Chapter 10
TEN
After grabbing a cup of coffee at the local shop, Cole and I headed to the Lost Tavern, ignoring the brisk wind whipping through Main Street. This winter was holding up to its fickle nature, and after a few gorgeous days of sunshine, we were back to freezing winds and threats of snow.
“Shit,” Cole said as he walked a little faster. “Remind me again why I moved here? California’s sixty degrees right now.”
“Might have something to do with that ring on your finger.”
“Yeah.” Cole smiled, looking down at his hand. “Being here with Alex is worth it, even if the winter never fucking ends.”
I shook my head as we continued to pace through the parking lot. Ever since I opened up about my dad’s struggles a couple of weeks ago, Cole had been checking in more, trying to join me at the cages at least once a week. It meant a lot—it gave me a moment to breathe. Plus, watching him try to match my speed was endlessly entertaining.
When we walked inside, I waved hello to the two servers on shift and walked around the bar. Most lunches were slow, and I didn’t usually bother checking in. My parents’ staff had worked at the Lost Tavern for years, if not decades. They weren’t the most efficient crew, but that was part of the charm of small-town life. We weren’t worried about Michelin stars, just good food and good company.
Michelle, one of our bartenders, clapped my back as I walked by her. “Hitting the batting cages again? Martin’s gonna be thrilled someone’s taking advantage of them.”
“Yeah,” I said as I dropped my stuff by the door to the back room. “Felt good to get back out there. Been feeling out of practice.”
“Wouldn’t know it by watching you,” Cole chuckled. He sat down at one of the stools. “Not bad for a guy who always used a pinch hitter.”
“Not my call,” I grunted out. “Too much of a liability if I got hurt. If I had my way, I would have been up to bat as much as possible.”
Just another reason why the glassy veneer of professional sports wasn’t what I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing ball. Walking up to the pitch and hearing the fans calling my name were all highs I would never be able to replicate. But when I went pro, baseball stopped being about having fun and the love of the game. When you played at that level, you were always focused on getting better, on continuing to prove yourself. Even when I got to the top of the pack, there was so much pressure to stay there, I lost that passion I once had.
“Do you miss it?” Cole called out. “Playing in the majors?”
“Some days,” I answered honestly. “I miss the rush.” I didn’t think it would ever go away—that feeling when you heard the ball hit the glove and you knew you had them. But the rest of it? The travel and being away from home more days than not? Definitely not. I shook my head. “It was time.”
“Heard they offered you a big bonus to sign back up.”
I almost choked when I heard the offer from the team’s manager. He’d called right after I finished packing my shit, begging me to reconsider, but there was no changing my mind. I was a stubborn ass that way. Maybe in twenty or thirty years, I’d regret my choice.
But I doubted it.
The bell above the door rang, and we both turned to face it, finding our friend, Theo, walking inside. Compared to every other patron, Theo looked out of place in his designer jacket and shiny dress shoes. Even though he’d been living in town for months, he refused to give up his city style, which was constant fodder for the town’s gossip circle.
I’d met Theo last year because of his wife, Calla. He was a talent agent who used to lead one of the largest firms in the country but got demoted after he fell in love with Calla while she was his assistant. Despite years of hard work, he’d decided he was done with that life, choosing his now-wife over his career. If you asked him, it was the best decision he ever made, especially now that they were expecting.
“Please tell me you still have those sliders,” Theo muttered as he sat down next to Cole.
“Calla’s got a craving?” he asked.
Theo shook his head. “Calla always has a craving, and they change constantly, so I like to have everything on hand, just in case.”
“Sounds like a nightmare,” I grumbled while putting his order into the POS system .
Theo leaned back, stretching his arms across the back of the chairs. “She’s growing our daughter. Making sure my wife is happy and has what she wants is the least I can do.” He nodded toward Cole. “You’ll find out soon enough. Alex was asking Calla all about pregnancy stuff earlier.”
Cole chuckled, shaking his head. “Not yet. I’m dying to have a kid with her, but Alex wants to wait until Fox Creek is in a better place. With all the renovations and hiring a night manager, our plates are already full.” He smirked. “But hopefully soon.”
“If my wife gets her way, all of them would be having babies at the same time.” Theo shook his head, pulling out his phone. “Actually, Gray—can you add a blue cheese burger to that order?”
I narrowed my brow. “Calla hates blue cheese.”
Theo shook his head. “It’s not for her. Devyn is getting settled in, and she asked me to pick up some lunch for her too.”
My pulse almost stopped at his words. I turned around, leaning over the bar. “What do you mean, settling in?”
Theo and Cole exchanged a look, like they knew they had said something that wasn’t meant for my ears. Cole ran his hand over his face, “Look, we don’t want to get in the middle of whatever is happening between you and Devyn.”
“Speak for yourself,” Theo added. “I very much want all the details of how you two got married and managed to elude everyone for so long.”
My hands clenched the bar top, almost hard enough to hurt. I’d nearly forgotten I’d dropped that bomb in front of all our friends. Honestly, I was surprised it took this long to come up.
Cole silenced Theo with a stern look. “But we also understand we’d want to know if we were in your position. Have you talked to Devyn at all?”
“No, why?” I bit out. “She okay?”
“Yeah, she’s good. Just some work stuff,” Theo answered, his voice tense with something unspoken. “Calla convinced her to stay in town for a little bit, at least until she’s able to clear her head. She’s crashing with us for now…” He glanced at Cole. “But she didn’t want you to know she was here.”
My chest felt like it was about to cave in at his words. I was used to Devyn staying away, but that was when we were in the city. There, we had no history. But the idea of both of us being in town and not reaching out? That made my stomach sour. Even if I knew why she didn’t want me around, it burned inside.
Theo’s face turned contemplative. “Maybe you should reach out to her.”
“I don’t know what to say to her,” I admitted. “Wouldn’t even know where to start.” My voice trailed off, unable to bring myself to say anything more. She had every reason to hate me. Despite how I felt about it, there was nothing I could do unless I told her everything. And that wasn’t something I could risk, not yet. Pushing that thought out of my head, I glanced over at my friends. “Sorry you got put in the middle.”
“No need to apologize to us,” Cole said. “That’s your private shit. Tell me, don’t tell me. That’s up to you.”
Theo shook his head. “I agree. It might be fun to pretend otherwise, but this is your business, Gray. We’re here for you.” He crossed his arms in front of him, and his cheek twitched with amusement.
“What?”
Theo sighed, leaning forward. “Look, Calla would kill me for saying anything, but are you sure there’s nothing between the two of you?”
I shook my head. “Not anymore.”
“Your caveman stunt last month might say otherwise.”
“I don’t know what the fuck that was about.” I ran my hand over my beard. “Never felt like that before, man.” My blood pressure spiked just thinking of that asshole. I didn’t know his history with Devyn, and I didn’t want to know. But it killed me to believe she’d let someone like that close to her, someone who would dare put his hands on her. I swear, if he hadn’t backed up, I would have killed him then and there.
“I get it,” Cole shrugged. “You had to protect your girl. We’ve all been there.”
“She’s not my girl.” The words soured on my tongue, but I pressed on. “I don’t know if she ever really was. And honestly, after everything we’ve been through, I have no right to think of her as mine.”
Theo and Cole stared at me, as if hoping I’d elaborate. But my past with Devyn wasn’t something I talked about easily, especially with the guilt I felt about letting her down. After all, I was the one who walked away first but then refused to sign the divorce papers when she asked. Because even if I wasn’t sure I’d ever have her again, signing that line felt like a nail in our coffin, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it, at least not yet. Maybe it’d be different if she met someone and moved on. But as far as I knew, she was as closed off as me and didn’t seem to date people for very long. And while I hated the bitter taste that always accompanied the thought of her with anyone else, Devyn was clear. She didn’t want to be married to me.
“You know,” Cole muttered, toying with the glass in his hands. “When I first met Alex, she hated me. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d get to call her mine. I thought I would never deserve her, so I did everything in my power to stay away from her, everything to convince myself she wasn’t for me.”
“What’s your point?” I snapped, feeling too raw.
“My point is that, sometimes, we can’t see what’s right in front of us.” He shrugged. “Maybe there’s a reason all this came out now.”
“Yeah, my big fucking mouth,” I groaned.
“Maybe,” Cole said. “But I wouldn’t count on it. And for Devyn’s sake, I hope it means something good is coming. Girl’s been having a lot of shit luck lately.”
“Okay,” I growled. “Someone really needs to tell me what the fuck is going on. Now.”
Cole glanced over at Theo, waiting until he gave a nod before continuing. “She got fired. Fallout from the whole thing with the guy from the bar.”
“Jack,” Theo seethed.
Cole nodded. “That’s why she came home. Between losing her job and her stepfather kicking her out of her apartment, she had nowhere else to go. She’s staying with these guys until she can figure out her next steps.”
I didn’t hear the end of his sentence, too busy imagining different ways I could murder those assholes— Jack and David, her stepfather—without going to prison.
Maybe Cole was right. The rational part of my brain wasn’t processing any of this. But I knew Devyn, knew her better than myself. And yeah, she was pissed as fuck at me, but if she just lost her job, she’d be spiraling. She’d worked so hard for so long, and most people didn’t realize why, didn’t realize her dedication to the law was less about the practice and more about making her dad’s memory proud.
“Okay, I get it now,” Cole whispered to Theo .
“Get what?”
“Alex always says I get this primal, murder-y look when something happens to her. Thought she was full of shit until right now.” He shook his head. “Before you grab your murder kit, Devyn is fine. We’ve got her back, and we’ll make sure she’s okay.”
Theo nodded. “It’s not the best situation with the baby coming, but she can stay with us as long as she needs.”
“Wished she’d take us up on a cabin,” Cole muttered. “Or she could have the apartment after Tori and Adam move into their new house.”
“She won’t,” I said, staring at the wall. Pictures from our shared childhood filled almost all the picture frames. The years changed, but most of them were the same—Devyn and I together, no matter what. She was my person, the one I’d always protect. Maybe I’d failed in that mission over the last few years, but she was here now, and knowing her, she’d never willingly accept help.
“Can you lock up?” I asked Cole, tossing him the keys as I grabbed my jacket. My friends muttered something at my back, but I barely heard them, too distracted. I jumped into my truck and left the Lost Tavern behind me.
My body moved on instinct, not even acknowledging where I was headed until I hit my blinker, turning into the luxury apartment complex on the edge of town. It stood out among the rest of the buildings, no matter how hard the builders tried to match the aesthetics of the town, cheap, pre-fab crap that would be crumbling within twenty years. But Calla and Theo needed a place to rent while they finished construction on their forever home, and this was the closest place to town with open apartments.
Luckily, I’d been here plenty of times before, either checking on Calla or for our weekly poker nights. I pulled into one of the guest spots and raced up to the second floor, banging on their door.
As soon as I heard the doorknob turn, my heart raced in my chest. It was then I realized I had nothing to say and no real reason to be here. There were no words in my mind; I just needed to see for myself Devyn was okay.
As she pulled open the door, her eyes flared in surprise, shocked I would be standing at the door. For just a moment, I saw the girl I used to know, the one who looked at me like I hung the moon. But as soon as it came, it was gone, and her eyes narrowed, her lips turning into a frown. Devyn leaned against the frame, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Oh, honey. You’re home.”