Chapter 40
brADY
“Are you sure today is the right time to tell them? I don’t want to make it all about me.” I’m white knuckling the handle of Ivy’s car seat as we walk slowly up the path to Cal’s house.
He invited a bunch of guys from the team over for a Friendsgiving dinner tonight, in advance of actual Thanksgiving this weekend. Sage is trying to convince me to tell them about the offer from the Tridents.
“You can’t keep this a secret any longer. You know Dom wants to send out the announcement, he’s just waiting for you to give him the go-ahead. Besides, if we wait much longer, it’ll be Christmas, and then we’re moving to the mainland.”
I blow out a breath. “I know.”
Sage tugs on my arm, bringing me to a stop. “What’s holding you back? Are you second-guessing the move?”
The way she asks, gently and without judgment, makes me incredibly grateful.
Throughout the past week, we’ve had a lot of conversations about what life would be like if I said yes, and if I said no.
It would be a lot easier to just take the offer and celebrate, and not give any thought to the future, but I can’t be that guy.
And to my surprise, Sage has wanted to discuss the pros and cons and make plans just as much as I have.
That alone is proof—not that I needed any—that she’s in this for the long haul. That we truly do have forever ahead of us.
“I’m not second-guessing the move. You and Ivy are the only things that would make me hesitate, so if you’re still on board with moving, then there’s no reason to turn down the offer. It’s everything I used to dream about.”
Sage wraps her arm around my waist, giving me a sideways squeeze. She tips her chin up, and I kiss her lightly.
“I guess there’s a part of me that wonders if I really deserve all of this.”
“I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.”
The front door opens, and warm light spills out into the damp, dark evening. “It’s fucking cold out here! Are you three just gonna stand there, or are you gonna come inside?” Cal calls out. From behind him, I can hear the sound of voices and laughter from our friends.
“I’ll miss these guys,” I say quietly to Sage as we head up the path.
She silently gives me another squeeze in response.
The second we step inside, Isla comes hurrying over. “Give me that delicious baby. Sage, wine’s in the kitchen.”
“Perfect.” Sage gives me a smile before carrying the tray of appetizers she made this afternoon into the kitchen, following Isla, who stole my daughter from me, car seat and all.
“How’s it going?” Cal asks as I hang up our coats and trail after him to the living room.
“Good. Great.” I take a seat next to Griff on the couch. I lift my voice to cut through the conversations happening among my other teammates “Actually, I’ve got some news.”
Griff’s eyebrows lift. “Yeah?”
I nod.
“Hey everyone, shut it. Dixie’s got something to say.” Griff’s shout makes me want to cover my face with my hands and hide.
Instead, I rake my fingers through my hair and mutter, “Why am I the only one who keeps having these big fucking announcements?”
“Because you’re a secret attention hog?” Cal says with a smirk from where he’s standing next to the fireplace with Oakley, Foxxy, and Hiro.
“Yeah, right,” I scoff.
Griff kicks his foot out, hitting me in the shin. “Well, what is it?”
“I’m, ah, not gonna be playing for the Thunder next season.” Okay, so maybe I do like the attention a little bit, because the dramatic pause I intentionally leave after saying that has the room going completely silent, all eyes on me.
“Why the fuck not?” Griff grunts.
“Because I’ve been signed by the Vancouver Tridents.”
There’s another beat of silence and then the room explodes.
“Let’s fucking go, Dixie!” Foxxy yanks me up from the couch and into a back-slapping hug. Next thing I know, I’m being bounced around as the guys all jostle me in hugs and high fives.
“That’s wild, man. You deserve it.” Cal grins.
“Don’t forget about us little guys when you’re famous and shit,” Lucky chimes in.
I don’t realize Foxxy has left the room until he’s back with Isla, Juniper, and Sage, along with Hiro’s wife and Oakley’s partner. He’s holding a couple of bottles of what look like champagne and is grinning wildly.
“If we were outside, I’d shake these bad boys up and spray the shit outta you, but I think Cal would murder me.”
Glasses are produced and passed around, and Sage finds her way to my side. I drape my arm over her shoulder, as Foxxy lifts a glass and grins at me.
“To Brady Dixon. The only man I’ll ever admit is a better pitcher than I am.
” Everyone groans, and Foxxy holds up his hand.
“Okay, fine, fine. To Brady, and to the Vancouver Tridents making the smart move by locking him down. Our loss is their gain. Here’s to our boy Dixie helping them bring home the championship next year. ”
“Cheers to that,” Griff says as everyone raises their glass and echoes him.
I take a minute after having a sip and try to compose a response that won’t have me breaking down. Thank God for Sage’s silent strength next to me.
“When I arrived in Cedar Creek a year ago, all I wanted was to play ball and try to figure my life out. I had no clue what was in store for me, and even if you had tried to tell me what would happen, there’s no chance I’d have believed a word of it.
Because this is beyond my wildest dreams. I have a family, I have baseball, and I have all of you as friends.
So, cheers to all of you, as well. I’m gonna miss you. ”
“We aren’t going anywhere. Once a Thunder player, always a Thunder player,” Cal says solemnly. “You’ll always have a place here.”
The next day, I pick up the twins from the ferry terminal for a long weekend.
I can’t wait to tell them the news. This time, there’s no nerves, just excitement. Sage and I decided to wait until tonight, when we take them out to Dot’s Diner for dinner. She’s under the mistaken impression that being in public will somehow make Blair tame her reaction.
I know better.
We swing by the apartment where Sage and Ivy are waiting for us, and then as a family, we head to the diner.
“I’m so excited to demolish a veggie burger with a side of poutine,” Blair moans, clutching her stomach. “That’s the one thing dorm cafeterias just can’t get right. They actually use shredded cheese instead of cheese curds.”
“That should be illegal,” Sage says, turning in her seat. “I’m so sorry you had to suffer like that.”
In the rearview mirror, I catch Blair’s nod. “Thank you for understanding.”
Ivy lets out a shriek, drawing everyone’s attention.
“See, even Ivy feels bad for me.”
“Or she’s telling you there are a lot bigger problems in the world than shredded cheese on poutine,” Barrett says mildly, giving Ivy his finger to grab.
“You shush.”
I can’t wait until I’m living in the same city as these two.
Coach Stirling and Mike Cartwright, the owner of the Tridents, told me they were gonna send me to the city of Abbotsford, home of the Triple-A team that feeds the Vancouver Tridents.
It’s about an hour outside of the city, and Sage and I have already begun looking at places to live between the two, in hopes of not needing to move again if, or when, I get called up.
We reach the diner, and Blair immediately unbuckles Ivy and takes her. I grab the car seat, then get Sage’s door and take her hand in my free one as we follow the twins inside.
“It’ll be nice having them close enough to babysit,” I murmur quietly.
But apparently I’m not quiet enough, because Barrett turns and tilts his head at us with a quizzical expression. “What does that mean?”
Sage bites her lip, trying not to smile.
“Let’s sit down,” I say gruffly.
Dottie’s busy with another customer, but we’ve been here enough now to know we can just grab a booth wherever. Sliding into the closest one, I look at Sage, and then at the twins, who are seated across from us.
“I’ve got some news,” I say, only for Blair to point a finger at me and interrupt.
“If you got Sage pregnant again, we are gonna have some serious words about safe sex, bro-dad.”
I hold my hands up in defense, shaking my head wildly. Beside me, Sage is no longer bothering to try and muffle her laughter.
“God, no! That’s not it at all.”
Mollified, Blair relaxes into her seat and looks down at Ivy. “Not that I don’t love being an auntie to this little nugget of precious cuteness, but you’re meant to be the grown-up. Set good examples and all that. So, I’m relieved to hear it.”
I let out a long-suffering sigh and look at Barrett. “Dude. Can you control her, please?”
He snorts. “Nope. Never have and probably never will. So, what’s the news?”
Sage takes my hand, and I glance over at her, then back to the twins. “How would you feel if we were living on the mainland? Closer to you?”
“Why would you do that?” Blair asks. “What about baseball?”
“I’d still be playing,” I reply, being intentionally evasive. But there’s no hiding my grin.
Barrett catches on faster than I thought he would. “Holy shit. No way.” His mouth falls open.
“What? What am I missing?” Blair says, her tone demanding an explanation.
“For real, bro?” Barrett whispers, and I nod. Then I turn to Sage, who hands me the items we brought with us. When I hand over two Vancouver Tridents ball caps, Blair figures it out.
“Oh my God!” she shrieks, just as loudly as I thought she would. Unfortunately, Ivy’s not a fan of her aunt’s loud reaction, and starts to cry. We all get out of the booth, and Sage takes her from Blair, as my siblings pull me in for a hug.
“This is amazing,” Blair says. “Our brother, the professional baseball player.”
“Congrats, Brady, you deserve this,” Barrett says quietly.
Our moment of celebration is interrupted by the arrival of Dottie, carrying a tray of glasses full of thick, delicious-looking milkshakes.
“Not sure what exactly the big news is, but everyone seems happy, and I figured a round of celebratory milkshakes would be a good idea.”
I grin at her. “The best idea, thanks, Dottie. I’m gonna miss these.”
“You’re leaving?” she asks as she sets the glasses down in front of us.
I quickly fill her in on the news.
“Well, that’s pretty wonderful. But I wouldn’t worry about missing anything here. You’ll be back. To visit, that is. Cedar Creek has a way of getting a hold of you.”
She gives me a wink before walking away.
“That’s true, you know,” Sage says softly once we’ve all sat down. “This town will always have a special place in our hearts. We’ll be back.”
She’s right. Cedar Creek is not a place we’ll soon forget. We’ll be back. For milkshakes and for memories.