Page 81 of Tagging Bases

Charlie, always eager to talk about his hometown, jumps in. “Oh, H, we’ve got it all. Cows, pigs, corn. It’s our livelihood.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of responsibility. How do you manage it all?”

“With a lot of hard work and dedication,” Esther saysproudly. “Robert and the boys have put their heart and soul into this farm. It’s not an easy life, but it’s a rewarding one.”

“Yeah, Roy and I practically grew up in those fields.” Charlie’s eyes take on a dreamy shimmer. “We’d spend hours working and playing hide-and-seek. And on really hot summer nights, we’d climb up to the loft in the barn, open the skylight my dad installed, and sleep under the stars.”

The sound of the back door interrupts Charlie’s trip down memory lane. I turn my head to see Roy stumble toward us with a bandage wrapped around his head.

“Roy!” Charlie leaps up from his seat and rushes over to his brother, panic written all over his features.“What happened to you? Are you okay?”

Roy blinks slowly, his gaze shifting to Charlie. “Hey, little brother,” he mumbles, his words slightly slurred. “I’m fine. Just a bump on the head.”

Charlie reaches out to steady Roy. “A bump? Roy, you look like you’ve been through the wringer. Seriously, what happened?”

“He took a tumble down the stairs at work,” Esther explains. I don’t miss the way she wrings the napkin draped over her lap.

Robert nods curtly. “Gave us a right scare, he did. The doctor said he has a concussion, but should be as good as new after a few days of rest.”

Charlie helps Roy to his seat at the table and glances between his parents and brother. “Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come home right away.”

Roy waves a hand dismissively. “You’re busy with baseball. We can’t pull you away from that.”

“None of that matters,” Charlie says firmly. “You’re my brother, Roy. Nothing is more important than family.”

Esther clears her throat. “Well, what’s done is done. The important thing is that he’s going to be okay.”

Charlie takes his seat and peers over at Harrison. “H, this is my older brother, Roy. Roy, meet Harrison, my boyfriend.”

Roy’s eyes flick to Harrison. He flashes him a small, friendly smile. “Nice to meet you, Harrison.”

Harrison returns the gesture with a wave, though I can see a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Meeting the family is always a big deal, and with Roy’s unexpected entrance, the pressure is on. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Roy. I’ve heard many stories about you from Charlie.”

Roy chuckles, though it turns into a slight grimace as he adjusts the bandage on his head. “Oh, I bet you have. Charlie’s always been a talker. Probably told you all about the time we tried to build a treehouse, and he fell into the pigpen.”

Charlie’s face reddens. “Hey, that treehouse would’ve been epic if the branch hadn’t snapped!”

The brothers launch into a playful back-and-forth, recounting childhood misadventures. Robert breaks up their bickering by planting a juicy piece of steak on Roy’s plate.

“And, of course, you remember Daniel, who’s now myotherboyfriend,” Charlie says, patting my arm.

Roy’s gaze shifts to me, and the warmth in his obsidian eyes vanishes, replaced by a chilling coldness. It’s so abrupt, so oppressive, that I shiver despite the balmy evening air.

“Daniel,” he says gruffly, giving me a brief nod before turning his attention to his steak. He cuts into it with more force than necessary, the knife scraping viciously against the plate.

I grunt, my appetite suddenly gone. While Roy’s never been my biggest fan, this frigid reception is a new level of hostility I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I try to catch Charlie’s eye and silently ask what I’ve done to offend his brother, but he’s suddenly engrossed in a conversation with his parents, oblivious to the tension.

As Roy eats, I surreptitiously study him. He’s still in his work clothes—a brown T-shirt and jeans that have seen better days. His hands are rough and layered with nicks that he no doubt got at the hardware store. A day’s worth of stubble darkens his jaw, and his dark hair is mussed from the bandage.

There’s no denying he’s a handsome man. If only the inside matched the outside.

Now that thesun has gone down, the air is more tolerable. Still warm, but I’m not suffocating. Fireflies dance around us, as do a few mosquitoes, making it a quintessential evening in rural Pennsylvania.

Charlie and Harrison are off to the side, attempting to catch some of the lightning bugs in a mason jar. Charlie’s laugh rings out as he misses one, his large hand grasping at empty air. Harrison, ever the competitive one, manages to snag a few.

Roy, on the other hand, sits back in one of the rocking chairs with a bottle of beer dangling from his fingers. His ankle is draped over his leg, and he watches Charlie and Harrison with a mixture of amusement and something else I can’t quite put my finger on.Envy, perhaps? Longing?

I settle into the chair next to him, the wood creaking under my weight. The silence between us is heavy and weighed down with unspoken words and lingering questions.

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