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Chapter Thirty-Four
DALTON
“Oh my god,Dalton. She’s way too cute.” Shannon leads me to her car. We just left the church annex. I hated leaving Cassie behind with the mess to clean up, but the baseball game won’t wait. It sucks I won’t be playing, but I still need to be dressed and ready in case Coach decides to put me in late.
“Did you like her? I know it was brief.” It’s not that I need anyone’s approval, but Shannon’s opinion means a lot to me. Out of all my friends from Cessna U, she’s the only person who knows me. And she still doesn’t know me as well as Cassie does. Cassie knows all my family’s dirty secrets. The ones I’ve kept hidden so well from my friends.
“I do. I’m pretty good at reading people.” She gives me a side-eye glance as we hop into her car. “I read you pretty well back when we first met.”
A smile stretches across my face. “I did like driving your brother and Noah crazy. How are they, by the way.”
She waves me off. “They’re fine. I don’t want to talk about them. I want to talk about your new love.”
I laugh at the way she draws out the word love. “There’s not much to talk about.”
“What’s the address to the ballpark? I’ll type it into the GPS.”
I rattle off the address. “Sorry about having to head straight to the ballpark. I wanted to stay at the rummage sale and help as much as I could.”
“That’s fine. You know the ball field is my second home.” She smirks. Having a brother and a boyfriend in the minors solidifies that statement. She grew up watching them play ball. “Quit changing the subject. Spill. What’s been going on? I take it by the way you guys acted, her dad still doesn’t know?”
I shoot her a glare. Miss Big Mouth almost blew our cover. “You’ve heard the rumors. He’d rather shoot first than ask questions later. So, yeah, it’s on the down-low for now. But I want to talk to him and ask his permission to date.”
“Hmm. How do you think that will go?”
“Terrible.” My laugh turns into a groan. “He’s going to fucking kill me.”
“And you still want to try?”
“I don’t think I have much choice.” It’d be different if this were a fling, but I want it to last beyond summer. Just like I wanted the last time.
Shannon purses her lips as if in thought. “Cassie’s good for you.”
“Oh, come on. There’s no way you can tell from that brief encounter.”
“No, I’m serious. She’s totally right for you. You’ve changed.”
“I’ve changed?” Skepticism edges my tone. I haven’t changed.
“Yeah, you’re more at ease. I don’t know. You seem happier.” She turns when the GPS tells her to. “It’s a good look on you.”
“You’re nutty.” I may reject her words, but I know they hold truth. I am happier. It’s as if the darkened state I’ve been living in is lightened somehow.
“How are you going to approach her dad?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. I’m not sure how, but I want to confess everything to him. Even the part about knowing her before coming here.”
“You think admitting that would be a good idea?”
The question hangs in the air right as we drive by the church. It’s as if the universe is sending me signs. I hold in a laugh. Cassie’s rubbing off on me, having me believe in fate and serendipity moments.
“It’s the only way to have a future with her.”
“Is that what you want? A future with Cassie?”
I shouldn’t. I don’t see how it could possibly work, but it seems so dark and cold when I picture my life without Cassie. She breathes life into my existence. Can I have fun without her? Of course. Playing ball has always fulfilled me. Do I want to have fun without her? Hell no. I’ve tried both ways. Life is way better with her in it.
“Yes. I just need to convince her dad that I’m worth it.”When we both know that I’m not.
