by Jade, Ella
“Shh.” Soph studied the TV. Pax looked calm and in charge. To everyone’s surprise they left him in the whole nine innings. He’d gained the lead early. The Crushers were up by seven runs. They had dominated the field tonight, and Paxton was on his way to leading them to victory.
“Yes!” Her father jumped out of his chair when Pax struck the final batter out.
“He did it.” Her eyes filled with tears. She’d been with him the whole season. She knew how much he wanted this. “He did it!” She hopped up and hugged her dad. “They did it.”
Her mother hugged her too. “I know this has been hard for you. I’m sure it was just as hard for Paxton.”
“He had to do what was right for him in the moment.” She wiped her tears. “I get that.”
“Good, because you have something really special,” her mother said. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. The way he cares for you. Men sometimes do things we can’t always understand.”
“Hey,” her dad said. “You’re ruining my moment.”
“Trust me.” Her mother laughed. “I know these things.”
“Mom, it’s okay. You don’t have to try and make me feel better.” That wasn’t true. She needed her mother’s comfort more now than ever.
“All I’m saying is, this was a very important time in Pax’s career. He handled it the best way he could. It was one week of your life. If he’s the one, then move past it.”
“He’s the one,” she whispered. There was no doubt in her mind. “I know he’s busy right now but I’m going to text him my congratulations. At least he’ll know I was with him as he rejoiced in this moment.”
“Good idea.” Her mom turned to her dad. “How about a cup of tea, old man?”
“Sounds good.” He walked toward the kitchen. “I want to watch some more of the coverage, but I can wait.” He smiled at Soph, but she knew he didn’t want her to be upset if Pax was in some of those interviews.
“It’s okay, Papa.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m going to text him and then get ready for bed.”
“Have a good night, sweet girl.” He hugged her. “It’ll all work out.”
I hope you’re right.
The doorbell rang as Soph was headed to her bedroom and her parents went to the kitchen. “I’ll get it,” she called as she pulled open the door.
“This town is hyper.” Maggie came through the entryway. “Did you see they won?”
“I watched it.”
“You did? You were cool with that?”
“It was tough, but I wanted to see him win.” No matter what had happened between them she wouldn’t have missed it. “I bet Bennet’s is going crazy.”
“Yeah, I left so I could check on you.” Maggie gave her a big hug, holding her a little longer than usual. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Let’s go to my room.”
Maggie followed her down the hall and up the stairs to her bedroom. Soph shut the door behind them. “You didn’t have to leave Kyle and the others. I bet the whole stadium staff was in there.” She sat on the edge of the bed as Maggie plopped down on the window seat.
“They were. It was really cool and thrilling to experience such a huge win.”
“I’m sure they’re all so proud.”
“The city is already planning the parade. Mayor Dilks was at Bennet’s. He said they had it tentatively scheduled for the day after tomorrow.”
“That’s when I go to my doctor’s appointment.”
“I’m still going to go with you,” she said. “I don’t need to be at the parade.”
“Thanks, I’d ask my mom to go but...”
“You haven’t told her yet.”
“I want to make sure first.” She rubbed her temples. “It’s kind of ironic that the appointment I made to get on the pill might now be the one where I find out I’m pregnant.”
“You took two pregnancy tests. I think it’s a done deal.”
Maggie was right. Soph was over a month late. She was tired, moody, and nauseous all the time. She cried over everything. All she wanted was for Pax to hold her and tell her he’d take care of everything.
A FEW DAYS LATER, SOPHIA stood on Pax’s front porch and debated with herself. Should she knock or use her key? Would he care if she used her key? This should be her new house. She should be living there with him, not standing on the porch trying to figure out how to approach him. They were in love. They’d had a fight—a major one—but all couples fought. They could get past this. They had to.
She thought back to the night before the big game, the game that would determine if the Crushers would win the division and go to the World Series. Pax had been on edge. She’d tried to calm his nerves and reassure him that no matter what had happened he’d had the best season of his career. She promised him she’d be there with him, and then her stupid car broke down and she failed him. The fight wasn’t about her car. It was about her letting him down. That argument not only ruined the high he was on over winning the division championship, it robbed them of being together when his team won the World Series. How could they have been so stupid?
Giving him his space seemed like the right thing to do, but now she wished she could take back the things she had said. She could excuse the way he acted because he was gearing up to play the most important game of his career. She should have apologized and let it go. They could have worked it out once the series was over. She could have been in Chicago when the Crushers won instead of crying on her couch as her parents tried to console her. Missing the parade yesterday was hard but going to the doctor’s was more important. Now they would have to make up. They had a future. One fight wasn’t going to deter her.
He had responded to her congratulation text with a quick thanks. She figured he was busy but now that that he was back in town she wondered why he hadn’t reached out to her. Both Maggie and her mom encouraged her to go to him. Pax wasn’t used to serious relationships. Maggie had said he probably knew how much he screwed up and now he was too embarrassed to come groveling back. Soph hoped her intuitive friend was right.
As she was about to retrieve her key from her bag the front door flew open. She looked up, expecting to see Pax. She wanted to congratulate him and tell him how proud she was. How excited she had been for him. Her smile disappeared when Kenny stepped out on to the porch.
“Well, if it isn’t the ex-girlfriend.”
I don’t need this.
“Is Paxton here?”
“No.”
“Do you know when he’ll be back?”
“Not anytime soon.”
“Where is he?” She shouldn’t even be bothering. Kenny had never liked her. That had been clear from the beginning. “I need to talk to him.”
“Like he needed you to be in the stands last week?”
“That was a misunderstanding and none of your business.” She wasn’t going to get anywhere with him. “I don’t expect you to deliver any messages. I’ll call him.”
“He can’t be reached.”
“Why?”
“He’s on a plane to Belize.”
“Belize?”
“Yeah, a little post-season relaxation. I’d say he deserves it.”
“How long will he be gone?” Her stomach flipped when she realized he had left without contacting her.
“A couple weeks, but I wouldn’t bother calling him. He’s gonna be pretty busy.”
“Doing what?”
“He didn’t go alone, sweetheart. As a matter of fact, Miss Texas is accompanying him. They’re old friends. You do the math.”
“Why would I believe you?”
“You don’t have to believe me,” he said. “His reputation speaks for itself. I’m sure you’ve seen the recent pictures on Facebook and Twitter.”
There had been a picture circulating with a woman sitting on Pax’s lap. Maggie explained what had happened that night. Soph decided to delete her accounts. She couldn’t take everyone tagging her in pictures of Pax winning the World Series or sha
ring interviews and media coverage of him. She needed a break from social media.
“Pax is my best friend. I know him better than anyone. You got in the way. He almost blew a crucial game because he didn’t know where you were. If you want to be with a man like Pax you need to make sure you’re there when he needs you. He’s never going to let that happen again.”
“That’s not your call.”
“No, it isn’t, but considering he’s just left the country to have a fling I’m guessing he figured it out all by himself. Paxton never loses focus. You were a mistake. He knows that now.”
“My relationship with him is none of your business.”
“From where I’m standing you don’t have a relationship with him.”
“Screw you,” she said. “You’ve been an asshole from the first time we met. You’re not his friend. You’re a leech.”
“Nice.”
“You take advantage of his kindness. You live your easy life while Pax does all the work. You should be happy for him. Instead you’re trying to destroy what we have.”
“Say whatever you want, but I’m not the one who messed up your relationship. You did that all by yourself. You couldn’t handle a man like Pax. You couldn’t be there for the most important time of his life. He told me he asked you to come to Chicago with him, and you turned him down.”
“He told you that?” He must have been really torn up for him to open up to Kenny about their relationship.
“He told me everything. Trust me, I’m never going to let him get hurt like that again.”
“That night was confusing. Neither of us was thinking.” She’d replayed that conversation in her head a hundred times. “My car broke down. I’m sure he understands that now.”
“Do you honestly think this is over your car?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not playing mediator. He’s got his head back where it belongs now.”
“I need to speak to him.”
“I guess you’ll have to wait until he gets back from vacation. That’s if he’s ready to tear himself away from that gorgeous beauty pageant contestant.”
“He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Why, because you’re so special? You’re the one who rejected him.” He locked the door and walked down the porch steps. “He put himself out there for you. Think about that when you’re wondering why he isn’t here.”
She watched as he headed to the side of the house to the garage. She dropped down on the steps and waited for him to go. He had to be lying. Pax wouldn’t do that. She pulled out her phone and did a quick internet search of Pax and any beauty contestants. Several came up but only one stood out. She clicked on the image of the blond beauty from Texas standing inside the stadium in Chicago surrounded by members of the Crushers. To her right, holding her hand was Pax.
How could she have been so stupid? Why hadn’t she learned her lesson when Ryan had burned her?
Once a player, always a player...
Chapter 21
NOVEMBER CAME AND WENT. The excitement over the team winning the series had died down and the townspeople went back to their normal routines. Sophia busied herself with some major changes in her life. She was going to have a baby in the spring. She had the support of her parents and Maggie. The demands of her job became more intense as the school year got underway. She found an apartment a block away from Hemingway Academy. Her parents didn’t want her to go but the cottage was too small for a new addition. She wasn’t that far from them. She thought it was best to move before the baby came. She needed to start her life and being on her own seemed like the right thing to do.
Pax had called her several times and left messages. She never responded. Seeing the picture of him and that girl hours after he won the series had hurt her. They had one misunderstanding and it only took him a week to recover and leave the country with another woman. He had broken her heart, and she wasn’t about to let him destroy her any more than he already had.
The mall was covered in Christmas decorations. The crowds were what one would expect for a Saturday afternoon in December. Soph would much rather have been cuddled up on her couch, under her electric throw reading a book, but Maggie wanted to pick up a few gifts for Kyle.
“I think we may have set a date,” Maggie said as she rummaged through a table of designer sweaters.
She and Kyle had gotten engaged over the Thanksgiving break. Maggie did a good job of avoiding talking about it and that made Soph sad. She was happy for her friend and wanted to share in her excitement. Just because things didn’t work out with Pax didn’t mean she couldn’t celebrate her best friend’s good news, even if it did sting.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m telling you now.” She held up a forest green cardigan and then crinkled her nose in displeasure. “It looked better on the display.”
“Maggie? When are you getting married?”
“August.” She folded the sweater and put it back on the table.
“I can’t believe you’re going to wait that long.” She and Kyle had a whirlwind courtship. They’d only been together since March, just one month before Soph had started seeing Pax.
“It makes sense to get married in the summer,” she said. “I don’t want to take time off during the school year.”
“That does make sense.”
“And since Baby Bean...” She glanced at Soph’s stomach. “...is coming in May, I thought you’d need some time to recover. We’re going to be busy with the little one.”
“You’re holding off because I’m pregnant?”
“I figured June would be too soon for you.”
“It probably would be, but I’ll be there whenever you need me.”
“I know, but August works. I need my maid of honor ready to fulfill her duties.”
“I won’t slack.”
“Good.” She walked to a table filled with ties. “Let me look at these and then we’ll have lunch.”
“I’m starving.”
“Hmm, there’s news.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Speaking of Baby Bean...” She continued to look through the ties. “Have you given any thought to letting Pax in on the news?”
“Not really.” It had to be done. No matter what had happened between them he was the father of her child and he had a right to know. She’d been over it in her head hundreds of time, but it was easier to put it off than to actually do it.
“Sweetie, we live in a pretty tight town. Your belly isn’t staying so concealed anymore. Sooner or later people are going to figure out who your baby daddy is. Some of the team is starting to come back to Kingston for the holidays. I think it’s time you start answering his calls.”
“Really? You were pretty pissed at him when you found out what he had done. Weren’t you the one who told me I was better off without him?”
“I did, but I may have been a bit hasty.” She bit her lip. “I’m known to be impulsive.”
“What’s going on?”
“Something is off.”
“What do you mean? What’s off? Have you talked to Pax?”
“I told you he called me two weeks ago and I told him to piss off. I’m loyal to you.”
“You said you didn’t ask him about his trip or the girl. Were you telling me the truth?” Soph had a sick feeling in her stomach. “What changed?”
“I told you the truth. He asked how you were and why you wouldn’t return his calls or texts. He said he didn’t understand why you cut him off. I wanted to tear him a new one, but I didn’t want to make you sound desperate or like you cared about him with another girl, so I told him to leave you alone until you were ready to reach out to him.”
“You told me all of this.”
“Doc has been going to Texas quite a bit these last few weeks. As a matter of fact, he left for Texas the day after the parade. I didn’t think anything of it, but what if he’s going there to see Pax?”
“So?”
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.” Maybe it was the heat in the mall or the grumbling in her stomach but she wasn’t putting together whatever Maggie was trying to say.
“You found one picture of him and the beauty queen. I’ve searched a few times myself, and I can’t find anything else with Pax and that girl or any other girl in the last six weeks. The media still has him linked to you.”
“It doesn’t mean he isn’t back to one-night stands.” Maybe Pax had learned to be more tactful with his sexual encounters. The bile rose in her throat when she thought about him having sex with anyone other than her. This was exactly why she didn’t torture herself with searching the internet or watching the MLB network. She didn’t want to know what he was up to. It hurt too much.
“What if Kenny lied? I wouldn’t put it past him. What if Doc has been visiting Pax in Texas because something else is going on?”
“There are other team members in Texas. It doesn’t mean Doc went to see Pax the day after the parade. Kenny is an asshole but Pax didn’t start contacting me until almost two weeks after the season ended. Where was he if not in Belize?”
“I don’t know, but the more I think about it the more I think things got hectic and out of control really fast. Pax has reached out to you several times. He keeps trying even though you won’t reciprocate. In the beginning I did think he fucked up, but now I don’t know. Maybe I’m hoping too hard because I know how much you love him. I’m being sappy.”
“You think I should forgive him?”
“I think you should tell him the truth and see what he needs to be forgiven for. I get that you were hurt that night in the locker room. He took the coward’s way out, but he’s a guy and sometimes they don’t think. If he did run off to some exotic place with some bimbo then I say cut him loose. You don’t have to have him in your bed if he isn’t worthy, but he did make a baby with you. I think he would want to know that. He deserves to know that.”