“Gross,” Barrett confirms.
“Get used to it,” Brady states, kissing the side of my head. “You’re adults now, so if I want to flirt with my woman in front of you, I’m going to.”
The blush that had just subsided flares up again, making my cheeks feel hot. Hearing Brady claim me as his woman has me wanting to wrap up this conversation right now.
I tamp down the desire. The twins are important to Brady, and that makes them important to me.
“Okay, moving on. Can we talk about Christmas? Because I want to be there when we do baby’s first Santa photos. Remember how Mom and Dad would take us every year to the tree farm that had the whole set up, reindeer and all? I bet we can find some place like that!”
“Seriously? Let’s get through summer first. You need to make it through finals. Speaking of, how’s studying going?” Brady asks, earning an eye roll from Blair.
“We’ve got so much time before exams, Brady. Chill.”
“Actually it’s only a couple of weeks,” Barrett says mildly. But Blair waves her hand at him in dismissal.
“Plenty of time.” Leaning forward so that she’s partially blocking our view of her brother, Blair props her chin in her hand. “If we’re not gonna talk Christmas, how about baby names? Blair makes a great choice for a boy or girl, you know.”
Brady takes my hand and squeezes it in his. “Actually, we already have a name picked.”
“Wait. Does that mean you know the sex?” Blair shrieks, shaking Barrett’s shoulders. “Oh my God, this is so exciting. Tell us!”
Brady looks at me with a soft smile, resting his free hand on my stomach. “Sage?”
“It’s a girl, and we’re naming her Ivy after my mother.”
Blair covers her mouth with her hands, and Barrett nods slowly. For once, he answers first instead of his sister. “That’s awesome, guys. Can’t wait to meet our niece in a few months.”
“Thanks,” I say, feeling a little choked up. I didn’t realize just how much their reactions would affect me.
Family was something I never really had. It was just me and Mom, and then it was just me. But my daughter will never feel that way. She will never be alone, because she’s already part of a family that loves her when she hasn’t even been born yet. And just maybe there could be a space for me in that family, too.
26
BRADY
When I was younger,I loved away games. The thrill of traveling to a different city, playing against new opponents. I was a kid, and getting to travel for baseball felt like the biggest and best freedom ever.
Now that I’m getting to do it again, that thrill is gone. And all I can think about is getting back home to Cedar Creek, back to Sage.
At least it’s a short series, just four games, and tomorrow is the last one. After tweaking something in my shoulder while jumping to catch a line drive that I probably should’ve let the shortstop deal with, I’m not batting tonight or tomorrow.
Granted, I don’t know if I would’ve helped the team or made things worse. Something’s in the air tonight, and everyone looks like they’ve been on a week-long bender. Throws are going wild, catches are being fumbled, and no one can seem to find any speed rounding the bases.
“Finish up with that resistance band, then grab an icepack,” Miki calls out from across the bullpen. I nod in acknowledgment and finish up the set of mobility exercises they’ve had me doing.
The roar of the crowd steals my attention for a second, and I wince as I see Oakley storm off the field from first base where he’s just been tagged out.
“Fuck,” I mutter, shaking my head. The team we’re playing against is on fire this series, and we’re getting our asses handed to us.
Somehow, we manage to end the game only down by one run. Still, the mood is somber in the locker room afterward.
Rafe and Levi step up in front of us for the postgame debrief.
“Gentlemen, you played a tough game tonight. The Ravens didn’t let up, but you didn’t back down, either. Tonight is a time to remember we’re still finding our footing as a team.” Rafe pauses, folding his arms across his chest.
“This is the first season as a Thunder for many of you, myself included, and we’ve done a hell of a job so far.” He holds up one hand.
“That being said, there are some things that happened on the field tonight that I know we can do better. But that’s not what I want you to focus on right now. I want you to think about what you can do to rest your body and mind so that tomorrow we can come back at full strength and show those guys what happens when a Thunder storm hits.”
