Chapter 27
TRADE TALKS SWIRL AROUND HAWKS ACE JIMMY HALL.
COULD THE HAWKS TRADE THE FUTURE HALL OF FAMER?
OMAHA TO GET JIMMY HALL IN TRADE ... BUT IT WILL COST THEM.
Here we go again. My head pounded as I sat on a pink beanbag in Ariel’s playroom. Remington stood and lifted a yawning Ariel into his arms. “Someone needs a nap.” He kissed her head and looked at me. “Meet me downstairs?”
“I not tired, Daddy,” she whined. Her tiny fists rubbed her eyes.
I stood and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be here when you wake up. And we’ll play some more, but you need to listen to your daddy.”
“Okay, Uncle Yimmy. I wuv you.”
“I love you too.”
Remington grinned and walked out of the room with Ariel on his hip.
I headed downstairs, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and sat down. Stupidly, I turned my phone back on. I had a missed call from my father, but before I called him back, I scanned the new notifications.
RUMOR HAS IT MASON ANDERSON, GM FOR THE HAWKS, WAS FIRED. COULD THE JIMMY HALL DEAL BE THE REASON?
HAWKS HOLDING PRESS CONFERENCE MONDAY AT 10:00 A.M.
“He was fired?”
“Who was fired?” Remington asked as he plopped down into the chair next to the sofa.
“Mason Anderson. There’s a press conference tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s an interesting turn of events. I’m sure we’ll get an email about it.”
When I got to Remington’s that morning, I explained—as best as I could—everything that had happened. Even he’d been confused about the trade rumor. It made zero sense, and he agreed.
“My dad called. Maybe he can give me some insight.” I dialed his number, and he answered on the first ring. “Hey, is it okay if I put you on speaker? I’m at Remington’s. He knows everything.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
I tapped the icon and set the phone on the table. “Okay, Dad. Go ahead.”
“Hi, Remington. Please keep this confidential. It will all come out tomorrow, but for now, we need to keep it under wraps, understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Great, thank you. Jimmy, after talking to one of my contacts in Omaha, I found out that you and Mason Anderson were a package deal. It seems Anderson saw the writing on the wall regarding Sommer being promoted by her grandfather.”
Rem and I exchanged a confused glance. “A package deal to trade me? I don’t understand.”
“It’s simple, really,” my father said. “If Mason got you to go to Omaha, then he’d get the GM spot. When I talked to my buddy there, they never thought it would happen. Mason brokered the deal on the side and lied, stating that all parties were in agreement. He heard that their GM was going to retire, which only played into his plan. In his mind, all the pieces were in place. Except Earl Bennett has final say, and he’d never agree. They don’t want to trade you.”
“Thank God,” Remington simply stated. “It would have been a huge mistake. What’s going on with Sommer?”
Remington shrugged when I glanced at him. I nibbled the side of my thumb, waiting to hear what my father had to say. She had to be pissed off at Mason, and I’m sure that her grandfather had some choice words for our former GM. That still didn’t alleviate the hurt that stemmed from our relationship.
“It would have been a huge mistake, and I’m not sure what is happening with Sommer. All I know is that announcements will be made tomorrow and that you should be there. The entire team should be in attendance to show their support. You guys are heading to the playoffs. That is what you need to be focused on. Listen to what they have to say, then come together. If I could be there, I would. And, son, you need to let this go. Focus on the big picture.”
“Okay.”
The call ended, and I sank back into the sofa. “Man, what a fucking couple of days.”
Their front door opened, and Meg walked in and smiled when she saw us. “Hi.”
Remington was up and out of his chair. “Hey, babe.” He gave her a sweet kiss. “Did you have a good time?”
She nodded and locked eyes with me. “What’s that look for?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Do you know where I’ve been?”
My eyes shifted to Rem before landing back on his wife. “Out with friends.”
She nodded. “Your friends ... namely, Sommer. I was at her grandparents’ house. She’s so upset, Jimmy. And before you get your boxers in a knot, I understand your point of view too. I’m not taking sides or anything of the sort. You’re like a brother to me, so I can tell you that you need to pull your head out of your ass.”
“Honey ...” Remington shook his head.
“No, it needs to be said. That sweet woman is in love with you. I knew it from the moment I saw you two together all those weeks ago.” When I remained silent, she added, “And you love her, which is why you need to man up.”
I loved Meg, I did. And, yes, she was like a sister to me, but fuck. Man up? “She lied.”
“She had her reasons.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated at the entire situation. “And I have mine. Don’t you understand, Meg? I thought she was the one for me. Me. The player, Jimmy Hall, found a woman who he wanted to be his forever. And then ... bam! I felt as though I’d been hit with a fastball to the temple.”
My statement contradicted my thoughts. Deep down, I wanted to let it all go. To clear my head and find a way to get Sommer back. She was it for me. I knew that. Everyone knew that. Maybe the press conference would answer the questions that we all had. I just didn’t know what would happen when I saw her again.
* * *
Remington and I stepped into the Hawks’ media room, and the air buzzed with murmurs of voices. Cameras flashed, casting brief bursts of light across the room as reporters hurried to seats for a prime position in front of the platform where a table and two chairs sat.
We found a spot near the rear, my gaze fixed on the background with the Hawks logo on it. My heart beat faster when Mr. Bennett and Sommer appeared. Fuck, she was gorgeous. She had on a black dress that hit just above her knees, her hair was up in a neat bun, and her lips glistened with a pale gloss.
Those damn lips. God, I missed them.
Her grandfather pulled out her chair, and she smiled up at him before they sat down, each in front of their own mic. Shutters on the cameras sounded like rapid fire as everyone tried to get their best shot.
The rest of my teammates shuffled in, and we all exchanged a nod as they lined up next to us, taking up the better portion of the back wall.
Mr. Bennett addressed the small crowd. “Good morning.” They echoed his greeting before he started. “Thank you all for coming this morning. I know it’s short notice, and we appreciate it. For those of you who don’t know, this lovely young lady next to me is my granddaughter, Sommer Bennett.”
She gave him a smile.
“Sommer has been an integral part of the Hawks’ organization since ... well ... since she’s been born.”
Everyone chuckled, but I knew more. I knew about her childhood. My heart ached for her in that sense. She’d been through a lot as a kid.
“The reason I called this press conference is twofold. One, to tell you that the rumors about the Hall trade were just that. Rumors. Jimmy Hall is and will remain a Hawk.”
The local reporters cheered, I smiled, and Remington nudged me. The rest of my teammates leaned forward, either smiling, nodding, or giving me a thumbs-up.
“The second is to tell you that Mason Anderson is no longer with the Hawks. I’m proud to announce the new GM is the woman to my right, Sommer Bennett, who I will turn the mic over to.”
“Thank you, Granddad.” She looked out to the crowd, and her pretty eyes scanned the room, landing on me. It was as though the room had cleared, and it was just us. All I could see was her. “I’d like to start by saying how proud I am to be the next GM for a team I consider my family. We have a great organization, and I intend to only strengthen that. To the players who are here in attendance, please know that my door is always open to you. In the past, you weren’t afforded that, but we’re moving toward the future now.”
The reporters shouted out questions, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she looked at her grandfather, who gave her a nod. I could hear her shaky exhale through the speakers. The room quieted when she pulled the mic closer to her.
“I’d like to take this moment to address someone who means a lot to me. Actually, he means more than a lot. He means everything to me. Earlier this year, I had been assigned a different role, which had me working closely with Jimmy Hall. At first, I thought he was the cockiest guy I’d ever met.” She tightly grinned, the reporters and a few of my teammates chuckled, but all the ambient noise sounded muffled. All I could hear was her. “But what I came to learn was that there was much more to him—more than baseball. In my years of working in the sport, I vowed never to get involved with a player on a personal level. Let’s face it, being a woman in the professional sports industry is difficult enough. When it came to Jimmy, it couldn’t be helped. I fell in love with him.”
“Holy shit,” Remington mumbled next to me.
Murmurs filled the room, more flashes went off, and through it all, my focus stayed on Sommer. With every word she said, I took a step toward her. Until I found myself only a few feet away.
“I made a mistake and thought keeping us a secret would be the best course of action. It was selfish of me to do that, and because of that and this promotion, I ended up losing the best thing that ever happened to me, and for that ...” She looked solely at me and said, “I love you, Jimmy, and I’m sorry.”
My feet couldn’t carry me quick enough. I moved a few camerapeople to the side until I was up on the platform. Sommer rose out of her chair, and we stood there face to face.
“Congratulations on your promotion.” She smiled and tears filled her eyes. I never wanted to be the cause of her sadness. I brought my hands to her face and cupped her cheeks. Fuck, I missed her. It hadn’t even been long, but it felt as though an eternity had passed. “I’m sorry too.”
She shook her head. “You don’t need to be.”
“I do. I’m sorry for being an asshole. I shouldn’t have said what I did, I shouldn’t have assumed things, and more than that, I should have seen your point of view and understood where you were coming from. Because I did, Sommer. I did understand. Like you said, I’m cocky, and I don’t know. ... I guess I reverted to my pre-Sommer self.”
“Pre-Sommer?” she asked with furrowed brows.
“Yes, when I didn’t realize how fantastic life could be. Believe me, mine was pretty great before you came along, but it was better when you were in it. For most of my life, baseball has been my one true love until you. You’re it for me, Sommer. I couldn’t love you more if I tried.”
A tear slipped out of her eye. “I couldn’t love you more either. You’re it for me too.”
Not being able to take it for one more second, I crashed my lips onto hers, ignoring the sounds of cameras, the annoying flashbulbs, and the hoots and hollers from whom I guessed were my teammates.
We didn’t break apart until I heard Mr. Bennett clear his throat and say, “That’s it for today’s press conference. Thank you for coming.”
Not wasting a minute, I took her hand and led her out of the room, down the hall, and into one of the unoccupied offices. I kicked the door closed and pulled her into my arms.
She looked up at me. “Thank you for forgiving me.”
“Let’s not talk about it anymore. We have a lot of other things to concentrate on.”
“Like winning the playoffs?”
I shook my head. “Win or lose, I’ve already won. One day, Sommer Bennett, you’re going to be my wife.”
“Do you promise?”
“With everything I am.”
Simultaneously, our phones dinged with the sound assigned to my social media page. Sommer pulled out her cell and turned it for me to see the picture of us kissing on stage.
“Should we take that down?” I asked.
“Not a chance.”
“Great answer. I love you, Miss Bennett.”
“Call me Sommer.”
The End