“What did he do?” she asks, pulling me into a hug. “And do I need to hide a body or write a press release?”
“I like her,” Ali comments, nodding at Willow. She lifts her hand and waves at the two other women. “I’m the best friend. And if there’s ever a body to deal with, I’ll help.”
Once our glasses are full of a delicious-looking pinot, I take a deep breath.
“Maverick and I aren’t together anymore.”
That’s all I say, and all I plan to divulge. There’s no way I’m revealing details about Eli or Maverick to Willow and Lark. I won’t betray him by sharing anything he wouldn’t want them to know.
“Something tells me there’s a hell of a lot more to that story, but I won’t pry. Iwillsay, he’s more of an idiot than I expected if he’s pushing you away.” Willow covers my hand with hers. “I’m sorry, babe.”
I sniff back a tear, dashing away the one that actually does fall. “I’d say I’m fine, but I’m not.” I blink at the other girls. “And I don’t want to talk about it. Honestly. So someone else say something, please.”
“Baron asked me to marry him and I said yes.” Lark looks like she might be sick, which seems odd, considering what she just said. That is, until she goes on to say, “But I think I made a big mistake.”
Silence falls over the table as we all stare at her in shock. Willow recovers first, giving her head a slight shake. “Okay, one thing at a time. What’s the big mistake?” she asks cautiously.
Lark turns a morose look her way. “I don’t really want to marry him.”
“Oh, thank fuck.” Willow relaxes into her seat. “That’s not a mistake, that’s the smartest thing you’ve said about that idiot in a long time.”
She’s pulling no punches, and it’s clear how Willow feels about Lark’s partner. I’m just happy to have the attention off me and my relationship woes, though I feel for Lark. She looks miserable.
“You’re not the one who has to tell him and his mother,” Lark says miserably, staring into her glass of wine. “It’s going to be awful.”
“Maybe, but you can do so much better than him.”
I raise my glass, tilting it toward Lark. “To doing better than the men we’re with.”
She lets our glasses touch but frowns at me. “Mav’s a good man. I really am sorry it didn’t work out.”
“I know he’s a good man. I’m just not right for him.” I shrug, trying not to let it show how much that statement stings. “Besides, I was talking about my ex. He wasn’t even half the man Maverick is. And now that I’ve been with someone like him, I know I’ll never settle for less again.”
“I can drink to that,” Lark says with a watery smile. “To never settling for less.”
The four of us raise our glasses and drink together. And while it still hurts, and I know I’ll be missing Maverick for a while, I feel a little bit better having my friends around me.
The pain feels more manageable with their support.
Chapter thirty-six
Maverick
I slam my glove down on the bench, barely holding back a curse. What a fucking shit show of a game. Any hopes of us making the playoffs might as well be dead in the water now, and I’m to blame.
I’m playing like a goddamn rookie out there. Fumbling everything and swinging at trash pitches. It’s a fucking miracle I’m still in the game. Coach is either an idiot or he’s enjoying making me suffer.
“Get it together, Mav,” the man in question snaps. “You’re off your game this week and we can’t have that, son. So figure your shit out because I need my guy back by the time you get out on that field again. You hear me?”
I nod without meeting his stare. He storms away from the corner of the dugout I’ve sequestered myself and my bad mood in. The game continues, everyone giving me a wide berth.
I don’t need to figure my shit out. I know exactly what’s wrong. It’s been four days since Sadie walked out. And my performance has steadily gotten worse over the last three games, and today it’s at an all-time low.
The connection couldn’t be more obvious.
But the fix? Impossible.
I jog back out onto the field for the next inning and thank fuck the ball doesn’t come my way. Kai manages to strike out two players in quick succession, and then Darling and Sin field a hit like a dream team, giving us the third out.
