Chapter 36
Liam
The next few days after Tessa and I showered together came and went. Between my home game schedule, Ruthie's soccer practices, and Tessa's impromptu field trip for a history lesson, I've barely seen either of them recently.
Tonight, though, they're front and center at my last game before we take off. It's the bottom of the ninth and we're winning—by a lot—so my focus keeps drifting from the lack of action on the field to the row of seats behind the first base line.
It all feels like a whirlwind—how quickly things have shifted between her and me.
But every time that thought makes me anxious, I remember that nobody eases into their first MLB game—or parenthood.
The best things in my life came at me fast, often without warning.
Maybe this, with her, is just the next best thing.
"Yo, Two-Three, I don't think I've ever seen you checked out before the final pitch."
I whip my head over to find Jace crouching down, eyes on the batter, but his lips curled up.
"Who says I'm checked out?" I ask, tapping my glove with my fist.
He chuckles, shaking his head and peering over. "That goofy grin you've been sporting for the last five minutes. Nothin' says game face like smiling at dirt."
"I'm not smiling at dirt," I snap too aggressively.
"Oh, I'm sure of that," he says with confidence.
I part my lips to argue—or question how he knows—but Solano strikes out the Angels' lefty, and both of us reset, the crowd erupting into cheers.
"What's her name?" he calls over the noise.
I roll my neck to either side, pretending not to hear him. After another few seconds, I chance to look his way, but Jace is just standing there, waiting, his brow arched expectantly.
"The girl, Two-Three." He nods toward where Tessa and Ruthie are sitting. "What's her name?"
"No girl." I shake my head casually, but the flashing warning sign in my chest screams Liar! and threatens to expose me.
Jace huffs out a laugh, pulling one arm across his chest before squatting again into position. I assume he's simply dropping the question—maybe giving me an out—until I watch his expression transform. His lazy smirk falls flat as his jaw ticks, and his eyes burrow two holes into the dirt.
"What makes you think there's a girl?" I ask, bending down the same way, my eyes on the next batter stepping up to the plate.
He doesn't answer, not right away, but then I spot him shaking his head as he blows out a heavy sigh. He mutters under his breath, thinking his words will get lost in the rumble of the stadium. But in perfect timing, the crowd hushes as silence settles again for the next pitch.
Silence except for his answer.
"There's always a girl."
"Dad!"
The sound of my daughter's voice grabs my attention as I walk out of the locker room toward the bus.
"Roo," I laugh, walking to the side of the door to meet her. I drop my duffle on the ground and pull her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"She just wanted to say goodbye one last time before you took off," Tessa says, stepping up behind her.
"Good," I manage, meeting her gaze before my eyes drift quickly over her. I swallow the way she looks in her tight dark denim and the Gators hoodie I know so well.
Stunning.
Mine.
"Hey, be good for Tess this weekend," I say to my kid, forcing myself back to the moment. "And kick some parent-player ass, okay?"
Ruthie's eyes grow wide, her smile even more so, as her mouth drops open. "Dad…" she laughs.
I wink at her and squeeze her again, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head. When she pulls away, her face is still glowing, and it's the perfect image to store in my mind for these next few days away.
The door clicks open behind me, and we all turn to see who it is. "Uncle Mack!" Ruthie calls as my infield coach steps into the parking lot. He stops on a dime at the sound of her voice.
"Bambi!" he shouts back, his arms stretched wide. He waves her over, and Ruthie looks up at me as if to ask for permission to run to him.
"I love you," I say, crouching down to her eye-level.
"Love you too, Dad." She smiles almost mischievously. "Kick some L.A…"
"Roo..."
"What?" she asks defensively. "I was gonna say butt, jeez."
I cock a brow, looking at Tess, and all three of us laugh as I run my hand over the top of her head. I nudge her toward Mack. "Go."
She darts away, still giggling to herself, and I instantly step closer to Tessa.
"Nice sweatshirt," I say as casually as possible.
She runs her tongue over her teeth, attempting to hide a smile. "Yeah, funny story… I found it folded on my bed this afternoon."
"Hmm," I hum, false confusion in my expression. "Weird. But probably for the best… It's still pretty chilly at night. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
"Mhmm." She nods, playing along as she inches closer. My heart rate kicks up. Her voice softens when she leans in. "Did you… spray it with your cologne?"
A laugh rips out of me unexpectedly, and my hand flies to my mouth to catch the tail end. "Maybe…"
Tessa smirks and shakes her head. "You really might be fifteen."
A smile floods my face that I couldn't hide if I wanted to—which I don't—pure happiness racing through me. She grins back, then folds her arms over her chest with mock attitude.
"What?" I ask.
She glares. "Ruthie thinks you left it because I don't have anything to wear—and I quote—'other than that cringey flannel.' " Another snort escapes me, catching Ruiz's attention as he walks through the locker room door. I nod toward him as he heads to the bus.
"You laugh, but she also said it's pretty cheap of you not to get me my own instead of making me wear yours."
My chuckle continues.
"It's not a bad idea," she admits, and that grabs my attention. "Getting my own, I mean. Maybe I'll hit the Gator Shop on the way out."
"Don't you dare," I say, a ridiculously real panic coating my pretend threat.
She wiggles her brows playfully, but I'm stuck on the very serious annoyance at leaving her again so soon.
"Will I talk to you while I'm gone?" I ask, cutting through the banter.
"Of course," she says quickly. "I'll let you know what Ruthie's up to and keep you posted on how the game goes."
I nod. "Yeah, okay. Cool." The door behind us opens, and Jace walks through it, headphones on and eyes to the ground. I wait to see if he'll look up and offer me some sort of I told you so look, but he doesn't. I turn back to Tess. "But that's not exactly what I meant," I explain.
"Oh…" Her cheeks flush the perfect pink. "You mean…"
I risk moving another inch closer, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Ruthie doesn't notice. Luckily, she's busy talking Mack's ear off—or maybe it's the other way around. But Jace is sitting on the bus with his window down and headphones still on, staring in our direction.
I ignore him, putting my attention back on her. "I mean, I'm gonna miss you, Tessa. And since you can't come with me…" I trail off, remembering her words from the shower. "I just… I don't want to go another few days without talking to you."
Her lips tug upward. "Me either."
"Well, good. Then it's settled. I'll… talk to you."
Tess's phone buzzes in her hand. She glances down at the screen, sucks in a slow breath, then smiles again and shoves it into the back pocket of her jeans. "I'll talk to you," she echoes, distracted.
"Everything okay?" I ask, sensing the shift.
She purses her lips, shrugging it off. "Yep, all good."
I consider pushing, but her eyes darken slightly. Suddenly, I forget my name, let alone what I was going to say.
"I'll miss you too, by the way," she whispers.
"Yeah?"
"Mhmm."
At exactly the right moment—when I'm half a second from pulling Tessa's mouth to mine—Ruthie bops back over. "Mack says to get your butt on the bus."
I pull back, looking over her head to my coach, who simply shrugs before heading up the steps himself. "Oh, did he?" I ask her, my eyes glazing over everything else as Jace subtly looks away.
Ruthie rolls her eyes through a sigh. "Well… he didn't say butt either. I'm just trying to stay out of trouble."
Tessa smothers a laugh, then rests her hand on Roo's shoulder. "I'll let you say goodbye to your dad, okay?" Her eyes meet mine. "I'll be waiting."
I try not to overthink that—the way her words could mean something to both of us. Then, instead of wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her like I really want to, I tip my chin down and offer her a closed-lip smile.
She walks away, and I turn my attention back to Ruthie. "Seriously though, have fun at the game. Try not to let anything ruin it for you."
She paints a shy smile. "I'm actually pretty excited."
"Are you?"
"Yeah." As she picks at the chipped polish on her fingernails, she grins wider. "Tessa said we can wear eyeblack and do matching braids and everything."
A warmth radiates through me as my eyes naturally search for Tess. "She's pretty great, isn't she?" I say without thinking, watching her as she types away on her phone.
A worry hits me next as I contemplate if saying that aloud was too much for the moment—too much at all until we fill Ruthie in on what's going on between us. But then I realize… it's not. Tessa is great, and that can always be acknowledged.
"Yeah, Dad. She is," she says, laughing.
"What?" I ask. "What's so funny?"
She shakes her head dismissively. "Nothing. Just… if I can't play with you this weekend, I'm glad I get to play with her."
I choke down the emotion that crawls up my throat. It's two-fold—I wish I could be there with her too. But I also agree. If it can't be me, I'm happy it's Tess.
"Soon I'll be around so much you'll be sick of me," I say for both of our sakes.
Ruthie clicks her tongue. "Probably."
I scrunch my face, and pull her to me, soaking in the embrace. "I love you so much, Roo. You know that?"
She offers me just her side at first, but when I wrap her up tight, she surrenders to the hug and presses herself flush against my chest.
"I love you too, Dad."
I let her go, my hand lingering on her shoulder, keeping her at arm's length. "I gotta get on the bus, but have fun this weekend."
She turns just as Tessa lifts her head from her phone and meets her halfway.
I smile in their direction, my feet still planted despite being the last one on the bus. "I'll talk to you soon," I call to them.
Ruthie grins and Tessa nods, and only then am I able to walk away… leaving both of my girls behind me.