Page 22 of I Wish He Would

“Happy to anytime.” I look directly into her light blue eyes. “You know I’m always here for you, right?”

Alyssa nods. “Same goes for you. Speaking of, how have things been? I know you miss your family.”

While I miss my family and Boston, I’m happy with how my baseball career has turned out thus far. I was grateful to get drafted to the minors right after my junior year of college. And when I got called up to the majors three years ago by the Louisville Mustangs, I didn’t care what team I went to as long as I got to play the sport I love. But my long-term plan has always been to end up back in Boston, near my family.

My parents are my grandma’s full-time caretakers, so they aren’t able to travel far for my games. I know they miss seeing me play, and I miss being around them and all my cousins and their kids. As an only child, they’re the closest thing I have to nieces and nephews.

But I’ve enjoyed my time playing for the Mustangs more than I expected. A big part of that is my teammates. We’re a little bit of a dysfunctional family. But they’re my dysfunctional family.

An even larger part is because of Alyssa. Growing up, I never bothered making friends outside of the people I played ball with. When I met Alyssa my first week in Louisville, I wasn’t seeking a relationship or even a friendship, but now I can’t imagine my life without her. I have practically zero say in whether I will ever be traded to another team, but the thought of leaving her feels like taking a fastball straight to the face.

“My grandma just got a knee replacement, but with her Alzheimer’s she keeps forgetting, so that’s been a little difficult on my parents trying to make sure she doesn’t fall or injure herself. But otherwise, she’s doing well, all things considered.”

She shoots me a sympathetic smile. “Your mom is the best. I miss her.”

I rub the back of my neck. “She misses you, too.”

My mom flew in alone for my first-ever home game for the Mustangs while my dad stayed home with my grandma. I had invited Alyssa, too, after she’d shown me some of her favorite spots in Louisville. She showed up and sat in the box suite with my mom, chatting throughout the game.

From that moment on, my mom makes sure to bring up Alyssa every time I talk to her, asking when she can see her next. She’s also not-so-subtly implied that I’m making the biggest mistake of my life by not being more than friends with her. She can’t seem to wrap her head around the fact that I’m not interested in a relationship when my whole life is baseball. Maybe it’s because she already had me by this age, but I think she just worries about me being alone here.

But I like to keep my head in the game. I wouldn’t be able to give a new relationship the time it deserves. And with the possibility of a trade on the horizon at a moment’s notice, I couldn’t do that to someone. There’s always time to start a family once I retire or have a no-trade clause in my contract. For now, I enjoy my life the way it is.

She fidgets with the blanket. “Have you heard anything more from your agent about a potential trade?”

I shake my head. “Sometimes I wish I could just control what team I play for, but the sport doesn’t work that way for rookies.”

“The waiting must be torturous. I can’t imagine not knowing where I’ll be living in a few months.” She presses her lips into a thin line. “I feel like I understand most of the rules and basics of baseball now, but the behind-the-scenes stuff is confusing.”

“Believe me, I get it.” I laugh. “That’s what my agent is for.”

“I’m glad it’s not just me.” She pulls the blanket up over her shoulders. “Do you have any plans to see your family soon?”

I shake my head. “Not until after the season. It’s too hard to get all the way up to Boston when I only have a random day off here or there.”

Alyssa shoots me a look. “You should go see them during All-Star week.”

“Too bad I already have plans then.”

She furrows her brows. “Doing what?”

“Being the best plus-one to a wedding to ever exist. Even though my best friend didn’t bother to ask me herself,” I tease.

“You really don’t need to go to that with me. Besides, I could still ask Rhett.”

“Then I’m the best backup plus-one you’ve ever seen.”

Alyssa sighs. “You should spend your time off doing something you actually want to do. Not waiting to see if you need to pinch-hit for the wedding.”

“Nice baseball reference.” I extend my fist toward her, and she bumps it.

“I’ve been friends with you for three years. I was bound to learn the lingo at some point.”

“I think you’re selling yourself short.”

“I used to call it a touchdown when you scored, so I think I’ve come a long way,” she explains.

“I mean that you said I should spend my time off doing something I actually want to do.” I stare into her light blue eyes. “What makes you think that wouldn’t be spending time with you?”