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I led him to the restaurant, where we were seated at a table near the window. A server came by and we ordered drinks while we looked at the menus.

“You look happy. You had a good flight?” I asked. Dad hated flying, so it was a big deal for him to have come down to see me play.

“Flight was fine. I can’t just be happy to see my son? Happy for you to be back in the majors?” He was smiling, but this felt like something else.

“Sure. I’m happy to see you too.” I looked at him again, noting that he was wearing new jeans and a button down shirt, something he never did. He also had a slightly different haircut. “Something else has changed.”

Dad looked away, fidgeting with his water glass. “I met someone.”

I sat back in my chair, stunned. As far as I knew, my dad hadn’t dated anyone since my mom had died. For the first few years after her death, he’d been deep in his grief, and I thought he might never get over her. As time passed, he started doing things again, throwing himself into his business, joining the chamber of commerce and even joining an over-forty hockey league. But he’d never mentioned dating. The more I thought about it, the happier I was. He’d been alone for too long.

“That’s wonderful. Who is she? Where did you meet her?”

Dad looked back at me, eyebrows raised in surprise. “You’re honestly okay with me dating?”

“I am. Mom’s been gone a long time. You loved her, and that will never change. But she’d want you to be happy, and I want that too.”

The server came to take our orders. When she left, I asked again. “Where did you meet her?”

“Her name is Sandy. I met her at a chamber of commerce event. She moved to town last year, opened up a bookstore. She has a daughter who lives in Toronto, who’s raising a little girl. Cute as anything. They came up at Easter to visit.” He was getting more animated with every word, and his affection for this woman and her family was transparent.

As he spoke, he reminded me how Jane made me feel. I wanted what my dad had—a second chance at love. But would I be disappointing him and mom if I gave up? “That’s fantastic. I’m happy for you.”

Dad gave me another penetrating look. It felt like he saw all my fears. “What about you? You’re back in the majors. Living your dream. Is it all you wanted?”

After everything he had just shared with me, maybe he would have some advice that helped me with Jane. I hadn’t been able to come up with anything on my own.

“I don’t think it is,” I said slowly. “I’ve been chasing that World Championship, trying to honour the promise I made Mom. But I think I might be losing out on something more important.”

“Tell me.”

“I met a woman. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say I reconnected with her in Red Rock. I told you about Jane asking me to move in with her. It didn’t take long for us to be more than roommates. She’s kind, and funny, and driven. I love her.” Telling my dad about Jane just made me miss her even more. I felt like I was walking around with a massive hole in my chest.

“That’s great, I’m happy for you. You deserve to be happy. What’s the problem?”

“She broke up with me when I got called up. She won’t leave Red Rock and doesn’t want to try to make it work long distance. She’s already been a baseball wife—she doesn’t want to live that life again.” I understood why she didn’t want to live the WAG lifestyle. That hadn’t been Jane even when she was married to Chad, and after those viral videos, there was no way she would expose herself to that level of ridicule again.

Dad frowned. “You won’t be able to play ball forever. The fact you were able to come back at all is a miracle. You’ve proven you can do it. Do you want to keep playing if it means losing the woman you love?”

Pain radiated through my chest at the thought of not having Jane in my life. There had to be a way to make this work. “I don’t want to lose her, but if I give up now, doesn’t that make me a quitter? I promised Mom I’d never give up, that I’d win it all for her. I don’t want to disappoint her. I want to make her proud.”

The thought of disappointing her made me feel sick. But losing Jane was tearing me apart. There had to be a solution. Why couldn’t I see it?

“Your mother was proud of you every day of her life. It didn’t matter if you won or lost, if you’d become a pro ballplayer or quit and bought a tree farm. All she ever wanted was for you to be happy. That’s all either of us wanted.”

His words lifted the weight of expectations I’d been carrying ever since my mom had died. All I’d ever wanted was to make her proud. If living my life in a way that made me happy was enough, I wanted to get Jane back. She was the only thing I needed to be happy. “I’ve got to get her back.”

Dad crossed his arms over his chest. “So what are you going to do about it?”

Later that afternoon, I completed my pregame stretching and finished dressing, running my dad’s question through my mind over and over. I wanted to be with Jane; I loved her. She was never going to leave Red Rock for me. But I was a ballplayer on the downward curve of my career. Even if I gave up on winning, what would I do? I couldn’t play Triple-A ball forever. I couldn’t see retiring and sitting around Jane’s house. It was time to come up with a plan.

I looked up as more of the guys came into the clubhouse. We were ready to open our series against Washington. My stomach was tight with nerves.

“You ready to play?” Raine asked, forcing me to focus on the task ahead.

“You ready to win?” I shot back as we headed for the field.

“Hell yeah.” Raine pumped his fist. “We’re on a streak. We’ve won one in a row.”