Chapter 19
Maverick
“No! No, no, no!” Danny groans, dropping his head onto the table.
“What’s going on?” My brows furrow as I step up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder. He’s been calmer lately and more at peace with Rob not being around.
Sydney swears it’s all because of me, I’m not sure about that, but I hope I'm making a difference in their life. As long as I’m making things a tiny bit easier, I'm happy.
“Coach Tom got hurt. He can't coach us anymore. They can't find anyone to take over, so baseball is canceled.” A tear slips down his cheek as he drops his head on the table again.
“It will be ok, Danny. Someone will take over. I guarantee it.”
“This is the worst day of my life. I love baseball.”
I squeeze his shoulder and murmur something about needing to make a call. This might be stupid because I really don’t have time for this, but I can't let Danny down.
“Hey, Maverick. I'm assuming you heard?”
“What happened, Tom?” I get right to the point. Tom was my baseball coach and he always swore if he was alive and able, he would coach baseball until the day he died.
“I broke my leg. They say it’s going to be a long recovery. I don’t see how I can coach if I can't even walk.”
“But the baseball season hasn’t even started yet.”
“Nah, it hasn’t, but you know how I like to do things. I'm not saying the season is canceled, just the off-season games I normally organize with other teams and the weekly practices.”
“What if I take over?”
“Mav, when do you have time for that?” Tom’s voice softens.
“I just hired some new employees so I won't have to work as much. I can make it work. Danny’s really upset about this.”
“I was wondering if this had to do with Danny.” I can hear the smile in his tone. “That boy has been completely different since you worked with him that one day. It’s like I got the old Danny back, except somehow better.”
“He’s a good kid. His dad walking out really did a number on him though.”
“I heard a rumor around town… Are you and Sydney a couple now?”
“We are.” I chuckle, loving how he pushes for more information. “We’ve been dating for almost two months.”
“That’s good to hear, Maverick. I think you’re exactly what those kids need.
Sydney too.” He shuffles around something on his end of the line before his voice comes through clear again.
“If you’re positive you want to do this, I’ll let the parents know they’ll be hearing from you.
We normally have practice on Thursdays, but you can change whatever you need to in order to make it work for your schedule. ”
“Thanks, Tom.”
“No, thank you. You’ll be amazing with these boys. I have a feeling you’re the coach they need to take it to the next level.”
As soon as I'm off the phone with Tom, I go in search of Danny. I want to tell him the news immediately. I hate seeing him so upset.
I find him in the living room, curled up on the couch with Sydney. His face is buried in his hands and Sydney is rubbing his back in slow circles.
“There’s still time for Coach Tom to heal before the season really starts. Let’s just give it time and see what happens,” she whispers, attempting to soothe her son.
“I just got off the phone with Coach Tom.” I settle onto the edge of the coffee table, placing myself right in front of Danny.
“You did? Will he be better in time for the season?” Danny’s gaze lifts and there’s so much hope staring back at me, impatiently waiting to know if something else will change his life in a huge way.
“Nah, I don’t think he will… But someone else will be your new coach. He’ll continue your weekly practices and games.”
“Really? Who?” Danny’s face lights up immediately. He’s so excited it makes a smile spread across my lips. I love this kid and his enthusiasm for baseball.
“Me.”
“Seriously? Thank you, Maverick!” Danny leaps off of the couch and throws himself into my arms. It knocks me back, but I'm able to right myself before we both tumble off the coffee table. “You’re the best! I'm so happy to have you in my life!”
He pulls away and swipes at his cheeks. He reminds me so much of myself when I was his age. Baseball was my entire world back then. I would’ve been crushed if something like this happened to me.
“I'm going to call Jeremy and let him know baseball isn't canceled!” He runs out of the room before we can even respond.
“You didn’t have to do that, Mav,” Sydney says softly.
“I didn’t, but I wanted to. Look at how excited he is.” I take Danny’s place on the couch and wrap my arm around her shoulders.
“When will you have time for that?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything handled.” I press a soft kiss to her head.
Sydney doesn’t know I have more help at the bar. I’ve been keeping it quiet until I knew the new people I hired are a good fit. I’d hate to get her hopes up for nothing.
“I'm worried about him,” she whispers.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s doing so well right now…” she trails off as she nibbles on her bottom lip.
“And?” I prompt, unsure of where she’s going with this.
“I think Pecker’s going to move to Philadelphia. He says he’s sticking around for as long as I need him, but he loves Sophia. I can't make him stay. He deserves to have his own life. Even though I’d hate to see him go, at least he’ll be living next to Wyatt.”
“Are you upset because Peck will be moving or worried Danny will lose it again?” I ask softly.
Sydney’s such an amazing woman. I know she’s worried more about her kids than she is about herself, it’s just the way she is.
“Yes,” she whispers, giving me a small smile. “I just got my brother back and found out I have a second brother. Now, I'm going to lose them both to Philadelphia.”
“We can go visit them whenever you’d like.”
“We?” She arches a brow in my direction.
“I told you, I'm in this for the long haul. And Danny will be fine because I’ll make sure of it. I won't let him fall off the deep end again. I’ll make sure I'm here whenever he needs someone to talk to.”
“You can't do that. You have an entire business to run.”
“I was waiting to tell you because I wanted to make sure it works out first… But I hired two more people. With them working, I won't need to work at all. If someone is sick, I might need to go in, but for the most part, I won't need to be at the bar unless I want to be.”
“Maverick,” she whispers, staring up at me as tears fill her eyes.
“We’re a team, Syd. I don’t expect you to do anything alone anymore. If Peck moves, we’ll be fine. When you have to work, I can take care of the kids.”
“Thank you.” She throws herself into my arms and hugs me tightly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’ll never find out,” I murmur, holding her close.
“Oh, no,” Sydney whispers as she stares down at her phone with her mouth hanging open.
“What’s wrong?”
We just finished eating dinner and the kids are watching a movie while we clean up. I love these nights we get to spend together, I just wish I could convince them to move in with me so we didn’t have to split our time between two houses.
“I’ve been so busy over the last few weeks with holiday orders. I completely forgot about my court case!” She buries her face in her hands and lets out a groan.
“When is it?”
“In two days.”
“It’s ok. We’ll make it work. What do we need to do?” I tug her hands away from her face and pull her into my arms. “Tell me what you need.”
“Well, I'm supposed to be working so I’ll need to find coverage.”
“We can call Sophia. I'm sure she’ll fill in for you if you need her to.” I quickly send Peck a text without letting go of Sydney.
“I need to find something appropriate to wear. I need to make sure I have someone to get the kids from school.”
“I can help with both of those. It will all be fine. How about we go to your room and check your closet? If we can't find anything, we can go shopping tomorrow for a dress.”
“I'm sure you don’t want to spend your night watching me try on clothes.” She rolls her eyes.
“As long as I get to be with you, I don’t think I’ll mind one bit,” I murmur as I press a soft kiss to her neck.