“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a warning,” he chuckled as he shook her hand. As they spoke more about the day’s events,my eyes never strayed from our host. Brianna was on the taller side but still shorter than Cam. She’d pulled her long, dark hair beneath a Hawks baseball hat, her ponytail sticking out the back end. She’d dressed for a day with the kids, and it made me smile. I’d spent my childhood at a strict private school, and the rules never would’ve allowed for a day like this one. Too often, we got screamed at to keep our clothes clean, needing to present a certain front to the world. But no pretense radiated from this woman—only pride over her school.
She looked over the rest of the group. “I’d say I know each of you, but that would be a lie. My baseball knowledge is almost all borrowed from Hadley. But sincerely, thank you for coming here. We’re so excited to have you, and I can’t explain what this means to the kids.” She swiped her badge and led us into the building. “I don’t want to waste any of your precious time on your day off, so if you’ll follow me, we’ll get the stations set up outside, and then the kids will join us.”
Brianna led us through the gym, and all of us took in the school and the kids clambering to get a peek at their guests. I waved back at them, already feeling my smile building to match theirs. Ah, fuck. Cam was right. This was what we’d always talked about doing, about ways to give back to the community we called home.
This neighborhood wasn’t the best, and from what Cam said, their budget had gotten drastically cut over the past couple of years. But despite the aging building and less-than-pristine conditions, there was still a fierce protectiveness soaking the walls. You heard it in how Hadley and Brianna talked about this place, how much they cared and loved the students who came through their doors.
“Okay.” Brianna clapped her hands as we exited the gym and stepped out onto the field. “We’ve assigned each of you to a station,and you’re paired with a teacher. If you need additional support, we have plenty of others walking around. You can also always flag me down if you need something.” She paced across the field to where a giant sign hung, displaying all our names. “Each station will be about fifteen minutes, and then we’ll switch. You’ll hear a bell signaling when it’s time to move on.”
She lifted onto her tiptoes, searching the crowd. When Ken, our team photographer, stepped forward, she offered him a bright smile. “Before we get started, can we talk? We need to go over which kids can’t be photographed.”
As Ken and Brianna stepped off to the side, my eyes followed, unable to look away. A sharp crack hit my arm, and I scowled over at Cam as he stared daggers back at me. “Don’t even think about it, Ramos.”
“Think about what?”
“You know what,” he sighed, nodding in Brianna’s direction. “She’s married. Off limits.”
Disappointment rushed through my chest as I finally glanced down at her ring finger. Fuck, there it was. Twin rings. How the fuck did I miss those? It was always the first thing I checked, no matter what. I might not do relationships, but I had a strict rule about meddling with attached women. If you were looking to piss off your boyfriend or spouse, find someone else to fill your time. I’d watched the other end of that situation too many times to bring that level of pain into someone else’s world.
I shook off any thoughts of Brianna, turning back toward Cam. “You know me, man. Not gonna go there.”
“Probably a good idea,” Cam answered, glancing around the field with a forlorn expression. “I wish Hadley was here. Fuck, I never knew I could miss someone like this.”
“She’ll be back, Cam. And when she finds out about what you’vedone,” I smirked as I leaned in, “you’re going to reap those benefits for years.”
He shook his head, but he couldn’t hide his grin. “Not about that, D. She works so hard for everyone else. Teaching, helping out with Emilia, and everything she does for me. It’s a lot. If I can take a little bit of the burden away, that’s what I’m going to do. Even if she never knows about this, it’ll be worth it because it matters to her.” He ran his hand over his face as if clearing that thought away. “Gotta get set up before the kids get out here. You good, man?”
“Yeah,” I said, scanning the poster for my name. When I saw the name written next to it, I couldn’t help my smile. Collier.
Almost on instinct, I found her in the crowd, watching as she spoke with the team photographer and our social media manager. She smiled over her shoulder, pointing at the different areas the teachers and team had set up. Something pulled in my chest, forcing all my attention to Brianna.
Married. She was fucking married. The reminder soured all my thoughts, washing them away just as soon as they’d arrived. But no matter what I told myself, it didn’t stop the excitement that raced through me as she came over to join my station.
“So, Damien,” she beamed up at me, “ready to do this with me?”
TWO
Happy, smiling faces filled the back lot of our school, the kids animatedly talking to their assigned baseball players. We’d set up ten stations, one for each player, with different games that incorporated their team drills. Students raced through bases, tossed passes back and forth, and even struck out balls thrown by the Hawks’ pitchers.
Even I had to admit, today turned out better than I ever dreamed. When my co-teacher, Hadley first spoke about her ideas for Field Day, it was just fragments, a plan with no defined lines. She’d done all the leg work behind the scenes, but now that she’d be out for the rest of the year, there was no one left to take over her dream.
Until Cam reached out to me. Over the past two weeks, we’d talked constantly, working through all the details about how to make the day a success for everyone. And now, we were seeing it all come to fruition.
Together, we turned Hadley’s dream into a reality.
I stared across the field, watching as Cam caught a fly ball. He raced over and changed places with the girl, showing her how to holdher glove just right. He looked over and tipped his hat in my direction, as happy as I was that we’d made all this work. But every so often, when I looked over at him, his eyes sparkled as he glanced around the field, clearly wishing Hadley was here to experience it too.
It didn’t take a genius to see he’d fallen for Hadley. Hard. That kind of deep love was clear when he spoke about her, how his eyes glistened when anyone else said her name. Even from a distance, she had him under her spell, and there was no one who deserved it more.
As I spun my wedding ring around my finger, I couldn’t help but remember the days when I was the one with stars in my eyes, looking forward to building a future with my husband.
Now, seven years later, those dreams seemed further away than ever.
“Heads up, Mrs. Collier!” my favorite second grader, Ashton, called out as he lobbed a ball in my direction.
Crap. I was supposed to be paying attention, catching the balls before they flew out into the middle of the field. Most of them hadn’t come close, and I’d gotten too complacent. Ashton, however, swung the bat like he’d been born for it, sending a line drive straight toward my face.
My body froze at the sight.Who thought this was a good idea?I was a behind-the-scenes person, all too happy to sit at my desk and analyze data, not to stand in the middle of a baseball field, pretending I knew how to handle the glove on my right hand. That’s right! The glove. I squeaked as I held it in front of me, hoping the ball would collide with the smooth leather and not the side of my head.
