“Why’s that?” Lark asks, without a hint of judgment.
I pause, considering my answer.
“Reality is, as a catcher, I have maybe five or six more yearsbefore my knees start to give me trouble. And if I want to be an involved dad who can run around with his kids and do fun stuff with them, I don’t want to be a cripple from more than a decade of catching in the big leagues. Plus, if I wait till I’m retired, I’ll have time. And I won’t be gone half the year. My mom and dad were always there for me, and I want to give the same to my kids.”
I sense her move her head, and when I glance down, she’s looking back up at me.
“That’s incredibly thoughtful for something you haven’t considered before.”
I give her a bashful grin. “Well, if I’m lucky enough to have kids with a woman I love, I want to do it right.”
Lark stretches up and kisses my chin. “She’d be a lucky woman.”
I adjust and kiss her lips. “Yeah? Know anyone who might want the job?”
She giggles against my lips. “Maybe. Ask me in five years when you retire.”
I grin at the thought of Lark and I still together in five years. “Deal.”
Chapter twenty-nine
Monty
“Didn’t your mama teach you that your face is gonna get stuck like that if you keep smilin’ so hard?”
I turn to see Darling jogging up to me in the parking lot and shrug. “Life’s good, man, gotta smile.”
He drapes his arm over my shoulder and we head into the indoor sports facility where Grayson’s baseball league runs some winter clinics. During our last afternoon together, the kid turned on the most epic set of puppy dog eyes and practically begged me to see if I could get a couple of the guys together to attend one of the workshop days.
Listen, I’m a sucker for puppy dog eyes. Been known to use them a time or two myself. They’re a powerful weapon.
Luckily, Darling and Yami were both free this afternoon and happy to help out.
When we get inside, Yami’s already there, chatting with a couple of the coaches who are staring at him with stars in their eyes. It’s still weird to me, the fact that people see us as celebrities.
We’re just dudes who like to play ball and happen to get paida boatload of money to do so.
With Darling’s and my arrival, the excitement ratchets up even higher. I spot Grayson standing with some other boys, and the second he sees me, a goofy grin crosses his face. I give him a head nod, letting him decide how to play it. Sometimes he’s fine with kids knowing I’m his Big Brother, sometimes he isn’t.
“Hey, Monty! You’re here. Cool. Think Yami will help me with my slider? Oh, and Marcus wants to be our catcher next season, so maybe you could help him out?”
“Dude, slow down. We’ll do whatever your coaches want us to, okay?” I hold back my chuckle at his eager greeting. His face falls, but only slightly, before brightening again.
“Sure. Cool. Hey, did you see we got new team bats?”
Yeah, I saw, because I donated them… But I don’t tell him that. Instead, I let him lead me over and pretend to be super impressed by the bats.
Eventually, the coaches call everyone over, introduce us — which really isn’t necessary with this crowd — and we split into groups. Yami and I are paired up, of course, and that’s when the fun begins.
“You better call some good pitches today or I’m throwing nothing but knuckleballs,” Yami calls out as he walks to the middle of the space we’ve taken over. The kids all titter with laughter as I tilt my mask up and glare at my pitcher.
“Listen, buddy, it’s not my fault you can’t see far enough to catch my signals. Better get your eyes checked before spring training.”
Yami grins. I drop my mask and crouch down, smacking my glove with a fist.
“Okay, boys. Let’s start things off nice and easy.” He holds up the ball, demonstrating his finger placement. “When you want to throw a slider, it’s important you remember three things: two seam grip, pressure from the middle finger, and karate chop.”
He lets the ball fly and it lands straight in my glove.
