“So it seems.”
“And you are in love with him.”
He sighs and takes a sip.
“That’s wonderful, Jamie.”
“He’s wonderful, Riley.I just hope I deserve him.”
“Oh, sweetie, give it time.Sooner or later, you’ll believe it too.”
“Like you did?”
“Yes.And look what happened when I believed it.I have a husband, a beautiful, healthy baby girl, and another on the way.I have a home, a job, I have… a life, Jamie.”
I know this is hard for Jamie.It’s not that he’s unhappy for me, but he feels like something between us has changed, like our bond isn’t as tight.He thinks he’s lost the certainty we shared.But that’s not true; he’s still part of my world, and that will never change.Sooner or later, he’ll see that, maybe with the help of a certain charming doctor.
“You have your own family now,” he says, a little wistfully.
I reach over, take his hand, and give it a gentle squeeze.
“And you finally have yours.”
Jamie
“Wow, that’s a lot of people.You didn’t tell me it was such an important event,” the Doctor says as we walk into the room.
“It’s not.Just another player retiring.”
“Hey!I can hear you,” Ian complains.
“Oh, sorry, Ian.I thought you were starting to have hearing problems, too.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“I’m just helping you prepare a bit.Think of it as a warm-up.Soon enough, your brothers will get here, and that’s when things might get rough.”
We make our way through the crowd.When we reach our table, I pull out a chair for my Doctor, and he sits down.
“What a gentleman,” my Doctor comments, smiling at me.
“It’s a fancy night.I’m cool, and I have to act like a gentleman.”
“You are always cool,” the Doctor tells me.
“That’s true, but in this outfit, Doctor, I can turn any man in this room gay.”
“I doubt it.”A pleasant voice cuts in.“What’s up, losers?”Evan greets us.“And by the way, my dad’s cooler than you, Captain.Especially in a tuxedo.”
“Thank you so much, Evan.”
“It’s my duty, Dad.”
Evan sits beside his dad, and Ryan and Chris join us at the table too.
“All that’s missing at this point is…”
“Where is the newly retired?”A familiar voice cuts in.
