Chapter 9
Chapter 9
J D sat in Scarlett’s living room. He’d been sleeping on her sofa for a couple of days now. She’d been his priority since he found her at the beach. He’d gone with her to the appointment to have her blood tested since she had wanted to make sure she was a match for Remy’s bone marrow transplant. Scarlett was having difficulty trusting her mother, and he couldn’t blame her. She’d had her world turned upside down for the second time. At least this time he wasn’t the responsible party, but he’d rather her not have to go through something so heart wrenching again.
The transplant was scheduled for the morning. He knew all the risks. JD had been by her side every step of the way and held her when she needed someone to hold on to. Still, he couldn’t sleep. Worry had been a constant companion for days. Scarlett would do whatever was necessary to save her brother. Remy had become important to her in a short time. The idea that something might go wrong, and he could lose Scarlett forever terrified him. He’d never tell her that though. She didn’t need any added stress before an important procedure.
“Can’t sleep either,” she said.
He glanced up and met her gaze. Her olive green eyes nearly glowed in the low light of the room. The light hit them just right, and he could make out every detail. It made her seem almost angelic underneath it. “There’s a lot going on in the morning. I should sleep, but I find it won’t come.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Crazy thing about nerves. It won’t let you settle down and rest for anything.”
Scarlett’s face was white. She might be as scared as he was, but he didn’t want to bring up the subject. “Maybe we can watch an old movie to take our minds off it.”
She smiled softly. “Do you think that is even possible?”
He shrugged lightly. “We won’t know until we try.” He patted the seat next to him. “Come join me.”
“All right,” she agreed and then sat next to him. He expected her to sit on the far side of the sofa and not get close to him. She surprised him by curling up against him and leaning her head on his shoulder. “What should we watch?”
He swallowed hard. JD would never have wished Remy’s sickness on him, but he felt incredibly grateful it had brought Scarlett closer to him. “What will make you happy?”
“As long as you’re here with me, it doesn’t matter.” His heart skipped a beat at her words. Was he dreaming? “I don’t want to be alone. It’s harder when I don’t have someone to lean on.” She sounded so lost.
“I’m here as long as you need me.” He hoped, somehow, that would turn into forever. JD was taking advantage and shamelessly. This was the in he needed, and he wouldn’t waste it. “So what movie should we watch?” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Something funny? Romantic? Action packed?”
“Action definitely,” she said. “Nothing like a good car chase or a few explosions to make my heart go pitter pat with happiness.”
He chuckled softly. Some things hadn’t changes all that much. She’s always loved action flicks. He picked up the remote to the television and flipped it on, then scrolled through the options on her streaming services. “How about Independence Day?” he asked.
“Oh, good choice. I love Will Smith in that,” she said. “And it has Jeff Goldblum… Not as good as Jurassic Park , but it’ll do.”
“It’ll give you some of the explosions you want.” He grinned. “ Jurassic Park mostly gives you dinosaurs eating people.”
“And what is wrong with that?” She lifted a brow. “You’re not making a strong case against it. I’d love to have a few pet raptors to eat some of the people I don’t particularly like.” Scarlett gave him a pointed look. “I could even name off a few if you want me to.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I’d be on the top of the list.” JD clicked on the movie and started it. They settled in to watch it. Aliens and dinosaurs were a safe topic for them. Neither one of those things could invade their lives. Well, at least as far as they were aware… Things like cancer and death were all too real.
They got to the part where people were gathering on top of buildings with signs to welcome the aliens. They were swinging their signs and shouting. Blue lights glowed on the ships and a beam shot down on the people, exploding the building. “Do you think there are people this stupid in the world?” she asked and snuggled closer to him.
“Unfortunately, there are some incredibly idiotic people out there,” he answered. “I was pretty stupid once myself.”
“Only once?” she said and chuckled lightly. “But not like them.” She gestured to the television. “You wouldn’t go greet some aliens like that.”
“No,” he agreed. “I would be more skeptical that that. There’s an almost innocence to the people that believed they were there for anything other than malevolent reasons.”
He lost that aspect of himself a long time ago. JD wanted to believe people had an altruistic nature, but he learned a long time ago that not everyone could be counted on. His parents were absent at best. The times his father had been around were the worst memories he had. He’d been thankful the night he’d drank too much and ran his car into a tree. It had been a relief he hadn’t taken anyone else out with him. JD’s mother had left him long before that. He hadn’t seen her since he was five years old and she had dropped him off the first day of kindergarten. She hadn’t come to pick him up, and his father hadn’t been too happy to be summoned to retrieve JD from school. That was the beginning of his unhappy home life.
“I agree. I’d believe in a nefarious plan before any act of kindness.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I’m not so trusting.”
He was at fault for that. She used to be more open to people. Then he had gone and broken her heart and ruined one of the parts he loved most about her. They stayed quiet from that moment on. Silence seemed preferable than discussing their past and what led to their separation. They had a good rapport going, and perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part, but he believed she didn’t want to ruin this moment any more than he did.
Scarlett fell asleep in his arms before the movie ended. He pulled a blanket over her and settled against the back of the couch. This might be the only way she’d allow him to hold her, and he wanted to savor it as long as possible. His neck and back would hurt like hell when they woke up. It’d be worth it…
JD showered and dressed as quickly as possible. It had been three days since they extracted Scarlett’s marrow to transplant into Remy. He hated that he had to leave her. The last thing he wanted to do was put his career before her ever again. He wanted to go home, to her. Being in another city when she was still dealing with so much hit him hard. This wasn’t what he wanted for them. For the first time in his life, he hated baseball. If not for his contract, he wouldn’t have been required to go away. He had even played shitty. It was far from his best game, and he’d struck out each time he’d been at bat.
Clive came over and patted him on the back. “Want to get food? A group of us are going to take a rideshare and go get steak. I’m starving.”
JD’s stomach rumbled on queue. He wasn’t even aware he’d been hungry. His sole focus was on Scarlett. Unfortunately, he couldn’t check on her until the next day when they were back in the city. Thankfully, he’d only been gone a few days and they only had two games on the road this time. They would be home for ten days, and then he’d be gone again for a week. He just wanted to be with Scarlett. Maybe he could talk the manager into letting him skip a few of the away games. He’d probably have to pay a fine or some shit. It would be worth it if it helped Scarlett though.
“Yeah sure,” he said. JD hadn’t built much of a comrade with his teammates. He really did need to work on that, and he did need to eat. He would be no good to Scarlett if he didn’t take care of himself as well.
“Come on then,” he said. “Dress quickly and meet us near the exit. “Goldilocks already ordered the rideshare. Tick tock.” He gestured toward the expensive watch on his wrist.
“You know Ezra hates that nickname.” JD slid on his pants and shirt as quick as possible. “He’ll sucker punch you if he hears you say it.”
“I’m not the one that gave it to him,” Clive said and laughed. “Blame that news anchor that is smitten with him.”
Ezra Jones was the team’s shortstop. He wouldn’t live down the nickname that Jaylen Williams had given him a week ago. She’d taunted him with it in an interview. It made JD wonder if there was something more going on between them. There was some underlying chemistry that nearly crackled when they were around each other. “Still,” JD said to Clive. “You wouldn’t like it much if we started calling you an unsavory nickname.”
“I think he should embrace it.” Clive shrugged. “It does suit him. All that long golden blond hair of his… If he wants to live it down, he could always shave it off.” He snapped his fingers. “Or we could help him out and do it for him.”
“We’re not hazing our teammate.”
They walked out of the clubhouse together and went to the exit where they were waiting for the rideshare. There were five of them. He shook his head. “We are not all going to fit in one car.”
“Sure we will,” Clive said. “We’ve done it before.”
JD tugged his phone out of his pocket and stared at it. He had hoped that Scarlett would have called, but there were no new notifications. “Maybe I’ll just sit this one out.”
“Quit mooning over your girl and let loose,” Ezra said. “It’ll be fine.”
He was regretting sticking up for him now. Maybe he’d join Clive in his crusade to make the Goldilocks nickname stick. “I don’t need your two cents worth of advice.” He glared at Ezra.
Just then the rideshare pulled up in front of them. Ezra opened the driver door of the small car. “Do you mind if we all squeeze in?”
They were not small men. It would not be a comfortable fit… He prayed the driver said no. “Sure,” she said. “If you can manage to fit in, I’ll drive you.”
Was the woman nuts? He leaned over and looked at her. She appeared sane… The driver had long ash blonde hair and light blue eyes, highlighted by the car’s over head lights. He’d guess her age to be in her mid-thirties. “Are you sure?” he asked. “If it’s too much trouble, we can get another car.”
“Not at all,” she said. “I’ll be comfortable either way, and it’s a short trip from here to the restaurant.”
He should plop himself in the front seat, but they decided that honor should go to Barclay Jennings, the first baseman. He was huge compared to the rest of them, and it made the most sense for him to take the lone seat. That meant he would have to squeeze in the back with the rest of the team. They all managed to get in, but it was like a game of Twister gone wrong. There were arms and legs everywhere. Somehow, they managed to get the door closed, and then the driver was on her way.
His phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He cursed under his breath and tried to reach it, and it fell to the floor. JD could see it, but there was no reaching the damn thing. “Clive can you reach my phone?”
“Is this about your girl again?” Ezra asked. “She can wait.”
He gritted his teeth together. If he was able to, he’d jab Ezra in a way that hurt a lot for his comment. He ignored him though and asked again, “Clive…”
“Sorry, it’s not happening,” Clive said.
“It’s Scarlett. I need to talk to her.”
“Get over it,” Ezra ground out. “We’re not exactly able to move around much. That phone is staying where it is until we stop.”
Why the hell had he agreed to this? Maybe he was the one that had lost his mind. He moved a little and stretched his hand, but he couldn’t get the phone.
“It’s not far,” Clive reminded him. “You can call her back when we get there.”
He sighed. “I know.” But he had hoped to answer for her. He wanted to prove to her that she could depend on him. How could he do that when he couldn’t answer a simple phone call?
When the car came to a stop they untangled themselves as quick as they could, then JD retrieved his phone. They went inside to get a table, and he clicked Scarlett’s name to call her back. It rang three times before she answered, “Hello”
“Hello, darling,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I missed your call. How are you feeling?”
“A little sore,” she said. “I miss you.”
God, he missed her too. “Is Faith still staying with you?”
“Yeah,” Scarlett said and yawned. “You’re going to be here tomorrow right? She could only get tonight covered at My Alibi.”
“Yeah, baby,” he said. “I’ll be there. You can count on me.” He’d make sure of it. He wouldn’t screw up a second time.
“You played like shit tonight,” she said in a tone mixed with amusement and chastisement. “I expect you to do better at the next game. If I have to watch you, I want to see good things.”
He chuckled softly. “I didn’t realize you planned on watching the game. I’ll make sure to live up to your standards next time.”
“You better.” He could almost hear a smile in her words. She sounded good but tired. “I shouldn’t keep you up. You need your rest so you can heal.”
“I’m fine,” she reassured him. “I promise I am not overdoing anything, but you are right. I am tired, and I bet you are too. Take care of yourself, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there with bells on.” He kept his tone light. JD didn’t want her to worry about anything except getting better.
The last thing he heard was her soft laugher before she disconnected. JD’s mood lightened after the call. He believed they were going to find a way back together. He prayed his instincts were right. Scarlett should have always been his number one priority. Now he would ensure she always would be.