But you want to again?
If it happens, it happens
I’d like it to happen
If it does, when do you think it will?
Fallon’s wedding
You were invited?
Yeah. Me and Dylan
Then I guess we’ll see what happens
6
Dylan
Five MonthsLater
As soon asI rolled over, Faye’s name lit up my phone screen. Just the promise of a message from her had me sitting up and swiping it open.
Good luck you two! I’ll be watching all day and I expect a celebration selfie later
I grinned like an idiot. Her messages were the highlight of each day.
For the past five months, the three of us kept a nearly nonstop group chat filled with late-night Loop clips, flirty memes, and the occasional thirst-trap pic.
But despite all the texting, we still hadn’t seen her in person.
During the last stretch of school, Jase and I pushed ourselves even harder than before, and our stats were among the best UCLA had ever seen. The day after we graduated, we signedwith our agent, Marcos, and were immediately invited to a dozen MLB team workouts.
Honestly, the lack of invites the year before should have been the first clue that last year’s draft wouldn’t go our way, but back then we’d both been too cocky. We hadn’t even considered the possibility we wouldn’t sign with anyone.
It had been the kick in the ass we’d needed, even if it meant missing out on events like Faye’s annual Fourth of July party.
“Don’t risk it. Teams are watching everything you two do, so be boring. Let them see you as investments, not as headlines,” Marcos had said.
So, we had taken his advice and were lying low.
This afternoon, though, that could all change. It was our last chance to be drafted, and I was convinced this year would be different from the previous summer.
I set my phone down and dragged myself out of bed.
Jase and I were back at our dads’ house in Portland. Chase had just wrapped up a homestand with the Seawolves before the All-Star break, and two of his players, Crew Stratton and Knox Singleton, were getting married in a couple of days. So it made the most sense for our family to gather in Oregon again rather than in LA.
The house wasn’t full yet, but it would be soon. Cammie was staying with us, and Jamie and her husband, Tony, were staying at a nearby hotel, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already downstairs. In a couple of hours, Marcos and an ESPN camera crew were supposed to arrive.
The only people missing were my brother, Tyler, and his husband, Hayden. They’d shared the news that they’d been selected for a private adoption and had urgent paperwork to take care of in Boston before Hayden left to cover the All-Star game for his news company.
I pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts then stepped into the hallway at the same moment Jase did. He was dressed similarly to me; in fact, I was pretty sure he was wearing my UCLA T-shirt.
“How’d you sleep?” he asked through a yawn.
“Tossed and turned all night. What about you?”
“Same. I think I’m more nervous than I was last year.”
