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“Give those to your dad so he can get rid of them.” Holly and Carlos looked surprised I had so easily conceded, but the smile on Gabriel’s face was worth it.
“Throw these away please, Daddy,” he said, handing them to Carlos, who looked at me to see what I wanted to do.
“Thanks,” I said. He stuffed them in his shirt pocket, and I already felt naked without them on me. But I’d get used to it. “Now let’s see if I can score on you.”
My attention went back to Gabriel.
“You’re on.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Drew
It wascold as all get-out.
But I barely noticed.
At a park not too far from the apartment building, a crowd had gathered for the baseball game I’d promised Gabriel. The only girl playing with us was Mulaney. Vivian, Muriella, and Holly were huddled around Mama, Valentina Salvatore, and Grandma Carter with blankets piled on top of them. Even Dad and Donato Salvatore were on the field with us.
I’d surprised all of them when I showed up with equipment for Gabriel. Carlos had let me show my boy how to play, giving us our moment. Gabriel was a natural. I only had to make a slight adjustment to the placement of his hands on the bat. The first time he swung at the ball on the tee, he hit a damn line drive. I’d been so excited, I picked him up and swung him around instead of letting him run for first base.
When we teed the ball back up, he did it again, this time sprinting for the bag. Easton pointed at the mound with his chin as Stone tossed me the ball. He moved the tee and picked up a bat, doing a few practice swings before getting set. We’d done this a million times. Me at the mound, him at bat. It was as if no time at all had passed except I hadn’t thrown a pitch in almost twenty years.
I worked the ball in my hands, feeling everyone’s eyes on me. My shoulder probably couldn’t take this.
Easton lifted his brows, wondering why I was taking so long. I caught sight of a wild mane of curls near the fence at the entrance to the park, and my heart sped up. The damn woman was daring me all the way across the grass. Then there was Gabriel. He wanted to see what I could do.
So I wound up and pitched to impress a girl and a little boy. Easton got a piece of it, but the ball went foul.
“I remember you being a lot better than that,” Easton called. The trash talk had started.
“I could say the same to you,” I shot back, and he flashed me a smile.
I put more heat on the ball. Strike. Easton’s grin widened. “I let you have that one,” he said.
“The hell you did,” I protested.
“Mr. Drew, you have to put money in the cuss jar,” Gabriel called.
“Finally. Someone who’s going to put more in than me,” Mulaney chimed in.
“We’re going to have to work out some other form of payment,” I said.
“I’ll think about it,” Gabriel said.
“Get ready to run, Gabriel,” Easton said when I wound up to pitch.
“You think you’ll hit this one?” I taunted, throwing him a curve ball. He clipped the ball, but it went straight to me. “Run, Gabriel,” I said as I picked it up, throwing Easton out.
“I see how it is,” he said as he trotted toward first base, switching places with his wife. We didn’t have enough people, so we were all on the same team. “Gabriel gets preference over me now.” He winked at me, and Mulaney tossed me the ball.
I struck everybody out, and Gabriel was still stuck on second base. Dad approached the mound. “You’re up.”
A twinge of nerves went through me. This was old school, my father pitching to me. My shoulder was already sore, but I sucked it up, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
The old man could pitch. I had a swing and a miss the first two throws, but I knocked the third one almost out of the park—too far for Carlos to get it before I could make it home.
“Run, Gabriel. Go home,” I yelled, taking off for first.
