7. Urban

CHAPTER 7

URBAN

E verly hadn't been wrong when she'd said last night had been fun.

Of course, it was fun, but fuck me if there wasn't a connection between the two of us. Since I was only staying in Michigan until the end of the season, I couldn't get attached to her or anyone else. Connection or not, I couldn't do a fucking thing about it.

Still, I couldn't dwell on it because I had to pack my bag and get my ass to the field. We had a flight and it was early so that we could get ready for our game that night. We were just playing in Minnesota, so it wasn't far and it wouldn't be for long.

It wasn't until we were on the plane that Silas dropped into the seat beside me and Brooks in the one across the aisle. The plane that the team owned only had two seats on each side of the aisle and they were roomy enough for us not to feel cramped. There were a lot of big guys on the team. Flying commercial would've been a headache.

"What'd you do last night?" Silas asked as he tried not to grin like a fucking idiot.

"Probably the same thing you did," I told him as I locked my gaze with his. "What'd you do last night, Silas? I'd appreciate some details."

"Uh, fuck off," he said without any contempt behind it. "You might've been doing the same thing, but it's not the fucking same. I love Amity. She's it for me. Can you say the same thing?"

Of course I fucking couldn't. But after talking to Everly and being with her last night, I was beginning to wish that I could. Even if something could happen between us, I couldn't let it. I was determined to leave in a few months either way and wouldn't uproot anyone's life that way.

Not that I wanted to fall in love with her and sure as hell hadn't in the one night we'd spent together, but this gnawing in my chest made me wish that all of that was possible.

It was fucking stupid .

"Anyway…" Brooks cut in. "You didn't do anything that's going to make camp on Friday awkward, right?"

"Course not. I've never left anyone unsatisfied." Then I thought about what he said. "That's right. We're gone for Wednesday camp."

"Sure are, little buddy." Silas chuckled. "And they may not have been unsatisfied but there have been some that were left psycho."

I groaned. "Don't remind me. Breelyn was crazy good in bed, but it wasn't fucking worth it." She was the reason that I'd kept things casual since then. After her, I knew that it'd have to be a special thing to get me to consider settling down in anyway. Luckily, me leaving at the end of the season would keep that from happening.

We'd gone out a few times when suddenly I'd found her living in my apartment in Florida when I'd first moved there. Originally, I'd thought it was weird that she had always been there when I was away. I hadn't even given her a key. She'd made one herself. Anyway, then her shit was everywhere and it had taken me forever to get her to understand that we weren't that serious.

What a fucking nightmare.

"Anyway…" I wanted to change the subject. I di dn't normally tell my brothers—or anyone—what I did with a woman; I especially didn't want to tell them about what I'd done with Everly.

Or how she'd basically kicked me out when we were done.

"Outside of the normal reason," I began, "did Mom tell either of you why she got me traded?"

"She didn't get you traded," Brooks said immediately. "That's just part of the game."

"You know what I mean. Why now? It was a weird time. I wasn't on a hot streak—"

"A slump, more like it," Silas added.

I sighed. "Yeah. five games. I was really worried I couldn't play anymore," I told him sarcastically. "Seriously. Why now? Gramps said we just need Cobb and I told him that's not gonna happen."

Brooks narrowed his eyes and cocked his head. "Have you ever known Mom to not get what she wanted?"

No, I did not. "He doesn't want to be here. Even if they somehow got him here, too bad, I'm gone at the end of the season so there goes the plan to have the four of us on the same team."

Silas coughed then turned so he was facing both me and Brooks. "Look. None of us wanted to be here because of Dad, but now that I've been here a while… I don't really want to go anywhere else."

"That's because of Amity," I countered.

He shook his head. "I'd have to get her to come with me if I wanted to be on another team. Right now, my contract will keep me here for a while because Mom's not going to easily trade any of us and we all know it."

That was true. Once Mom got us here, she wouldn't let us go without a fight. "I'll take a pay cut and my contract is up at the end of the season."

Was that the smartest way to handle my career? No, probably not but I wanted out more than I wanted money. If I was honest, the Briggs family had more than they needed without the salaries. Too much almost.

"But now that I'm here," he continued, "I don't really want to leave. This team is good. Like, really fucking good. Mom knows what she's doing. I only have to deal with Dad sporadically, and we're all used to that." He sighed. "And as much as I might not want to admit it, I like playing with you guys again. Better than playing against you."

That was the selling point. "I can see that." Yet it still didn't convince me that it was the only reason I was here. "But why now? "

Brooks leaned over the aisle more, like he was about to tell us where his diary was hidden. "She doesn't think Grandpa has much longer left. His dream was to have us all playing on his team, so she's trying to give him that before it's too late."

When I'd gone to see him, he'd been moving slowly and the oxygen tank was there but he seemed fine. Looks could be deceiving though. No one would've guessed he had a life long heart and lung issue.

Fuck.

"Grandpa's dying?" This would be the first I'd heard of that.

"Not specifically, but he was older when he had Mom, so he's in his eighties. How much time could he have left?"

Yeah. That, I could see.

"Well, Cobb isn't ever going to do it," I said. "It'd take something huge to get him here and it'd have to be more than money." Cobb and I had talked about this after Silas had been traded to the Knights. My little brother was adamant he wasn't going to be on the Knights anytime in the near future. And right now, he had the clout to do it. That fucker was on his way to a Cy Young award this year. He was only twenty-three fucking years old.

"You know this for sure?" Brooks asked.

I nodded. "We talked. He doesn't want to be here."

"You know a couple of months ago, Grandpa told me about when he started dating Grandma." It sounded like Brooks was about to tell a story. "Grandma was dirt poor. The oldest of fourteen kids and the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Told me that I shouldn't settle for anyone whom I didn't think hung the moon. Anyway, she didn't want to get married."

I furrowed my brows. "Why not?" I mean, I didn't necessarily think I'd get married, but back then, it had practically been a damn given.

"She was dirt poor," he said slowly. "And the oldest of fourteen kids. She didn't want that life if she ever got out of it."

"Then Gramps came around with all of his money," Silas added. Because Grandpa had come from a rich family already. Then he'd made more money.

"Yeah, but she still didn't want to get married," Brooks said. "It's also why Mom's an only child .

So my grandma didn't want to get married yet was convinced to. I couldn't help wondering what had changed her mind. Did that mean other people who happened to be anti-relationship could have their minds changed? Nah. I had to push that out of my mind. I couldn't have a relationship with Everly, It was one night. Why the fuck was I wondering if her mind could be changed. I was leaving at the end of the year.

Everly was probably going to change her mind on relationships. Eventually she'd find someone she wanted that with. It just wouldn't be me and I told myself I was fine with it. I barely knew the woman and my time in Kalamazoo had an expiration date.

It wasn't until that night, after the game, that I realized I didn't even have Everly's phone number. How in the fuck could I call or text her if I didn't have her number?

The answer was, I couldn't. But I knew someone who probably had it.

"What can I do you for, brother?" Camden answered her phone. Normally, I would've sent a text, but this might require some sweet talking.

"I need Everly's phone number?" There was no reason to beat around the bush.

Camden snickered on the other end of the phone. "You didn't ask her for her phone number? "

" Camden ," I warned.

"Hang on." She was still laughing and I could hear her doing something in the background, so she hadn't put me on hold. After what seemed like forever, she came back and said, "I just sent it to you." The ding sounded in my ear.

"Thank you," I told her. "I appreciate it."

"Well, she said you could have it."

"What?"

"I sent her a text," she explained. "Did you think I'd just give you her number without asking her first? Sorry, no. Sisters before misters. Even when it comes to brothers."

Well, at least Everly wanted me to reach out to her, I suppose. "Thanks." The word came out clipped, but I wasn't sure why. Camden had just done me a favor, and I should appreciate that.

"I get that you're not used to be told no , Urban, but I like Everly and I'm not going to do something like that without asking her." She sighed. "You know that Madden doesn't leave her alone, right?"

I gripped the phone tightly in my hand to the point that it threatened to crumble. "Yeah. I know. What do you know about that?"

"Uh… if she hasn't told you, I can't."

"Camden," I barked. "She's told me. I want to know what you know about the situation."

"Probably just what you do and I only know because I was there when he was harassing her once right before camp ended last year."

"Why was he there?" I snapped. "The baseball clinics don't go that late. It'd fuck with the end of the season or post season if we made it that far."

"I know that and you know that, but Madden would show up unexpectedly from time to time. Like the other morning. At the game yesterday, she mentioned that he was waiting outside by her car when she went to leave for work."

"She didn't mention it to me." Anger flared in my chest and Madden was about to get a more severe talking to. After I cleared it with Everly. The last thing I wanted her to do was think that I was stepping in to play caveman, even if that was exactly what I wanted to do.

She wasn't mine. I didn't necessarily have the right to interfere beyond the fact that a teammate was harassing a woman.

"You stay away from him," I told her more gently so she'd know that I wasn't trying to boss her around.

Camden choked a little. "Brother. I stay away from all of them. I only go around you and the guys because you're blood-related. I hate ballplayers, remember?"

I did remember and none of us could ever figure out exactly why. Camden wasn't about to tell us but I'd bet her best friend Harlowe knew.

Sure, she'd told us some reasons, but I'd always had the sneaking suspicion that there was more to it. If Everly and I stayed friends as she'd suggested when we'd been at the food truck festival, maybe she'd get to the bottom of it for me.

Fuck… Friends… I suddenly hated that word.

"Yeah. I remember," I said, snapping back to the conversation at hand.

"All right, well, I have to go. Call Everly since that's the only reason you called me."

I put my hand to my chest and with fake outrage and said, "I'm crushed. You don't think I'd call my favorite sister just to hear her speak?"

I could practically hear her eyes rolling through the phone. "I'm your only sister."

"Just because you don't have competition doesn't mean you wouldn't be my favorite if you did."

She chuckled. We'd had this very conversation before. "Goodbye, Urban. Good luck with your game tomorrow. "

I groaned. She knew she wasn't supposed to wish any of us good luck.

We all had our own superstitions, but that one was universal. Tell us to have a good game, sure. But never say good luck .

After ending my call with Camden, I took a minute before calling Everly. Then it hit me. She knew that Camden had given me her number since my sister had asked before doing it. If I waited too long, that would send a message.

So I brought up the Facetime app and hit the contact that my sister had shared.

On the second ring, Everly's face filled the screen.

"Hey," she said with a smile. At least she was happy to hear from me. That was good, I supposed. Her hair was down around her and she wasn't wearing any makeup. There wasn't a huge time difference between where I was and where she was but I'd guess she was already in her pajamas. "How was your game today?"

"It was good. We won. I hit two singles and a triple."

She scrunched up her eyebrows in the most adorable way. "Is that good? "

My loud laughter filled the room. "We're going to have to work on your baseball knowledge."

"Well…" She fell back onto her couch and held the phone where I imagined her knees would be if she'd pulled them up in front of her. "Yesterday was my second game, and I have to say, it's better without twenty ten-year-olds hopped up on too much sugar to watch over."

"I can see where that could be distracting."

She puffed up her cheeks then blew the air out like she was tired just thinking about the game she'd taken the kids to. "Last year when I brought the kids, I didn't have time to appreciate just how much I like baseball pants."

"I've heard that some women are fans." I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. "Did you learn anything about the game?"

"I did not. Or rather, not much. Camden tried to explain it, but it just doesn't make sense to me. There are so many rules."

"There aren't that many." My tone was defensive, but it was all for show.

She rolled her eyes. "Says the person who's been playing the game his whole life. It'd be like me throwing you into my high school English Lit class and having you teach the Bront?s. "

I cocked my head to the side. This was going to be fun. "You don't think I've read Bront??"

She shrugged. "I don't know if you have or not, but reading it and teaching it are two very different things."

That, I'd give her. "High schoolers, huh?" I'd known she was a teacher, but not what grade she taught. High schoolers could be assholes and suddenly, I felt remorseful for any shit I'd ever given one of my teachers.

"Yeah. It's my favorite age group. They're funny, trying to be adults, but not quite there yet. They also can on my nerves."

"How so?"

"Two weeks before the end of the year, a kid had his phone out during a test and I'd already told him to put it away twice. Apparently, he was having trouble with his girlfriend and that was more important than what I had for them that day."

"Of course it was."

"What do you mean?"

I lay back against the headboard of the hotel bed to get more comfortable. "In high school, the most terrifying thing is thinking your girlfriend is pissed at you."

"Why's that? "

"Uh…" I scratched at the back of my head. "Well, if you really love her, you're afraid of losing her."

Everly bit back a smile when I wanted her to let it loose. Seeing her with a real smile… She was beautiful any way she looked, but that… It brightened up her face. "There seems like there's a story there."

I sighed. This wasn't going to make men look any better. "Also, if you're having sex with her, the idea of that going away and you being stuck with just your hand again is literally the end of the world."

Everly slapped a hand over her face as she let out a loud laugh. "I hadn't thought of that and honestly, I shouldn't think of that all when it comes to my kids."

"True. So what happened with the kid and the phone?"

"Oh, I was walking around the room, making sure they were all working on the test. The kid next to him saw me coming and told him that if he didn't put his phone away, Miss Rose was going to turn him into a hashtag."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"I have no idea." She shrugged. "I'm not that much older than them, so I probably should know but no idea. At least he put his phone away."

Given the time, I had to get off the phone, but it was the last thing that I wanted to do right then. Still, I had to get to bed because we were the visiting team, which meant all of our shit happened earlier than the home teams.

"We're missing camp tomorrow, so what do you do?" I asked her as my way of stalling the inevitable.

She shrugged. "Sometimes, the high school or college teams fill in when you're gone. Or we will take them on a field trip for that day which we aren't doing tomorrow. So, I guess I'm not sure what we're doing and I'll find out in the morning but your sister always has something to replace you."

"Ouch." I chuckled. "So easily replaced?"

She bit into her bottom lip and shook her head. "I promise, nothing excites the ten year olds more than having the pros there."

If I hadn't grown up with a pro ball player of a dad which meant other pro ball players were around a lot, I would've been like that. Seeing the guys actually doing what I wanted to one day would made my life .

Somehow, I retroactively was jealous of the other kids I'd grown up feeling that. I'd never had the chance. Then I sighed.

"I have to go," I told her quietly.

"No problem." But she took a breath and looked off of me before coming back. "Why did you want my number? Why did you want to call?"

This was the time for me to be honest with her. "Because I'd like to see you again when we get back. If you're into it."

She gave me an innocent smile. "I really think I'm too good in bed. One time with me and these professional baseball players are hooked."

At the same time, my stomach clenched because I knew she was talking about Madden as well, but I didn't know who else and also couldn't deny it.

"Well?" I asked. "And for the record, I didn't mean specifically for sex."

For a split second, she was unsure. I could see it in her eyes. But then she nodded and said, "Yeah. We can get together. Just let me know when you're back."

Oh, I'd be calling her tomorrow after the game again, but a couple of days after that, I'd absolutely let her know that I was home.