Page 95 of Wild Pitch
I hadn’t seen Sam since the news broke, and he greeted me by slamming me against the wall and screaming at me. Honestly, I couldn’t recall what he said in its entirety, but the gist was that I was a scumbag.
I deserved an ass kicking, so I didn’t say anything to correct him.
He continued demonstrating how little he thought of me by shaking off any pitch I called. Carlos had to visit him on the mound in the first inning, and thanks to his temper tantrum, we were down two runs in the bottom of the first.
Our hitters answered the call and erased the lead. Sam moved into the second inning with the score of 2-2.
What. The. Fuck.
Fucker loaded the bases. Three walks in a row.
When Carlos looked at me for assistance, I approached the mound.
“What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Coach, I don’t even want to fucking look at you,” Sam spoke into his gloved hand while Carlos stood to the side. The infield had started approaching the mound, but Carlos shook them off.
“Are we doing this right now?”
“Yeah, I guess so. What the fuck, man. You had to fuck my sister-in-law at my goddammed wedding?”
“If that’s what you think happened, then you don’t know me at all. Kylie and I have been seeing each other since last summer.”
His eyes flashed with fury. That fact hadn’t helped at all. I’d just made it clear that we had lied to him for almost a year.
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“She asked me not to. I wanted to.”
“You’re the guy who left her alone and pregnant.”
It was a statement, but one that he had gleaned from several miscommunications.
“Wrong, Sam. I’m the guy who desperately wants that baby, and who loves the shit out of Kylie and is fighting for his life and both of them. I made mistakes, and I’m gonna fucking fix them. But I’ll be really fucking pissed if you don’t get out of this inning. Your decisions on the mound today fucking blow. You’re pitching like an emotional rookie twat, and if you don’t cut the shit, you’re gonna end up out of the game. Got it?”
Sam stared at me, half his face covered by his glove.
“You didn’t leave her because she was pregnant?”
“No, I would never do that. Now think quick, our time is up,” I said. The home plate umpire had begun his approach to the mound to get us back to the game. “Are you ready to play?”
“Yeah.”
I doubted Sam was ready to forgive and forget, but he’d stopped shaking off all my calls. He got out of the inning and pitched five more before we pulled him in the seventh.
Kylie came back into the family room, and her belly had become more obvious in the few days since I had seen her. I struggled to keep from pulling her into my arms, but she did it for me.
“Nice win, coach.”
Her hug was brief, but I ached when I felt the firm little bump of her belly against me.
She was there with me, but she wasn’t relaxed.
“Thanks. What’s your plan for the rest of the day?”
“Sam and Kelsey are hosting the family and some of the team. Are you coming?”
Sam had watched us and overheard Kylie. I looked at him, and he gave a short nod, giving permission. I’d been at the man’s wedding just a few short months ago, and now I questioned whether I was welcome at a barbecue.
