Grand Slam

by Heidi McLaughlin

  “Yeah, but I wanna play.”

  “We can after,” I tell her. “It shouldn’t take very long. Besides, you have to let Mommy brush your hair so you look pretty for the camera.”

  Her frown turns into an instant smile. It wasn’t my idea to put Lucy on television, but Saylor said it would help change the public opinion about me if they see me as a family man. I told her that exploiting Lucy isn’t the way to go about that, and she promised me that isn’t what we’re doing. Saylor pointed out that I’m often with Lucy in public and that she was at my fund-raiser on Valentine’s Day, so having her participate today is a treat for the viewers who already love me.

  “Will the man ask me questions?” she asks as she climbs into my lap.

  I pretend to think, but the truth is that he won’t. “He might ask you who your favorite baseball player is.”

  “That’s easy. Cooper,” she says, shrugging with her hands in the air.

  “Cooper? What about me?”

  Lucy shakes her head. “Cooper has the babies.”

  “Ah, yes. I can’t compete with the babies.” In fact, no man can. We had a party once Saylor and Lucy moved in and invited everyone. The Baileys brought Cal and Janie over, and every female in my house went crazy. I was sort of hoping that Saylor would get baby fever, but she’s yet to bring up having children. Which, I suppose, is all for the best since we’re newly married, neither of us have said we love each other, and she’s launched a new career.

  “The babies are so cute.” Lucy scrunches her nose, making her face squishy.

  “What are you two talking about?” Saylor asks as she comes into the room.

  “Babies,” I say, winking.

  “Oh.” Saylor seems taken aback by my comment, lessening any hope I had that she might be ready. It’s okay, because we have time. The practice is fun, though, and we practice a lot.

  “Is it time?” I ask, and she nods. I scoot Lucy off my lap and give her a kiss on the nose. “Wish me luck.”

  Saylor kisses me quickly, much to Lucy’s delight. The catcalling she’s learned from Ethan Davenport is bar none. My stepdaughter makes a construction worker sound tame. I give her a sideways glance, which causes a fit of giggles.

  “Remind me to teach Davenport’s future kids some bad habits.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.” Saylor pushes me out of Lucy’s room and back down the hall. She knows I’m dreading this interview, mostly because I want everything to be done and in the past. And the only reason I’m doing this is because she set it up months ago.

  I sigh and step into my living room, which has been made into a makeshift studio, and take a seat in one of the chairs they provide. People descend on me immediately, fixing my hair, adding makeup, and attaching a microphone to my shirt.

  “Hey, Travis.”

  “Paul,” I say, giving him a nod.

  As soon as everyone is out of the way, he starts by speaking into the camera, telling the viewers what he’s doing and that he’s in my home, giving them a rare look at my private life. Saylor cautioned me on picking my nose during the taping, though, stating that other cameras will be angled on me throughout the interview.

  Paul finishes his introduction and looks at me. “Travis, thank you for allowing us to be in your home.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “A lot has changed for you these past few months. One of the biggest is that you married your publicist, shocking everyone and adding to the speculation that your marriage is nothing more than a business deal meant to protect your assets, especially without a prenuptial agreement in place.”

  I bite the inside of my cheek and remember that Saylor approved his questions, so she has to know this is on the list. Rubbing my hands down the front of my pants, I look at Paul and give him a half smile. “Honestly, Paul, I’ve had a crush on Saylor for a while. I was always doing stupid shit that she’d have to come rescue me from in hopes that she’d give me the time of day.”

  “It seems you finally won her over.”

  “Only after I begged, and let me tell you, there was a lot of pleading on my part. She’s a tough nut to crack.”

  “Spring training starts in a few days, and there have been rumors that you’re retiring. When will you make the decision whether to hang up your cleats and call it quits?”

  “It’ll be a reporting-day decision for me, Paul. I love baseball and the city of Boston, but right now I’m not sure my heart is in it.”

  “And that’s because of what happened in December?”

  I nod.

  “You were accused of rape and spent a lot of time defending yourself for something you didn’t do. How has that changed you?”

  “It…uh…it was a wake-up call. I really had to open my eyes and face my actions, and it made me realize I wanted more out of my life.”

  “More being…?”

  “A family.” And as if right on cue, Lucy comes walking in. She’s supposed to sit in the chair next to me but climbs up onto my lap and nestles into my neck.

  “She’s a shy one?” Paul asks through laughter.

  “Not really,” I tell him and everyone who is going to watch. “She doesn’t understand the fan part of my life, and if people have seen me out with her, they know that I won’t sign autographs or take pictures. My time with her is very important to me, and Lucy gets a little jealous.”

  “That’s ’cause you’re my daddy,” she whispers into my ear. I can’t help the ear-to-ear grin that spreads across my face. Lucy’s smile matches mine.

  “It seems that you have some news to share?” Paul hedges.

  “Do you want to tell everyone?” I ask Lucy.

  She nods and looks at Paul. “Travis is my really real daddy now.”

  Paul looks at me questioningly, and I know he’s waiting for me.

  “I guess the cat’s out of the bag now,” I say, adjusting us both in the chair. “Anyone who reads the papers or watches the news knows that there was an incident at her school not too long ago, which prompted legal action by Saylor and me. Yesterday afternoon, we attended a hearing in family court where I heard one of the best sentences in my life.”

  “Which was?”

  “You have a daughter.” I can barely say the words without getting choked up. Aside from Saylor saying, “I do,” or hearing, “the Boston Renegades have just won the World Series,” those words said by the judge are my favorite.

  “That’s amazing,” Paul says.

  “It is.” I look at Lucy and can’t believe how lucky I am. Her father signed off on my request immediately, making the process move quickly through the courts. I thought we would have to wait months, if not a year or longer, considering the rape accusation, but Irvin presented a strong case for me, and Lucy’s desire to have me as her father helped tremendously.

  “Did you ever see yourself as a family man?”

  I shake my head. “Not until I met Saylor and she showed me what it was like to have an unconditional love that loved you no matter who you are or what it is that you do with your life.”

  “If you decide to report for spring training, will your family go with you?”

  Saylor sits down near me, far enough away that she’s out of camera, but I can still see her. I look over at her and wink. “Yes, they will. We have discussed the possibility and decided that we’d all go together.”

  “What do you want people to take away from this interview, Travis?”

  “That I’m innocent and have been wrongly accused of a crime that I didn’t commit. That no matter what you may think goes on in my private life, my family and my team come first and I would never do anything to jeopardize that. Baseball has been my life, and I’ve adopted Boston as my hometown. I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “Is that your way of saying you’ll be at spring training?” Paul leans forward, hopeful that I’ll give him the answer. Hell, I won’t know what I’m doing until I wake up that day.

  “We’ll see. I will definitely be in Florida,
because we’re going to Disney World—”

  “With the babies,” Lucy says, sitting up for the first time.

  “The babies?”

  She nods. “Babies Cal and Janie. They’re sooo cute,” she says.

  “Lucy is talking about Cooper Bailey’s twins,” I add for clarity.

  “And what about Travis—do you want him to play baseball?” Paul asks Lucy.

  Lucy looks at me from over her shoulder and nods. “Yes.”

  “Travis, I’m afraid the women in your life have spoken.”

  I try to hide my smile, but I can’t. “Whether I’ll have cleats on is left to be seen, Paul.”

  With that, my interview is over. We shake hands, and he promises to get this edited and on the air as soon as possible. Saylor takes care of the remaining logistics while I head to Lucy’s room to play dress-up. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.

  Epilogue

  Saylor

  “I’m in heaven!”

  “He’s a slice I’d like to eat.”

  “Too bad he’s married.”

  “Not once he meets me.”

  “Those pants are so tight.”

  This is the conversation going on behind me and the WAGs of the Renegades. It’s taking everything in me not to turn around and tell them all to shut the hell up. But this is part of the lifestyle. We take it and deal with it on our own, never letting the guys know what goes on in the stands.

  They have me questioning my sanity, though, because I’ve always thought heaven to be white fluffy clouds, harps playing, and men in togas with wings on their backs and halos on their heads floating around without a care in the world.

  According to these ladies, heaven is sitting on plastic seats in the sweltering Florida sun, watching grown men grope themselves, spit, and play in the dirt while wearing tight pants.

  The tight pants I can agree with, as long as they’re not skinny jeans or spandex. I’m talking about baseball pants. I’m talking about my-husband-bent-over-and-showing-me-his-ass-while-he-ties-his-shoes baseball pants.

  This is my first ever spring training, and up until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know if I was going to experience this as a wife or an agent. Travis waited until the night before to make his decision after he met with the team, Wes Wilson, and Ryan Stone. For hours, I paced the hotel room, waiting for him to come back and share the news with me. And when he finally did, I was elated. I knew deep in my heart that he wasn’t ready to give up on baseball, and the fans of Boston aren’t ready to give up on him.

  In a couple of weeks, we’re heading back north to begin our life as a baseball family. Travis and I have discussed his schedule, and we think it’d be best that Lucy stay home during the weeknight games due to how late they run. We are both prepared for the fight we’ll have on our hands when we have to tell Lucy she can’t go until the weekend. Travis is also going to be the one to take Lucy to school every day. Prior to leaving for Florida, he was the one to pick her up. He told me that he doesn’t want to not be involved in her education and felt that it was important that her teachers see us, no matter what. I’m all for sleeping in if he wants to do the morning run.

  My in-laws walk down the row in front of me, waving wildly. I stand and hug them both before they sit down. It’s been a pleasure being in Florida and getting to know them. They absolutely dote on Lucy, and although Travis said that his family life was strained while growing up, his parents have been nothing but accommodating and accepting. My mom arrives next with her hands full of popcorn and water. She’s been having a blast down here, and I have a feeling she’s going to move into the house that Travis recently purchased.

  Being in Boston without my mother will be difficult, and I’ll miss her terribly, but moving will be good for her. She’s retired and only stayed there to help me out. Now that I’m running my own business, my time can be flexible—plus, Travis will be around. And it’s not like we won’t visit. I fully intend to come down as much as possible, especially when the Renegades are playing.

  “Did we miss anything?” Terry asks.

  “Only the women behind us objectifying the men,” Daisy says. Both my mother and Tonya turn and look through the gaps between us.

  “Hussies,” Tonya says, causing us all to laugh.

  “Ignore them, Tonya. We know where Travis sleeps at night,” my mother says, much to my surprise.

  “Mother!”

  She shrugs and doesn’t turn around to look at me. Ainsley and Daisy start laughing, and I’m speechless. Maybe it’s not such a good idea for the two moms to hang out with each other after all.

  After the national anthem is played, the guys run out onto the field. Travis and Ethan come over to the fence where Lucy, Shaun, and Shea, Ethan’s niece, are standing and give them high fives. A lot of the families have made it to Florida for spring training this year.

  “Saylor?”

  I look at Travis after he calls my name. He tosses a ball into the stands, caught easily by his father, who hands it to me.

  “Thanks,” I say, holding it in the air.

  “Read it,” he yells.

  I turn the ball over in my hands until I come across his handwriting. I love you, Saylor, it says in his scrawl.

  “That’s so sweet,” Ainsley says.

  It is sweet. She has no idea. By the time I look up, Travis is in left field warming up, and I can’t tell him that I feel the same way. I’ve actually been in love with him for a while but too scared to tell him. I didn’t want to pressure him into saying it back if he wasn’t ready.

  Throughout the game, I look at the ball when I can’t see him, and each time, my heart beats a little faster. In between innings, he’s signing autographs for the kids who wait at the fence, something we hoped that Lucy would understand was part of his job—that right now he was Travis the baseball player, but at home, he was all hers.

  When the game ends, everyone makes their way to their cars. I had asked my in-laws to take Lucy for the night, and my mom snickered while Tonya asked if she’d be getting another grandbaby soon. I wanted to be angry with both of them, but since Tonya had asked for another, and not her first one, I couldn’t be mad. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Kidds love Lucy as if she’s their own blood.

  I sit on the hood of our rented Chevy Camaro. It’s not a practical family car, but it’s a convertible and sexy as hell. A group of the guys walk out together, and when Travis sees me, he pauses.

  “I’ll catch you guys in the morning,” he tells them.

  “Practice safe sex, Kidd. Those slump-busters will get you every time,” Branch yells out, laughing right along with the other guys.

  “Shut the hell up, douche donkey.” I join in on the laughter. I’ve grown to love his one-liners.

  “Hey, babe,” he says as he pulls my legs around his waist. He leans in and kisses me, not caring that his teammates are catcalling and telling us to get a room.

  “Hey,” I reply breathlessly. “Good game.”

  “Thanks.” His hands slide up my legs until they’re firmly under my shorts. “You know, this is the perfect height for me to fuck you.”

  “Not here,” I tell him.

  “Are you telling me that you’ll let me find a deserted road so I can fuck you on this car?”

  I nod, appeasing his request. When it comes to Travis, I’m willing to do anything he asks. “I do have one condition, though.”

  “Anything,” he says eagerly.

  “Say it again.”

  “Say what?” he asks with a look of confusion.

  “Tell me what that ball said today. I want to hear you say it.”

  Travis removes one of his hands from my leg and cups my cheek. His thumb caresses my lower lip, and he stares into my eyes. “I love you, Saylor.”

  My breathing hitches as I hear the words. The impact is profound and life altering. I kiss the pad of his thumb and let the tears fall willingly. “I love you, Travis.”

  “Yeah?”

 
; “Yeah.”

  “Holy fucking meat sniffer. You fucking love me.”

  “I do, and I have. I’ve been afraid to tell you out of fear that you didn’t feel the same.”

  He kisses me deeply, and when he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine. “That night in the bar…that’s when I knew I was in love with you. I used to think that night was a mistake, but now I know it was meant to be. We were meant to weather that storm together to make us stronger. I fucking love you and Lucy so much that it hurts sometimes.”

  I return his kiss, caressing his stubble as my lips stay sealed to his. I have no doubt that if we could make it through that nightmare, everything else will be a cakewalk.

  “You’re our world, Travis.”

  “And that’s what I’ll always be.”

  “Come on—we have some baby-making practice to get done.” I shimmy off the hood of the car and climb in Dukes of Hazzard style, leaving Travis speechless.

  “What?” he asks as he stands there with his mouth hanging open.

  “You heard me—come on. Practice makes perfect, right?”

  “Oh, babe, you know me. I’m a fucking perfectionist.”

  That’s what I’m counting on. I know that if we’re going to get pregnant, it has to be now, because asking him to miss time during the season would be selfish. If it happens before we go back to Boston, then I’ll be happy, and if not, we’ll have a year of marriage under our belts and start trying next year.

  Either way, heading off into the night sky with the roof down and the wind in our hair is a pretty good way to start off our night.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I want to thank the Chicago Cubs for giving me one of the most exciting World Series ever! The late nights were so worth it.

  Thanks to my dad for giving me the tools to love and understand the game of baseball.

  Thank you to Yvette and Amy for being my sounding board with Travis and for laughing hysterically each time I dropped one of his one-liners.

  Thank you to my agent, Marisa. I appreciate everything that you do for me on a daily basis. The Boys of Summer wouldn’t be possible without you.