Brooks
Another season had come and gone. Another year of grinding, pushing, giving everything I had to this sport, only to come up short.
No playoffs. No shot at the World Series ring every single player on this team had been chasing. The disappointment clung to the air, thick and suffocating, making every breath feel a little heavier. We had fought hard, we had won more than we had lost, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.
And worse than that? This team would never be the same again.
Some guys wouldn’t make the cut next season. Others would get traded to different teams, different cities, different lives. A few wouldn’t even find new contracts. The reality of professional baseball was brutal, and this was the part I hated the most.
Still, I held my head high, shaking hands, saying my goodbyes, waving at our coach before heading toward the parking lot. We’d had a winning season, and after spending five years on a below-average team, a winning season was fine by me.
Even though I’d never say it out loud, I wasn’t mad about the offseason. Our bodies needed rest, sure, but that wasn’t why I was looking forward to it.
Michelle.
Living with her. Seeing her come home with her scrubs wrinkled and her face glowing because she loved her job at the maternity ward. She graduated at the top of her class and she had a small but mighty fan base there for her: Fiona, Gideon, Brigham, Logan, and me.
Life was…amazing. I fell asleep next to her every night and woke up to her in the mornings.
Yeah. Life outside the field wasn’t too bad.
And for the first time in my life, I had everything I wanted.
That wasn’t to say there hadn’t been challenges. Michelle had spent the last eight months working through the mess her family left behind, but she had done it on her own terms, her own way. Her father was still behind bars, waiting on a trial that had been delayed twice. Victor had taken a plea deal, sentenced to rehab and probation, and while Michelle hadn’t decided whether she’d ever talk to him again, she at least had the choice.
That was something she never had before.
And my mom?
She was doing well. The extra security at the nursing home had stayed permanently, and Angela made sure she had daily check-ins, more structure, more safety. She still had bad days, but the good ones made it worth it.
And Logan? That asshole had been flirting his way across the country, traveling during his downtime, but he always showed up when it mattered. I knew if I needed him, he’d be on the next flight home.
“You going for a drink after, or heading home?” Brigham asked, falling into step beside me as Tate and Gideon followed. It was a weird mix, the two veterans and the two younger players, but it worked. These guys weren’t just teammates. They were family.
And in this sport? You needed that. “Mitch texted me,” I said, shouldering my bag as we walked toward the players’ lot. “The girls are waiting for us at Baxter’s.”
“You all coming?”
“Yup. I need a beer or two.” Tate clapped me on the back. “Life feels confusing without baseball. I never know what to do with myself in the offseason.”
I smirked. “You’ll figure it out.”
“I won’t be a fifth wheel, right?”
“Nah.” Brigham waggled his brows. “I texted Fi. She’s bringing some of her hot friends.” He stuck out his tongue, looking like an idiot, and I rolled my eyes.
Brigham had matured a little over the past season, but he was still a damn goofball.
His smirk turned sharp. “You and Mitch engaged yet?”
I gritted my teeth. “No.”
“Damn.” Brigham barked out a laugh, and Tate and Gideon chuckled behind him. “I owe you twenty, Gid.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You bet on my engagement?”
“Hell yeah. You’ve been so into her, I figured you’d put a ring on that by now.” Brigham and Tate hopped into Tate’s truck, still grinning, while I moved toward my car.
