Today, my skin was raw. As I finished and grabbed my uniform to dress, I saw my phone ring again. I tugged on my gray away game clothes and answered, “Dad. What’s going on?”
Dad sounded like he had when I was a boy, “Your pregame interview wasn’t your usual. Is something going with you, son?”
Maybe he had an answer. I sucked in my breath. Normally I wouldn’t ask, but Dad had managed to hang onto my mom for more than thirty years now.
So I kept my voice low so no one could hear when I said, “I got the offer from New York.”
“And Georgie doesn’t want to go,” he surmised.
I rubbed my neck as the coach was calling us out for some sort of team huddle, but I held back and said, “Yeah.”
“She was clear about that the other day. What’s the second-best offer?”
Just give up on the money? That was his answer. I ignored how my gut was all twisted as I said, “Phil says wait till tomorrow.”
“Look, we worked hard for you to be the best. Georgie seems like a good woman, but you need focus.”
If Phil had a better offer tomorrow, maybe there was a shot at keeping Georgie, if she ever talked to me again.
Or maybe I gave up millions. My fingers shook slightly as I said, “She and I might have been a fantasy.”
“And my grandson? You’ll need a good lawyer if she doesn’t bend.”
My boy mattered, just as much as his mom. I heard the coach in the distance calling out names. He’d get to me in a second, and I had a rush of adrenaline as I said, “I don’t have all the answers yet. That’s why I’m in a bad mood.”
“Shake it off. You have the game of your life and if you want anything other than New York, win big.”
I coughed back the rebellion that comment normally caused in me but also drove me to show him he was wrong. “No pressure at all huh, Dad?”
Dear old dad was the same as he said, “That’s your mother’s job to coddle you. Get your head in the game.”
“I have to go,” I said, and at least I could flex my muscles.
Dad was hard on me, but he was right. I needed to show up and play ball now, not imagine some fantasy life with a woman who clearly didn’t care about me.
I made it to the huddle and the coach didn’t call me out.
Then we all went out as the national anthem was being played. I was silent and let the moment sink in.
I was here to play. Baseball had always been the one girlfriend I could depend on. Hit, run, catch. I had this in me.
As I made it back to the dugout, before we were called out to play my outfielder friend walked over to me and I said, “Rodgers.”
He glanced at me and asked, “Where’s your phone?”
“Huh?” I asked.
He stared at me like I’d committed a murder in front of him as he said, “At this point in the game you always pull out your phone. You said it was your lucky charm.”
Traditions. Right. Georgie’s picture in that bikini of hers had been a dream. And part of my game. I took out my phone like if I didn’t look at her, I’d lose and said, “Right. Thanks.”
His face had color now and he nodded at me. “We need to win, not just for your pinstripes.”
There she was.
Younger, pretty, and staring at me like she actually found me the most interesting person in the world.
Done, I put it away and ignored how my body grew warm like she was part of the package of living happily forever. But I put it away and asked about the Yankees as I said, “How does everyone know about that? I haven’t signed yet.”
“It’s been the buzz in the office for hours,” he said, like it was obvious.
That didn’t matter. The crowd jeered as we were not the home team, but I jogged out with my friend. “Either way I’m here and I’m here to win.”
A few minutes later, the first ball was tossed and almost rammed right into my face, but I caught it. And instincts took over.
Every game was war, and I focused all my attention on it.
The few hours flew fast and it was nighttime as the game ended.
I shook hands with the other team and headed into the locker room.
Rodriguez, after being relieved in the eighth inning, shook the champagne, and let the liquid shower us as we headed inside. I gave Rodgers a high five.
A few minutes later, I was clean and in my jeans with my uniform tossed for Aaron to collect for us.
I avoided the press and headed to my rental car.
My hotel bed was all I had to sleep on, but it wasn’t the worst bed I’d ever had.
As I raced away from the stadium, my phone rang. I reached for it and hoped it was Georgie.
But it was a number I didn’t recognize. I answered and the stranger said, “Great game tonight.”
The man sounded older, but I kept that to myself and said, “Thanks. Who’s this?”
“Gary Narmeli, the attorney that Phil said would call.”
My skin vibrated and my stomach turned into a knot. My agent must have set this up, but my throat froze. I turned into the hotel parking lot and switched my car off. “Right.”
“Look, you’re free to hire whoever. Phil and I have worked together for his players for over ten years now.”
I headed into the lobby and saw no teammates at the bar. Good. I continued to my room. “I trust Phil’s recommendations.”
“So what’s going on?”
Was that code for talk about Georgie? I pressed the button for the elevator and said, “Nothing I’m ready to talk about yet.”
“You sure?”
“I’ll call you when I’m ready,” I said and hung up as I stepped into the elevator.
If I went this route, I gave up on Georgie.
Maybe tomorrow I’d be ready to talk about how my life had changed and what I’d do next. No one needed to lead me anywhere.
As I got off on my floor, Rodriguez was on my caller ID. Had I left something in the locker room? I answered and he said, “Sorry I doubted you earlier Irons. You were good today.”
There he was, the heart of the team. Every team needed one like Rodriguez.
I said, “I wish I could stay with the Sooners, but I need to follow my dreams.”
“We hoped you'd stay, but Rodgers is planning a goodbye bash.”
“I’ll be there,” I said and opened my empty hotel room.
Alone.
I was here for two more days. My shoulders slumped and he said, “Take care of yourself. We need your head in every game till the end.”
“Count on me,” I said and hung up the phone.
Tonight, I’d dream about a life where I actually had the money and Georgie and didn’t have to choose. But that was just for dreams.
Tomorrow, I would take the money and prove to myself I was the best there was. It was everything I'd worked for years to achieve and the smart choice. All I needed to do was sign on the dotted line.
Chapter 17
Georgie
Michael was perfect on my television.
I hadn’t intended to watch the game.
After I'd showered and let the water rush against my face, I'd turned the small TV on in my bedroom and just stared at him.
My arms ached to hold him. He caught two balls in five minutes and both times he was on screen for a moment.
My heart raced in those seconds. My lips ached to kiss him and beg him to forgive me.
I’d never be happy without him in my life. Calmness was an illusion to hide my desire.
After the inning ended, I called Indigo who told me to call Olivia.
I sucked on my bottom lip as I dialed and hoped she’d help.
If I didn’t fix my life, I’d be forever…stuck. This wasn’t right.
Love meant taking chances, and I’d not done that.
My mother had been braver than I gave her credit for when she’d been alive. She’d been abused, but had come out of her shell when my dad was around. Love had made her stronger. I don’t k
now how the water slapping my face had made me see that. All of my cousins had come from harder backgrounds, and they’d found refuge with us.
My mom cooked like every one of them belonged in our house.
I’d forgotten her open heart for every Steel child, until tonight.
Jeremy deserved to see love was possible for him too and that his father was good.
So, while my son slept and the game still played, I called my second sister as I tugged my jeans on. When she finally answered, I said, “Olivia, I need help.”
“What’s going on?” she asked.
I finished getting dressed and turned on my laptop. “Can you come over and watch Jeremy tonight and tomorrow?”
“Why?”
I turned on the lights and went to my bag in the closet to get my laptop as I said, “I need to go to LA.”
“Why?” She asked and I deflated in movement and closed my eyes.
I was stupid, in love, and had tossed out the best man I’d ever met, because I was afraid. I squared my shoulders and spoke fast as I grabbed my wallet and said, “Michael is there.”
“I thought he was coming to Pittsburgh in a week?”
I clicked on the midnight flight as I said, “I told him I wanted a divorce and hung up on him.”
“What? Why?”
She was seriously sounding like an annoying parrot. I hope I didn’t ask this many questions. “Because I feared I’d turn into Mom if I loved him too much.”
“Aww, well that’s silly.” Olivia said like she was teaching her fifth-grade class again and then added for measure like this was all math, “You loved him before anything happened to Dad.”
I dug out my card but didn’t type anything in as I asked, “Can you come and help me, now?”
Olivia said, “Pack your bags. Take a week on the road for your honeymoon. Jeremy and I can go to school together.”
“Thank you,” I said as I typed in my information.
This wasn’t first class, but the midnight flight landed me in Los Angeles at 5:00 am.
“Are you looking things up?”
“You know me well.”
It was better to talk in person, hopefully. I didn’t want to make another mistake and face-to-face was where I was most alive.
Hopefully, I could tell him he completed my life. I’d been wrong to hang up. The screen finally read "confirmed".
Yes. Olivia then said, “Oh, Indigo’s on the line. Hold on.” Guess I had no choice. I dug my small traveling bag out again as Olivia clicked back in and said, “All three of us are together now.”
Indigo asked, “So Olivia’s babysitting?”
“Yes, but you’ll help?” I asked as I grabbed my underwear and bras. Maybe I’d be right home and he’d tell me to fuck off. I probably deserved that, but if he didn’t, then I wanted cute underwear.
Unfortunately, I didn’t own many.
“This morning, but I’m off to Vegas tomorrow.” Indigo said, “Ridley and Nicole are both in to help though. Phoenix and his fiancée are coming to town and they want to take Jeremy to a concert.”
“That’s fine.”
“I confirmed with them to keep him overnight on Friday, so Olivia could have some time for herself. "Look, I’ll text you the hotel he’s staying at now. Did you get your plane ticket?”
Indigo was always the genius in finding out information for me. She’d found me tickets, found out where Michael’s team was staying in LA. I needed to buy her a huge birthday present but for now I held a hand to my heart and said, “It leaves in three hours. Olivia needs to get here fast so I can make my flight.”
I grabbed clothes without paying much attention to what and tossed it in the bag as Indigo said, “You act like Pittsburgh airport might be a problem when you’re flying to LA. Now when you land, that is a monolithic place.”
“Right. Okay. Good to know.” I swallowed and grabbed my stuff from the bathroom. “I’ll be fine.”
“Rent the car before you hit the road,” Olivia said.
Hurry up already and get here. Normally I’d have spent time researching the best price, but I quickly realized renting was cheaper than a ride share. So I picked the cheapest option, but today I was off center. I sighed into my phone and opened my laptop again. I used an app and found a car. “This is taking forever.”
“You’ll thank me,” Olivia said and I heard her car in the driveway.
I wanted to jump and scream but my son was sleeping. “I do thank you.”
The garage door opened. I hung up with them both, grabbed my bags, and threw open the door to my sister who was opening her trunk for me.
Then I ran down the stairs, tossed my bag in the back, and saw that all she’d packed for her trip to Vegas was a small backpack. I hugged her and said, “Goodbye.”
She followed me to my garage. “Look, you’re my sister, I love you but go fix your mistake.”
My skin was awakened, my adrenaline was pumped. I needed to tell him I loved him and wanted him unconditionally. “I’ll try. Hopefully, he’ll listen.”
“If he doesn’t, he might need time to heal,” Olivia said as she opened the garage door for me. “But you need to try.”
He wasn’t the one making unreasonable demands. I tossed my stuff in my car and said, “That’s not nice. I was the one that screwed everything up with my fears. I can’t believe I was that stupid.”
“Go.” She waved at me.
And I took off.
Jeremy would understand why I wasn’t home with him today. Michael was his father, and he’d want his whole family happy.
Finally, the plane's racing tires squealed until we were in the air.
I kept staring at my switched off phone and the guy next to me snored and sneezed.
This wasn’t Michael’s first-class seating, but I finally made it to LAX and ran through the huge airport to the car.
The sun was out in the morning sky when I was at the rental agent’s desk and nodded to half his questions as he had my driver’s license. “Yes, I’ll take GPS. That’s fine.”
He showed me a screen that read "subcompact" and said, “This is all we have right now.”
I handed him my credit card. “It works. Thank you.”
He handed me my cards and a set of keys. “Good luck, ma’am.”
Oh, he had zero idea what I needed that for. My hair stood on its ends that Michael might tell me to leave.
He had that right. If Michael didn’t want to forgive me, I’d find some room to curl up in. But after crying, I’d have to move on.
I’d hung up and been horrible to him and probably didn’t deserve him. Being afraid was stupid, and paralyzing, and completely my fault.
The drive was full of cars and at points, not moving, but as I finally pulled into the hotel, the management didn’t help. I was ready to show my marriage license to the guy, but then another well-built, all-muscles man came over to me and tapped my shoulder. “Are you the new Mrs. Irons?”
I ignored whatever the guy said behind me. “Yes. Who are you?”
He crossed his arms and stared at my small bag as he said, “Rodriguez. Pitcher. What are you doing here?”
My insides twisted. I was probably too late, but I lifted my chin and said, “I’m looking for my husband.”
He pointed to the door and said, “You just missed him.”
The air rushed out of my lungs. Seriously. My neck tightened and I asked, “What? Where did he go so early?”
“His agents stationed in LA. He went to his office.”
My heart raced wildly. “Would you have Phil’s address?”
“Sure.” He took out his phone and pointed for me to accept his incoming picture.
A moment later, I had a photo of a business card and I jumped and thanked him.
As I ran back to my tiny car, it took a moment to speed up. I wished it was faster, but I used the navigation system to get me through too much traffic until I finally stood outside a nice glass building and ran inside.
She pouted at me and said, “You’re too late.”
My skin zapped like she’d stung me. Maybe the universe was telling me I was too late, but I asked, “What?”
She pointed to the door and shooed me toward it as she said, “They left.”
“For where?” I asked and refused to budge.
The women’s lips thinned and she glanced at my jeans like she’d never wear anything like them. “Mr. Irons went to the stadium and Phil went to help negotiate his leave.”
“No!” I shouted fast. If he was leaving, then I was too late. I practically jumped out of my skin and rushed to the door as I asked, “He’s at the stadium?”
“Yes,” she said and then went back to filing some papers.
I ran as fast as I could to my car and headed toward the stadium.
Cars were at a standstill on the freeway as I picked up my phone and dialed him. I put it on speaker and tapped my steering wheel as I narrated my life, “Michael, pick up…” But I heard the beep and knew instantly it had gone to voicemail. I waited and listened to his sexy voice but then I said, “Don’t leave LA or your team. We need to talk. I’m coming to the stadium. Wait for me there.”
I had no idea if he’d listen to it, but I fought my way to the stadium.
Thankfully, there was no game, so it was empty parking as I parked near the other five cars there.
As I ran inside and no one stopped me, my phone rang. I grabbed it, saw my son's name, and answered.
“Mom, how’s LA?”
What in the world could I say? I’ve not found your father and destroyed your hope for a family? I couldn’t do that to him. I stilled and said, “It’s warm here.”
He asked, “Have you seen Michael, yet?”
“No, I’m having issues,” I said and massaged my forehead like that might help me find him.
Jeremy said, “Really? I’ll call him right back. We were just talking.”
“You were?” I asked.
Jeremy said, “Yeah, he wanted to talk to you, and he had news, but I didn’t tell him you were there. I thought you wanted to surprise him.”
Rocking Player: Single Mom Second Chance Romance (Steel Series Book 2) Page 13