Change Up

by Lacy Hart

  I pressed the phone number of the text and tried to call him, but the phone went right to voicemail. He probably had lots of calls he was receiving or making, so I wasn’t surprised. I decided to send him a text message instead:

  I told you once that you know how to woo a girl, and I meant it. I’m falling hard for you. Missing you and hoping you have a good night.

  I just lay back on the bed, relishing the entire day, and wondering when I would hear from him again.

  33

  Kristin

  I had felt like I was on a roller coaster for the last week. Ever since I met Wes my life has been turned every which way, with more highs and lows than I had ever thought possible. After last night, I was convinced it was going to all be worth it. The connections I had made with Wes’ family, especially with Izzy, were so important to me and gave me hope that Wes and I could have some future together. Then, when I saw Wes’ gesture on TV after the game, I was certain I was making the right decision by seeking a relationship with him, even if it meant that we might be apart for months at a time.

  My only concern was that I had not heard from him since he sent me the picture of the wristbands he wore with my initials on them. He had sent me the text, and I responded to him right after I got it, but I didn’t hear back from him at all. I tried calling him a few times, but the phone went right to voicemail. I left a message one time, letting him know I was thinking about him and wanted to talk to him, but I still had heard nothing back.

  I knew the team was flying to St. Louis after the game last night for their next series, so I assumed that meant he was traveling all night, getting to the hotel late. He was probably still asleep at the hour I woke up to get ready for work, but I was still worried.

  I guess I need to get used to this kind of life and relationship, I told myself to make myself feel better.

  While I showered and got ready for work, I did get a text from Karen. All she told me was that she would be in late this morning, or even early afternoon if that was okay. She volunteered to take my late shift at the library for me instead since it was Thursday and we were open late tonight. I replied to her that it was fine, and she sent me a smiling face back to say thanks. I was glad she and Brian were hitting it off so well.

  After yesterday’s rain, today was sunny and nice, and the temperature was even a bit warmer, making my walk to work seem more pleasant. There was just a bit of a breeze along the street, enough to give some bounce to the skirt of the light olive cotton dress I was wearing. As I sauntered past the diner, there was Clyde and friends to wave hello to me, with more of them taking an avid interest in me than usual. Clyde even rapped on the window to get my attention, and I turned to look to see what he wanted. He held up a copy of the local newspaper in his hands, which had a big picture of Wes on the back cover, holding up his wristband for the camera for the world to see. I looked up at Clyde and smiled, shrugged my shoulders at him playfully, and walked away with the smile still on my face.

  I picked up the copies of the newspaper outside the library that we made available to patrons and brought them in with me as I opened. I laid the paper out on the front counter to look at the story. It talked about how Wes had won the game and set a record by hitting six home runs in two games, and in six successive at-bats. It also questioned who the “mysterious” KA was that his home runs were dedicated to and wondered who he was thinking about that had him so motivated these days. The paper even sought comment from his parents, but Wyatt Martin was quoted as saying “I don’t know who he’s talking about.”

  Good old Wyatt, I thought with a smile. I reminded myself to pick a copy or two of the newspaper today on my way home as a keepsake.

  It wasn’t long before I got another text from Karen. Apparently, she had just seen on social media the video of Wes. Her message to me was:

  Holy shit, Kris!

  I just sent back a blushing face emoji to her and left it at that.

  I was convinced there was nothing that was going to bring down my mood today. I floated through the library, humming to myself, putting books back on the shelves, straightening up the tables, vacuuming the rugs, and every other chore and task that came along. I smiled and greeted everyone happily that came in all morning, no matter how grumpy they might have been. I did get an email from Marion, reminding me to have my proposals for next week’s board meeting ready, and I didn’t panic or stress about it at all. It didn’t even bother me that I had forgotten to pack myself a lunch for today and munched on one of the cereal bars I kept in my desk for emergencies while I drank my coffee.

  After a while, I was looking for things to do to occupy my time. There were a few patrons in the library, sitting at the tables reading, but other than that, it was a quiet afternoon. I decided to clean out some of the areas underneath the counter, pulling out boxes of supplies and junk and sorting through them. I was down on my hands and knees pulling a box out when I heard a voice at the front counter clear his throat.

  “I’ll be with you in one second,” I said cheerfully as I was trying to reach the far corner underneath the side counter.

  “Take your time,” the voice said, sounding muffled since most of me was under the counter. “I’m enjoying the view anyway.”

  It was then I realized that my backside was sticking out while I cleaned. It was a bit embarrassing, but I thought it was a bit forward and rude of whoever said that to me out there, and I scurried out from underneath the cabinet to give them a piece of my mind.

  “Excuse me?” I began with as I got up and brushed myself off since I was covered in dust. “I’m happy to help you, but there’s no need to be…” I stopped in my tracks as I looked up.

  Wes was standing there, holding a bouquet of roses for me. Shock ran through my body as I dropped the duster in my hand.

  “What are you doing here?” I said to him, still unable to believe he was here.

  “I was in town and thought I would stop by the library,” he said with a smile. “I’m curious as to how you were going to finish that sentence.”

  I walked around the counter and stood in front of him.

  “I was going to say there’s no need to be rude,” I said softly and smiled at him.

  “Well I do apologize for that,” Wes said. “I hope these make up for it.” He handed me the flowers. I took them in my shaking hand and immediately placed them on the counter. I reached up and pulled him to me, giving him a long kiss. When we finally broke the kiss slowly, I could hear some light applause coming from the tables from the people sitting there, now watching us instead of reading.

  I blushed and giggled a bit as I buried my face in Wes’ chest. I could feel tears coming to my eyes.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be in St. Louis?” I said to him.

  Wes took my hand, leading me into my office so we could have some more privacy.

  “Yes, I was supposed to be in St. Louis,” he started to tell me. “After the game, we were all packed and dressed and ready to go. I had just had this amazing run of two days playing… better than I had in my entire career. It was satisfying, but it wasn’t making me happy. You know why? Because you weren’t there to share it with me. We were walking to the bus to head to the airport, and I couldn’t do it. I told the manager that this was it, I was done. There was no better way for me to go out. I felt bad leaving my teammates that way, but I’ve spent the last fifteen years of my life putting what should be most important to me on hold. I didn’t want to do it any longer, to miss out on what was going to make me happy no matter what.”

  I looked up at Wes, feeling overwhelmed by what he was telling me. He smiled at me and continued speaking.

  “I was nervous about it, and after I got my stuff from my locker and back to the hotel I went to call Dad, and that’s when I saw your message. It made me happy to know you felt that way. Then when I talked to Dad, and he told me about last night… About how you were there, and talked to my Mom and to Izzy, and said how things were… I knew I was doing the righ
t thing. I got in my car and drove all night to get back here. I got home early this morning, saw Mom and Dad, sent Izzy a message to let her know, and then I came here to see you. That’s it.”

  I took Wes’ hand in mind and held it tightly.

  “Wes, I just want you to be sure this is right for you,” I said to him. “I’m perfectly okay with you playing and being on the road, and we can make this work that way. I’m convinced of it.”

  “If I weren’t completely convinced this was right for me, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you right now,” he said to me.

  “What about your contract? All that money,” I said to him.

  “Kris, I never played for the money,” Wes told me. “Hell, the money is great; I’m not denying that. But I’ve taken good care of what I have earned. I played because I loved to be out there playing, because it’s where it felt right for me to be. Now it’s right for me to be here… with Izzy, and Mom and Dad… and with you… if you’ll have me.”

  Tears were streaming down my face now and I could them falling on our hands as we held them together.

  “Yes…” I said quietly. “Of course, I’ll have you. I’ve never wanted anything else more.”

  We kissed again, just as passionately as before, and were only interrupted by a cough from outside my office.

  I looked over and saw Karen standing there, smiling and holding a cup of coffee she brought with her.

  Wes and I broke our embrace and stood looking at Karen.

  “Karen,” I said to her, feeling flustered, “You made it in. Great. Karen, this is Wes Martin. Wes, this is Karen. She works with me here in the library.”

  Wes held out his hand to Karen and shook it.

  “I know who he is,” Karen said as she shook his hand. “I’m a big fan. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Thanks,” Wes said humbly. He turned to me and said, “I should let you get back to work.” I felt disappointed he would be leaving after he just got here.

  “Kris can go with you,” Karen said, jumping in. “She covered for me this morning, so I could be off and now work the rest of the day.” Karen pulled me out of the office to be next to Wes. She reached in and grabbed my purse, handing it to me.

  I mouthed a “thank you” to her as I stood next to Wes, taking his hand again. I saw Brian, the guy Karen has been seeing, standing on the other side of the counter. He was staring at Wes, somewhat star struck that he was there, right in front of him.

  I took my flowers off the counter to bring with me.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told Karen. She was still beaming at me as she leaned on the counter. I saw Brian lean closer to her and whisper “That’s Wes Martin!” Karen playfully slapped his arm, telling him to be quiet.

  Wes and I walked out the door, with all eyes on us as we left. We went straight to his SUV, and in moments we were on the road, going back to his house. As we pulled onto the road and headed up the hill past his parents’ house, I took a smell of the flowers and looked over at Wes. I just grinned at him, feeling like my heart was overflowing.

  Wes parked the car and came around and opened the door for me. We walked into his house and towards the kitchen, when he grasped my hand, took my flowers and tossed them on the kitchen counter, and pulled me over towards his bedroom door.

  We started kissing immediately, giving short kisses to each other as we began to quickly undress. Our hands could barely be kept off one another, and more than once I found myself giggling as we fumbled with zippers, buttons, and clasps until we were each rid of our clothing.

  Wes guided me down onto his bed, slowly kissing my neck, while he lay on top of me. The heat and excitement coursing through my body seemed almost unbearable, and I wanted my hands all over him and his all over me. I was already excited, and Wes clearly was as well, but I could tell he wanted this experience to last. He was very deliberate with me and my body, exploring it closely and tenderly with his fingers and his mouth. I felt him kissing his way down my body, down my breasts, and across my stomach. I could feel my body almost involuntarily lift my hips up to meet his lips as he kept going lower, planting slow, lingering kisses on me until I felt his tongue gently slip between the folds of my flesh and inside me. I gasped deeply with pleasure, trying to contain what was building up inside me so quickly. His kisses and licks were more intense than anything I had felt before, and when he found my clitoris with the tip of his tongue, my body couldn’t take much more. He kept bringing me right to the edge with his mouth, teasing my body until I was crying out for him.

  Wes smiled down at me as he saw my heavy breathing starting to subside. I peered up at him as he lowered my legs back down to the bed. Wes laid next to me, tracing my body lightly with his fingers. I was so keyed up now that even the slightest touch like this was sending jolts through me, and I felt myself quiver as his fingers glided over the side of my left breast. I quickly turned to my side to kiss him deeply, our tongues mingling in mouths, and soon enough our bodies were pressed tightly against each other again.

  Wes broke our kiss and ran his right hand through my hair as he raised himself up over me. He looked deeply into my eyes as I could feel him slide into me so easily. I was so ready for him to be in my body was aching for it, and I felt myself wrap my legs tightly around him, holding him there, pulling him deeper and deeper inside me. His thrusts were calm, kind and deliberate, and I closed my eyes tightly and held on to him, pressing my chest against his, kissing his shoulder, and hearing the moans from my body matching the deep breaths he was taking.

  My legs were shaking as I held onto him, and when I felt him hold me tightly and surge forward, his orgasm pushed me over the edge once again. We just held each other as close as our bodies would allow. I am sure Wes could feel me trembling in his arms as he continued to hold me. He rolled to my side, keeping his arm around my shoulders to bring me closer to him.

  Wes looked over at me and kissed me softly on my lips.

  “God, you are so beautiful,” he said to me brushing the hair from my face so he could see my flushed cheeks. I could feel tears falling from my eyes again, and he gently wiped them away with his finger.

  “Why are you crying?” Wes asked, giving me a gentle smile as he kissed me again.

  “I’ve never been so happy,” I whispered to him, leaning over to kiss him again.

  “Well I hope I can keep you feeling this way,” Wes whispered back, pulling me into his arms.

  My head was resting against his chest.

  “I know you will,” I answered, closing my eyes, feeling safe, happy, and loved.

  34

  Wes

  Laying there, holding Kristin in my arms while she slept gently, gave me a chance to reflect on the last day or so. I think I knew the moment I put my suit on to go to the team bus that I was never getting on that bus to go to the airport. There was too much of a pull to bring me back to Chandler. I had done everything I thought I could do in baseball by this point. Even though I had never been to a World Series, I felt like I had accomplished everything I could, and there might not ever be a better way to go out than this. When I reached the team bus, I pulled Pete Doyle aside to let him know about my decision. Pete didn’t take it as well as I had hoped he would. He ranted, raged, and cursed about abandoning the team, letting them down, and how I owed it to them and the fans to keep playing. The other players were watching and listening as all this went on, and I calmly stood there and let Pete have his say.

  Anton Rogers lumbered out and told Pete to get on the bus. He and I walked a few steps away from the bus as I explained to him that I was retiring.

  “Why now, man?” Anton asked.

  “I’ve got too much going on at home to keep traveling like this Anton. I have a teenage daughter that needs me, a mother who is sick and… and someone that I care about deeply that I need with me. The time is right for me.”

  “People are going to say you’re a quitter, Wes,” Anton said honestly.

  “Let them say what they
have to,” I told him. “I can take it. I’m sorry if I’m leaving you guys short, and I’m sorry if I let you down, Anton, but I have to do this.”

  “You’re not letting me down, Wes,” Anton said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “You do what’s right for you and your family. It’s a game, man. People forget about that and take it way too seriously. I’ll be fine, the team will be fine. They’ll bring some kid up to play, and I’ll work him into shape like the rest of them. You go home, take of your daughter, and take care of that girl, KA. She must be someone pretty special.”

  “She is,” I answered. We shook hands, and Anton leaned in and gave me a hug.

  “You bring those girls down to Pittsburgh when we’re in town Wes,” Anton said to me. “I need to meet them.”