Grand Slam

by Heidi McLaughlin

  With the white and red roses in my hand, I knock on her door.

  “Go away, Travis,” she says moments later from behind the closed door.

  “Please, let me explain and apologize in person, Saylor.” Right now I have a lot to make up for, but I also have questions about the guy that she was with last night. Harsh words were exchanged, and tears were shed.

  “Please, Saylor,” I beg as I adjust my weight from foot to foot. The locks on her door clink as they move, and she opens the door slightly.

  “I can’t give these to you if you don’t open it all the way.” I stick the flowers up, blocking my view of her, praying that she’ll let me in.

  “I don’t want your flowers. I want you to leave me alone.”

  I stick my hand against the door, preventing her from closing it. One small push and it’s open, and she’s stumbling back. Stepping in, I shut it behind me and lock it for good measure. I don’t want that asshole from last night interrupting us.

  “Is Lucy home?”

  Saylor shakes her head, pulling her robe tighter around her waist. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that she won’t look at me. I step closer, gauging her reaction. She doesn’t move, and that’s a relief. Gently, I reach out and caress her cheek until my fingers are under her chin, lifting her face until I can see into her eyes. Her bluish-green orbs are dull and lifeless, and the whites around her eyes are bloodshot.

  “What happened?”

  “You,” she spits out, yanking herself away from me. I stand frozen, watching as tears stream down her face. “I told you that we couldn’t be together, and you pushed. You made me feel things for you when you knew I wasn’t allowed. You used me and you used my daughter to spy on that woman, putting us in harm’s way each and every time we left here. I told you over and over again that we could never have anything more than a professional relationship, but that wasn’t good enough for you. You had to parade us in front of your victim so she could see that you chose me that night instead of her.”

  My mouth hangs open at the verbal attack. I don’t have a clue as to what she’s referring to, because I would never in my life do anything to harm her or Lucy. “Saylor—”

  “Don’t,” she says, holding up her hand. “Don’t tell me you’re fucking sorry, Travis,” she cries out, using the back of her hand to wipe away her tears. “For a moment, I let my guard down and believed you. I wanted the fucking fairy tale where my knight in shining armor swoops in and saves me from this mediocre existence I’m living, but I knew better and know this is why Jeffrey forbids us from dating the athletes…because they always do something to fuck everything up, and it messes with our minds. It screws up how we represent you, favoring one over the other. I was so stupid to believe that you actually cared for me.” She stops and shakes her head.

  “I do.”

  “Then why did you take us to all those places knowing she’d be there? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

  “Saylor, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She pulls her phone out of her robe pocket and fiddles with it until an audio recording plays. It sounds like a press conference that she’s speaking at, and the questions being asked are referencing the dates we went on.

  “What the fuck? Saylor, you have to believe me. Until I ran into her at the restaurant, I hadn’t seen her since the night at the bar. The time I was spending with you and Lucy is genuine. It’s because I wanted to be here. It’s because you both matter to me so much. I spent any free time I had coming up with excuses to be at your door every single day.

  “Saylor, baby,” I hedge as I step closer to her. “Every day that I spent with you and Lucy only made my feelings for you grow stronger. Since the first night we ever spent together, I have craved your body, desired to know your soul, and longed to be a part of your life. The women I’ve been with since you pale in comparison to the hold you have on me.”

  I’m met with a tear-streaked face and sadness in her eyes. “It doesn’t matter, because I lost everything anyway.”

  “What are you talking about? You haven’t lost me. I’ll figure things out with Jeffrey, and everything will be fine.”

  She lets out a sob and steps farther away from me. “The man you saw last night—that’s Lucy’s dad,” she says, reminding me of what he said when I was holding Lucy in my arms. I may have been drunk, but I’d never forget those words. “This is really the first time he’s had an interest in her since I told him I was pregnant with her. I hate him,” she says, shaking her head. “But he has rights and pays child support. He’s here because he wants to get to know her, but she only asks about you, and that pisses him off to no end.” Saylor walks over to the window and rests her head on the pane. “He’s a powerful lawyer in Virginia and has friends here. He’s also jealous and petty, and when he found out we were seeing each other, he gave me an ultimatum.”

  “Which was?” I ask, swallowing hard. She doesn’t even need to answer me, because I already know what she’s going to say.

  “I end things with you and he doesn’t take Lucy away.”

  “He can’t do that to you, Saylor. You’re her mother.”

  She turns to me and laughs. “He can, because what you’re forgetting is that I’m on probation, and he’ll use that against me. I also told him that you didn’t mean anything to me, so when you blurted out that we had been together, that enraged him. He served me papers this morning, asking for full and immediate custody of Lucy because I’m an unfit parent for having an accused rapist in my home and near my daughter.” Saylor turns back toward the window and sobs quietly.

  Her words rip me limb from limb, leaving me numb and in pain. Everything that I’ve touched since that night in the bar has been ruined. The woman who I desperately want to be with hates me.

  “I’ll fix this. I promise you, I’ll fix this,” I tell her before leaving. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but Irvin must be able to help her. If not, he has to know enough people that I can get some dirt on Lucy’s father and blackmail him.

  Thirty

  Saylor

  Every time I pick up the summons to appear in court to answer questions on child endangerment, my stomach heaves. There’s nothing left; it’s all been expelled from the moment I answered the door and the process server was kind enough to hand me the papers. I knew what they were before I even opened the envelope.

  For the first time in my life, I feel weak. Every bone in my body aches. It hurts to swallow, to move, and to breathe. I thought the day Elijah left me was my worst, but this supersedes anything I was feeling back then by far.

  I can’t imagine a day in my life in which Lucy doesn’t exist or a time when I can’t see her. She’s always been by my side or in my arms. And now that will likely go away because of another stupid mistake on my part.

  Aside from Travis, no one knows that Elijah is asking for custody. Last night after the blowup, I asked my mom to take Lucy, because I needed to think. I needed time to process the outburst from Elijah about seeing me in court. I never expected Elijah to follow through with his threat. I thought he’d ask for visitation, but to actually take her away from me when she doesn’t even know him is wrong. Any other woman in my situation would know that her ex wouldn’t stand a chance, except Elijah has connections and I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll use those to hurt me, to make me suffer for not heeding his demands.

  And Travis. I don’t even know where to start with him. He’s an error in judgment, not once, but more than a dozen times now, and while it feels amazing to have him in my life, it’s done nothing but bring me pain, and my latest error is going to destroy me physically and mentally. I will not be able to survive without Lucy and will be forced to move to Virginia so I can see her.

  My breath fogs up the cold window, and I use my bare hand to wipe away the condensation so I can see what the people of Boston are doing. Children skip along behind their parents or babysitters, splashing in the leftover puddles from the melted snow. I wish I
could hear their laughter, but opening the window would only bring in the noise from the city. The sirens and honking of horns drown out any sounds of laughter that there might be, and that is what I need now. I need something happy.

  Happiness is only going to come in the form of sticking it to Elijah. I have to prove to a hopefully impartial judge that I’m the best mother to Lucy and that she needs to live with me. But I can’t do that alone. I need help.

  Slowly, I push away from the window, and my steps falter as my robe brushes against my unlit Christmas tree. So much has changed in the past few days, and yet the present from Travis still remains unopened, nestled underneath the branches. I know he means well, but his actions have put my life in turmoil. Sighing, I leave the box there and make my way to the shower. It’s another quiet place where I can pour out my tears and hopefully wash away the last forty-eight hours of my life. If Travis hadn’t come over when he did, if he hadn’t been drinking or if Elijah had left minutes before, I don’t think I’d be standing under the hot spray with my hands covering my face, screaming angrily at the world.

  * * *

  The offices of Abbott and Abbott are quiet, and according to the receptionist, most of the associates are on vacation and the interns have gone home for winter break. Irvin, though, is in the office, preparing for the hearing that Travis will have next week, and I’m here seeking his help.

  “Mr. Abbott will see you now, Ms. Blackwell.”

  I smile softly and nod a thank-you in the receptionist’s direction and head toward Irvin’s office. Normally, a lawyer would come out and greet their client, or prospective client in my case, but I lied and told Irvin I needed to see him about Travis. I didn’t want to be told over the phone that there’s a conflict of interest. I want Irvin to see it in my eyes when I tell him the story, when I tell him everything, and beg for him to help me.

  “Saylor, I’m surprised to see you since Jeffrey said you’d no longer be working with Travis,” he says as he stands up to greet me with a handshake. “Please, sit down.” Irvin motions toward one of the two chairs in front of his desk. “So what’s going on?”

  I sit and put my bag in my lap; I slide my hand in and grasp the summons. “Thank you for seeing me, but I’m not here about Travis…exactly.”

  “Oh?” he says, leaning forward.

  With a quick shake of my head, I look down at my bag and sigh before pulling out the papers that are currently destroying my life. “My ex has decided to make his first appearance in my daughter’s life, and he’s asking the courts for full legal custody of her.” I hand him the papers and watch as he opens the trifolded document.

  “An unfit parent?”

  I pull my lips together and nod. “I’m not, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “I would never expect you to be. Granted, I have never seen you interact with your daughter. But her father seems to think you are.”

  “Because of Travis.”

  “Excuse me?” he says, setting the papers down.

  I close my eyes and pray that I can get through this without crying. “About two years ago, Travis and I…” I trail off, blanking on how I can describe what happened between us without cheapening it or making me look like a whore.

  “You engaged in sexual activity?”

  “When you say it like that, it makes it sound like a medical experiment.” I try to laugh, but he doesn’t find any humor in my joke. I adjust myself in my chair, growing uncomfortable under his judgmental gaze. “Look, this is really hard for me to say, but I’m going to come right out with it.”

  “That’d be best.”

  “Right. So the night of the annual Rotary gala, Travis and I went back to his place. I drove because I didn’t want to leave my car overnight in the parking garage. When we got to his place, we drank more and ended up having sex. At some point after, I received a text from Jeffrey stating that people had seen me leave with Travis, and he reminded me of his policy.”

  “Which is?” Irvin interrupts.

  “No fraternization with the clients.”

  “Yet you went home with him?”

  I nod and wish I could blame it on being drunk or unaware, but I can’t. And I won’t. I went home with him because I was attracted to him as a person, not because he’s Travis Kidd from the Boston Renegades. “I did but left in a panic after the text from Jeffrey. Still drunk, I got behind the wheel of my car and ended up crashing into a telephone pole. I was arrested and charged with a DUI. Because it was my first offense, I was given probation. One of the conditions of my probation is that I stay out of bars or where alcohol is served. If it’s a work function, I have to get permission from my probation officer.”

  “Why are you here, Saylor?” he asks, likely growing frustrated with my story.

  “Because I need your help. I need someone powerful enough to fight my ex in court, to prevent him from taking my daughter away. He doesn’t know about the arrest, at least not yet, and I don’t want him to use it against me.”

  “He must know something. He’s claiming that you’re an unfit parent.”

  I look away, unable to maintain eye contact with him. “That’s because of Travis.”

  “He’s your client.”

  I nod, letting the silence speak for itself.

  “Are you saying that you and Travis have become intimate again?”

  “Yes,” I whisper. “But I broke it off when my ex threatened me. Someone caught Travis giving me a kiss while we were ice-skating with my daughter and posted the picture online. Elijah saw it and demanded that I keep Travis away from Lucy because of the rape accusation. He threatened to take her away from me, so I did what I had to do, except Travis got arrested and came over to my house drunk. He and Elijah exchanged words, and now I’m here.”

  Irvin leans back in his chair and lets out a sigh. He picks up the summons and reads through it before setting it back down.

  “Are you going to lose your job if this gets out?”

  “Yeah, I will. Jeffrey isn’t keen on keeping reps around who break his policy.”

  “And you know Travis is planning to leave Boston?”

  “Yes.” My voice breaks.

  “You’re in quite the pickle,” he says. The baseball pun isn’t lost on me.

  “That’s not all.” I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. “The witness that is reluctant to come forward for Travis—that’s me. I went into the bar that night because my ex had sent me a letter asking about my daughter. I hadn’t heard from him since I was pregnant, and out of the blue, I receive a letter from him, asking to see her. I was scared, and when I walked in, Travis was there. He followed me out after some time, and we talked briefly before the woman came out. Travis and I got into a cab together. She yelled that he would pay for this. Before the car pulled away, I got out. I watched Travis leave by himself, and I saw the woman get in her car and leave.

  “I was also in the restaurant when Travis ran into her. He wasn’t gone for five minutes when he rushed back and told me we had to leave. My daughter was with us as well, and I know Travis would never do anything to put her in harm’s way.” I wipe away the tears that have fallen and keep my eyes focused on Irvin’s desk.

  “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

  I shake my head.

  “For weeks, you’ve watched him suffer when all you had to do was tell the truth.”

  “And go to jail?” I ask, making eye contact. “You think I want to go to jail because I had a weakened moment and went into a bar? Do you think I should be behind bars when a man who fucks half the damn city got accused of rape, which shockingly hasn’t happened before now?”

  “That’s unfair.” I hear Travis’s voice behind me, and when I turn, his face is like stone. His eyes are narrowed to slits and glaring at me. I should tell him I’m sorry, but I’m not. It’s the truth. His actions have snowballed, creating a disaster all around him.

  I fiddle with my bag as Travis moves into the room. He stands off to the side instea
d of sitting next to me. I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to sit by me either.

  “This is unexpected,” Irvin says, and I don’t know if he’s talking about my revelations or the fact that Travis is here.

  “I came here to ask you to help Saylor with her custody issue.”

  “Seems to be a popular subject today.” Irvin laughs at his own joke, which I don’t find funny.

  “Can I speak with Saylor alone for a minute?” Travis asks. Irvin huffs as he stands but doesn’t say anything as he leaves his office, shutting the door behind him.

  “I have a proposition for you, Saylor, that I think we’ll both find beneficial. You can take the offer or leave it, but either way, I will be moving forward with having you subpoenaed to testify about the night in question. I don’t know if it’ll be enough to clear me, but it should be enough to cast doubt on the case against me.”

  Travis sits in the chair next to me and angles mine so that I’m facing him. “I need you to look at me when I say this.”

  I do as he says, getting lost in his gaze. The hard expression he wore after hearing my harsh words is gone and replaced by the kind man who brought joy to Lucy’s and my life for a few weeks. In front of me is Travis Kidd, a man who wants to be loved, and not the cocky baseball player that fans have turned on.

  “I’m going to pay for Irvin to fight your ex in court, and I don’t care what you have to say about it. The thing is, I love Lucy.” We both laugh. What he doesn’t know is that growing up, I used to watch the show with my dad, and it was my way of paying homage to him when she was born. “Anyway, I do. She owns my heart, but so does her mother. These past few days I’ve been lost without you both in my life, and the thought of leaving you behind in Boston is killing me. So I propose that we get married.”

  My mouth drops open, but he shakes his head, letting me know he’s not done. “First off, once Jeffrey finds out about everything, he’s going to fire you. Marrying me will give you access to my bank account until you find another job. Two, you can come clean about the night in question, clearing my name. Three, once again, Irvin will be there to help with any legalities that come up from you being in the bar. He’ll be at your full disposal, which brings me to four. Lucy loves me, and she can tell the judge that. You know she wants us to be together, and you know she’ll choose me over that man who claims to be her father. Will it be an uphill battle? Yep, it will be, but I’m willing to climb the mountain to keep her where she belongs, and that’s with you…with us.”