“And laugh?” I repeat.
“I always laugh when I’m with you, Uncle Q,” she replies, her big brown eyes looking at me with so much love in them.
My heart swells in my chest at the sight. God, I love her as if she were my own. Since Ryker and I are on the same team and we live so close to each other, I get to spend a lot of time with her and it’s my favorite thing in the world.
Growing up, I was never close to my parents, seeing as they had royal duties to fulfill. I spent most of my days getting into trouble with Camille, or helping her out of it.
So Camille and I had a bond different than the one with our other three siblings, and when she had her own kid, it hit me harder than I ever thought. Being Olivia’s uncle is by far the most rewarding and best thing I’ve ever been a part of.
“You got it, Liv,” I say.
I give her a fist bump, to which she bumps me back with all of her strength. I pretend my hand hurts and she bursts into a fit of laughter.
Olivia then takes my hand and brings me to the living room to play checkers, where we begin our day together.
We spend the rest of the day doing exactly what she wants.
I laugh as I watch Ryker toss Olivia into the pool, with her water wings on, of course, followed by my sister, whom he places over his shoulder, and jumps into the water.
I had just gotten out minutes ago, choosing to dry off and watch as they enjoy themselves.
When they surface from under water, Camille splashes water at Ryker, and Olivia joins in. Eventually, Ryker grabs a water gun nearby and gets them back, their high-pitched squeals and laughter like music to my ears.
But beneath the music, there’s a pinch in my chest when I see them together as a family.
Being the pitcher of one of the biggest teams in the MLB, I have everything I need. I never have to think about money and the guys on my team have become my family.
Hell, I even relinquished my title as Prince to live this life, having left Lorsica to live here and pursue my dream. Don’t get me wrong, it was all worth it for the life I get to live now. It was all I ever wanted.
But now that I’m nearing the end of my career, it’s hitting me more than ever that there’s a void in my life. With my recent thoughts of how far my career is going to go, it’s been hitting me lately that I’m alone. I go home to an empty house. I wake up by myself. It’s quiet and predictable. And when I’m with my sister, Ryker, and Olivia, it makes me realize how much I want what they have.
“Uncle Q, get in here!” Olivia demands, breaking up my thoughts.
I can never say no to her, so I get out of my chair, take a running start, and cannonball into the water.
Olivia wears herself out so much between swimming and practicing gymnastics as she does hand stands and cartwheels in thebackyard that by the time one o’clock rolls around, she’s fallen asleep on Camille’s lap as we sit around the patio table.
“I’m going to go lay her down. I’ll be right back,” Camille says before getting up and heading inside.
“You’re a lucky man,” I say to Ryker.
Ryker leans back in his chair and watches my sister and niece head inside, a look of appreciation in his eyes. “I really am the luckiest man in the world.”
“And I’m happy to be a witness to it.”
“Thanks, Q. We love having you around.”
We’re silent for a beat, letting the sun beat down on us as we relax, until Ryker speaks up.
“By the way, are you going out with the team tonight?” he asks, changing topics.
We usually have games on the weekend, but we also get at least one complete weekend off per season to offset all of the travel, physical exertion, and overall mental stress. So, since we are off tonight, the boys want to take advantage.
“Nah, I’m too old for that stuff as you say,” I mock.
“Oh, shut up.” He shakes his head. “You should go and have fun with the guys.”
“I see them enough as it is.” I shrug. Don’t get me wrong, I love my team, but I don’t feel the need to go to every team outing. I see them often, and as I’ve gotten older, going out isn’t what it used to be. I’d rather be in the comfort of my home or someone else’s.
