16. Cord

Chapter 16

Cord

"What's going on with Macy?" Smithy asks as we head out to the field.

"Nothing that I know of, why?" I furrow my brows and glance around. Does he know something I don't? Did something happen I should be worried about?

"Stop looking for her, man." He chuckles. "She's fine, I was just wondering how you went from being enemies to dating again in the span of just a few days."

"Charlie and Wyatt did it, so why are you questioning me?" I keep my gaze focused ahead of me. I'm not sure how good Smithy is at reading people. I've never tried to hide anything from him before.

"Charlie and Wyatt never really wanted to be apart from each other, and there was a lot more tension between Macy and you. The two of you had a lot more to work through than they did."

"Ain't that the fucking truth," I sigh as we step onto the field .

I suck in a deep breath and try to find the peace that always engulfs me when I'm standing on the turf. It's slow to come, but it does.

When I'm on this field, I forget about everything I'm struggling with in life. I leave all of my baggage in the locker room. I'm free when I have a mitt, ball, or bat in my hands.

"So, what's going on between you and Macy? I heard you're dating now?" Smithy follows me, not giving up.

"Do you see where I'm standing?" I motion to my feet.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Smithy frowns at me.

"I leave all emotion and my life in the locker room. When I'm standing here, all that exists is baseball."

"Man, that's dumb." Smithy rolls his eyes.

"Nah, it helps me focus. So, if you want to continue discussing Macy, you have to wait until I'm not on the field. We can discuss Lilliana if you'd prefer." I grin, knowing that's going to piss him off.

"How is Macy off limits on the field but Lilliana isn't?" He growls.

"Because Lilliana isn't part of my life. Therefore, I'm not bringing my baggage on the field." I lift my shoulder in a shrug and start walking backwards towards first base.

"Don't call her baggage. It makes her sound like she's trash." He scowls.

I can't wait for him to realize he's in love with her. He's more protective of her than most guys are of their girlfriends, yet he tries to say he only has platonic feelings towards her.

Yeah, alright, buddy. I'm sure that's the truth. Insert eye roll here.

Smithy slams his fist into the palm of his glove and stomps towards third base. It's going to be magnificent watching him crumble at her feet and bend over backwards to convince her to give him a chance.

I get it, I was the same way with Macy. Hell, I'm still that way with her. I'd give almost anything to have her as a permanent fixture on my arm and in my life.

My gaze slides from Leo to Wyatt and back again. Leo's eyes are trained on Wyatt and we're all waiting for him to release his pitch on Wheeler.

Leo's one of the best pitchers in the league. His sole focus in life is the game and improving his pitches. He doesn't have a woman clogging up his brain or begging for attention, and his abilities show that. He's always completely present and hyper focused when he steps foot on the mound. It's amazing to watch.

Wyatt's sitting on a milk crate. I don't even know where it came from, but he refuses to not practice. Charlie finally relented and found the milk crate. She said it will only place him a little bit higher than he would be if he were squatting. With his leg sticking out straight, I know he's going to get frustrated though. He's not going to be able to reach for the ball like he'd normally be able to. He's going to be limited and I can only imagine how annoying that's going to be.

He's handling it well though. I guarantee if someone had injured me on purpose, I'd be livid. I'd be a grouchy bastard until I was completely healed, then I'd be going for blood.

I know Dad's hoping no team picks up Stubbs, but I'm kind of hoping someone does. I'd love nothing more than to beat him one game after another. I'd love to show him how much better our team is without him. If nothing else, I'd love to bash my fist into his face and watch him bleed for what he did to Wyatt and what he tried to do to Charlie.

Leo sends a ball sailing towards Wheeler. He connects with the ball and the satisfying crack of the bat fills the air. I keep my foot on the bag as I watch the ball sail over my head and fall to the ground a few feet in front of Holden. He's a new guy and I don't know much about him, but he seems nice enough.

He picks up the ball and throws it straight to me. I catch the ball a second before Wheeler can touch the bag, earning myself a scowl from him.

"Sorry, buddy. Maybe next time." I grin.

"I'm surprised you don't get punched more during games." He smirks.

"More? Have I ever been punched during a game?" I frown as I send the ball back to Leo.

"Remember that time one of the players tried to break your nose? You bled all over your uniform."

"Ahh, I forgot all about that." I chuckle and shake my head.

The guy was known for stealing bases every chance he got. He's also known for his temper. I didn't want him stealing a base on my watch and the game was neck and neck up until that point. There was no way I was letting him make it past first base. Not if I could help it.

So, I decided to piss him off. I poked and prodded, asking him all sorts of questions that I knew would make him angry. It distracted him enough to not realize there were several times he could've stolen a base, but he was so focused on me and what I was saying, he ended up punching me in the nose.

Needless to say, I ended up with a black eye, a bleeding nose, and got yelled at by Dad for starting shit with another player. On the bright side, he got kicked out of the game and wasn't able to steal a base. I counted it as a success.

"Alright, let's switch batters!" Danny cups his hands around his mouth and yells loud enough for us all to hear.

I jog towards the dugout to put down my glove and grab my bat. I've been trying to practice my batting more and more. I don't like getting up to bat and missing. I realize the statistics say I'm going to strike out more often than I make it on a base, but I don't like it one bit.

"I think you should always play shirtless."

I glance up to find my girl in the front row, staring down at me. She has a teasing smile playing on her lips. All I want to do is sweep her into my arms and kiss her until she's begging me to take her home with me.

"I've tried, but sometimes Smithy gets upset because I look better than him." I lift my shoulder in a shrug, knowing Smithy's right behind me.

"Oh, fuck off! You do not!" He shoves me, but I barely move a step.

"Well, prove him wrong, Smithy!" Macy's eyes light up with amusement. She'll happily tell us who looks better shirtless. Even when we were dating, she wouldn't have a problem doing so.

She's the girl everyone loves. She's loud and engages with everyone. She has no problem knocking people down a peg or two, I think she actually likes to do it. Especially with me.

You'd think Macy has a ton of friends, even though she only has Charlie and Cici. She doesn't trust easily and because of that, she always keeps people at arm's length. It's hard to get behind those walls she builds to protect herself, but when you finally do, the person she hides is beautiful .

Smithy doesn't waste a second. He whips his shirt off and puffs out his chest. He knows I have more muscle than him and he's trying to make up for it.

"Dang, Smithy! Looking good." Macy grins, she knows she's playing with fire.

"But does he look better than me?" I arch a brow, daring her to lie. I know what she likes and Smithy isn't it. I'm exactly what she likes. Hell, I've been working my ass off since I hit puberty to make sure I'd catch her eye.

"I don't know." She has her legs crossed with her elbow resting on her knee and her chin planted in her palm. She taps her bottom lip with her index finger, making me chuckle. She loves to drive me crazy.

"Is that so?"

"Well, you're definitely bigger than him, but that doesn't mean you look better."

"Please, you always like bigger." I roll my eyes.

A flirty smile spreads across her cheeks as she sinks her perfectly white teeth into her bottom lip. She looks adorable right now. I wish I had my phone so I could capture the image in front of me. I'd make it my screensaver so I could look at it every day.

"Bigger is better." She winks at us.

"C'mon! Between you and Charlie, I'm going to have self-image issues," Smithy grumbles with a pout.

"I'm sure Lilliana could help with that." I grin, but let out a low grunt when he smacks me in the stomach with his bat. "Asshole," I murmur under my breath.

"Powell, you're up!" Danny calls, sounding more than annoyed.

I'm not sure if he's pissed I'm screwing around and not taking this seriously, or if it's because of the beautiful women coming to work here. He flirted with Charlie and lost her to Wyatt. I wasn't taking that chance with my girl. I made it clear from the first second she wasn't up for grabs, but I haven't missed the way his eyes linger on her when she enters the room. He likes her, but he can't have her.

"Make me proud, baby." Macy blows me a kiss, making me grin. I've missed having her in the stands. As much as I try to forget everything around me when I'm on the field, I always play better when she's watching.

"Always."

I jog towards home plate and take a practice swing. Leo's in the zone and isn't screwing around today. He's feeling the pressure of the season starting and he wants to be strong for the first game.

I watch him carefully. I've picked up on his tells over the years and I know exactly what he does differently for various pitches. I've learned to read him like an open book and I'm working on doing the same with other pitchers in the league.

The first ball is a fast pitch and I don't try to swing at it. The ball is going to come in a little too high .

"Nice eye," Wyatt mumbles from his spot on the milk crate. I can only imagine how much it's killing him to not be able to play.

The next is a curveball and I know it's going to be a good one. I swing into it, giving everything I have. It's going to fly far into the outfield, I know it.

As soon as the ball hits the bat with a loud crack, I take off at a run. It might be a homerun or someone might catch it, but I won't stand around and wait to see what happens. I'm getting on base, maybe even onto second base, if I can.

My foot hits first base and I keep going. I didn't get a homerun, but it was close. I glance around as I close in on second base. Schmidt grabs the ball and pulls his arm back to launch it to Wheeler. I don't have a lot of time to get to the bag, but I'm not going to let that deter me.

The ball is hurled towards Wheeler and I dive for the bag, wishing I had put on a damn shirt. This is going to hurt, but I'm not getting out if I can help it.

I slide against the dirt and touch the bag right before I hear the ball hit Wheeler's mitt. He lets out a groan, knowing I'm safe. I'm sure he's pissed, especially when I just got him out.

"You're such a pain in my ass," he grumbles under his breath.

"Sorry, Wheel. We can't all be as amazing as me." I stand to my full height and pat him on the chest.

"Yeah, at least I'm not going to have friction burns all over my chest."

I glance down to find my skin already looking raw and red. It's not the worst I've had, but it definitely is going to sting, especially when I try to clean off the dirt.

"Oh, well. I'm sure I'll live."

I turn towards home, checking to see who's up to bat next. It's Smithy. He has a wicked swing, but he doesn't always connect. He's not as skilled at reading pitchers, but he's a good player.

My attention is drawn to my beautiful girl. She's on her feet, leaning down to rest her arms on the railing. The position is pushing her tits together and giving me quite the view. I hate that every guy in the outfield is getting the same view, but I can't change that. And I'm not sure it matters, because her eyes are locked on me.

A slow smirk spreads across my lips and one is quick to follow on her. She's so damn sexy. I've missed her so much, but now I need to figure out a way to make her give me a real shot. I don't want her as my fake girlfriend. I want her as my real wife. That's always been my goal.