Chapter 9
Maverick
Pulling up to the batting cages, I check to make sure I have everything I need. I haven’t coached anyone in a long time, but the baseball coach said there are a few boys who are in need of extra batting help.
Coach Tom was my coach in high school. He knew I was good and could’ve gone pro, but I didn’t want to leave my small-town life. Nothing about living in a big city or having fans scream my name appealed to me. Instead, I’ve helped him off and on over the years with boys who need a little extra help.
Tom goes above what is expected as a coach.
He works with the boys all year long and has weekly practices.
If they can't make it, he doesn’t get upset, but it keeps the boys busy and out of trouble.
It doesn’t hurt that his players’ skills improve drastically, especially compared to the teams in neighboring towns.
“Hey, Maverick. Thanks for doing this. I’ve been working with these boys a lot over the last few months, but I think it’s time to pull you in. Some need help with batting and some with pitching.”
“No problem. How many are there?”
“Four. I was thinking of having you work with one at a time. Danny first, if you don’t mind. He’s always been my star player, but he’s struggled since his dad left.”
Danny? I wonder if he’s talking about Sydney’s son. I don’t know of another Danny, nor can I think of another dad in town who has left their family recently.
“I’ll work with him. Don’t worry about it.” I pat Tom on the back before popping my tailgate and grabbing my bag out of the back.
Once I'm inside, I take out my glove, bat, and a few balls. If I can get him to bat first, I can show him how I want him to pitch. We can work with the pitching machine later, first we need to go back to the basics.
I glance up when I hear someone approach the batting cage I'm setting up in.
“I’m not batting off a tee.” Danny steps into the netted off area with a scowl on his face.
“It’s cute you think you have a say.” I grin, tossing a ball at him. He catches it without an issue and drops his bag on the ground.
“Danny, be nice.” Sydney scowls at her son. Ah, I was right. I know Peck said Danny wasn’t doing great since Rob left, but I haven’t really had a reason to be around him and interact with him. Now, I do.
“I'm not a baby, Mom. I'm not batting off a tee.” He rolls his eyes.
“Just… Do whatever Maverick wants you to do. He’s your coach for today.” She sighs and rubs at her temples like she has a migraine.
“I don’t even want to be here,” he grumbles under his breath.
“Alright, fine. Let’s do it your way. You don’t want a tee, then you can bat and I’ll pitch. Just let me warm up a little bit.” I motion for him to move away from the pitching net. There’s a bright yellow square in the center. It’s to help you aim for a small area and see how your pitching is.
I take my time stretching out my shoulder.
I don’t play often, but I know I have a bad shoulder.
It’s part of the reason I didn’t go pro.
I didn’t want to constantly be rehabbing my shoulder and wondering how long I’d be able to last on the team.
Sooner or later, I knew my shoulder would end my career.
When I'm ready, I bring my arm back and my leg up, I launch the ball towards the net and it hits the back wall with a loud thwack. Danny’s eyes widen as he stares at me in shock.
I do it five more times before I shake out my shoulder again. I make sure to keep my face free of any emotion, even though I really want to laugh at his response.
“You’re up, Danny. Take your position.”
“I'm not batting off of you! You just threw a fastball!”
“You didn’t specify how you wanted me to throw. Would you prefer a curveball? A screwball? Slider? What do you like?” I throw the different types of pitches with each question, making him take two steps backwards.
“How fast was that?” He’s still trying to lift his jaw off the floor.
“I don’t know. The last time anyone checked my speed, I was throwing over ninety miles an hour.” I lift my shoulders in a shrug like it isn't that impressive.
“What’s the fastest you’ve ever thrown?” He comes closer, realizing I'm not just another random person trying to tell him what he’s doing wrong in baseball without any skill to back it up.
“I’ve thrown over a hundred miles an hour, but it’s not easy.”
“That’s crazy! Can you teach me to pitch like that?”
“I was planning on it, but I wanted you to bat first. The tee was to see what your form is like and make any necessary changes when you don’t have balls flying at your face, but I don’t know what I'm doing, so we should probably just do it your way.”
I begin packing up my bag. If he wants to play this game, I’ll beat him at it. He’s not going to upset me or try to act like he knows best. He needs to respect me or he’ll never listen.
“Wait… I’m sorry, Maverick. You’re right. You know what you’re doing better than I do. Can we please do it your way?” The embarrassment on his face is sweet. I know he’s been dealt a tough hand recently, but that doesn’t mean he gets to be a jerk.
“Sure. You get your things out while I have a quick chat with your mom, ok?”
He nods his head and I slip between the netting to exit the pitching area. Sydney’s waiting for me with an expression I can't place.
“Walk with me, Syd.” I place a hand on her lower back and lead her out of view from Danny. “What’s going on with him?”
“I don’t know.” She scrubs a hand down her face.
She looks so broken. “He’s been a rollercoaster of emotions since Rob left.
Some days I think we’re doing good and others I'm in tears, feeling like I'm failing him. I thought having Pecker here would help, some days it does, but others he’s still miserable. I guess he just needs time.”
“Hey, you’re not failing anyone,” I whisper as I tug her into my arms and give her a hug.
I squeeze my eyes shut and savor the feel of her body being pressed against mine. I'm sure I'm not lucky enough for this to happen again.
“He needs a dad, not me.”
“He needs you too, Syd. He just doesn’t realize it right now. You’re a great mom and you’re doing an amazing job with them. I'm sorry you’re going through this. I'm always here if you want to talk though.”
“Thanks. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been doing this alone for a long time. I just need to adjust to being the only one they have.” She sighs and tries to step out of my arms, but I'm not ready for that.
“What are you talking about? Didn’t Rob help you?” I lift her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze.
“No. Rob was extra income, but not much else. Most nights he went out after work and didn’t come home until the kids were in bed. He never wanted children,” she whispers. “We were an obligation he hated.”
Her eyes fill with tears and I briefly wonder if they’re for her children or herself. From the little bit I know about Sydney, I have a feeling it has a lot more to do with her kids than herself.
“I'm so sorry. You deserve someone so much better than him.” I cup her cheek and stare deep into her eyes. The only thing I want to do right now is close the distance between us and finally get the kiss I’ve been dreaming of with her.
But we’re in the middle of the batting and pitching cages. I can't give in to any of my desires with a bunch of kids running around, especially her son.
“Let’s get back to Danny and I’ll work with him. Is he giving you a hard time at home?”
“Don’t worry about how he treats me-”
“Nah, sweetheart. I'm going to worry about you no matter what you say. I just need you to answer me so I know what’s going on.”
“Most days he’s ok, but some days he’s snapping at me. I know it’s because he’s upset over Rob leaving and he feels like he was abandoned.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
She opens her mouth to respond, but one look has her shutting her mouth and nodding her head.
“Thank you.”
“Ok, I want you to give me another great swing. Even if you don’t make contact with the ball, I want you to swing all the way through, got it?”
“Yeah, I'm ready!” Danny’s buzzing with excitement.
When he first got here, I thought I was going to have a lot of trouble with him, but he’s been great. I still want to have a talk with him about how he’s treating Sydney, but I need to tread carefully here.
I'm not butting into their lives because I'm trying to find an in with Sydney. I truly care about them and want things to be good between them. Anything to make life just a tiny bit easier for Sydney. I want that even if I never get a shot with her as more than friends.
I pitch the ball perfectly towards him. He’s ready and takes a swing at it, using the perfect form. The crack of the bat against the ball has a smile spreading across my face… Until it hits me square in the inner thigh and I drop to my knees, holding onto my thigh in agony.
“Holy crap,” I growl, trying my hardest to stay calm.
“Oh my gosh! Maverick! I'm so sorry!” Danny rushes to my side and squats down next to me. The concern and tears in his eyes take away any anger I was feeling, but it doesn’t take away the pain.
“Are you ok?” Sydney drops to her knees and places her hand on my leg.
“Yeah, just great,” I grunt out.
“Where were you hit?” She winces as she speaks.
“In my thigh.”
“So not…” she trails off and clears her throat.
“She wants to know if I hit you in the balls,” Danny clarifies.
“Nah, he missed all the important parts, but it hurts like crazy.”
“I'm going to ask Coach Tom for some ice.” Danny rushes off before I can stop him. Though ice is probably a good idea. I might already be bruising.
I butterfly my legs and slide my shorts up my thigh. I have to push them all the way up and wince at the dark red coloring already spreading across my skin.
“That’s going to leave a mark,” Sydney whispers, brushing her fingers over my discolored flesh.
The pain isn't even a blip on my radar as her fingers outline the bruise. I’m too focused on her touching me to notice anything else. I'm mesmerized by her hand moving, almost in a trance.
“Maverick?” She says, making me blink back into reality.
“Yeah?”
“Did you hit your head? You weren’t answering me.” She smiles softly, making me wish she had never met her jerk of an ex. I’d treat her right. I’d take care of her and never make her feel like an obligation.
“Sorry. I guess I zoned out. What’d you say?” I scrub a hand down my face and internally chastise myself for not listening to whatever she said.
“I asked if you’re going to make it or should I start planning your funeral?”
“I think I’ll make a full recovery. Though if he had hit me an inch or two to the left, it would be a different story,” I groan, falling back onto the ground.
“Mav!” She giggles as she lays down on the ground next to me. “I'm sorry he hit you.”
“I'm not. If he were in a game, that hit would’ve taken down the pitcher. He would’ve easily gotten to first base, maybe even further. My job was to help him with batting and pitching, I did that. He’s doing well. He has a mean swing and that’s awesome.”
She scrambles into a sitting position again and hovers over me with a furrowed brow.
“You’re not mad at him?”
“Why would I be mad?”
“Because he hurt you.”
“Not on purpose.”
“Rob would’ve been livid,” she whispers. “He would’ve made a big deal about it and made sure Danny was humiliated. For weeks he’d milk the injury, just to make sure Danny knew he did something wrong and to upset him.”
“Your ex sounds like a piece of crap,” I growl.
“Yeah, he was. I don’t miss him at all… I just think the kids need a man in their life.” She smiles sadly at me.
Right then and there, I know I'm going to try to be the man Danny needs in his life. Maybe it won't be in the role I’d like, but the kid is pretty awesome.