I tip my beer toward him. “Guess so. Thanks for taking a chance on me.”
Luca chuckles. “A talent like yours belongs on the mound. We’re the ones who should be thanking you for joining the team. Hopefully you don't get snatched up by someone bigger and better too quickly.”
I choke on the beer, my eyes starting to water. “Yeah right,” I scoff. “That ship has sailed.”
Luca lifts his shoulders in an enigmatic shrug. “You never know.”
“Hey Luca, can you come and get the barbecue going?” Isla calls from the kitchen.
Luca turns, lifting his hand in acknowledgment. “Be right there.”
Looking back at me, a thoughtful expression comes over his face as he studies me. “You're one hell of a player, Brady Dixon. More than that, you're one hell of a man. I admire the way you haven't let the crazy things life has sent your way slow you down. We all stumble at times, and sometimes, we even fall. But you're the example of what can happen when you keep getting back up.”
With that, he turns and walks away, leaving me speechless. I’ve always struggled to accept praise, especially when it was about stepping up to take care of the twins. That never felt like something worthy of praise, particularly when I felt like I was floundering most of the time.
But what Luca just said sinks into my bones.And for once, I believe his words. I do keep getting back up, I do keep fighting for what’s important, and having that recognized by a man like him feels really damn good.
The light sound of Sage’s laughter breaks through, and I scan the backyard until I find her with Isla and another woman. I make my way over to them, sliding my arm around Sage’s waist. I love how she automatically nestles into my side.
“Brady, do you know Juniper, Isla’s best friend?”
I give the ladies a smile. “Yeah, we’ve met a few times.”
“Careful, Sage, don’t let Cal hear you call her that, he’ll pout.” Isla laughs.
Juniper giggles as well. “Yeah, he gets like a big ol’ man-child with his jealousy.”
“Did I hear someone say my name?”
The three women dissolve into laughter as Cal joins us. He frowns, looking at them, and then at me.
“What did I say?”
“You basically just called yourself a man-child,” I explain with a chuckle of my own. Cal tilts his head to the side for a second, then shrugs. Moving to Juniper’s side, he drapes his arm over her shoulder.
“Let me guess, you’re the one responsible for that.”
Juniper smirks, not denying it. “I mean, if it fits…” She dissolves in a shriek of laughter as Cal starts to tickle her.
“Is it just me, or is there something going on between them,” Sage says quietly, leaning farther into me.
“They’re just friends as far as I know,” I say just as quietly.
Sage makes a noise of disbelief. “Yeah, right.”
“Ignore those two,” Isla says with a smile. “Anyway, Sage, we should definitely swap phone numbers. Next time you want to come to a game to support Dixie, we can sit together.”
“And Isla’s got this mom thing locked down,” Juniper chimes in. Cal seems to have wandered off somewhere. “Seriously, she’s great at it.”
“Okay, I don’t know about that. But I am happy to chat any time, Sage.”
“Thank you, I’d love that.” Sage rubs her stomach. “It’s a lot to take in, that’s for sure. And she isn’t even here yet.”
Isla laughs. “Yeah, you might hate me for saying this, but pregnancy is the easy part!”
“You’re right, I definitely hate you for saying that. But I’ll still take your number.”
With a kiss to her cheek, I leave Sage with the other ladies and follow Cal over to the table laden with food.
