Epilogue 2

LUCAS

"When will Lucas Raines return to baseball? The thirty-nine-year-old veteran pitcher is on the injured list?—"

Click.

"Raines was put on the injured list in late April after he left the game in the seventh inning against the Mets, after experiencing tightness in his forearm and was unable to throw. He?—"

Click.

"Larry, do you think Raines will be able to return to baseball after having Tommy John surgery?"

The pretty blonde newscaster turns to her balding, overweight, co-host Larry Gordon, who isn't a fan of mine.

A little smirk plays across his lips before he speaks, making my blood boil.

Asshole.

"It's hard to say. I think he's been putting it off for years, and it finally came back to bite him."

"Fuck you, Larry," I mutter under my breath, but dread curls in my gut.

"And even if he comes back, it's doubtful he'll ever have that perfect game he's chasing. "

It's a well-aimed shot below the belt, and he knows it.

Being the mature adult I am, I give the oversized TV screen the finger.

My legs bounce, nerves and anxiety making my insides quiver. They're two concepts foreign to me until now, and I have no idea how to handle it.

Unable to sit any longer, I stand and begin to pace the small, plush waiting area of the Bull Sharks training facility.

"You're going to wear a hole in the carpet."

I turn to see Nate come up behind me, a smile on his face. I run my good hand through my hair and blow out a breath. I'm glad to see he's alone.

I didn't need "losing my fucking mind" added to the list of my defects right now.

A dead arm is more than enough.

I come to a stop in front of him. "Sorry."

"I'm just giving you shit." He glances at the screen. "Ah, Larry Gordon. Still pissed at you for that time he said you purposely hit him with a pitch and the ump didn't agree?"

I rub the back of my neck, where it seems the tension has decided to permanently reside. "Seems so."

Nate crosses his arms over his chest, his gaze on the TV. "He went on to strike out and, in the next inning, collided with the wall and broke his leg, ending his career."

"He holds a grudge, apparently." I sigh before turning to him. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be down at the stadium by now."

"I heard you're starting PT today, so I thought I'd come and check on you before you started."

Before Nate retired and then came back to work in the club's front office, we'd started as a battery 310 times, one of the longest runs as a pitcher and catcher combo in league history .

Besides my buddy Theo, Nate is the closest thing I have to a brother.

"Thanks, man. But I'm fine."

He raises a brow. "You sure?"

I know what he's asking without asking.

How's your mental game?

My gut churns at the insinuation. Baseball is a mentally challenging sport, and my head needs to be as right as my arm.

Clearing my throat, I look back to the TV, where a commercial for a high-end whiskey has replaced Larry the asshole.

Rolling my lips inward, I nod. "Yeah, I'm good." I feel the weight of his stare on me. "Okay, I'm working on it."

My phone pings, and I bite back a sigh of relief.

Relief that's short-lived when I read the text on the screen.

THEO: Hey man. I need to talk to you. Text me when you get a chance today.

My stomach drops at the urgent tone of his text. It's not normal for Theo. But I don't have time to do more than fire back a quick response.

ME: Headed into PT. Text back after.

A thumbs-up emoji pops up, and I slide my phone back into my pocket.

Before I can reassure Nate that I'm indeed just fine, a door opens behind me. Nate grins, dropping his voice to where only I can hear him. "It appears you've got the new PT on staff for your rehab."

When I turn to face the therapist who's going to be my best friend and worst enemy for the next several weeks, my ears begin to ring.

My brain quits working and I'm rendered speechless .

It's the same fucking reaction every time I see her.

The woman I spent a weekend with that still plays rent free in my head.

The woman who has owned my heart for a decade.

The woman who ruined me.

The only one in the world off-limits to me. Not because she works for the Bull Sharks but because she's Evelyn Taylor.

My best friend Theo's sister.

The sister I swore whose heart I'd never break.

And then I did.