Page 99 of Hard To Leave

Chapter 31

Chloe

“Oh my God, this is horrible,”grumbled Brogan, who was sitting beside me with his eyes glued to Tanner on the pitcher’s mound.

There were three balls and two strikes with no outs. It was the top of the sixth, and we were down by one run.

“He’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure him.

I looked over my shoulder, searching for any sign of Jack, who was nowhere to be found.

I was tempted to call him and see if he was coming but was afraid of what that answer would be. These past two weeks have been the longest of my life. The distance I could handle, but not hearing his voice was depressing.

“I can’t sit.” Brogan stood up and started pacing a small patch along the grass. “I hate how all the pressure falls on the pitcher.” He’d been keyed up during the entire game. He really wanted Tanner’s team to win.

I turned in my seat. His hands were clenched tightly against his side. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the game since it started.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You sing in front of thousands of people, and you can’t take the pressure from a little league baseball game?”

He sat back in his chair as Tanner threw the last pitch into a full count. “Strike!” called umpire, and the batter was out. A sigh of relief left my body. He was doing great. Now if only Jack were here to experience it with us.

“It’s different,” Brogan said, breaking through my train of thought. “Plus, the coach really needs to teach the kids how to play their positions. If you’re going to play in the outfield, you need to adjust on every play and know how to catch the ball.”

I laughed. “Brogan, they’re only in second and third grade. They’re still learning.”

His eyes cut to mine. The vein in his forehead was popping out. “Oh, my God.” I smacked my hand on my leg. “You’re that parent.”

He smirked, rewarding me with that dimple that helped him earn his fame. “I should coach and actually teach these kids a thing or two.”

“No, you really shouldn’t. You should stick to your day job, country star.”

The two moms behind me laughed. Brogan already had a little fan club forming. Once word got around who Tanner’s father was, it seemed like every female in a sixty-mile radius started showing up, hoping to get a glimpse of the famous Brogan Hayes.

He folded his arms across his chest. “Are you teasing me for taking an interest in my son’s game?”

I picked up my water bottle and unscrewed the cap. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just being realistic.”

“Is that so?” he said, as someone barked along the sidelines about one of the kids trying to steal a base. We both watched helplessly as the catcher threw the ball over the second baseman’s head, trying to get the runner stealing second base. The parents and coaches from the other team cheered widely, waving the runner on to third base, putting him in scoring position.

All humor left Brogan’s eyes, and he bit down on his nail and started to pace the sidelines. Down by one run, with two outs and a runner on third was a tough spot for any pitcher.

Tanner lifted the bill on his baseball cap and glanced over at us, then his eyes moved across the field. My heart sank because I knew who he was searching for. The next batter stepped up onto the plate, drawing Tanner’s focus on him rather than the person who he really wanted here.

“Come on, Tanner.” Brogan whistled. “You got this, kid.” He clapped, trying to cheer him on.

Tanner threw the next pitch, and the kid swung too low and the ball ended up being a strike. We let out a sigh of relief.

Brogan’s smile was beaming as Tanner threw another strike, which brought us to one pitch away from ending the inning.

“He’s fucking awesome,” he said, giving me a high five.

I stood up to join him on the grass and bumped his shoulder. “He is. You might want to watch your language though; there are little ears all around you, and a couple of people with cameras and microphones.”

“We don’t mind,” said Mom One and Mom Two behind us.

I rolled my eyes while Brogan chuckled. He should have been annoyed by all the attention he was getting, yet he wasn’t. He was happy. And his smile was contagious.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” I whispered in his ear, low enough so only he could hear.

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