33. Birthday Boy

THIRTY-THREE

We were brushing our teeth the next morning when Del nudged me with her hip.

"If you could have anything for your birthday, what would it be?" she said around a mouth full of toothpaste and over the vibration of the brush. Her hair was a wild mess of curls that I knew I'd lose a finger in if I tried to run my fingers through. The bedhead to "Del approved" transformation always blew my mind. Not because I didn't like her wild, I definitely did, but because I saw the work it took to complete. And it was something Delilah had to do almost every day.

There must have been too long of a silence following her question because she cocked her head to the side after spitting out the toothpaste.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Can you teach me how to do your hair?"

She looked at me curiously. "Yeah, I suppose so. Why?"

"I'm going to have to help Lily with hers eventually.

"Yes, but not today, birthday boy. I have other plans for you. Did you bring any of those cute little baseball pants home from Seattle?"

"No," I laughed. I didn't think I'd need them here."

She snapped her fingers and shook her head. "That's a damn shame."

Del insisted I wear a blindfold once we got into the city. She refused to tell me where we were going. It didn't matter how I tried to bribe her or when I reminded her of the presents I got her yesterday. Del was known for accidentally or purposefully ruining surprises because she got too excited to keep them a secret.

"Can we at least play hot and cold?"

I couldn't see it, but I could hear the eyeroll in her voice. "Sure."

"We're in the city, but you wanted to take my truck. Are we going outside of town?"

"Frozen. I just wanted an excuse to drive your truck. Makes me feel like a real woman, ya know?"

"You can drive my truck whenever you want."

"Do you mean that in a sexual way? Like you want me to drive your truck."

"Jesus Christ, you're a dork. No."

"Okay, well in my experience boys are very protective of their vehicles."

"Yeah, boys. Men have insurance."

"Hey! I was going to say you were sweet until you had to go and ruin it."

"I am sweet. You hit curbs. Should we list any other facts?"

"It was one time and I was eating breakfast pizza from Landry's. I was rightfully distracted."

"Either way."

"Are you going to keep guessing or not? We're almost there."

"Okay, are we going to see a movie?

"With our baby? Do you think I'm stupid? Still frozen."

"Alright. The children's museum?"

"You suck at this." I felt the truck come to a stop and heard the gear shift into park.

Del tugged the silk eye mask down my face, and I looked at her in confusion after taking in our surroundings.

"How did you swing this?"

We sat in front of the state of the art indoor training facility at the university that Delilah attended and I never went to because of baseball. I always dreamt of playing professionally, but the practical side of me that knew how few players actually got drafted was still excited about the potential of playing here. My dad and I attended countless games at the field next door, but I never got the chance to play here.

"You aren't the only one with connections." Del unbuckled and tugged off her hoodie to show me she was wearing a Seattle jersey with the number seven on her back. She hadn't let me see Lily's outfit before we left. Before she put our daughter in the stroller, she revealed her matching onesie, then tucked her back in under her blanket. "My connection in this case just happens to be you. I said you wouldn"t mind doing a few autographs for their fundraiser this spring.

She didn't wait for a response and I followed behind her.

"Is there an event going on?" I looked around the full parking lot.

"Not sure." She avoided my question entirely and took my hand in hers. I tossed the diaper bag over my shoulder, and the three of us walked into the entrance like a family.

All the lights were off when we walked through the hallways lined with trophy cases. Each one glinted behind the glass. Del walked with purpose, like she knew exactly where she was headed.

"I was thinking about what you said yesterday, about telling our families."

That caught my attention. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I thought maybe instead of telling them I could do this."

She stopped once we entered the doorway and brushed her thumb over the stubble along my jaw. On her tiptoes, her arms wrapped around my neck. My eyes closed on instinct when her lips pressed against mine.

Cheers erupted, and bright fluorescent lights flicked on above us, but I was focused on the smiling woman with her blue eyes locked on mine. The one who hated PDA and hadn't brought a single guy home to meet her parents since high school.

"Happy Birthday, Parker." She gave me one last peck before turning to the mass of people in front of us who were not strangers at all.

I looked around, wide-eyed, at the collection of people in front of me. My family was decked out in their Seattle clothes and ready to play. My dad was sporting the glove he taught me how to play catch with.

The local university's indoor baseball facility was pristine with its bright green turf and crisp, fresh paint. I'd always thought this place would be the next step for me and while I wasn't disappointed with where I ended up, I spent a lot of time dreaming about playing here one day.

"You did all of this?" I turned to see Delilah watching me with a proud smile on her face.

"You said the people were what you were missing in Seattle. I can't move them all there, but I thought maybe this would be a good reminder of why you love it."

I was in awe of her, but didn't get a chance to reply before my sister was in front of us, asking to hold Lily.

"So," Holly dragged out the word. "Just friends, huh?" Her question was directed at Del, and I watched with interest as Del decided how to answer.

She smirked at me and nodded to our interlaced hands. "Not so much, Holl. I mean, you did say you wanted to be sisters, right? I figured maybe we could give it a shot, see how it goes."

My sister didn't look convinced. "Don't fuck with me, guys. I'm fragile."

"Did she not just attack my face with hers right in front of you?"

"I wasn't sure if I hallucinated that. Thanks for clarifying." She turned around to face the crowd. "My siblings are dating!

Del cackled. "Holly, no! That's not?—"

"I'm just kidding, guys. Chill out," she said to us. "Parker and Del are dating!"

She scooped Lily up out of her stroller and propped her on one hip. As she walked away with her niece I noticed the number on her back was not mine. The number 19 was under Brett's last name, Tori.

"Holly," I called out.

She turned around with a knowing smirk. "What?"

"Get that shit off." He might have been my best friend, but I was not dealing with my little sister having a stupid crush on him.

"Dad's here, Parker. You can let go of the authority figure role."

Leave it to my sister to find a creative way to piss me off on my birthday.

"She's just trying to fuck with you. Come on, let"s go play."

Del grabbed my hand and led me over to where my teenage cousins were messing around.

"Alright, if you're playing get over here so Del and I can pick teams," I called out so everyone could hear. I was used to being the center of attention but I didn't love being singled out around my family. I just wanted to be myself and enjoy the game I loved with the people I loved.

"Don't want me on your team?" Del faked a pout, but crossed her arms over her chest. Her posture was serious, and the determination on her face screamed competition. She nodded to Holly. "You're on my team."

Holly reluctantly settled Lily in Del's grandma's hands. She hopped up from her seat on the bench and jogged over to take her place next to Del. They did some kind of handshake/hip bump they perfected from Disney Channel when we were kids.

"Evan."

"Bobby Boy." Del and my dad did the "bro hug" and everyone chuckled.

"Lottie."

Del's sister glared at me like she didn't want to play but it was a flimsy front. The Howard women were fierce competitors, and having them on opposite teams was always fun to watch.

It went on like that until everyone but our mothers and Del's grandma belonged to a team.

I pulled Del in close to my body before she could split off with her team. She didn't shy away when I pressed my lips close to her ear.

"Don't be too hard on yourself when you lose, Peach. There's not much you'll be able to do anyway. I just hope your team isn't too disappointed. It's not your fault you're leading them to their demise."

"Wow," she drew out the word. "You're one cocky motherfucker. They teach you how to talk trash in Seattle or something?"

"I might have picked up a thing or two." I shrugged like it was nothing, but smirked down at her.

"Well." She trailed a finger down my chest. "You seem to have forgotten who you're up against, big guy. I have a state championship trophy with my name on it for a reason. You've seen it, the big shiny one in the hallway in the high school. Ya know, the year your baseball team didn't make it to state?" The tone of her voice was low and sexy as she berated me. I adjusted my hold on her so there was more space between our lower halves. I didn't need to have a hard-on in front of the audience who was watching our exchange. "Don't forget, I've seen every piece of film, every play. I know your weaknesses."

I chuckled and said, "I didn't know you were so obsessed with me, Dellie Girl."

She rolled her eyes and ignored me. "Good luck. You're gonna need it."

There were whistles and laughter as she pushed off my chest. I watched Del walk away, ass swaying in her black leggings, blonde curls swinging back and forth through the loop of her hat, and knowing exactly what she was doing. She tossed her hat off and took the helmet my dad held out, flashing me a competitive glare.

It didn't really matter what Delilah and I competed on. We loved to challenge each other. The fact that she set all this up for me today hit like a punch to the gut. For a woman who had trouble voicing her affection, I was hearing her loud and clear.

My dad thought it was necessary to set a few ground rules as the rest of my team took their positions around the field. I shared a conspiratorial grin with Lottie who was of course my first baseman. She was dependable and tough as nails. She could handle the pressure. Evan stood in as my catcher, and while I was happy to be home with my friends here, it made me miss the familiarity of my teammates. It had been a long time since I took the mound without them at my side.

"Okay," Dad called out in his "I used to teach t-ball" voice. "This game is all in good fun. We'll play three innings, and then we have food and cake to eat. No hurting each other." He sent a pointed look to me and Del like we were accident prone and eager to take each other out, which was a possibility. "No pushing, tripping, or sliding into bases. If you can't make it there in time, that's your own fault."

"Okay we get it, Daddy James," Del teased. "Let us play." She nudged him out of the way with her bat and took her stance in the batter's box.

Dad backed up with his hands raised in surrender. He was shaking his head at her, but the smile on his face gave away how much he adored Delilah.

"Play ball."

"I'll take it easy on ya this time, Peach. I know you're a little rusty."

She eyed me through the bars in her helmet. Since she organized the day, I knew she insisted on having softball equipment for the girls.

"Good idea. I know you're used to working with smaller balls. Just do your best, sweety!"

I bit my lip to hold back the laughter threatening to spill out.

I threw the softball underhand, and it felt wrong, even though Del always made me use a softball when I played with her. I think it was part of her strategy to throw me off. I wasn't at all surprised when she connected the pitch to the bat and sent it flying high over my head. The arms on that girl. Jesus.

She shot me a smirk before taking off and running the bases like some kind of fucking track star.

"Come on Ben! Run little man!" I hollered at Del's nephew in the outfield. Knowing Del, she spotted the weakest link on our team and exploited it. Pure evil.

Ben finally reached the ball and threw it toward Evan with every bit of strength in his tiny body. I appreciated the effort but it only made it halfway to Evan. One of my cousins swooped in and threw a hail mary rocket toward his brother at home plate. Del was already racing there from third base when she hesitated. I stood between her and third, blocking her safe path back to the base.

She laughed. "Oh, you want a pickle? I can outrun you, Parker baby."

The catcher tossed me the ball, and I started her way, but she took off toward home again. I threw it back and charged her when she turned to avoid being tagged out. I lifted her over my shoulder, and she immediately started smacking my ass, pissed.

"Parker, that's against the rules," my dad interjected. "That run counts."

"Oh whatever, she wasn't making that," I spat. He always took her side.

"I guess we'll never know since you cheated." Del was doing her happy dance, still in my arms but fist pumping. "I think you meant to put me on your shoulders. Cause I'm a winner. Right Daddy James?"

"Don't call my dad that, you weirdo. Especially because you called me that."

She just laughed. "I call you Daddy P. Totally different. You're like Zaddy, and he's like?—"

The rest of her sentence was muffled by my hand. I didn't know what she was going to say, but I'd heard enough.

The rest of the game continued similarly, with us arguing calls and my dad trying to be impartial even though he was obviously biased.

On our way back to the car Del finally broke the silence and said, "We decided to let you win because it's your birthday."

"Oh, right," I countered. "Those last five runs we scored were because you let us win?"

"You two, always bickering. Reminds me of your grandpa and I when we were young." Del's grandma walked up behind us to say goodbye one last time. I was still getting used to the Midwest way of a thousand goodbyes again. I'm not sure there was anywhere else you slowly gravitated to the visitor's car and then talked there for at least 15 more minutes before actually letting them leave. It was nice, feeling like your presence was wanted.

"Thanks for coming, Gram."

"Of course. I may not have the body for sports like I used to, but I can hold babies all day long." She tickled Lily's sock-covered feet, and our daughter looked up at her great-grandma with wide green eyes. "How's the house treating you? I need to visit and see what you've done with the place soon."

"You do," Del replied with a smile. She snuggled into my side and rubbed her hand up and down my chest. "Parker did an amazing job. I love it." I swelled with pride.

Her gram assessed us with a pleased expression. "Just be careful, dear. Your grandpa and I had five babies in that house." Her face morphed into something whitsful, and her eyes were far away. "There's something about a man who puts that kind of thought into loving you that makes you want to give him all the babies in the world."

Del eased away from me a tiny bit. "Thanks for the heads-up Gram." She kissed her cheek. "We'll see you soon. Drive safe."