I miss my wife, and we’ve got major celebrating to do. Celebrating that will not include my brother. So I’m on a bit of a time crunch here.
“Are you feeling okay? I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you’re extra cranky for someone who insisted we go out after my practice. Is something up with you and Dinah?”
“I’m not cranky.” Jack’s knuckles whiten around the steering wheel. “Just wanted somebrotime,” he says through clenched teeth. He looks as if just saying that was painful.
Then he snips, “And Dinah and I are fine. Everything’s fine.”
Yeah, I don’t buy it. He sounds a whole lot like Brooke the few times I was foolish enough to believe that when she said she didn’t want anything from Knotty & Niceon my way home, she actually didn’t want anything from Knotty & Nice.
Rookie mistake.She did in fact want things and was, decidedly, not fine.
“Sure…” I begin, but before I can really dig in, our little sister blasts out of Tots, Collaborate & Listen like she’s being chased, only stopping abruptly on the sidewalk when she sees us parked there.
She waves and looks exactly like she did the time she borrowed my Bronco in high school and returned it with the passenger side mirror dangling from the hinges.
So very guilty.
“There’s a party inside for you,” Jack blurts unceremoniously. “Brooke’s already here. She called us yesterday to tell us the news, and then she, um… well, she planned the whole thing.”
He stares ahead at Winnie, who seems to think if she stands still enough I won’t grow suspicious. I can’t help but smile and wave back. My wife’s inside.
Jack places his hand on my shoulder and clears the emotion in his throat. “I probably won’t get another chance to tell youtonight with everyone in there ready to celebrate you, but I don’t think I've ever been as proud of another person as I am of you today, Owen. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Jacky. I wouldn’t have gotten here without you.”
“Yeah, you would’ve, bud,” he says with all the confidence in the world. The same confidence he had a year ago when I woke up in a hospital room and doubted whether I’d ever hear the words I did yesterday morning.
Welcome to the Atlanta Hammers.
Rehabilitating my throwing arm in record time has been one of the biggest challenges of my life, and though he’s considerably busy with his own life, Jack has been there to support me every step of the way.
I bite the inside of my cheek so that I don’t do something crazy like blubber all night in the car with my brother. Instead, I pull him in for an over-the-console hug.
It’s manly. With back pats. And only light sobbing.
When we’ve both managed to suck in the tears, we hop out and greet Winnie and Danger, who’s now joined her.
“Heeeeyyyyy, Owen,” she says. She’s about as subtle as the red and silver shirt she’s wearing that I now see says, “You Play Ball Like a Girl” and has my face printed in a diamond pattern across every inch. That’s sweet. “So very cool to see you here tonight.”
“Yeah, such a coincidence,” I say, kissing her cheek and shaking Danger’s hand.
He’s also wearing my face on his chest. Though the words “Pitcher’s Got a Big Butt” are written across his. “Hey, man.” He smiles awkwardly and pulls me in for a hug. “Congrats. We’re all real proud.”
“Thanks, bro. Nice shirt…Rookie of the Year?”
He nods and nudges Winnie with his elbow. “Yeah. Win said I could pick one.”
“They’re awesome.” I scoot past them both. “Thanks for coming to the party. Now… where’s my wife?”
“Jacky! You told him!” Winnie scoffs, like I wouldn’t have picked up on anything amiss based off of their clothing options for the night.
“I didn’t know how to get him in there otherwise.” Jack sounds anything but apologetic. “He’s been so pathetic about Brooke all week, I knew he wouldn’t want to hang out.”
I’d argue about the state of my affairs, but I’m a simple man with a one track mind. So I holler over my shoulder, “Sure have. Love y’all. I’ll see ya in there!”
As I push through the entrance, the huge crowd waiting yells a unified, “Surprise!”
Brooke’s at the center of the group, waiting for a total of three seconds before running into my arms, jumping up and wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my shoulders. “Hello, hubby. You look especially hot today for a professional ballplayer.”
