Page 7 of Saving The Shortstop

“I don’t really want to hear this,” Coach utters, hanging his head.

“Well, I didn’t mean it like that,” she says, stopping before her voice drops low enough for my dad and Coach not to hear as she speaks to my mom. “Let’s be real though—no one wants to buy the first car they test drive. You gotta try them all out. See if you like a sunroof, or perhaps extra trunk space is more important. Maybe a heated seat. You know what I’m saying.”

My mom awkwardly laughs before Anna side-hugs her. “I forget that you were miss sweet and innocent before you met Laney boy. Then you were all like … ruin me, Rivers.”

“I can hear you guys,” I say, keeping my eyes on the field as Gigi Jacobs, the pitcher, stands at the plate, waiting for the pitch.

“Sorry, hun,” my mom says, and I can hear the cringe in her voice. “Anyway, back to Haven. So you don’t think this guy she’s seeing is serious?”

“Hell no.” Anna snorts. “She’ll chew him up and spit him out. Thank God, too, because he comes off as an arrogant little asshole to me. And Mase said he’s a good defenseman but a bit of a cancer to the team.”

Fucking right, he is.

Anna and my mom clap their hands together as Gigi hits a ground ball between shortstop and second base, earning her a single. Next up is Haven. Even with her mom and dad right beside me, looking at the way her softball pants hug her ass has me fighting back a groan because fuck, she looks so good. Her legs are so rugged and strong, making my head turn cloudy.

“Let’s go, number twenty-two!” Anna calls out for her daughter before she leans back, looking at her husband. “Mase, she’s a junior in college; why do I still get nervous when she’s at bat?”

“Because you’re crazy,” Coach answers, earning him a glare.

He chuckles before walking beside her and putting his arm around his wife. “I’m just kidding, babe. She’s going to do great. And if she doesn’t, there’s always next time.”

“She’ll hit it,” my dad says confidently. “It’s Haven. She’s a beast.”

The umpire calls the first two pitches balls, but it’s obvious from Haven’s body energy, the girl just wants a chance to crack the ball into the outfield. And when the third pitch comes in, she swings, and sure enough, it’s a bomb, going right where I know she wanted it to.

“There it is,” my dad whispers, just as the ball goes over the top of the fence, and the softball team and its fans erupt into pure chaos.

“Not much makes that kid happier than running the bases,” Coach says, his voice filled with pride.

“She’s pretty great, huh?” Anna says to her husband, wrapping both arms around his waist, and he adjusts his hat on his head.

“She’s all right I guess,” he drawls with a grin, but I turn my attention back to home plate as Haven runs across it.

Pulling her helmet off, she heads toward the dugout. But not before looking our way, her eyes landing on her parents beaming at her.

What I don’t expect is for her to look over at me. And when she does, my entire soul feels it.

She’s practically family to me. I have no business reacting this way to a simple glance.

No business at all.

FOUR

HAVEN

My brother crumples his straw up and throws it across at me, landing it in my hair like the toddler he is—then again, I did it first, so I guess that makes me a toddler too.

“Can you two please attempt to act your age?” my mom huffs, glancing at Memphis. “No wonder why Dallas skips out on our outings half the time. He’s probably embarrassed of these two.” She jerks her thumb toward me before looking across at Dallas. “How are you liking NEU?”

My eyes dart beside me to Dallas. He shrugs, nodding slightly, and just the little bit of movement sends a puff of his scent to my nostrils, making me breathe in forcefully, wanting more because the smell is so damn good. He’s always smelled good, and I’ve forever tried to ignore it.

Well, besides the one time we kissed …

“It’s been pretty good. My coach is a bit of a hard-ass, but that’s all right.” He grins at my dad, who rolls his eyes and points toward him.

“Just for that, I’m probably going to make you run twice as much tomorrow. And guess what, Rivers? It’s going to be damn near seventy out. So you’ll be sweating your ass off.”

I know he’s just busting Dallas’s balls. When they are at the field, of course my dad expects his players to be professional and respectful, taking everything seriously. But Dallas has been around our family since we were kids. My dad knows he’s going to joke around sometimes. He’d probably be sad if he didn’t.