Page 14 of The Yips

“You’ve reached a level in your career where you cannot trust anyone’s intentions. Your salary is public; I’ve got forty-six million reasons why this can go wrong.”

“I invited her to travel on Tuesday, and she’s considering it. If I have another good outing, I’ll invite her to all my games.”

Josie sighed, “I’m not going to change your mind,am I?”

“Not a chance.”

“Just be careful. You’re a lot softer than you look. Getting involved with people who have kids can lead to extra heartbreak. You don’t just lose the person if you break up; you lose the kid, too.”

“Don’t remind me.” Both our parents had remarried, and for a couple of years after the divorce, we had a giant family made up of stepbrothers and stepsisters. Our parents’ second marriages fell apart, and we lost the families we’d grown to love. Experiencing three messy divorces as a kid made me gun-shy about relationships. Luna and I had the perfect arrangement, no drama, and we couldn’t break up if we weren’t ever together.

“I’m not saying don’t do it; just be careful. I don’t want to see you get used and hurt.”

“I got it, okay? I guess it’s time to add Madre to the call. You can go ahead and dial her number.”

We stayed on the three-way call for almost an hour, but only some of it centered around the game. While my mother was thrilled, her years as a baseball wife left her with very little tolerance for the game. My father had used his time away from his family to sleep with other women, drink, party, and do all the wrong things. While she was happy for my success, she hated the lifestyle. I’d break her heart if I ever behaved like my father.

I begged off the call, explaining that I had to get in a long run in the morning, and collapsed into bed. When I closed my eyes, I could only see her golden eyes, red hair, and how she looked into my soul when she bumped into me in her car. And the kid, I hadn’t met many babies, wasn’t entirely comfortable around kids, but he was fucking adorable. I wanted to both take care of them and beat the shit out of the bastard who left them to fend for themselves. Who the hell does that?

CHAPTER 13

Kelsey

When I got back to my apartment, I put Crew down in his bassinet, and thankfully, he stayed asleep. After the night at the ballgame, I felt sticky and needed a shower. I doubted Kylie was still awake, but I texted her to let her know we were home as the shower water warmed up.

Kylie: Sorry I took off on you. Yes, I’m up. Everything OK??

Me: Give me 5. Call me when I’m done showering. I didn’t think I’d hear back from you so quickly.

I finished my shower, dried off, and put on my pajamas. I would be working late tomorrow night and decided not to drive early in the morning. I wanted to sleep as late as Crew would let me. Having the extra funds in savings gave me a little more flexibility.

“Hey, sorry it’s so late. Sam had asked me to stay until he was done, and I guess he had more media than usual,” Isaid, settling in on my couch so as not to disturb Crew as he slept in the bedroom.

“That was an incredible game. I don’t know if you fully appreciate it, but Dad is jealous that he wasn’t there.”

“Yeah, he texted me. You know why Sam invited me?” I asked, still not fully understanding his reasoning.

“Superstition?”

“Or something like that. His perfect game means he’s even more convinced I brought him luck.”

“Well, we both know that’s garbage,” Kylie said. She and I had grown up pretty grounded in reality. We believed you made your luck, and no one was waiting to shower you with good luck and success.

“He asked me to travel to his next away game and said he would pay for my travel and compensate me.”

“But you have Crew.”

“He said Crew can come. Ky, I don’t follow these players, but you do. Are there red flags? Is there anything I should worry about?”

“Sam hasn’t had a public relationship in years, and I don’t think he’s a pig, meaning only that he’s not outwardly a womanizer. But I think you need to get some more details about the trip. How do you take an infant on a plane? Do you think it’s realistic to travel with Crew?”

“Ugh, or take an Uber to a game with a baby? I don’t think you can leave a car seat at a stadium entrance. It’s not like you can bring one in with you.” Mentally, I was starting to derail. My brain was having a hard time comprehending the basic logistics involved with traveling practically across the country with Crew.

“Why don’t you think of all your questions and ask him? Do you think he’s interested in you romantically?”

“Uh, doubtful. I showed up with my three-and-a-half-month-old infant son.” There are almost no men who would voluntarily sign up for that

“Did he ask you anything about Crew? Was he curious at all?”

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