“This worked perfectly.” I can hear Mallory’s smile in her words. “No one will ever know you’re here.”
It’s then that it hits me.
Trevor doesn’t know I’m here.
What I wanted more than anything by coming to this game was forTrevorto know that he’s got someone in the stands, cheering him on. He should know that someone who cares about him has finally shown up. As the game ticks on, my mind whirs. I wonder how upset my newfound friend will be if I intentionally ruin all of her hard work.
Chapter 27
Trevor
Istand from behind the plate, arching my sore back. With our narrow win against the Detroit Sluggers, Patrick, our manager, is going to keep us extra long tonight. A disappointed twist settles in my gut. After this crappy game, I wanted to get home to Kenzie as quickly as possible.
It’s been a while since being on the field has left me this drained, both physically and emotionally. The Sluggers put us through our paces, reminding us why they’re the reigning World Series Champions. If that hadn’t been enough, the infighting between Aaron and me made the first part of the game miserable.
He completely ignored me while giving away lead after lead. Then Aaron darn near threw a tantrum when Patrick pulledhim in the second inning. The hush overtaking the crowd during that mound visit had been deafening. Afterward, Aaron blamed me, making sure to “innocently” shoulder check me when I came in from a strikeout in the bottom of the fourth.
I’m sore, exhausted, and my self-control is teetering on a razor’s edge. Taking a second, I close my eyes to center myself, imagining walking into the house later and finding Kenzie fast asleep on the couch.
Some nights, she’ll stay up and greet me with a post-game snack, but often her early bird internal clock can’t tolerate the late hour. On those nights, I find her asleep on the couch, like a kid waiting for midnight on New Year’s Eve who couldn’t quite make it. Often, Banks and Jet are snuggled atop her Paul Rudd blanket while the muted TV strobes colored light over their sleepy faces.
Every time, I take a moment to simply gaze at the three of them, my heart feeling like it’s beating outside my chest. Then I carry Kenzie to bed, her mumbling a few game stats into my shoulder before I give her temple a goodnight kiss. It’s quickly become my favorite post-game routine.
“Trevor!” Mallory calls as I walk toward the dugout, leaning over the half-wall between the field and the stands. “Can you come here? I have a fan I want you to meet.”
I sigh internally but keep a friendly expression on my face. All I want is to take off my gear and shower so I can get through team commitments. The quicker I can do all of that, the faster Ican get to Kenzie. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll get a second text from her saying that she’s staying up tonight, because…I could really use a hug.
I hadn’t realized how incredible it is to nuzzle into Kenzie’s strawberry-scented shampoo and just exhale all of the day’s tension. Nothing against the single life, but I get now why my married teammates always seem so calm and happy. They’re supported, physically and emotionally, by the women they love.
“Trevor Chapman, I want you to meet my good friend, Ken,” Mallory says with an exaggerated wink.
A short, older gentleman, still wearing sunglasses though the sun set long ago, fidgets beside my teammate’s wife.
“Good to meet you, sir.” I extend my hand.
He takes it with a determined shake, pumping it twice. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like a warrior in your catcher’s gear?”
My brain short circuits for a second because the voice coming from this man’s wrinkled face is undeniably Kenzie’s. But…
The man pulls down his sunglasses, revealing sparkling green eyes.
“Surprise,” she says softly, bearded mouth twitching at the corner.
A boisterous laugh tumbles out of me. “Why are you—”
“Shhh,” Mallory cuts me off, leaning close. “This is not who you think it is because that person is on the banned list. This is Amaya’s granddad, Ken.”
Amaya steps over, slinging her arm around Kenzie’s shoulders as if to corroborate the story.
My happy surprise quickly morphs into prickly annoyance. “Why would that person be on the banned list?”
“Apparently…” Kenzie starts and then lowers the timbre of her voice when a security guard gets near. “Apparently, jumping onto and then falling off of a dugout is frowned upon.”
Oh, yeah.She’s got a point.
“I can fix that,” I say, the smile returning to my mouth. “I’ll make an appeal after we review film tonight.”
Kenzie bites her bottom lip, the action making her fake beard droop a little. “A certain teammate might have also requested I be on it.”
