Chapter 27

April is here in Texas. The weather is heating up and so is the CTU Eagles baseball team. It's been a remarkable season with a good chance that we will go far in the postseason.

I'm so ready to get to Omaha where the collegiate tournament is held. If we keep dominating the field the way we have been, there's no doubt in my mind we'll be playing through June.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I tousle my hair until it's the perfect messy look. It's early Saturday morning, the team bus leaves in a few hours for a local away game weekend. For the last two weeks, while I've been balancing attending classes, practices, and games, and my time with my girl, I've also been planning out ways to honor the best national holiday—April Fools' Day.

Now luckily for most of my friends, I don't do this every year. The last time I dished out epic pranks was freshman year, and only Hud and Brynn were around to remember that. I'm hoping since I skipped last year that they both were lulled into a false state of security.

Tossing a few outfits into my overnight bag, I run through all my baseball items to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. It's still early enough that I should be the only one who's up in the house. Digging through my closet, I find the hidden bag in the back which is full of my supplies.

Tiptoeing out of my room, I pause for a second, listening for any movement from the guys. When nothing sounds out of the ordinary, I head to the shared bathroom the rest of the guys share.

The bathroom is a moderate-sized space with a combination tub and shower, a single sink with a mirrored vanity above the basin, and of course, the toilet. Reaching inside the shower, I pull out Hudson's shampoo. Bringing the container to the sink, I reach inside my bag for what I'm looking for. Switching out his shampoo, he'll never know what's coming.

Once the bottle is returned to the exact spot he had left it in, I pull out the next item and get to work setting up the next prank. Ten minutes go by, and Niko and Hudson's pranks are set up. Ty's was a little challenging, but I was able to sneak into his room last night to get his set up.

Closing everything in the bathroom and making sure I've left nothing behind, I enter stealth mode as I tiptoe down the stairs. Once I've made my way into the kitchen, I head to the pantry for a package of Pop-Tarts before reaching inside the fridge for a lemon-lime sports drink.

Taking a seat on the island, I pull out my phone and open Instagram. The first picture I see damn near makes my heart stop. My Wildflower. She's laying on her side, body propped up by her elbow, dressed in a white tank top and short set with lace details and a slit separating her top in two underneath her breasts. She's reading a book with a mug and nail polish on the bed in front of her. Her long golden hair is tousled in messy curls that hang down her body. She's breathtaking.

As beautiful as she is, it's the quote underneath her photo that made me pause.

"My light illuminated in his presence because his soul was the one mine had been promised to." —Nicole Fiorina, Stay With Me

I knew it was a quote from one of her books. I've learned over the last couple of months that Chloe loves to annotate the words she reads. Luckily, I've witnessed this first hand from when I borrowed her book, but I've watched her whip out a soft case filled with highlighters and sticky tabs. When Chloe reads, she doesn't just skim the words. She absorbs the story and the message behind the black ink.

Chloe Mariano thinks I'm her soulmate. If you would've asked me six months ago if I believed in soulmates, I would've told you no. But now, after being reunited with the girl who stole my heart and got away, I'd say maybe. Maybe there's someone out there for all of us. A lost soul out in the universe searching for its mate.

For so long baseball has been my only love. It's the only love I thought I'd ever have, but something inside of me has changed. I love my pretty Wildflower. She's mine, and I'll stop at nothing to make sure she knows how much she truly means to me.

The squeaky sound of a wooden door opening above has me quickly hitting the like button on her photo. Hitting the lock button on the side of my phone, I reach down and gather up my bags, breakfast, and keys before sneaking out the door.

The boys are in for a real treat.

I guess we all are this morning.

I didn't realize I'd come to the realization that Chloe Mariano is my soul mate, much less surrounded by Pop-Tarts and a sports drink.

From my seat toward the back of the bus, I have the perfect vantage point to watch Chloe. Even though the two of us are dating, she still refuses to sit with me. Something about not wanting to be a distraction. She's probably right. I don't think I'd be able to keep my hands off her if she were sitting next to me, especially not on longer trips. Just the image of her sitting next to me in those tiny dresses I could so easily trail my fingers under has me squirming in my seat, trying not to get hard right here.

Yeah, the separation is a good idea. I still don't like that Billings sits with her, and she's constantly using his shoulder as a pillow. But I know nothing is going on between the two of them.

Speaking of Chloe, I can see the top of her blond hair as she climbs onto the bus. Since I was busy running around playing pranks this morning, I knew there was no way I'd have enough time to pick her up. She had Brynn drop her off, which ended up being perfect since the line at the coffee shop was longer than normal. Clearly, every student at CTU needed a caffeine fix this morning.

She effortlessly glides down the aisle, shoulders held back, with her mesmerizing smile spread across her face.

I can't help but appreciate how much she's changed in the last few months. She hasn't changed in a bad way, just in a way that makes her more confident. Her first time on the bus, Chloe's shoulders sunk forward as she fought to not draw any attention to herself.

Unfortunately for her, she had every guy on the bus watching her. Chloe just draws everyone to her with her sunny aura. It's impossible to ignore her.

Before she sits in her seat, her eyes find mine, and I give her a wink as she gives me the sweetest smile in return.

Chloe slides down in her leather seat, and I can only assume she's going through the little goodie bag which was left on her seat. I watch as her head turns back toward my direction; however, I'm pretending to be busy on my phone. I can see her out of the corner of my eye, and I take in the smile lines that are crinkled around her eyes as a bright smile fills her face.

Please don't hate me after this.

The sound of a bag rustling fills the near-empty bus as more guys continue to climb on. Hudson is next to step on, and I can't help the burst of laughter that erupts from my core.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Jacobs?" Hudson yells as he charges down the aisle. At the sound of his voice, the guys who were on the bus but not paying any attention all cackle at Hudson as he makes his way to my row. Chloe gasps at the sight of his blond hair now dyed bright vibrant pink. "You're dead, dickhead."

"But pink is your color."

"Fuck you and your April Fools' pranks. You nearly gave Niko a heart attack with the taped clown in the vanity."

Hudson's busy filling me in on the events at the house this morning which I avoided happily. He's mid-sentence when a shriek fills the bus and all heads—including the coaches—whip to Chloe's seat. Her arms are flailing as she stands, rushing up the aisle before spitting the contents of her mouth into the trash can.

She turns, wiping the corner of her mouth as her deadly glare finds mine. "Really?" she screams. "Toothpaste in the Oreos. Are you five?"

I watch as Chloe marches to her seat, reaching down and picking up the coffee that was waiting for her. She blows air through the small opening before taking a sip. Disgust mars her pretty face as she stomps her sweet ass toward me.

"And black coffee? Are you trying to piss me off?"

"You're not the only one he's trying to piss off," Hudson mumbles from beside me.

"April Fools," I say sheepishly, a smile spreading wide.

"I hate pranks." Chloe shoves the black coffee into my chest. I'm lucky the force didn't have the cardboard cup crumbling and spilling hot coffee down my chest.

Grabbing the takeaway cup from my tray, I hand it to her. "It's a honey lavender latte, I promise."

She eyes me skeptically, and I can't say I blame her. I pop the lid off so she can see that it is in fact her drink order, latte art included.

"Thanks," she grumbles, taking the drink from me and turning on her heels not sparing me another word.

Hudson's chuckle gains my attention. "What?"

"Pissing off your girlfriend, you are a dumb ass."

"Oh please, it was just a small prank."

"Yeah, well she holds the power of the pussy, and you just pissed her off. Guess you won't be getting laid anytime soon."

Oh fuck me, maybe he is right.

"Clowns! Out of all the things you could've pranked me with, you just had to choose CLOWNS!" Niko yells as he comes down the aisle. Ty is right behind him, but he's walking at a more leisurely pace. I shrug because his fear of clowns is absolutely ridiculous. So what? I taped a creepy It-style clown on the inside of the medicine cabinet so when he opened the door, he came face to face with his favorite creepy character.

Coach Weber is sitting in the front of the bus shaking his head as the guys freak out over the small, minor pranks they faced this morning. Bunch of babies. It's not like I shaved their eyebrows off or caused anyone harm.

Hudson actually pulls off the pink hair. Of course he does—the fucker pulls anything off.

Niko stomps past me before tossing his bag on the empty seat next to his. His frustration radiates off him, while Ty doesn't say anything. He simply sits next to Chloe. She says something to him, and he only shakes his head.

Sliding my headphones in place, I reach inside my pocket and pull out my phone. Thumbing through my apps, I find Spotify and click on my road trip playlist. It's the same playlist I listen to on every road trip. It's filled with classic rock anthems and 90s country. All the songs are made to put you in a good mood while being chill enough to sleep to on the bus. Before I lock my screen, I send Chloe a quick text.

Me: I'm sorry.

Chloe: Not as sorry as you're going to be.

Me: What's that supposed to mean?

Chloe: Guess you'll find out.

With a sigh, I lean my head back and settle in for our drive.

Another "W" was placed next to our name as we won another game. Super happy for the team, but it wasn't a game I was able to pitch. I hate the stupid pitch count rules. I mean, I totally get it and appreciate that the league wants to save our arms from throwing too many pitches in a week. It just sucks to be on the bench.

The only good thing that came from me being on the bench was that I was able to sit back and watch Chloe work her magic. The guys treat her like she's one of us. Some of them incorporate special handshakes with her. Or she heads out to the grass to celebrate awesome hits. She tries to hide behind the lens of her camera and say she's getting a shot for the paper, but we all know Chloe likes to be front and center in the action now.

Coach Weber even cracks jokes with her or makes fun of her so-called celebration dances.

The morale this season is like nothing I've ever seen before. I've never played for a team where the players gel together so seamlessly. I think our camaraderie is why we are playing so strongly and have a great chance of making it to Omaha—where the tournament ends with a national title game.

Coach gave us the night off, which is how all of us ended up at a local sports bar.

"Okay," Chloe starts, a pint glass in her hand as she points to where I'm sitting across from her. "We all know their walk-up songs, but since you don't get to hit, I've been curious what you would choose."

Baseball walk-up songs only last around thirty seconds before a batter takes home plate. It's a song that can get them hyped, calm them down, or just get the crowd entertained about what's to come. Some guys like to choose fun songs while others choose classics or even current hits.

Tapping my finger against my chin while holding my own pint of beer. I stare at the woman in front of me. Her pretty blue eyes are a little droopy from the alcohol consumption. She's still as pretty as ever.

"‘Kickstart My Heart' by Motley Crue. Especially since I've got my girl. It'd be the perfect reminder as I walked up to the plate."

Her cheeks flame while Niko, Ty, and Hudson all make a gagging noise. It is just the five of us at a table while the rest of the guys filter around the space chatting up girls, throwing darts, or casually drinking.

"Oh, like your walk up is any better. Mine would be a classic!" I leaned forward, straightening my back as if I was preparing for battle…battle over the walk-up songs.

Hudson tsks as he folds his arms across his chest. "No, a classic is ‘Party In the USA,' which is why I picked it."

My eyes roll as Niko laughs. "Nah bro, ‘Party in the USA' is meant to be for batters who drop bombs."

"Fuck you, Niko." Hudson has been in a slump over the last couple of weeks, and we can't figure out what the problem is. Typically he's our number one hitter, but not right now. And Niko digging at him is just going to piss Hud off even more.

Niko raises his hand in defense before taking a pull out of his bottled Mexican beer.

"Yours is a song where no one understands the lyrics," Ty adds while he taps the table with his coaster. It's a habit he has. One that gets old after a while, especially in a quiet bar. Thankfully, this place is not quiet. At least it hasn't been since the baseball team showed up.

"It's not my fault you don't know good music when it's right in front of you."

Ty stops tapping the coaster and points it in Niko's direction. "Hey, I'm not saying it's not good, but not all of us grew up in Southern Cali."

I shake my head as the guys fight over who has the better song: Ty's "Boombastic," Niko's "Titi Me Pregunto," or Hud's "Party in the USA." My eyes find Chloe who's staring right back at me. A smirk is on her lips as she chews on her bottom lip. I watch as her eyes bounce from guy to guy.

She's enjoying the show. The show which she started. I squint my eyes as I observe her. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she knew her conversation would cause a fight between the guys.

"Wildflower?"

Her attention snaps my way as the guys stop talking.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

Her shoulders shrug as my head shakes. Troublemaker.

"Alright." Bringing my elbows to the table, I rest my head on my hands as I steeple my fingers deep in thought. "What would your walk-up song be?"

She points to herself, and I quirk my eyebrow. It's funny how she's buying time as if she didn't know that this question was going to come back to her. The guys all take drinks of their beers filling the time.

A slow smile spreads across her face as she answers with a flip of her wrist, "‘Fireman' by Lil Wayne, duh."

The table erupts in chortles. Hudson spews his beer across the table. I clutch my stomach as I watch my girl bring her hands up, placing one behind her head as she breaks out in the sprinkler dance moves.

Chloe raps a popular line from the chorus while she continues to do the sprinkler.

The heart that I thought would never love anything besides baseball, warms at the goofy blonde across from me. Gone is the shy girl, in her wake is a confident, adorable woman.

"God, I love you." The words slip out of my mouth with a laugh.

Silence falls over the table as three heads whip in my direction, while Chloe's eyes nearly bug out of her head. I cannot believe I chose this moment to let those words slip. Sure, I've been thinking of saying those three words, but the time has never felt right. Not that the timing is right in this dark sports bar surrounded by my teammates, but it happened.

"What did you say?" Her voice is barely above a whisper.

There are two options I can play. Either pretend those words didn't escape my mouth, which will be hard since I have three additional witnesses, or I can own the moment. Own the fact that I said I love you first because I've loved this girl since I walked into Marnie's Diner almost three years ago. She stood in a peach-colored waitressing uniform, as she tried to tamp down her nerves. She was—still is—the most beautiful girl I've ever laid my eyes on.

Chloe Mariano has owned my heart and soul for as long as I can remember. I was na?ve in thinking that we'd never work out. That our past was too damaged for either of us to come back from. That baseball would be my only love. It turns out baseball was just a filler until we both were smart enough to see what's been in front of us this whole time.

"I said, ‘I love you.'"

She tucks her plump bottom lip into her mouth as her teeth nibble on her lip in the nervous habit that I love so much. God, there goes that love word. Clearly, it's the only thing I have on my brain. Well, that and me being the one nibbling on her lip, down her neck, her perfect tits, and her—

The sound of a chair grating across the floor jerks my head out of my thoughts. My eyes follow Chloe as she slides off her seat, and slides behind Niko until she's standing right beside me. Her arms fly around my neck, her hand pulling my head toward hers. Our lips collide in a rush. Chloe flicks her tongue against my lips, and I grant her the access she's so desperate for. Our tongues tangle in the middle of the sports bar in front of my friends—our friends.

Pulling away breathlessly, our foreheads rest against each other as I watch Chloe's chest heave and her cheeks tinge my favorite shade of pink. "I love you, too."

Shouts and cheers ring out around us as our friends celebrate our love. Her smile is blinding as I pull her into my side—her standing next to me with my arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"I think it's time to head back to the hotel, boys." Hudson slides out of his chair while Niko and Ty chug the rest of their beers. All five of us have had more than we normally do the night before a game, but not too much.

The walk back to the hotel is a challenge. My Wildflower stumbles over her feet every few steps. It is like she has two left feet. Our grump, Niko, laughed like a schoolgirl the whole walk back. I don't even know what had him laughing so hard, but it caused the rest of us to lose it.

Stumbling into the lobby of the hotel, we make our way to the elevators. Tapping the button to call the car, I watch as Ty collapses onto the ground. His long, six-foot frame takes up most of the space. Niko's leaning against the wall. And somewhere along our journey home, I ended up with Chloe on my back. There's no way she would've made it home before sun up.

"Thanks for tonight, guys." Chloe's words mumble into my shoulder where she rests her head.

"Anytime, Chloe girl," Niko says from where he's leaning against the wall waiting for our elevator to open.

Tonight was a night full of love, laughter, selfies—thanks, Chloe—and memories. They say people come into your life when you need them the most, and I couldn't agree more. I didn't think the night could get any better.

"What the fuck?" I chuckle as I take in the hotel room I'm sharing with Hudson.

He steps in behind me.Chloe's still on my back. Everyone chuckles at the scene we are witnessing. "Dude, who did this?"

"I have no idea." I shake my head as Chloe slides down my back. She's like a newborn baby giraffe learning to balance on fresh legs. After a few stumbling steps, she finds Hudson's bed where she sprawls out watching me take in our room.

While we were out tonight, someone got into our room and wrapped all of my stuff in plastic wrap. The comforter was secured tightly to the bed with the pillows wrapped underneath the plastic. The black suitcase I had propped on a chair was now plastered to it. Hell, even my charger was wrapped to the nightstand. Whoever had done this had spent quite some time perfecting this prank. As the unofficial CTU prankster, I can't help but admire the handiwork.

Stepping over to my baseball bag, I unzipped the bag to find that my cleats and glove were individually wrapped in plastic. But that's not what made me pause. It was a note taped to my cleats.

Nice try, kid.

You better be rested and ready for tomorrow.

-CW, the OG CTU prankster

A laugh rumbles in my chest. Tucking the note back in my bag, I find a half-sleeping Chloe. Reaching down, I slide my hands underneath her as I fireman carry—which is oh so fitting for tonight—her to her room.

The mess can wait until tomorrow, tonight I'm curling up with the girl I love.