“You didn’t,” I tell him as I soften my tone, because it isn’t him. It’s the situation itself being brought up on an already shitty day. “I think my long day is catching up with me. I’m going to wash the dishes and head to bed. Thanks for dinner.”
I’m about to stand when Quentin moves quicker than me, grabbing my plate along with his. “No, I’ll wash up. You go get some rest.”
My arms cross under my chest as I stand in front of him as he towers over me. “I’m not living here without helping around the house.”
“You are growing our child and you’ve had a stressful day. Please go relax and take care of yourself, okay?” he pleads, his tone edging on tired, because I’ve fought him on everything today and he’s probably exhausted. I don’t blame the poor guy.
“Fine,” I relent with a sigh. “Thank you again. Good night.”
It’s only just past seven o’clock, but I’m mentally drained and want to sleep it off.
“Good night,” he says with a crooked smile. “I’ll be gone in the morning for my afternoon game tomorrow, so if I’m not here, that’s why.”
“All right, good luck,” I say as I walk away, up the stairs and into my room.
Once I’m alone, all I can think about is how quickly a day can go from good to bad.
As if I don’t already have enough on my plate.
I need to plan how I’m going to announce my pregnancy to the world because being a public figure means you owe the world an explanation. Otherwise, they’d draw up their own stories.
I need clothes. I need to figure out where I’m going to live once my time here is done.
Everything in my life is a mess right now, and yet, knowing I have someone else to take care of on top of myself motivates me more than anything. I’d never let this child grow up the way I did. It’s going to have two loving parents no matter what.
I may not know who I am anymore with gymnastics being taken from me for the time being, and with literally all of my stuff gone, it’s as if it didn’t exist. Like that version of myself didn’t either.
All I know is that I’m going to have to figure it out. Life does that to you, forces you to figure shit out in the middle of the chaos.
While I hoped I’d return to who I once was, I have a feeling that isn’t going to happen.
Chapter 24
Quentin
“Thank you,” I tell my sister as we finish bringing in bag after bag of clothes.
Last night, I texted her asking her if she could go shopping for Teagan. I wanted her to feel more at home and not stress about going shopping the day after her apartment burned down.
“Is she okay?” she whispers, trying to be quiet as Teagan is still sleeping.
“She was upset, understandably so. I’m hoping today is a better day,” I whisper back.
It tore my fucking heart out of my chest seeing her cry yesterday. If I could, I would’ve somehow gone back in time to avoid her apartment catching on fire. Seeing her upset like that bothered me more than I ever imagined was possible, and I hope it never happens again.
“If you need anything else, let me know. Liv and I need to get ready for the game. I’m going today as a fan instead of working for once.”
“She better be cheering for me,” I say as we hug.
“Of course.” She squeezes me then lets go and quietly shuts the door on her way out.
I have to leave to get ready for said game as I’m pitching today and need to warm up my shoulder properly. We’re halfway through the season now, sitting at the top of our division. I’ve been on fire lately, with my pitching being as sharp as ever. My shoulder’s been about the same, feeling sore for a longer period of time after a game where I pitch, but I’m still able to perform, which is what matters most. So far, it’s not impacting how I play, and hopefully, it can stay that way.
Today we’re playing the Ohio Grizzlies, who sit at the bottom of the division. It means it should be an easier win, but we need to play our best nonetheless.
Not wanting to wake Teagan up with a text, I grab a piece of paper and write:
My game’s at 1 today. I should be back by 6, but there are leftovers in the fridge, or feel free to eat whatever you want.
