”
“Yeah, yeah, and you married and then never finished your degree. But look.” I dramatically move my eyes slowly around his office. “You’re worth millions. Hard gig.”
He leans back on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. “That’s not the point. Do you know how much your mom and I struggled before I made it? You don’t because you only see us as who we are now, but there was a time when I couldn’t feed myself, let alone your mother.”
My ass slides to the edge of the chair, and my dad shoots me a look of warning, so I slide back.
“College degrees are important. Do I wish that you could live out your dream and have a lengthy career in the MLB? Of course, as a parent, I only want you to be happy. But the pros will be there next year.”
“I told you I’d think about it.” This should get me out of this conversation.
Extra Innings Page 12
