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“Of course.”
“I’ll let you go.”
“Bye.”
She hangs up as I grumble in frustration. I wish Amelia would’ve told me how she was feeling. I want to help her. Even if I’m not there, maybe talking on the phone would help. She has so much baggage I don’t know about. I don’t want to push her, but I need to understand why she’s so afraid to let me in. She’s had to be strong and handle everything alone for too long, now I need her to see she doesn’t have to do that anymore. She doesn’tgetto. Because I’ll be there for her in every way.
Fuck, I wish school was over. Being three hours away from her sucks.
I’ve just finished my last class of the day, and I’m going to meet the guys before practice. We have a game tomorrow night and Thursday, and I don’t know how the hell I’m going to be focused enough to play while I’m worried about Amelia.
I got her on the phone for a few minutes after lunch, but despite her reassurances, she didn’t sound good, and I’m fairly certain she rushed off the phone with me so she could go vomit.
I don’t like this. I feel like I’m abandoning her. Logically, I know I’m not, but it doesn’t change the sensation in my stomach. One day, I knew I wanted to get married and have kids, and when I did, I planned to wait on my girl hand and foot. I was never in a rush, but I knew when I got to that point, I’d be all in.
I want to be all in with Amelia, but I can’t be.
“Hey, are you okay?” Joel asks as I get to the athletic center.
“Is everything okay with Amelia?” Aaron asks with concern.
“Yeah. No. Fuck, I don’t know.” I run my hand through my hair, pacing back and forth in front of them. “She’s having horrible morning sickness and she feels like hell physically and emotionally. Dani called because Amelia was crying this morning and saying she wanted me. I feel like shit that I’m not there, but I can’t drive three hours home every night and three hours back to school the next day. That’s insanity. What the fuck am I supposed to do?” I look at Aaron. “What if it was Rae?” My gaze shifts to Joel. “Or Sarah?”
“It’s a different situation, so I don’t think my answer will help,” Aaron says.
“Tell me anyway.”
“There’s no situation where I’d let Rae be alone. Call me a possessive asshole, but I’d drag her with me kicking and screaming if I had to. Obviously, that’s not the right call with Amelia.”
I look at Joel, who might have a more realistic answer. But Aaron would go to the ends of the earth for Rae. I mean, I’d do it for Amelia, too, but she’s not the type to let someone burn the world for her. She wants to feel at least like an equal, if not the one in control.
“It’s not the same, but you know Sarah and I went through this earlier in the year. Being apart for a month was rough on us. It’s a big part of why she came back when she did. We needed each other. I know you’ll be there for Amelia every weekend, and no, you can’t go home every night. But there’s no reason you can’t go hometonight.You said this morning at breakfast that she started feeling sicker last night. She’s probably overwhelmed emotionally, and the sickness amplifies that. It might be good for you to be there for a night to help settle her, then come up with a plan for how you’ll talk throughout the week.”
I nod slowly, taking that in. “I need to talk to Coach. Thanks. I can’t wait to be finished with school so I can be there every night.”
“Are you going to live together?” Aaron asks.
“I don’t have a fucking clue, but at this point… that’s what I want. All right, I’m going to see Coach, then pack and get on the road.” I pause and look between them. “Thank you both for supporting me. I know it’s what we do for each other, but…”
“You’re finally on the receiving end?” Aaron asks.
“Yeah. It’s not easy for me, but it feels good.”
“Eh, it was about time we paid you back.” Joel winks at me, then tilts his head toward the building. “Go on.”
I give a quick nod, then head inside and up to Coach M’s office.
“Hey, Coach,” I say, walking through his open office door.
“Miles. What can I do for you?”
“I need to talk to you about a situation in my life that’s going to affect baseball for the rest of the season.”
He gestures to the chair in front of his desk. “Sit.”
I do, then I lay it all out. “My girlfriend is pregnant. We just found out this past weekend, and she lives back in my hometown. I’m doing my best to figure it all out and balance things, but I need to be there for her.”
Coach M nods. “That’s understandable.”
