CHAPTER 17 DANNY
After I hang up with my mom, I call Anna.
“Sup, bro?” she answers, and I laugh.
“Sup? Are we really still using that term?”
“Remember those old wassup commercials?” she asks.
I laugh. Our childhood was filled with wassup back and forth to the point it drove our mother to the brink of insanity—or so we thought until she joined in on the fun.
“I do. But I’m calling for a very important reason.”
“Oh?”
I clear my throat, sure I don’t want to make this love connection but knowing I promised my friend I would. “How are you doing?”
“Fine. You called to ask how I’m doing?”
“No, I mean…how are you doing? Like, with everything?” I ask, trying to say what I’m trying to say without really saying it.
“Why are you being weird?”
“The divorce, Anna. How are you handling everything?” I finally ask point blank.
“I’m good, Dan. I’m happier without him, and my lawyer says the divorce should be finalized any day now.”
“So…are you, like, ready to get back into the dating pool?” I ask.
She laughs. “I mean…I can’t think of anybody who’d be interested in an old lady with two kids, but I’m not opposed to it. Why? You got somebody in mind?”
“For one thing, thirty does not mean old lady. And for another, Rush Ross is so interested that he’s asked me about you twice.”
“Rush Ross asked about me?” she repeats.
“Yep,” I confirm. “And I told him I’d see if you’re interested. So should I tell him to fuck off for you?”
“No!” she practically squeals. “Oh my God! I’m totally interested!”
Fuck. “Are you sure? He’s kind of a dick.”
She laughs. “Why don’t you let me determine that?”
“When?”
“Why don’t we come to Vegas for Thanksgiving? We’ll have a longer weekend to hang out at your place that way. And to be honest, I’m still thinking about your offer to buy a house. I just haven’t had time to look much. This single mom gig is no joke.”
“Are you sure you want to introduce an even bigger complication into the mix if you’re already overwhelmed?” I point out.
“I’m sure Rush Ross would be anything but a complication,” she says. “If anything, he can help me…you know…relax.”
“Jesus, Anna. Never say shit like that again to me.”
She giggles, and I’m glad she’s happy and wants to have sex with my friends, but there are just some details little brothers don’t need to know.
“How are things with you?” she asks, deflecting the subject from her and Rush.
“Good. I’m heading home from LA after a commercial shoot the last two days.”
“You live such a glamourous life,” she says.
“Hardly. I’m just a dude who loves baseball.” And Alexis Bodega.
As if she can read my mind, she asks, “Have you talked to Alexis since the engagement?”
“Yeah. And how do you know about her, by the way?”
“I asked Mom, who was super dodgy about things, and then when you kissed her at the World Series game, I had my suspicions which she then had no choice but to confirm. So?”
“She happened to be at the same shoot as me the last two days, and we…talked.” I push as much suggestion into that word as I can muster.
“Ew, DJ! Knock it off.”
I laugh. “Well, you asked.”
“So you had sex with her?” she whisper-yells.
“That I did. A grand total of five times over two days, unless you count—”
“La la la, can’t hear you, la la la,” she sings.
“Okay, I’ll stop. But it was exactly what we needed.”
“I can hear it in your voice. And by the way, holy shit, Danny. Alexis Bodega? Seriously? How’d you score her? And is it love?”
My chest warms as I think about the words I murmured quietly to Alexis in the afterglow, the words that slipped out of my mouth without warning. Words I feel are my strongest truth.
“Yes.”
“Oh my God,” she squeals. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks, sis.” I hear my flight called over the speaker. “I need to get on my plane, but we’ll talk soon, okay? And yes to Thanksgiving, but not it. You gotta tell Mom you’re coming out to Vegas.”
She laughs. “If it means seeing Rush Ross, then I’ll totally cover that base.”
We say our goodbyes, and I text Rush after I board the plane and slide into my seat in first class.
Me: My sister wants to see you again, though I can’t imagine why. She’s coming out to Vegas for Thanksgiving. You free?
He doesn’t respond by the time I have to put my phone into airplane mode, but I paid for the internet, and when nobody claims the seat beside me, I decide to finally do some research on the question that’s been on my mind since Alexis admitted she thinks her father is going to blackmail her into going through with the wedding.
Are all marriages in California public record?
The idea is still in my head.
If I marry her, she can’t marry Brooks.
I have no idea whether she’ll agree to it. I don’t even know whether I want to ask her about it. But I want to go in equipped with all the necessary knowledge, starting with whether a marriage has to be public record.
I find out that California has a special confidential marriage license to protect celebrities. Nevada has no such license.
I’m still not ready to say anything to her about it.
I’m still not ready to do anything about it yet.
But that’s not to say I won’t.
I spend the entire flight thinking it over, and by the time I land, I’m no closer to any sort of decision about it than I was when I took off.
I don’t want to rush things.
This entire situation is brand new to me.
I never wanted this in my future, but with her…
it’s everything I want. Seeing my ring on her finger that actually means something instead of seeing that guy’s meaningless one there.
Calling her my wife. Waking up every morning so that we can be in each other’s arms the way we did the last two mornings.
I want that. I want to build a life with her—in California, in Vegas, wherever she goes. Wherever I go.
But I still don’t know how we maintain our separate existences while we nourish whatever this is. She travels a lot, and so do I. I only have three months out of the year where I’m not tied to the field.
It’s a lot for any baseball spouse, but with her having to travel the same, if not more, than I do, I can’t imagine how we’d ever find time together.
But all that is part of the sacrifices that come with a relationship. If I get one morning a year where I get to wake up with her in my arms, I’ll take it.
If I get one night to spend with her, I’ll take it.
I’ll take any little crumb she offers to me, and that is the thought that helps me figure out what I want to do going forward.
I turn my messages back on when we land, and one from Rush comes through.
Rush: I just called my mom and told her I can’t make it home for Thanksgiving. Can’t wait to stuff your sister’s turkey.
I roll my eyes at my phone.
My sister and Rush?
This isn’t going to be good.