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Chapter Eighteen
Nick
“What the hell are you swinging at, Bronson? That wasn’t even close to the strike zone, you fucking bum,” Sawyer hollers through the glass wall before bringing his beer bottle up to his lips.
The view from our Sky Suite at the ballpark is something. So is the language from the groom-to-be as he watches his former teammates on the Rangers get their asses handed to them by the Nationals. Of course, it doesn’t help that the current batter is the one he caught his ex-wife in bed with not too long after his career-ending shoulder injury.
“Tough game,” Stuart whispers beside me as we watch the Rangers continue their downward spiral in the fifth inning.
“No shit,” I mumble, taking a pull from my own beer.
This place is pretty sweet. I’ve attended a couple of pro baseball games over the years, but never in a suite. The chairs are luxurious and leather, and there’s a wall of food and drinks. The guys spared no expense when it came to today’s bachelor party, and until the Rangers started to fall behind in the third inning, it was proving to be a good day. Now? Now everyone is screaming obscenities at the glass and drinking a little faster.
“You guys get enough to eat?” Linkin asks as he comes over to where Stuart and I are seated.
“We have. Thanks for inviting us,” I say to the big guy married to one of Meghan’s sisters.
“I’m afraid if the Rangers don’t pull their heads out of their asses, Sawyer is going to come unhinged,” Linkin replies with a laugh.
“You think?” Stuart teases as we watch the former ball player rant in front of us.
“Come on, Joel! We need a hit,” he commands with a hard handclap as he watches his friend approach the plate.
We all seem to hold our breath as Joel Cougar steps up to the plate and takes his stance. The first pitch is a little high, and the batter doesn’t swing. Ball one. The next pitch clips the inside corner. Strike. “Come on, Cougar!” Sawyer bellows at his good friend.
The third pitch is low, but is apparently right where the batter likes it. He swings hard, the sound of the bat smacking the ball filling the suite through the speakers. It sails high over the center fielder’s head and falls into the bleachers. Home run!
“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about,” Sawyer cheers with the rest of the guys, walking around and throwing out high fives like party favors. Even though the Rangers are still down by two, the home run by Joel seems to lighten the mood of everyone in the room, especially the groom.
“Hey, guys,” Sawyer says, dropping into the chair beside me. “Having fun?”
“We are,” I answer, glancing over and noticing Sawyer’s eyes are already a little glassy and heavy-lidded. He’s definitely well on his way to buzzed.
“Sorry about my language. I can get a little worked up,” he says, taking another drink of his beer.
“You don’t have to apologize to us,” Stuart replies.
“But if you think I’m bad, you should see my future wife,” Sawyer adds, a big smile breaking out on his face. “She once cussed an ump out for a bad call and almost got herself ejected from the game.”
“Really?” I ask, laughing.
“Oh, hell yeah. My Alison has a mouth that would make a sailor blush,” he says with a smile. The way he grins lets me know he’s probably thinking about something very specific that she has said or done recently.
“I’ve only known her in the school setting, and there wasn’t a lot of cursing going on,” my brother-in-law says.
“No, she’s pretty straight-laced when it comes to school. Except for that one time under the bleachers,” Sawyer replies. The look he gives us lets us know exactly what went down under the bleachers. Or specifically, who went down. “Anyway, make sure you get plenty to eat and drink. The guys bought enough booze to get half the bleachers drunk by the seventh inning stretch.”
“The only one we’re focused on getting drunk is the groom,” Levi adds when he joins our group.
“Don’t get me so sloppy drunk that I can’t perform tonight,” Sawyer says with a laugh.
“Not my problem,” Ryan tosses in when he comes over to where we’re seated. “My job is to get you drunk. Not worry about the status of your dick later tonight.”
“As long as I stay away from the hard shit, I’ll be fine,” Sawyer replies.
“So noted,” Ryan says before turning around to Linkin. “Hey, Link! Our man Sawyer needs a shot of something strong!”
“No, he does not,” Sawyer hollers.
