Epilogue 1

“Batter Up! This is Molly,” I had to smile as I heard her familiar voice. I loved this woman more than I ever thought I would.

“Howdy, ma’am,” I said, trying to feign a southern accent. “I heard from a good ‘ol friend of mine that you had a whole peanut-free kitchen. I wanted to know if you delivered down south? I have a hankering for some strawberry shortcake.”

I heard my wife giggling. I couldn’t hold up the horrible facade and had to laugh along with her. “Yes, sir. We deliver down south, and you might get lucky and get your very own personal delivery from the owner herself.”

“Hi, baby.”

“Hey, handsome. Is everything okay? You hardly ever call during the day. Shouldn’t you be watching film right now?”

My girl knew me way too well. “I should be, but I’m heading to the airport.”

“Airport? Where are you heading?”

“Miami,” I said simply with a huge grin on my face. “Why don’t you sit down before I tell you the rest.”

“Miami,” she repeated, “Okay, I’m sitting now. Holy shit, Ty, are you getting traded and called up at the same time? Do you get to play on the same team as Landon?”

I love that her mind went there. “Close, but not quite. The Jaguars are playing the Coyotes!”

“But you’re getting called up? You’re going to the majors? I’m right, aren’t I?” I could tell by the quiver in her voice that she was now crying. I had to wipe away my own tears.

“We did it, Molls. I’m getting called up. My first game in the majors is against my brother!”

“Oh my god! Hold on, love. Let me call you back on my cell phone.” After she called me back I heard a bell clink in the background and could tell my wife was on the move. I heard some muffled sounds, and then I heard Molly say, “Hazel! Olivia! Your daddy is on the phone. Girls, guess what? Daddy is going to the majors! Your daddy did it”

“Daa daaa daaa daa daaa!” I heard a little voice say.

“What the? Who is that, Molly? Is she saying what I think she’s saying?” I had tears in my eyes again. I don’t know what was a better sound - hearing I was going to the majors or hearing one of my girls say her first word and for it to be Dada.

“Liv started saying it last night. We were watching your game, and I don’t know if she knows what it means, but she knew it got a reaction from me. I didn’t tell you yet because I wanted you to hear it in person, but I knew now was the perfect time.”

“Has Hazel said her first word yet?”

“Not yet, but she gets so excited watching you on TV. She loves watching baseball with me, and her whole body shakes with excitement.”

“I love that!” I said as the Uber driver pulled up to the airport. “I’m at the airport, baby, and I need to go, but you had to be the first one I told.”

“Oh, Tyler, I am so proud of you! I love you so much. Do you want me to call your mom and the guys and everyone to tell them the good news, or do you want to tell them?”

“Go ahead and tell everyone, Molly. Well, everyone but Landon. I want to tell him. I’ll be in the air, and then I’m not sure what will happen. It’s all happening so fast.”

“I will start making phone calls. Your dreams are coming true!”

“Baby, as corny as it sounds, my dreams came true when I met you. It’s all been leading to this ultimate dream of playing in the majors.”

“I love my corny, Major League Baseball-playing husband!”

My leg wouldn’t stop bouncing as I sat in the dugout and watched my team out on the field. I tried to hide my nerves and hoped they weren’t obvious. As Tristan Barnes threw a slider, it popped right out of Kraig Johnston’s glove. The opponent on first base easily stole second. I closed my eyes, and with a sigh, I reached for the tablet near me. I began analyzing the pitch that had just been thrown and what I would have done differently. Johnston only had a few games behind the plate, so he didn’t have much more experience than I did. I began to look at the next few batters’ statistics and got lost in thought. Before I knew it, my team was jogging back to the dugout.

“What could I have done?” Johnston asked me as he slid next to me on the bench. He looked defeated, and I could tell he felt he was to blame for the fact that our team was losing by three runs.

“Don’t move the glove at all once the ball is in the sweet spot, especially a slider,” I explained. “You turned your glove, which probably was instinct, but you can’t do that.”

“Maybe you should be out there,” he said with a shrug.

“Not my call,” I said as I watched Ethan Monroe head to the batter’s box.

I noticed in awe when he didn’t swing at the first pitch and allowed a ball to fly by him. He swung at the next pitch, and the ball screamed out to the outfield while he raced to first base, easily making a single.

After him, Dallas Miller went up to bat, and he soon had two strikes, and then a ball passed him. He foul-tipped the next ball and finally hit a ball out to the center fielder. Landon made it look easy as he ran and dove for the ball. He jumped up and quickly got it back to the infield, but Monroe was already at second.

That’s right, as in Landon, my brother. I smiled and shouldn’t be proud of that diving catch, but I was. I grinned wider as I thought about my phone call to him after I boarded my plane.

“Hey, how do you think you guys will do against the Coyotes today?” I asked him.

“We’ve got our ace on the mound, so I think we’ll do okay,” Landon said. “I heard the Coyotes starting catcher, Roberts, got injured in a car accident this morning. Is he okay?”

“He broke his arm when the airbag deployed, so he’s going to be out for a few weeks. Other than that, I think he’s okay. I guess the other car ran a red light. It could have been a lot worse.”

“Are they just going to use their backup catcher now?”

I tried to hold back my smile. “Yeah, they are going to start Johnston.”

“What’s with the change in your voice?” Landon asked. He knew me way too well, just as Molly did. “Holy fuck! Please tell me you’re saying what I think you’re saying.”

“I’m coming up, brother,” I said and had to laugh. “And my first fucking game is against your team tonight!”

“No fucking way! I’m so proud of you, Ty! Have you told Mom and Dad yet?”

“You’re my second call after Molly. She said she’d call Mom and Dad and let them know.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “I’m so excited but nervous, too.”

“Is there any chance of Molly coming to the game?” Landon asked.

“Probably not with seven-month-old babies and it being very last minute. We didn’t even talk about it, actually. She cried harder than I did when I told her I was moving up.” I told him about how Olivia said her first word and Hazel being excited about watching baseball.

Landon had to laugh. “That’s awesome, T. You’ll have to tell the girls that story when they get older about your first time up to the majors.”

“She was so damn proud, Landon. I lucked out with her.”

“Bro, you found the perfect girl for you! Maybe, someday, I’ll find someone.” Landon told me he had to go see the trainer, but he couldn’t wait to see me tonight.

I still couldn’t believe I was heading to Miami to play for the Coyotes against the Jaguars.

“Stone! Did you hear me?”

I shook my head to come back to the present and looked up at my new manager, Harry Schroeder. “I’m sorry, Sir. I missed what you said.”

“Get your helmet and bat ready. If Wilson reaches base, I want your bat up there.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. I didn’t have time to be nervous, and I felt confident. I knew everything about the Jaguars’ ace pitcher, Chuck Bradley. I had a feeling he probably didn’t know much about me, other than maybe that I was Landon’s brother.

I stood on the top step of the dugout with my bat in hand and watched as they intentionally walked Dean Wilson. I knew they had walked him with first base being open because they wanted to pitch to the new rookie, me.

I strode towards the batter”s box and remembered how it had felt playing my very first t-ball game. I was so excited to play ball with my brothers, and I was sure I was going to hit the ball the hardest. I felt that same excitement now, but I tried to tamp it down and walk as calmly to the box as I could. I loved that Landon was out on the field today, just like he had been in the ballpark behind the elementary school. I stepped up to the plate and heard the announcer say, “.... making his Major League debut for the Coyotes, number 17, catcher Tyler Stone.” I was sure the broadcasters were all having a field day with my debut happening while playing against my brother’s team. I do wish Carter could be here, too. I took a cleansing breath and tuned out everything except for Bradley on the mound.

He looked at me, took a wind up, and threw a wicked curveball that I watched go in the catcher’s glove. Thanks for the welcome to the majors gift, I thought to myself. Bradley had only three pitches, but he excelled at all three of them. I had a feeling he would test me with his slider next. I knew he liked the outside corner of the strike zone, and I was ready for it. I swung my bat and hit the ball hard. I watched as it soured to the right and into the stands for a foul ball. Damn. I knew he wouldn’t give me that pitch again. His next pitch was a high fast ball that I watched soar by me. I was relieved when the umpire called it a ball. I was ready for his next pitch, the curve again. I put all of my energy into my hands holding the bat and squared it to the ball. I shocked myself when I made contact with the ball again. I swung through the pitch and watched as the ball flew straight towards my brother. I dropped my bat and began to run to first base. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the ball soared over Landon’s outstretched glove and over the wall. I pointed at my brother and then tried to run calmly around the bases. My heart was pounding so hard, and I felt like I was running on clouds. I couldn’t believe my first major league hit was a 3-run homerun. I hoped they would be able to get the ball back because I knew it would mean a lot to Molly.

When I got to home plate, I was excited to see a lot of the team there to greet me and congratulate me on my first hit, which tied the score. Johnston patted me on the back and said, “See, I told you that you should be out there. I’ll happily take my place as backup catcher again.”

I did play the rest of the game behind the plate and loved every minute of it. The first player to come up to bat when I was behind the plate was Landon”s best friend on the team, Jake Wheeler, the right fielder for the Jaguars. He and I had hung out with Landon a few times together. He welcomed me to the majors and then groaned when he got struck out swinging.

The crowd amped me up, even their jeers and boos when Barnes and I worked together to strike out their two best hitters, Wheeler and third baseman, Zaine O”Neil. When Landon came up to bat, I gave him a huge grin from behind my mask.

“You suck, T. Stone,” Landon said as he got in his stance and brought his bat up over his shoulder. “But I fucking wish you were on my team.”

I had to laugh along with him. Two pitches later, I let out a groan as Landon hit a line drive off Barnes’s fastball. I watched as he stretched a double into a triple when there was a fielding error.

The next batter hit it hard and just past our third baseman, Lucas Chapman. He was able to retrieve the ball and throw it as fast as he could towards me as Landon slid into home. I caught the ball and touched him with my glove just as he touched the plate. We both lay on top of home plate next to each other and looked up at the umpire at the same time. The umpire crossed his arms, then brought them back out in a wide motion and yelled, “SAFE!”

There was grumbling from the visitor dugout, but I knew the call could have gone either way. Landon and I both got up from the ground and shared a hug.

We ended up winning the game in extra innings, thanks to a walk-off home run by Dallas Miller. It was an awesome first game that I would never forget.

While I was standing at my locker, I grabbed my phone and saw a bunch of missed text messages. I couldn’t be more shocked at the first text message, which was a picture message. It showed Molly holding one of our girls in her arms. She had on little noise-blocking headphones. Next to her was my mom, holding our other daughter, wearing the same headphones. Mom was wearing a Coyote jersey. Dad was taking the selfie and had the biggest smile on his face. I noticed that he was wearing a Jaguar jersey to support Landon. The message under the picture said: “Tyler Stone’s biggest fans!”

I was filled with emotion and had to sit down. I didn’t know how they got here in time for the game, but I was so glad they had been here to see it. I decided I had time before my shower to read the rest of the text messages that had come in during the duration of my game.

My everything: Hey #17, you single? BTW I love that your #17 for the girls’ birthday!

My everything: They need to bring you in. Johnston looks too nervous!

Carter: Let’s go #17! My new tattoo shop co-owners are watching with me, and they don”t even like baseball! Do you remember Alec”s little sister, Vera? She”s watching with me, too….

My everything: Your mom is so cute! Every time it”s the Coyote”s turn to bat she puts on your jersey and every time it”s the Jaguars she puts on Landon”s! She”s so proud of you both!

My everything: OMG OMG OMG You’re up to bat. Oh, Ty. OMG. I think I might be more nervous than you are.

Dad: You walked up to the plate like you’ve been doing this your whole life. You were born for this. Your mom and I are so glad we’re here to see this with your girls.

Montgomery: Fuck, man! You’re up to bat on your first call up! Look at you!

My everything: HOLY SHIT! My screaming just scared the girls! I’m crying again! And I swear - I’m not pregnant again! Just very happy for you!

Ivan: Felicidades! HOMERUN over your brother’s head! Good bat against Bradley! He’s a beast.

Cooper: FUCK YEAH!!!! Don’t ever come back down.

Mack: I knew you’d make it, Stone. I’m so proud of you. Nico says he wants to be you when he grows up.

Hayden: Bro, we are all watching at Fulton’s and can’t believe it. Actually, yes we can bc we know you. So glad we have the day off today to watch. Congrats, my friend!

Dominic: I love you, Stone. You’re going to make me so much money! JK! So proud of you! I”m also glad Molly was able to make it in time!

Montgomery: LET’S GO!!!! Meadow said to tell you that you looked like you enjoyed running the bases after that first homerun! I hope to join you soon!

Carter: You had to hit it right over L’s head, didn’t you?! So fucking proud of you! Vera said to tell you congrats, too. You may have made a baseball fan out of her!

Penelope: I’m so glad Molly was able to get there in time for this! Your parents are awesome, btw! They flew up here first and then flew down with her to help with the girls. I still can’t believe they lucked out with all direct flights! It was meant to be!

Evan Harris: Fuck, man. Now I’m going to have to get a new roommate when I was just getting to like you. You smashed it, man!

Ivan: I do NOT think your brother was safe at home, but it was a close call…

Mom: Oh honey! That hug you and your brother shared at the plate makes me the proudest mom ever. I love you both. I wish Carter was here with us.

I was grinning more than I had ever in my life. As I was taking it all in, a new message popped up on my phone screen.

My everything: Hurry up, Super Star Rookie! Your daughters, your parents, and I want to congratulate you! We are so proud of you!

My everything: PS – Your parents said they will watch the girls tonight at Landon”s house. We have a hotel room all to ourselves! Hurry up so I can congratulate you myself!

A few days later, I was back in Cincinnati, and we had an off day. The Raptors had a day game, so I was able to drive down to Riverbend after my own practice. I started with these guys and wanted to celebrate with them. Shiloh said she could watch the babies and that Peyton and Camden would be her big helpers.

We all met at Fulton’s, where my story with Molly began. On Wednesday night, they had karaoke night, and the girls were all excited. We all sat at a table near the front of the stage and watched as Molly, Penelope, Emma, Meadow, Janel, and Robyn all got up there and sang Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. They were having so much fun up there. All of us guys decided to go up there after a few drinks and sang I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys. All the girls were going crazy!

After having to play a game of darts for old times sake, Molly and I went back to the table and cuddled together to watch more singing. We were all shocked when Cooper and Penelope went up there and sang I Want You to Want Me by Cheap Trick. They sounded really good together.

As they came back to the table, we all overheard Copper say, “You know I want you, don’t you?”

“Don’t be stupid. It was just a song,” a drunk Penelope retorted with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m serious, though,” Cooper said. “You know what? I’m just going for it, the right way. Will you go on a date with me?”

As far as I knew, Cooper had never been in a relationship or on a real date. This was big. When we first met, he had been a once and done kind of guy with women. I was proud of him for how much he has changed when it came to women and taking the game of baseball seriously.

“You had your chance, Dixon. We had a night together, and then you blew it. You can go on a date with me when hell freezes over.”

“I had a night with you?” Cooper asked with wide eyes. “What are you talking about? When?”

“Fuck you! I’m leaving,” Pen said. She wouldn’t look at Cooper but turned her head to look at the rest of us. I’m sure all our jaws were down on the table. “Good night, Molls. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Good luck in Cincy, Ty. It was good hanging out with you.” Penelope didn’t even look back as she strode out of the bar.

“I’m going after her,” Molly said and gave me a quick kiss. She went after Penelope, along with Meadow and Emma. Janel and Robyn quickly followed them.

“You slept with her, you asshole?” Ivan asked with a shake of his head.

“I don’t know! I don’t remember if I did!” Cooper said with his hands up in defense. “Fuck! This explains so much. I have to make this right. I admit it - I really like her, guys.”

I looked into my friend’s sincere face and said, “You guys helped me when I fucked up with Molly. It’s our turn now to help you, Dixon.”