34. My New Life?

THIRTY-FOUR

MY NEW LIFE?

Dessa

When I stroll from the bedroom into the living room, I'm met with six sets of eyes watching me. I sheepishly smile at everyone and give a small wave, slightly self-conscious. Garrett turns to me, his eyes full of affection, and in a few steps, his fingers entwine with mine. He gives my hand a comforting squeeze, simmering my nerves a little.

He bends down and whispers, "Don't be nervous. Everyone will love you." He turns his attention to his teammates and friends. "Hey everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Dessa." Over the next several minutes, I officially meet Randy, the center fielder, and his pregnant girlfriend, Tori, along with second baseman Joe Salter, his wife Melanie, and their two kids. Cora is an adorable four-year-old with curly red hair and Blake, who's six years old, has a mop of thick, dark brown hair like his dad .

With a swift motion, Garrett snatches his backpack off the floor and effortlessly tosses it over one shoulder. Turning his attention to me, he says, "We have to head to the stadium for our pre-game workout and meetings. These lovely ladies will take care of you." He presses his lips to mine. My heart jumps to my throat as my eyes go wide. This is the first time we've kissed in front of other people. I'm unsure if he meant to do it or if it was out of habit. He pulls away a fraction of an inch.

"Did you mean to kiss me?—"

"In front of everyone? Yes." He gives me another chaste kiss.

"Enough with the making out. You'll have plenty of time to do that after we win," Joe teases.

Garrett holds up his hand, about to give him the middle finger, thinks better of it with the kids present, and waves him off instead. He cups my cheek. "I'll see you at the stadium."

The guys leave and Tori and Melanie turn to me, wide, knowing grins on both their faces.

"Tell us everything," Tori says.

"We've never seen Garrett so invested in someone. Even when he was with that one girl. The model," Melanie adds.

Months ago, I remember seeing Garrett in the tabloids with a model on his arm, and every time, I'd roll my eyes. I don't know if it was jealousy or spite seeing him with someone else when it was so easy for him to leave me. But looking back, he was never smiling. He never looked at her like he looks at me now. It solidifies what we're doing, what we have, what we share, is real.

Cora tugs on her mom's shirt. "Okay. Let's go get lunch, then we can interrogate Dessa." Melanie winks, then adds, "Only if you want. "

"Sure. Even though there's not much to tell," I say with a shrug.

Tori's dark eyebrows raise to her hairline. "With the way he looks at you, I'm sure there's a lot to say."

We all climb into Melanie's SUV, and she drives us to a restaurant a few blocks from the stadium.

After we're seated and food is ordered, Tori turns to me. "How did you and Garrett meet?"

How complicated do I want to make this? I'm not really one to share my life story with strangers, so I go with a simplified version. "We were friends a long time ago and then we lost touch for ten years before reconnecting at his brother's wedding." I take a sip of my water.

"Oh, so there's a lot of history." Tori rests her chin on her hand and leans in.

Cora sits on Melanie's lap while Blake sits next to her drawing in an activity book when she asks, "So you haven't experienced the full baseball life yet?"

I shake my head. "I get the gist, but no, I've never actually done it. What's it like? What's the game-day routine?" This is something that's always fascinated me. Garrett's told me about his day-to-day routine, but I don't know how it is from a partner's perspective.

"It all depends on where we are. Sometimes we'll go out for food before a game, sometimes we'll eat at the stadium. We'll watch the game, and then afterward we'll hang out in the family room while the players finish their post-game interviews and workout. Then we do it again the next day."

I nod along with everything Melanie's saying. I know baseball is a grueling schedule. Could this be my new life? "Do you two also live in Seattle?"

"We have a condo in the city, but we also have a house in Florida. Joe and I both grew up in Melbourne, so that's where we like to go in the offseason," Melanie says.

My eyes go wide. "Wow. So, you have three different houses."

Melanie nods.

"Same here," Tori adds, resting a hand on her small baby bump, "except we stay in Seattle during the offseason. Also, I'll add, we don't necessarily go to every game because it can be a lot of travel, especially once the baby comes. Instead, if the team has a charity event, the wives or girlfriends will attend those in lieu of a game. It lets us be supportive outside of just being at the game."

My mind is blown. I never would have imagined the significant others would play such a prominent role at these events. "Was it hard to adjust to living your life on their schedule? Did you give up your own careers to follow theirs?" Now that the floodgates have opened, I have all the questions. Things I never thought about before. I don't know if I want to give up who I am to follow someone else's dream.

"I won't say it's easy," Melanie says, "but it's gotten easier over time. It's become our routine. A part of our daily life now. They play one hundred sixty-two games a season, then more if the team makes the playoffs. But the four or five months Joe's not working is the most amazing time. He's home and so attentive to the kids. We get a lot of family time in during those months, so it kind of makes up for the time he's away."

I nod along, hanging onto her every word. This could be my life someday. "It's especially hard for Garrett and me right now because he lives in Seattle, and I live in Minnesota. We wouldn't necessarily have those four or five months together."

"When you date a baseball player, you date baseball." Tori laughs. "I didn't expect everything to be like this. I readjusted my work schedule as a fashion blogger so I could do it remotely. I've been super lucky with that."

"I'm a bartender. It's not something I can do remotely." I laugh.

"Then it becomes a personal decision and one you'd have to talk out with Garrett. I will say you'll develop a bond with all the wives and girlfriends over time. We're like family. Melanie has helped me a lot with what to expect with having kids and traveling." Tori rests her hand on Melanie's. "We've become like sisters." Melanie gives her a warm smile.

Over the next hour, we chat about their lives and mine. There's definitely a bond between the baseball wives and girlfriends that not everyone understands. If this becomes my life, it will be great to know I'll have an entire support system waiting with open arms.

After lunch, we head to this stadium. I follow Melanie and Tori's lead since I'm the newbie. At the box office, we collect our family seating tickets the guys had set aside for us. A security guard escorts us to our entrance. As we stroll through the tunnel, the sunlight grows brighter as it opens to the field. This stadium, being their spring training field, is smaller with less seating, but there's still a decent size crowd. We hike up the stairs to our seats a few rows up behind the Warblers' dugout. Sitting on the edge of the folding seat, I scan the field until I spot Garrett. A rush of emotions, from excitement to sadness, flows through me at seeing him in his uniform and a backwards Warblers cap. I hate that we lost so many years away from each other. But I love seeing him in his element. He was always meant to play baseball. Watching him on the field, it's clear this is his dream. Bonus points, him wearing his uniform is a total thirst trap .

Over the next several minutes, I'm mesmerized by Garrett as he catches balls and tosses them back to another player. The kids yell for their dad and wave when they have his attention. Before the game is about to start, each team goes to their respective dugout. The Warblers are up to bat first. After the first batter strikes out, Garrett walks out onto the field. He swings the bat, loosening up his arms before he steps up to the batter's box. He bends his knees, hands slightly parted, gripping the bat. The pitcher for San Diego throws. The ball crosses the plate a little high, but the ump calls a strike. My foot bounces against the concrete. Come on, Garrett. He retreats a step and loosens his shoulders before returning to the plate. Once again, he gets into position. The pitcher slingshots the ball toward the plate and Garrett swings. The bat connects with the ball, sending it soaring to center field. It bounces off the ground before the San Diego player catches it. Garrett rounds first base and sprints toward second. The outfielder throws the ball toward the second baseman. When Garrett's a few feet away, he dives, sliding on his stomach. His fingertips graze the base just as the second baseman tags him with his glove. The ump waves his hands, signaling safe.

The Warblers finish their at bat with one run scored by Garrett. Now I get to watch him do what he does best. He saunters onto the field and stands behind home plate. He laughs with the ump before crouching down. I can't help but drop my gaze to his ass. Seconds before the pitcher throws the ball, Garrett moves to his knees and kicks his leg out. As the ball sails through the air, the sound of cheering fills the stadium. The batter swings, but the ball lands directly in Garrett's glove. The ump calls a strike. I clap my hands and scream from my seat. With the next pitch, the batter makes contact and sends the ball flying toward the outfield, where Randy acrobatically catches it, resulting in an out. The second batter strikes out. The third batter hits the ball deep to center field. Randy catches it, then throws to Joe while the runner rounds third base. Come on. Come on. I wring my hands together. Joe throws to Garrett, and within seconds he snatches the ball out of the air, swoops his arm down and tags the player out. I jump to my feet, cheering and clapping.

The Warblers win four to two. After the game, Melanie and Tori take me to the family room where we'll wait for the guys to finish their post-game workout. They introduce me to some of the other players' wives and girlfriends. I exchange numbers with Melanie and Tori, and they tell me they hope to see me at more games. Garrett's signature scent wafts around me seconds before he wraps his arms around my waist from behind and presses a kiss to my cheek.

"The best part of the day was knowing you're here waiting for me," he murmurs next to my ear.

I spin around in his arms. "The best part was watching you play. You did amazing."

His fingers graze my temple, sending a flutter through my chest as he brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. "It's because you were in the stands watching. I had to impress you."

"Get a room!" Joe yells from the other side of the room.

Garrett laughs, and I drop my forehead to his chest to hide my embarrassment. He twists his head to the side to face Joe. "That's an excellent idea. I think we'll do just that."