37. Cale
cale
The security lights flicker on when the sun slips down behind the house, illuminating the grill as I slide the beef patties onto the hot plate, the sound of sizzling meat filling the air.
Garth is hovering next to me, his expression still disgruntled about me forcing him to come outside to keep my company.
“Bit cold for grilling, isn’t it?” Garth is only wearing a thin hoodie and jeans, but he snagged a heavier jacket from my closet. It’s a little small on him, the shoulders straining when he lifts his beer bottle to his lips.
I splash a drizzle of olive oil onto the grill. “Pass the onions.” He does as I ask, and I tip them onto the grill next to the patties. “Melanie wanted a family night, and Oakley wanted burgers.”
It’s an added bonus that I’ve got a straight shot in the kitchen window, giving me a perfect view of Melanie as she moves around, putting the fixings together for the burgers, as well as making a salad.
“Fair enough.” Garth takes a long pull of his beer.
We’ve been friends long enough that we’ve never needed to fill the silence with words, and that’s no different now as I work on flipping the browning patties over.
Eventually, he clears his throat, catching my attention as he says, “This looks good on you.”
“What does?”
“This.” He gestures to the house with his bottle, right as Melanie turns to the side and grins at someone out of view. My breath stalls, heat crawling into my chest. Unaware, he continues. “Melanie. Her kid. Family man, baseball coach.”
“Temporary coach,” I remind him. “It’s my last game tomorrow.”
“Not the point. I just didn’t think it would be something you ever did after you caught Justine Smythe making out with that footballer in the locker room."
I give him the dirtiest look I can muster. “Justine Smythe has nothing to do with me wanting to stay single.”
He arches an eyebrow. “Your first steady girlfriend cheats on you, and you think that didn’t scare you off commitment?”
I tear my eyes from him with a grunt. “You can go inside now,” I tell him grumpily. “I would rather be on my own than listen to you running your mouth.” He chuckles as I begin pulling the patties off the grill, stacking them on the baking sheet I brought out with us.
“How did you—”
I glance at Garth when he abruptly cuts himself off. I follow his stare to the kitchen window, where Jaz has come into view, playfully bumping her shoulder against Melanie’s. I look back at Garth with a frown. “What’s wrong with you?”
He startles, shaking his head like he’s coming out of a fog. “Nothing.” He lifts his beer to his mouth, angling his body away from the house to face me head-on. His expression doesn’t give anything away, and I shrug it off. “Melanie was okay with you inviting Levi and his kid tonight?”
“It was her idea.” I nod at his look of surprise. “She feels bad for Ryan, I think. She told me that second chances are in short supply, but they won’t be from her. Rosie and Nell had other plans tonight, so it made it an easier choice.”
Oakley was the one to ask if we could host dinner and have everyone over, and Melanie jumped on the idea.
One minute, it was dinner with my family, and then the next, friends and people from Onyx were coming.
Now my house is full and, when I dragged Garth outside earlier, Tansley was holding court with my mother in the living room, sending everyone into fits of laughter when she recounted my horrified expression as glitter exploded over my office.
My cue to leave was when she whipped her phone out, the video already locked and loaded.
Once the onions are done, I turn the grill off and do a quick clean up, before grabbing the food and heading for the back door. Garth follows behind him, saying thoughtfully, “Out of all of us, I never thought you would be the one to settle down, especially not the first one.”
I chuckle. “I didn’t think so either. I guess what they say about meeting the right woman is true.” My hands are full, so as I reach the door, I ask, “Can you open that?” He doesn’t say anything, and I look back, finding him standing a few feet away, a curious expression on his face. “What’s up?”
“You’ve known Melanie for years,” he points out. “How did you decide that she’s the right one after all this time?”
“Well, she was married—”
He scoffs. “She and the asshole have been over for a long time. Even before that, you never mentioned Melanie. Never took notice. So…how did you know?”
My stare is assessing as I watch him, wondering where this is coming from.
“Mom put it pretty simply,” I finally say.
“Melanie wasn’t available, even after her divorce, and so she wasn’t on my radar, even if she was standing right in front of me.
Now, though?” I glance back at the house, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “She’s all I see.”
Garth doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t say another word as he steps around me, pulling the door open for me. I lead the way to the kitchen, where Melanie’s pacing the length of the island, wringing a dish towel in her hands.
“What’s wrong?” I ask immediately, setting the meat on the counter and grabbing onto her arms.
She wets her lips, expression unsure. “I’m fine, but…Nell and Rosie are here. They just pulled up. I didn’t tell her that Levi was coming, because she said she wasn’t.” She sucks in a sharp breath. “She knows now, but she’s already here.”
I breathe out a small curse, even as Garth mumbles behind me, “How are those second chances feeling now?”
I ignore him, telling Melanie, “It’ll be fine.”
She doesn’t look like she believes me as we head out of the kitchen, leaving Garth to grab himself another beer.
On the way to the front door, I stick my head into the living room, carefully not looking at Levi or Ryan, sitting on opposite sides of the room and pretending to ignore each other, not wanting to make this any more awkward than it’s already going to be.
I catch my mom’s curious eyes and ask her, “Can you finish up in the kitchen? We just need to set everything out, but we have another guest pulling up.”
She stands up immediately, dragging my father along with her. “We have it under control,” she says confidently. I flash her a grateful smile and then catch up to Melanie, finding her standing on the front step, watching as Rosie and Nell come up the front walk.
“Sorry,” Rosie calls out, her smile wavering. “Mom ended up going out to dinner with a friend, and we were at loose ends.”
“I invited you for a reason,” Melanie tells her easily, no hint of her worry on her face. “We have plenty of food. I should have warned you in case you changed your mind. Have you talked to either of them?”
Rosie hesitates, glancing behind us to the empty doorway. “We, uh…I had a run-in with Levi a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t…It didn’t…”
My brows draw together. “He wasn’t an asshole to you, was he? I know he can be a grumpy bastard, but he’s not a bad guy. If he was, I’ll—”
“No, no,” she rushes to interrupt, eyes flaring. “Please. Don’t say anything. I just…” Her eyes fall closed, and Nell looks up with concern, tucking her hand into her mother’s. “I just want to pretend none of it happened.”
“Well, I can’t help you with that.” Melanie closes the distance between them until she can tug Rosie into a one-armed hug, her other arm going around Nell. “But I can feed you burgers—”
“With perfectly cooked beef patties,” I add.
“—and good company,” she continues as if I didn’t say a word. “There’s enough people here that you won’t have to talk to him.” She pauses, adding quietly, “Either of them.”
Rosie’s smile is wan. “You know, I don’t actually blame Ryan for anything. He’s just a lost kid.”
“Kids make mistakes,” Nell chimes in, clearly repeating something she’s been told. “It’s how they learn and grow.”
“His father, on the other hand…” Rosie mumbles.
Melanie looks over at me with a look of bewilderment.
I can only shrug, having no idea what else might have happened between Levi and Rosie…
But suspicion tells me that my boss might have firmly and permanently lodged his size thirteen foot directly into his mouth.
Dirt clouds the air as Tyler slides into home, just as the ball smacks into the catcher’s glove with a thud. There’s a still pause where it seems like everyone is holding their breath, and then the umpire holds his arms out, his voice ringing over the pitch. “Safe!”
Every single Sterling Slugger cheers, several gloves going soaring into the air, along with a few caps. I laugh, clapping my hands as the team swarms toward me, their excitement palpable. I wrangle them into a line and face them toward the other team.
“Game faces, kids! Hands out for high-fives, and we say—”
“Good game!” they all yell with me, and my smile widens into a grin, stepping back as they meet with the other team. A hand claps me on the shoulder, and I spin around, finding Harrison standing behind me, sans crutches. A glance down shows two matching sneakers, and not a cast in sight.
“Hey, man,” I greet easily. There’s still a niggle of annoyance that the man took my woman out on a date before I ever got the chance. I’m choosing to let it slide. I got the girl, after all. “You’re in one piece again.”
He lifts his chin. “Yeah, and I don’t plan on breaking my leg again any time soon. I’ll tell you that for free.”
“What, you didn’t enjoy lazing around for weeks on end?”
He gives me a droll look. “I have a kid who likes to play pranks, and he runs faster than I can limp. Do you know how long it takes for the smell of shaving foam to leave your nose after it gets up there?”
I bite back a smile. “Can’t say that I do.”
“Days, Cale. It takes fucking days.”
I laugh at his aggrieved expression, but before I can reply, the team is back, crowding around me, their triumphant faces beaming.
Excitement is still overflowing in the air, and none of them seem to notice Harrison as he moves back to give us room—except Jacob, who happily slots himself against his dad’s side, mouth moving a mile a minute.
I gesture for the kids to come in close, waving for them to quieten down before I tell them, “That was a helluva win.” Someone sucks in a whistling breath.
I know I’ll probably get shit from one of the parents later for my language, but I don’t care.
“This win didn’t happen because you were swinging that bat like the ball stole your lunch money.
It didn’t happen because you’re all great baseball players, even though you are.
” A couple of them are frowning with confusion, and I shake my head with a laugh.
“This win happened because you’re a great team.
You worked hard, you showed up, you had each other’s backs.
Even if you had lost today, you would still be going home champions because you showed grit and fight, and you played the game right. ”
“Coach is a poet!” Matty yells, making several others laugh.
“Bet he doesn’t even know it,” someone else jeers.
“Yeah, yeah,” I say dryly, cutting over the chatter before chaos can take over.
“I’m giving an award-level speech, and you lot get the giggles.
” That only sets them off further, and I prop my hands on my hips.
“Today is a pretty special day. Not only did you win, but today is my last game as your coach.” There’s a moment of silence, more than one face dropping.
“Who’s gonna coach us, then?” Mase steps forward, his solemn face carved with worry. “Are we gonna have to stop playing again?”
I look over my shoulder, pointing at Harrison. “Well, I thought you might like your old coach back.”
Harrison takes in the Sluggers with an easy smile. “And here I thought you would all be lost without me.” There’s a collective inhale, and then they’re all yelling, rushing forward, and almost knocking Harrison over.
“Careful,” I shout over them. “Don’t break his leg again.” They ease off slightly, but the excited jabbering doesn’t stop. I catch one kid poking Harrison’s leg just to “check it ain’t still broke.”
Oakley is in the middle of the crush, but after a beat, he looks over his shoulder and clocks me.
He comes to stand at my side, his smile wide and his stormy eyes twinkling with happiness.
He looks lighter, like he doesn’t have a single worry.
Not everything is perfect, and I don’t think it ever will be, but this moment feels like it’s gone a long way to putting the pieces back into their proper place for him.
“Are you sad about not coaching anymore?” he asks curiously, standing close enough that his arm brushes against mine.
I eye him thoughtfully. “A little. But I’m going to be here for every game anyway, and if Harrison ever needs me to step in and help out, I can.”
His smile widens to an impossible size. “You mean that? You’ll keep coming to my games?”
I crouch down until we’re eye level. “Killer,” I say seriously, “you couldn’t keep me away even if you tried.
” I tug on the brim of his navy cap, pulling it over his eyes.
He bats me away, the grin never slipping.
“You’re on a team with your friends, yeah?
But you, me, and your mom? We’re on our own team. ”
He bounces up on his toes, practically vibrating. “I like that. I like having you on my team.” He pauses. “I like having you on Mom’s team, even if you do kiss her.” He scrunches his nose in disgust. “Maybe just stop doing it where I can see.”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep, kid.” Catching the sight of my family approaching over his shoulder, I tip my head in their direction. “Looks like you got some fans. Probably want a signature or something.”
He gives me a puzzled look, turning around and finding my parents, Jaz, and Lanie all bearing down on us. They drag Oakley away from me, but I can see that he doesn’t mind, his face flushed with pleasure at all the attention he’s getting.
Melanie steps into my side, looking like she’s trying to decide if she’s happy or overwhelmed, her eyes soft as she watches them fawn over her son. I hook my fingers into one of her belt loops, tugging playfully. “Hey, darlin’.”
She tilts her head back, grinning up at me. “Hey, honey.”
My smile is goofy as hell. I can feel it, but there’s no wiping it away. “You enjoy sitting with them for the game?”
She hums, mischief flashing through her gray eyes. “Did I know your family would be like this when I agreed to give you a chance?” She lifts a brow. “Because they’re a lot.”
I laugh. “Yeah, they are. But I wouldn’t have anyone else in your corner.” I wrap my arms around her shoulders, squeezing. “You alright, darlin’?”
She gives me a long look before turning to face our family, Oakley’s laughter ringing out in the air above everything else.
“You know what?” Melanie gives me one last look, her face soft with love. “I am.”