“Good call.” I offered my fist for a bump.
Faye: I’m saving that for in-person ;)
Fuck. I really couldn’t wait to see her again.
“All right, boys,” Marcos said to get our attention. “Tonight, you get to celebrate with your family, but then shit gets real. You two will be flying out to Florida next week for mini-camp, physicals, and onboarding stuff for new players. I’ll email you with all the details.”
Tony let out a whistle. “They don’t get any downtime, do they?”
Marcos shook his head. “Not in this business.”
Just then, it hit me. This was really happening for us. We’d be together in Florida for a while, but then what? Jase and I were going to play for different teams, in different states, and likely in different minor-league divisions.
For the first time since the phone rang, there was a little crack in my happiness.
Jase must’ve felt the change because he bumped my foot with his. “What’s wrong?”
I shrugged. “Just realizing that next season will be the first time we won’t be together since we were what? Ten years old?”
I half expected him to make a joke about me getting emotional.
Instead, he swallowed hard. “Yeah. I know.”
Around us, our family was still celebrating, but I couldn’t stop looking at Jase. We were both smiling, both thrilled to be living the dream, but for the first time, the future wasn’tours.
It was his and mine. Separate.
And while it was supposed to be our beginning, it also felt like an ending I wasn’t ready for.
7
Faye
Fallon and Rhett’swedding was coming up, and a group of us were going out for Fallon’s bachelor party. Morgan and I sat in the backseat of the government-issued black SUV the Secret Service used to drive me around as we pulled up to The Illusion Lounge. The place hosted nightly drag shows, and downstairs was a nightclub we planned to visit after the performances.
With Agent Pederson leading the way, we walked inside, and I immediately spotted our table because my brother’s agents were nearby.
“Hey.” Fallon stood as we approached. “I was afraid you two would ditch my party for a better offer.” He hugged me, then Morgan.
I lifted a shoulder. “The night’s still young. There’s plenty of time for us to get another invitation.”
He rolled his eyes. “Just sit down and order a drink.”
I stopped to greet Tyler, Fallon’s best friend, who was also Jase and Dylan’s older brother, before Morgan and I sat across the table from them.
“Tyler and I were just talking about his brothers,” Fallon explained, and my ears perked up. “You met them last year at our Fourth of July party. Dylan was drafted by the Carolina Crushers, and Jase was picked up by the Red Sox.”
I took a second to pretend I was trying hard to picture who they were. “Uh … I think I remember them.”
Morgan faked a cough, and I shot her a glare.
“Sorry, I swallowed wrong,” she lied.
I turned to Tyler. “So, that’s a big deal. I’m sure your family is super happy for them.”
He nodded. “For sure, but their egos are already ridiculous. Being drafted in the first round is only going to make them insufferable. It doesn’t help that Statler-Matthewson fan clubs are already popping up online.”
That wasn’t news to me. I’d seen them.
