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I’ve never had a crew waiting for me in the tunnel before. Wilson and Patrick, sure, there were always crowds of people waiting for them—but me, not one. Since arriving at the Sharks, the players have been my family. So, when I’m met outside the door to Talynn, Jayson, Hagan, Nic, and his camera man, I’ll admit, I’m overcome with emotion.
“You did it!” Talynn jumps in my arms and when she does I feel a twinge of pain. “You exorcised the slump demon.” I dig my nose in her neck. Her hair is now in a bun on the top of her head. She nudges me out. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just happy you’re here.” I sling my bag over my back.
Jayson slaps me on the back, “Good game, little brother. You should have listened to me a long time ago.”
Nic chimes in, “Yeah great game. When you rounded second I thought for sure you were going to be out—but you’re Dash fast. Good thing you slid, though. You should have seen your girlfriend stand up and demand that you were safe!”
“Oh, I heard her.” My face reddens as she gives me a quick peck.
Hagan gives Talynn and I a hug. “It’s been fun, and I’m glad you two finally got your heads out of your asses. Archer’s taking Harper and me to the airport in an hour, so I need to go.”
“Where is she? We wanted to say goodbye.”
Hagan seals his lips and shakes his head. “She had an episode.”
The three of us walk in silence in front of Jayson, Nic and the cameraman. Our time together is over and soon Hagan will be at Kentucky starting summer workouts. And Harper will be without him. God that sucks for both of them, but I guess at some point even twins have to go their separate ways.
“Tell Harper we’ll call her tomorrow. Love ya man.” A group hug ensues but finally Hagan walks away.
* * *
Nic called ahead and made reservations, but it’s close to ten at night when we get home from dinner on the wharf. Talynn and I are ready to play our game, but Jayson keeps talking. I love my brother but he’s the one who told me to get laid. Now that I did, he’s cock blocking me.
“I’m proud of you, Tack,” Jayson praises. “You’ve been through a lot more than Cayson and me. I know it was hard on you when Mom and Dad divorced. I wish Cayson and I could have helped you. We were already out of the house and across the country. It wasn’t fair. We should have been there for you.”
Talynn’s eyes are bouncing between us. I’ve told her about my parents’ divorce happening at the end of my high school career. But she doesn’t know how hard it hit me. They were at every single game, side-by-side, acting like we had the perfect family. My throat swells, and this is not my idea of how to celebrate the end of the slump. Luckily, Talynn’s phone rings, and she excuses herself.
“Jayson, there’s nothing anyone can do now so let’s just drop it.” I lean back on the couch and exhale the memories.
He does the same but then leans forward in our club chair. “So Nic says Wilson’s house is going to be ready in a few weeks. He’s had the contractors working double shifts, paying them overtime to get it ready. Are you moving back in?”
Panic rolls from my toes to my now aching head. “I haven’t even thought about it. I guess Talynn and I need to discuss it.”
“Are you all serious? Or just a friends with benefits thing?” He stops. “Are you falling for the first girl you had sex with?”
He says it like it’s a revolting thought. I love my brother but if he spent less time playing the field, he would more than likely be on one right now. He’s the epitome of the twenty something millionaire, except that he wanted to stay the night at my apartment. “I’ve been falling since the day I met her.”
“Does she feel the same way?”
Good question. Before I can answer, Talynn walks back into the room. “Umm, that was work. The electricity’s still out and they’re having to replace the transformer, so we’ll be driving to our clients’ houses.”
I’m shaking my head no as soon as I hear houses. “Tay, that’s not safe.”
“It’s my job, like yours is baseball…traveling to small towns and staying in seedy motels. How do you think I feel when you’re staying at motels that creepy men use for their sex workers?” She zeroes in on me, not really wanting me to respond but just making her point. “Jayson, I had fun tonight but I’m going to bed.”
What just happened?
Jayson sucks his lips over his teeth. His eyes don’t quite meet mine, which means he doesn’t understand her response either. He ticks his head twice toward the hallway. Pointing to myself, I mouth silently, “Should I go?”
He rolls his eyes. “To be so smart, you’re fucking clueless. Yes.”
As I enter her bedroom, the door to her bathroom is cracked, and the shower is running. Unsure of what to do, I wait for a few minutes, but patience has never been my virtue. Other than Talynn, if I want something, I work for it. Her mere presence twists me in ways I never experienced. Rapping on the door, I ask, “Can I come in?”
The faucet turns off and her arm snakes out, grabbing her coral-colored towel.
“I’ll wait outside.”
