Page 22 of Triple Threat
My feet slid to a stop as the familiar voice reached me. Damien Ramos, our team captain, emerged from a different office, greeting me with a wide grin. It took a little while for him to catch up, especially with the slight hitch in his step.
I nodded down to his injured knee. “Looking better, old man. Can hardly see that limp anymore.”
“Fuck you, kid.” Damien pulled me into a hug. When he leaned back, he shook his head. “Wait until I get back out on the field. Numbers never lie.”
I shook my head, but a wide smile filled my face. When I was suspended from the team, most of the guys seemed to forget about me. I didn’t take it personally, especially given how I’d left. A lot of them cursed my name when I destroyed their chances for the postseason, yet Damien’s faith remained. He’d trekked out to visit me in rehab during the off-season and then came up to Maine to help me settle in before I started with the Triple-A team, the Portland Lynx.
Looking at Damien now, you’d never know that, last year, he came close to losing his career because of a tear in his patella tendon. His recovery had been tough, and, for a while, it looked like he was going to call it quits. I found out when some of his team members reached out, and I hopped on the first flight out.
“You ready for this?” Damien asked.
I swallowed. “Yeah, ready as I’ve ever been. Just hope the guys aren’t too pissed about me taking up a spot again.”
“Nah, most of us are glad to have you back.”
“Most?”
Damien flinched, probably hoping I didn’t pick up on the slight. He ran his tattooed fingers through his dark hair. “Just some of the rookies talking shit. Don’t fucking listen to them. You’ve got this, Jace. You worked too hard to get back here and have nothing to prove to anyone. Do you hear me?”
I nodded, not sure if I meant it. Did I deserve another chance? I sure as hell hoped I did. But then again, there were so many guys who’d never get to this level once, much less twice. Look at the guys back on my team in Portland—desperate for that taste of the majors, but they were stuck, still waiting on theircall after years in the minors, while I’d only been back down for one season before my number got pulled again.
“How’s Bri?” I asked, changing the subject.
“She’s amazing,” Damien said. His entire expression brightened at the mention of his girlfriend. So much had changed since I left. Before, Damien had been the worst of us, never looking for more than one night with a woman. But then, Brianna showed up and knocked him on his ass, stealing his heart right out from under him. Three months ago, she’d moved in, and now, they were talking about getting married. His watch buzzed, and he grimaced. “Actually, I got to meet up with Chase for a PT session, so I can get back home to her. She’s getting ready for her students to take the state tests next month, so she’s a little more stressed than usual.”
“Gotcha,” I said as I stepped around him. “Let me know if she needs anything.”
“Nah, we’re good,” Damien replied. “But I better be seeing you at the team dinner on Sunday.” He pointed at me. “No excuses, Lyons. You’re a part of this team again, which means you’re expected to hang out with us.”
I chuckled as I pressed the button for the elevator. “What, did you miss me, old man?”
“Something like that, Lyons.”
FOURTEEN
“Remind me again why this is a good idea.”
My hand clutched the phone as I stared at the building, keeping the soothing motion of the stroller with the other. God knew the minute I stopped moving, all hell would break loose, and I wasn’t ready to deal with a crying baby on top of my already fraying nerves.
Chelsea sighed into the phone, keeping her tone soothing. She must have memorized this speech after giving it to me several times last night and this morning. “Kins, you and I both know you and Anna need this. She should spend more time with other babies, especially now that she’s starting to talk and walk. And we love Anna, we really do, but with the bar being so busy and our late hours?—”
“You’re right,” I sighed, running my hand over my face. “God, why is this so hard?”
“Because it's something new, and that can be scary. Especially with Anna. But I promise, it’ll be okay. This place gets amazing reviews. All the other parents raved about it.” Chelsea said. “Now, repeat after me: this will be great for everyone.”
“This will be great for everyone,” I grumbled.
I stared down at my daughter sleeping in her stroller, taking in her chubby cheeks and long eyelashes. Her pale blonde curls stuck out from underneath her pink knitted beanie, a handcrafted gift from Chelsea on her first birthday last month.
They’d stuck with me for my entire pregnancy; Chelsea came with me to every appointment, and Mark helped me get my mom’s condo ready for a newborn. In the end, it only seemed right to raise my daughter in the place my mother had raised me, keeping a piece of her alive with us.
But Chelsea was right. Now that Anna was getting older, she needed to be around other kids, needed to develop essential social skills we couldn’t teach her. The sign outside the daycare center glowed, the wordsSunshine Academypainted in a deep gold. Flowering trees and bushes lined the path from the parking lot, making it as welcoming as possible. Plus, it was only three blocks from our house, which meant I’d get here quickly if needed.
“Kins?” Chelsea called through the phone. “You still with me?”
“Yeah,” I answered, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I’m trying here, Chels, but I’m leaving my daughter with strangers. What does that say about me as a mother?”
“That you’re trying to provide the best life possible for Anna,” she said. “Now, get in there before you’re late for the tour.”
