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Owen confirmed this week Charlie will be able to go on all away games with us. Typically physical therapists don’t go for every game, but he says since she’s now the head physical therapist, he won't stop her.
Gary finally decided to stay home to take care of himself and enjoy his family. He’s put so many years into this team and worked his butt off. I’m glad he’s getting a chance to relax.
“Oh, wow. I didn’t even think of that! That’s awesome!”
“Yeah, I'm looking forward to be with him as much as I want.” Charlie squeezes my thigh, silently reminding me how nice this will be.
“Charlie, you said you’ve lived and breathed baseball most of your life. What do you mean by that?” Liliana scribbles something at the bottom of her notebook before glancing up to give Charlie her attention.
“Well, my dad played baseball in college. So did two of my uncles, one of them being Wyatt’s dad. I spent a lot of time watching them and cheering for them at games. Then, Wyatt and Leo started playing and since they make up a pitcher and catcher duo, they always needed someone to bat.” She chuckles and shakes her head. “I'm fairly certain I’ve swung at more balls than most people who play professional ball.”
“She has a wicked swing.” I smirk, thinking of how many times she sent the ball flying through the air.
“Please tell me you played softball?”
“I did! I felt like if I didn’t, it was a wasted potential. Though, I decided to stop after high school. I think I played to perfect my game so I could help Wyatt, Leo, and Cord.”
“That’s awesome. Ok, lets back track a little. You said Wyatt’s dad is your uncle? Are you related?” Liliana quirks a brow. I think she hopes she’s misunderstanding us and we aren’t actually related.
“No.” Charlie lets out a giggle. “We grew up on Mulberry Lane with Leo. There are seven houses there and six hold my ‘uncles’,” she uses air quotes, “and their families. We’re not related to any of them. In fact, both Wyatt and I are adopted. I grew up calling his dad, Blake, my uncle. Blake adopted Wyatt when he was eleven and that’s when he moved onto Mulberry Lane. Uncle Hunter adopted Leo a little less than a year later.”
“Wow, so you guys were really close.”
“Yes! Actually, my mom grew up with Owen Powell, so we reunited with Cord’s family soon after Leo moved onto Mulberry Lane. It’s a big spider web of connections.” Charlie rolls her eyes.
“Wyatt, do you think Charlie is better at bat than you are?”
“I want to say no, but I haven’t seen her swing a bat in a long time. She might’ve been practicing just so she could show me up when we reunited. I could see her doing that.” I poke Charlie in the ribs and she bursts out laughing. “I'm not wrong, am I?”
“I might’ve practiced with some of the college and minor league teams I worked with.” She peeks up at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She nibbles on her bottom lip, trying to hide her smirk.
“Reunited? We’re you guys apart?” Liliana’s gaze bounces between us. She’s looking for any sort of dirt she can find, but that’s fine. I'm not ashamed over what happened.
“Eight years.” I press a soft kiss to Charlie’s head, then go on to tell Liliana about our past and what we’ve been through over the last eight years. I keep out private information, but she gets a good idea of what happened.
“I don’t even know what to say. That’s a crazy story. The two of you sound like you were made for each other.”
“I think we were. Our entire lives we’ve been working towards this.” Charlie threads her fingers through mine and squeezes my hand gently.
“I’ve been asking her dad since I was around fourteen if I could date her. He always said I had to wait until she turned eighteen.”
“Yeah, and how long after I turned eighteen did we start dating?” Her eyes sparkle with amusement.
“I think it was a solid ten days.” I chuckle. “I would’ve asked you out on your birthday, but I couldn’t come home from college that weekend. I didn’t want to ask you out over the phone, so I had to wait. It felt like an eternity.”
“How long have you guys been back together?”
“Only a few weeks. I think we officially started dating the day Wyatt got injured.” Charlie glances my way and I nod my head.
“Yes, it was the best day of my life. I honestly don’t know if we would’ve found our way back together if it weren’t for Stubbs injuring me.”
“Speaking of your injury, how are you feeling? Do you think you’ll be able to play ball by the time the season starts?”
“I’m feeling a lot better. It was rough in the beginning, but when the best physical therapist in the league forces her way into your house and declares she’s moving in, you get a lot of top-quality care.”
“Oh shush! I didn’t force my way in here! You invited me before you even got injured, ya dork!” Charlie playfully swats at my chest, making Liliana laugh.
“Fine, I did ask you, but only because I thought if we got to spend more time together, I’d have a better chance of getting you to fall in love with me again.”
