Jase: Yeah. Wish I wasn’t on a road trip. We just finished our game. Heading back to the hotel and I’ll be watching you
Faye: Me too D. Can’t get enough of you two in baseball pants :P
That made me chuckle. I locked my phone and slid it back into the locker.
Across the country, my brother was about to become a dad. I was playing in the majors, with my two favorite people cheering me on. If someone had told me a year earlier that this would be my life, I’m not sure I would have believed them.
After the game, I checked my phone only to see a few updates from Tyler about labor moving slowly, and they were still waiting.
It wasn’t until I returned to my hotel room that my phone buzzed again.
Tyler had sent a photo of him holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket, eyes closed, looking as peaceful as possible. Hayden had his arm around my brother and the baby.
Tyler: Everyone meet Iris Hazel Statler-Foster. 7 lbs 3 oz. 19 inches. And absolutely perfect
I dropped to the edge of the bed and typed out a message:
Congratulations! She’s beautiful
The Crushers had another series in Boston in a little over a month, and I was looking forward not only to seeing Jase and Faye but also to meeting my niece.
The plane toucheddown in Boston just after six in the evening, and I finally felt like I could breathe again. Boston wasn’t home, but the two people who felt like home to me lived there, and I was desperate to have them both back in my arms.
The team checked into the hotel as a group, with fans and hotel guests openly gawking at us as we milled around the lobby.I rode the elevator up with a couple of teammates, our bags slung over our shoulders, and the conversation shifted to dinner plans.
“Statler,” called McDaniels, one of our starting pitchers, as we stepped onto our floor. “A few of us are grabbing food later. You in?”
I shook my head. “I’ve got family plans tonight.”
He raised a brow. “Consorting with the enemy, huh?”
I laughed. Jase and I being stepbrothers had been a bit of a headline when we played against each other at the beginning of the season, and I’d been on the receiving end of a few jokes after Jase had thrown me out at first in our second game. “Something like that.”
He nodded. “I get it, but you better not bail on us next time.”
“Deal.”
Once I was alone in my room, I sent a text:
Just checked in. I’ll be on my way soon
The replies came instantly:
Faye: Finally
Jase: Hurry up
I showered quickly, changed, and less than thirty minutes later, I was in the back of a rideshare.
As soon as the car pulled up to Jase’s building, I hopped out and headed inside. His apartment was on the third floor, so I didn’t wait for the elevator. Instead, I took the stairs two at a time. My pulse raced, not from the climb but from the anticipation of finally seeing Jase and Faye again.
The door opened before I could knock.
I stepped inside to find Jase standing in front of me, barefoot, wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants.
Of course, he was.
A smartass comment was on the tip of my tongue when he surprised me by grabbing the front of my shirt and crashing his mouth into mine. The shock lasted only a second before my hands came up and fisted his shirt as I kissed him back.
