Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
COLE
“Your new tenants are planning on moving in on the first. Does that date still work for you?”
Balancing my phone on my shoulder, I scroll through the available flights, finding one for the thirtieth. Tomorrow. “That works.” I select the earliest flight I can find, not minding that it has a three-hour layover in Chicago.
“Okay,” Missy, the woman from the property management company says. “If you can drop off the keys and garage door opener along with any pertinent information, we will make sure it gets to the tenants.”
“I’ll drop it off tomorrow on my way to the airport.”
“That’s perfect. Save travels, Mr. Wild. I’ll be in touch if needed.”
“Thanks again, Missy,” I say, typing in my payment information, ending the call with her. The transaction is complete and I stare at the screen for a moment, a contradictory sense of overwhelm mixing with the simultaneous relief I feel.
These last two weeks have been a complete whirlwind. After dealing with injury after injury for the last two years, I was planning on making this upcoming season my last with the Titans. My contract was set to end then, but life has a funny way of shaking things up every now and then.
Two seasons ago, I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder and had to have it surgically repaired.
The damage was more extensive than they thought and the surgeons did the best they could.
I went through intense rehabilitation and physical therapy to try and get my shoulder back to where it was before my injury, but I never achieved that.
Since then, I’ve sustained other minor injuries, but each one has taken longer to rehab and only created more instability within the joint.
I’ve been gritting my teeth, pushing through the pain, but after speaking with the team doctors, physical therapist, and the rest of the executives, it was determined best if I retired a year early.
The team can’t afford to have a liability for a pitcher and I can’t risk losing all function of my shoulder if I keep injuring it.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make, although it was a necessary one. I’m grateful for getting the opportunity to play professionally, for getting the chance to live out my dreams, but I know my time here in Texas has come to an end. It’s time I close this chapter and head back to where I belong.
Back to Silverspur Springs, to my family’s ranch.
Closing my laptop, I tuck my phone into my front pocket and head over to the front door where the last two boxes of my belongings are.
I downsized considerably and dropped a lot off at the local donation center since I’m moving back into the main house on our ranch.
Everything else I’m taking with me has been packed up and I’ve been loading them into a shipping pod all afternoon.
I have been renting the house fully furnished, so all my furniture and decorations are staying for the new tenants.
I grab the last two boxes, put them on the dolly that came with the shipping pod, and head out to the driveway. Lifting the remaining boxes, I stack them inside and tuck the dolly in the corner before I shut the doors.
“It’s going to be weird having new neighbors.”
I turn around and see Tucker, one of my teammates and closest friend I have in Texas, standing at the end of my driveway. His wife stands behind him on the sidewalk, pushing the stroller back and forth, most likely to keep their four-month-old son content in the carriage.
“Hey Tuck,” I say, nodding my head at him before looking at his wife. “Hey Payton.”
“Hey Cole,” she says, waving as she smiles brightly. She glances down at the stroller and stops rocking it as she looks back at me. “Did you end up having any luck with flights?”
Tucker and Payton were the first to hear about my early retirement, along with the news of me heading back to Silverspur Springs.
I nod, shifting my weight on my feet and tucking my hands into my jean pockets. “The best option was tomorrow, which works since your new neighbors will be moving in soon.”
Tucker groans, a frown tugging his lips downward. “Don’t remind me.”
“Tuck, be nice,” Payton scolds him, cutting her eyes at the back of his head. “The new neighbors might be nice.”
“The keyword is might, Pay.”
Payton rolls her eyes and begins to push the stroller away from my driveway. “I’m taking Brody home so I can get started on dinner. Bring Cole back with you.”
Tucker stares at me for a moment as Payton walks away and heads onto their property that sits right next to mine. “Do you really have to go?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, dipping my chin.
“I gotta get back home. My brothers need me.” I pause, my eyes trailing over the grass that covers the sandy soil and the palm trees that loom above.
I’ve always missed the fresh mountain air.
The smell of dust, hay and leather. “You know this place was never for me.”
Tucker walks over, his shoulders falling as a sigh escapes him. “I know. You’ve done nothing but complain about the humidity and stale air since you got here.” A smile cracks on Tucker’s face. “It’s been eight damn years of hearing you talk about how the weather is so much nicer in Wyoming.”
A chuckle rumbles in my chest. “I promise you; it is.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Tucker says. “Payton refuses to go anywhere that doesn’t have a beach.”
“There’s a lake,” I offer, shrugging my shoulders. “That kinda counts for a beach, right?”
Tucker laughs. “Not the kind of beach Payton likes, but nice try.” He lifts his arm, wrapping it around the tops of my shoulders. “Come on, she’s going to be annoyed if we’re late for dinner.”
“I thought she said she was going to make it?” I question him as we fall in step together and head across my yard and into his.
“By making it, she meant turning off the crockpot.”
I follow Tucker onto his front porch and he pulls open the front door, holding it for me to step in first. I kick my shoes off in the foyer and he does too. The smell of paprika and onions wafts through the air, immediately grabbing my attention and pulling me down the hall into the kitchen.
“What did you make, Payton?” I ask, strolling into the kitchen with Tucker behind me. “It smells delicious.” Payton turns around from the stove with Brody strapped to the front of her torso and smiles at the two of us.
“Tacos!”
“Let me take him,” Tucker says as he closes the distance between them.
I step farther into the kitchen, stopping by the island in the center of the room as I watch them.
There’s a twinge of jealousy in my chest as Payton smiles at Tucker while he undoes the straps and cradles Brody in his arms. Payton rests her hands on his forearms, staring down at their little guy for a moment.
A relationship was not a priority for me these past eight years. Baseball was my sole focus and it left little time to get involved with anyone. I knew as soon as my baseball career was over that I’d be heading home to shift into my new focus—the ranch.
But watching the two of them together with the life they share and the life they created, stirs up a sense of longing deep inside my chest. It’s something that might not be for me, although it’s something I find myself wanting more these days.
Maybe it has to do with the changing seasons of my life. Maybe this retirement and moving has awakened a part of me that I didn’t know was inside before.
Or maybe it’s because I’ve been alone for so long… and I don’t think I want to be alone forever.
“Come sit,” Payton says, waving me over to the dining area. Tucker carries three plates over, setting them all on the table before he starts to bop Brody up and down. He stirs in Tucker’s arms, his mouth widening as he yawns. “Would you like me to make yours?”
Tucker shakes his head at her. “You eat first, then I’ll get mine.”
I take a seat across from Payton, next to Tucker, and she motions for me to help myself. Grabbing a tortilla, I fill it with some chicken and then move onto the toppings, loading up my shell.
“Are you excited to get back to your hometown?”
I chew a bite of my taco, swallowing it back down as Tucker stands near Payton, rocking Brody as they both wait for my response. “I am. I miss it there.”
“He hates it here, babe,” Tucker laughs, his face lighting up.
“That’s true,” Payton giggles. “I’m sure you’ll be much happier there.”
“I think I will be,” I say after swallowing another bite. It’s not that I’ve been unhappy here, it’s just not what I grew up with. Even after being here for as long as I have been, it still has never truly felt like home. “It’s home, ya know?”
Payton nods and so does Tucker.
“You’ll come back to visit sometime though, won’t you?” Payton questions me as the two of us finish eating and Tucker continues to rock Brody.
“You guys can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Payton laughs softly and Tucker's chest rumbles with a chuckle. I pop the last of my taco into my mouth, rising to my feet before Payton gets the chance to. I step over to Tucker, holding my hands out.
“Here, I’ll take him so you can eat.”
Tucker raises an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”
“I’m not allergic to kids,” I laugh, taking the baby from him. “And it’s not my first time holding him.”
“Fair enough,” Tucker nods, smiling as he quickly sits down in his seat and wastes no time piling taco meat onto a tortilla. I shift my weight from leg to leg, swaying back and forth, staring at Brody’s soft features while he sleeps.
“Do you think you want any?”
I adjust Brody in my arms, my eyes slicing to Payton’s as she looks over at me. “What?”
“Kids,” she smiles, looking at Brody, Tucker and then back to me. “Do you think you want any?”
“Oh, I dunno,” I admit, shrugging my shoulders as I’m careful not to disturb the baby. He’s warm in my arms, tucked in against my chest. “I haven’t thought much about it.”
“You’re good with them,” Tucker chimes in, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, you’re good with Brody.”
“I think good things are going to happen for you back in Wyoming.” Payton gives me a dreamy smile, her eyes filled with hope. “Maybe you’ll find the woman of your dreams and finally settle down. And who knows…maybe you’ll even have kids of your own.”
Tucker snorts. “I don’t think I’d hold my breath if I were you.”
“Oh, stop that,” Payton scolds him, pursing her lips. “Everyone deserves to have a happily ever after.”
Tucker’s lips lift into a grin. “Did you get that with me?”
“Yes, babe,” she murmurs as she stares back at him with nothing but adoration.
I can’t help but feel as though I’m intruding so I quietly shift my body, pulling my gaze away from the two of them, looking back at their son nestled in my arms. His lips part again and he yawns in his sleep, his body stretching in my arms.
Contentment washes over me and warmth spreads through my chest. I used to think I didn’t want any of this, but now I’m not so sure.
And maybe—just maybe—I want exactly what they have one day.