“And if I’m not?”
Gray smirked at me, just as he’d done millions of times when we played together. Of everyone in the room, he’d known me the longest, considering we’d moved through the majors together for almost ten years. “You will be. No one keeps Damien Ramos off the field for long.”
My smile faltered; I wished I had the same faith Gray did. But seeing my team in the same room made my resolve harden, lifting away the fog that had plagued me since I woke up in the hospital.
I nodded to Benny as he set up the crock pot. “Is that Ollie’s chili? Please say yes.”
“Nah,” Parker answered for him. “She’s too pissed to cook you anything. I even got my head bit off for coming over here.”
“Ollie’s pissed at me?”
Cam grimaced. “All the girls are. They’re all on Team Brianna right now.”
I shuffled over to the kitchen, taking a seat on the stool next to my island. The rest of the guys came over and greeted me then wanderedoff to find food and entertainment. The hum of the conversation didn’t soften the blow of Cam’s words though. “What do you mean, Team Brianna?”
Parker scoffed. “C’mon, man. You ghosting us is one thing. We all get it. But Bri? She’s trying to hide it, but she’s fucking hurt. The rest of the girls are just as pissed on her behalf.”
I muttered a curse then ran my hand over my face. “How the hell do you guys even know about me and Bri?”
This time, it was Benny who scoffed. “Any idiot with two eyes can see you’re crazy about that girl.”
“Not you too, Weber,” I groaned.
He shrugged as he grabbed a drink from my fridge. “Not my fault you got those heart eyes every time she came around. And when she came to the hospital, she refused to leave your side. No hiding that kind of love, Ramos.”
Love.The word pinged around in my mind, a beacon in the darkness. Did Brianna love me? God, I’d hoped she felt the same, but I’d convinced myself she’d never let her walls down enough to fully fall for me. Now that Weber planted the seed in my mind, I wanted nothing more, and I hated myself for backing away before I could find out.
I swallowed, forcing my eyes back down to the counter. “Doesn’t matter. I fucked up, and I doubt she wants to hear from me. Hell, I might be Team Bri at this point too.”
Cam shook his head. “Nah, man. Brianna’s pissed, and that’s a good sign. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t be so upset, and the other girls wouldn’t be waging war against you.”
“You need to grovel,” Jace said when he came over to join the rest of us. “If you want Brianna back, you need to do some serious fuckinggroveling.”
“What does that even mean?” I sighed, dropping my head to the back of the couch.
“You need to own that you messed up and prove you’ll never do it again.” Parker snapped his fingers. “Read one of those romance books she loves. Ollie’s always talking about Bri’s book boyfriends and how perfect they are. Beg—on your hands and knees if you have to.”
I motioned to my leg. “And how the fuck am I going to do that?”
“Metaphorically, dumbass,” Jace said. “Show her how much you love her. Show her you’re not going anywhere.”
I sat with that for a moment, trying to ignore the dark thoughts rushing through my mind. Looking down at my ruined knee, I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d even want to take me back, much less if I deserved it or not. I shook my head. “Can’t bring her into this mess right now, not until I get my head together.”
“Is that what you think?”
I looked up, and Cam had leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter. “You got hurt, D. And yeah, that fucking sucks. No way around that. But let me ask you something: what would hurt you more? Never stepping back on that field again or losing Brianna?”
“Losing Bri.” The words left my mouth quickly, almost too quickly for me to realize them. But as I thought about it, the answer was just as clear. I’d gotten a decade of playing baseball on a professional level. That was more than most people could ever dream of. If that was it for me, I could walk away, happy I’d gotten to spend the time I had on the field.
But with Brianna, our future had only just begun. My future flashed through my mind, and for thefirst time, it didn’t revolve around a baseball team. It was all tangled up with her.
Mornings cuddled together on the couch.
Nights spent in each other’s arms.
Standing at her side as she took on the world.
I wanted more than a few hurried weeks.
