27. Holden

27

HOLDEN

I know she’s not here, but I keep looking in the stands for her, and every time I don’t see her big blue eyes and long blond hair, I get more upset about the whole situation. She’s scared. I know she is, and somehow I have to prove to her that I’m along for the whole ride. I don’t plan on abandoning her or her son.

We’re up to bat, and I’m standing on third. If Carter can hit the ball on the ground somewhere, I can make it home and tie it up. I have a big lead, and I’m hoping for a passed ball, a hit, a homerun or anything. With two outs, I’m running on anything.

Carter hits the ball, and I take off running to home plate as fast as I can. The ball goes straight to the pitcher, and he catches it, getting Carter out.

I stop running and shake my head. If we’d won, it would have been over. We would have ended the season as champions, but in a series of best two out of three, we now have to play again tomorrow.

I look up in the stands where my brother was minutes ago, and see he’s already gone. It felt good being back last night, but now I realize that a lot of it was knowing Cat and Cole were in the stands. Today was different.

When I make it back to my locker, I grab my phone to call my brother. “Gabe, what’s up? I saw you up in the stands, you still here?”

“No man, sorry. I didn’t stick around. I’ll be at the game tomorrow. We’re all coming.”

“Sounds good, man. Thanks for coming.”

There’s a car horn and then Gabe keeps talking. “Yeah, I would have stuck around, but I’m trying to make it to Cole’s game. King said the umpires were late getting there, so I should still be able to make it.”

“The game is still playing?”

“Yeah, it’s like top of the fourth. You could still make it if you wanted to.”

“I’ll be there. ”

I don’t waste any time with a shower. I put on some deodorant, shorts, and a T-shirt and then go to explain to my coach why I need to go. He gives me shit, but I don’t back down, and within fifteen minutes, I’m on the road back to Whiskey Run. I drive faster than I should, and when I get there, it’s the top of the seventh.

I stand out in the outfield and look for Cole, finding him on first base. Then I look for Cat and see her sitting in the stands next to some man I don’t know and surrounded by my family.

My chest expands a little as I see my family surrounding Cat. They know what her and her son mean to me, and it means a lot to me that they’re here when I couldn’t be.

I watch the rest of the game standing in the outfield, and when Cole wins the game with a walk-off homerun, I’m hollering from the outfield as my family and Cat go crazy in the stands. Even though I feel like my world is falling apart, I’m still happy for Cole. He deserves this.

I’m beaming as I watch his team dogpile him.

I completely miss my brother, Dom, approaching me. “Sorry about the game.”

I shake my head, still smiling for Cole. “It’s all good. We’ll get them tomorrow. ”

Dom stops next to me and gestures to the stands. “Don’t you think you should go over there?”

I look at Cat talking to the man beside her, and my hands form into fists. I’ve never wanted to punch a man that I don’t know more than I do now. “Why? It looks like she’s already moved on.”

Dom just nods his head. “So there was something going on with you two.”

I shrug and can’t keep the anger out of my voice. “Ask her. She’ll tell you it was just a fling.”

Dom just shakes his head. “Well, well, well. It finally happened. The mighty Holden Gray has fallen in love.”

I don’t even bother trying to deny it. “Yeah, and she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Hmmm,” Dom says. “That’s funny, because Chrissy was telling me that Cat was watching your game on her phone through her son’s game. That doesn’t sound like a woman that has moved on.”

I look at Cat, and she’s getting up from the bleachers, walking to the field with the other parents, and that same guy is glued to her side. Who the fuck is he, anyway? When he offers his arm to help her descend the stairs, my heart starts to race. I should be the one helping her, not this bozo .

“Holden, are you listening to me? Look, it’s obvious to all of us that you love the girl and we all decided that she and Cole fit perfectly in with our family and we’re not letting you fuck this up.”

I grip the fence in front of me, and my knuckles turn white. “Fuck, Dom, I don’t know what you want me to do. She wanted a fling—”

He grips my shoulder. “Make her want more.”

I let his words sink in, and I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. The boys are all on the field, and the men are all joining them. There are a couple of moms, Cat included, that walk out there, gloves in hand. What the fuck is going on?

“About time you showed up. You going to save Cat?”

I’m so focused on what Cat is doing that I didn’t even see Chrissy walking toward us. “Save her from what?”

“Well, first of all, whoever the guy sitting next to her is. He’s not taking a hint, and King had to tell him hands off at one point. Secondly, I guess it’s tradition to play a father/son game after the last season game.”

I don’t even think about it. I grip the fence and jump over it. As I walk in from the outfield, I’m heading straight for Cat. That guy is still standing next to her, and it takes everything in me not to tackle him. I stop next to Cat, between her and the guy.

She doesn’t seem surprised to see me. “Hey, I’m sorry about the game.”

I shrug. “It’s okay. We’ll get them tomorrow.” I point to where the boys are standing with their coach. “You care if I do the honors?”

“Your shoulder—” she starts.

I shake my head. “My shoulder is fine.”

She shrugs. “Cole would love that. Do you have a glove with you?”

I point at the pink glove she’s holding. “Can I borrow yours?”

She holds up the glove with a smirk. “You’re going to use a pink glove?”

I shrug again. “If it means I get to play with Cole, I will.”

Her smile is instant, and she nods. “Yeah, he would love that. He’s already missing you.”

I lean my head down and search her eyes. “What about you? Have you missed me?”

She doesn’t think about it, she doesn’t blink, nothing. “Yes, I’ve missed you too.”

It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. “All right, I’ll be back.” I turn to look at the man standing next to me. “You ready to play?”

He looks at Cat, but she doesn’t even notice because she’s looking at me with her heart in her eyes. I can’t resist her, so I lean down and kiss her on the forehead before walking up to where Cole is, bringing the other man with me. “Find your son,” I say before leaving him.

Cole’s eyes are huge as he looks up at me. “Holden, what? Your game?”

I put my arm around his shoulders, and he leans into me. “We lost, but we’ll get another chance tomorrow. I hope you and your mom will come to it. I think you two are my lucky charms.”

He nods his head. “Yeah, yeah, that would be awesome.”

I gesture to the field. “So I borrowed your mom’s glove. Is it okay if I play?”

His mouth drops. “You want to play with us?”

I chuckle. “Yeah, is that okay?”

All of a sudden, all Cole’s teammates are begging to be on his team. The coach has to divvy up the teams, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that he puts himself and his son on our team.

And for the next hour, I have the time of my life.