Chapter 27
brADY
July hits, hot and humid. The evenings are perfect for playing baseball, but I’m fairly certain summer is the worst time to be hitting the last trimester of pregnancy like Sage is. I feel terrible for her. I know she's hot and miserable most of the time, even if she doesn't say it.
Thankfully, the team is taking a week off to coincide with the All-Star break the major league teams take.
Some of the guys are traveling to watch the games, but a lot of us are staying in town.
And today, Luca, the former owner of the Thunder, is hosting a barbeque at the house he shares with Isla and her son Charlie.
I met up with Griff and Foxxy at the gym this morning for a quick workout, letting Sage sleep in.
That's the other thing that's changed for her now that she's nearing the end of pregnancy.
The energy she had in the second trimester has faded, and she's tired all the time.
I wish I could do more for her. Feeling helpless isn't something I enjoy.
But no matter how many books I read, none of them have a solution.
At least, not anything that I'm not already doing.
This is why women truly are the stronger gender. There's not a chance a dude could make it through nine months of pregnancy. No, the human race would die out if men were responsible for the actual work of procreation.
When I get back to the apartment, I open the door quietly in case she's still asleep. But she's not.
Sage is standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. She’s wearing a pair of my athletic shorts and a sports bra she's spilling out of, thanks to pregnancy making her boobs even bigger.
“What are you doing, Hurricane?” I ask. Setting my bag down, I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her middle, taking the weight of her belly in my hands.
She sags against my chest with a sigh of relief.
“God, that feels so good.”
I kiss the side of her head. “Oh yeah? Should we just stay like this until the baby comes out? I'm not complaining if it means I get to hold you twenty-four hours a day.”
She laughs. “Might be kinda hard to pitch.”
“I’d make it work,” I joke.
I lean over her shoulder and peer into the pot she’s stirring. It looks like melted butter, but it’s turning a darker golden colour.
“Seriously, what have you been making?”
“Mexican street corn dip is in the fridge. And this will eventually be brown butter rice crispy treats.”
I rear back in surprise. I had no idea she was planning to do this. “Sage, you didn't have to make all that.”
She turns in my arms, looking up at me. “I know, but you said it was a potluck, and I wanted to contribute.”
I kiss her forehead. “Well, thank you. I'm sure it'll be a hell of a lot better than the store-made spinach dip I was planning on buying.”
Sage giggles and rests her cheek against my chest. “I hope so.” She leans back and wrinkles her nose. “Okay, you kind of smell, go take a shower while I finish this up.”
She pushes me away, but I sneak in another kiss before I head toward the bedroom. Pausing at the doorway, I look back.
I'm in love with her.
With every moment we spend together, I'm falling deeper and deeper. She’s not ready to hear that yet, so I'll keep it to myself. But watching her, seeing her wearing my clothes, carrying my baby, and fitting seamlessly into my life only makes me more determined to never let her go.
We pull up to Luca and Isla’s house, where there are already cars parked in the driveway and along the street.
As soon as we get out, the sound of voices and laughter carries from the backyard.
I take the bag with the food Sage made earlier in one hand and her hand in my other.
Together, we walk up to the front door, only for it to open right as we get to the porch.
“Hi!” Isla exclaims with a big smile. “You must be Sage.” She gestures for the two of us to come inside. “I’m Isla, and we are so glad you could come today.”
“Thank you, I’m looking forward to meeting Brady's teammates,” Sage replies with a smile of her own.
Ahead of us, Isla looks over her shoulder with a laugh. “You say that now but just wait. They've been dying to meet you in person, too.”
I groan. “Shit. Let me apologize now for whatever you're about to walk into.”
Isla pivots, walking back to Sage’s side and tucking her arm in the crook of Sage’s elbow. “Don't worry, Dixie. I’ll take care of your girl.”
I trail after them as Isla leads us through the house and into the backyard. As soon as she steps outside, she raises her voice. “Dixie and Sage are here.”
Heads turn as my friends and teammates stop whatever they were doing and make their way over. Cal reaches us first, and to my surprise and probably Sage’s as well, he pulls her into a hug.
“It's about damn time,” he says, grinning. “Good to finally meet the woman who's made our Dixie boy all weak in the knees.”
I roll my eyes, even as I fight a smile. But as I move forward to join them, I hear Luca call my name. Turning, I walk over to him instead and take the beer he offers.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. So, how are things going?” He nods toward Sage.
I swallow a sip of beer before answering. “Really good,” I admit.
“Glad to hear it. I guess you coming to play for the Thunder was meant to be, in more ways than one.”
I tip my beer toward him. “Guess so. Thanks for taking a chance on me.”
Luca chuckles. “A talent like yours belongs on the mound. We’re the ones who should be thanking you for joining the team. Hopefully you don't get snatched up by someone bigger and better too quickly.”
I choke on the beer, my eyes starting to water. “Yeah right,” I scoff. “That ship has sailed.”
Luca lifts his shoulders in an enigmatic shrug. “You never know.”
“Hey Luca, can you come and get the barbecue going?” Isla calls from the kitchen.
Luca turns, lifting his hand in acknowledgment. “Be right there.”
Looking back at me, a thoughtful expression comes over his face as he studies me.
“You're one hell of a player, Brady Dixon.
More than that, you're one hell of a man.
I admire the way you haven't let the crazy things life has sent your way slow you down.
We all stumble at times, and sometimes, we even fall.
But you're the example of what can happen when you keep getting back up.”
With that, he turns and walks away, leaving me speechless. I’ve always struggled to accept praise, especially when it was about stepping up to take care of the twins. That never felt like something worthy of praise, particularly when I felt like I was floundering most of the time.
But what Luca just said sinks into my bones. And for once, I believe his words. I do keep getting back up, I do keep fighting for what’s important, and having that recognized by a man like him feels really damn good.
The light sound of Sage’s laughter breaks through, and I scan the backyard until I find her with Isla and another woman. I make my way over to them, sliding my arm around Sage’s waist. I love how she automatically nestles into my side.
“Brady, do you know Juniper, Isla’s best friend?”
I give the ladies a smile. “Yeah, we’ve met a few times.”
“Careful, Sage, don’t let Cal hear you call her that, he’ll pout.” Isla laughs.
Juniper giggles as well. “Yeah, he gets like a big ol’ man-child with his jealousy.”
“Did I hear someone say my name?”
The three women dissolve into laughter as Cal joins us. He frowns, looking at them, and then at me.
“What did I say?”
“You basically just called yourself a man-child,” I explain with a chuckle of my own. Cal tilts his head to the side for a second, then shrugs. Moving to Juniper’s side, he drapes his arm over her shoulder.
“Let me guess, you’re the one responsible for that.”
Juniper smirks, not denying it. “I mean, if it fits…” She dissolves in a shriek of laughter as Cal starts to tickle her.
“Is it just me, or is there something going on between them,” Sage says quietly, leaning farther into me.
“They’re just friends as far as I know,” I say just as quietly.
Sage makes a noise of disbelief. “Yeah, right.”
“Ignore those two,” Isla says with a smile. “Anyway, Sage, we should definitely swap phone numbers. Next time you want to come to a game to support Dixie, we can sit together.”
“And Isla’s got this mom thing locked down,” Juniper chimes in. Cal seems to have wandered off somewhere. “Seriously, she’s great at it.”
“Okay, I don’t know about that. But I am happy to chat any time, Sage.”
“Thank you, I’d love that.” Sage rubs her stomach. “It’s a lot to take in, that’s for sure. And she isn’t even here yet.”
Isla laughs. “Yeah, you might hate me for saying this, but pregnancy is the easy part!”
“You’re right, I definitely hate you for saying that. But I’ll still take your number.”
With a kiss to her cheek, I leave Sage with the other ladies and follow Cal over to the table laden with food.
Picking up a plate, I glance back to see my girl smiling and laughing.
With every single day that passes, it feels more and more like Sage was meant to be a part of my life. And I think she’s starting to see that too.