“Are we?” Molly sat back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “If we are, then why does he refuse to talk to me about what happened? Whenever I try to bring it up, he either shuts down or shoves his cock in me.”
Albert was silent for a second. “Well, the cock shoving is nice.”
Molly playfully swatted Albert’s shoulder. “Alby, I’m being serious.”
“Do you really think you don’t have an emotional connection with Luke? Come on, you two wouldn’t still be together if there wasn’t an emotional connection there. If it was just about sex, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have stuck around through the mess of when he came back. There’s more to you two than just sex. Don’t try to fool yourself.”
Molly huffed and pushed away the strand of hair that fell over her face. “Then why won’t he talk to me? I feel like he’s fifty yards away mentally, but so close to me physically.”
“You have to give him time, babe.” Albert squeezed her hand. “I can’t even imagine what he went through out there. It can’t be easy to talk about, especially if it made him feel like less of a man. Luke is prideful; he takes his role in your and Winnie’s life seriously. I can understand if he’s holding back on information that is a blow to his ego.”
“I won’t judge him.”
“I know you won’t, but it still has to be a hard thing to talk to the woman you love about. I mean, did you enjoy telling Luke about your drug and alcohol binge…”
“We don’t talk about that,” Molly cut him off. She didn’t like to think of the days that she was a horrible mother, when she neglected everyone in her life and relied on sex, drugs, and alcohol to get her through her days. It was a time she wished she could forget.
“See,” Albert pointed out. “You don’t even like talking about that time and that was self-induced. Could you imagine having to talk about something that happened to you that you couldn’t prevent? It can’t be easy. Give him time.”
Molly nodded and then tossed a glance over at Jane, who was avoiding any kind of eye contact. “What do you think, Jane?”
Her head slowly raised, a look of confusion on her face. She bit her lip and her hands twisted in her lap. “Brady and I had sex this past weekend.”
“What?!” Molly and Albert shouted at the same time.
Jane cringed at their outburst.
“We are going to need more details,” Molly pried.
“Yeah, and pictures, mainly of Brady,” Albert added.
Jane gave him an incredulous look and then cleared her throat. “I really don’t know how it happened.”
“It’s called penis meets vagina, come on, Jane. You know about sex,” Molly joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“I know how sex works, Molly.” Jane took a deep breath. “I just don’t know how we got to the point of having sex. I just…I miss him.”
Albert slapped the table with his hand. “Then why are you putting yourself through this?”
Jane startled at his apparent anger. Molly placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Molly had many late night conversations with Albert about Jane’s reluctance to allow Brady back in her life. He was probably the most frustrated out of all of them because his motto was to live life to its fullest. He lost the love of his life; he didn’t see a good enough reason for them to be apart, especially when life was so short.
One single tear ran down Jane’s face, just as the waiter came up to their table to read the specials. Obviously aware of the tension at the table, he said, “I’ll give you some time. Wave me down when you’re ready.”
Jane wiped away her tear and looked up at Albert. “I can’t have kids, Albert. I saw the doctor a few weeks back to find out what was going on. Come to find out, I have a severe case of endometriosis. It will be next to impossible for me to have a kid of my own.”
Albert’s face softened and he pulled Jane into a hug. Molly’s heart ached for Jane; she knew how much she wanted to be a mom and the news was still devastating to hear.
When Albert pulled away, he asked, “Does Brady know?”
Jane shook her head. “No. He’s always wanted kids of his own, and I can’t seem to find the nerve to tell him. I’m afraid that if I do tell him, he’ll pity me and try to stay with me because he’s a good man. I know he will want kids of his own, though.”
“You don’t know that…”
“I do!” Jane said sternly. “I’m the one who married him. I’m the one who had intimate late night conversations with him about our future. If I know anything, it’s that Brady wants a little girl with the same colored green eyes as his. Okay, so don’t tell me you know what Brady wants.”
“Okay, okay,” Molly patted Jane on the shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Jane. We don’t mean to tell you who Brady is, we’re just concerned that you’re not giving him a fair chance.”
“But I am,” Jane countered. “I’m giving him an out. He’ll find someone else. He’s Brady Matthews; there are women willing and able to foster his child. He’ll land on his feet.”
“I don’t think he will,” Molly said with trepidation.
“Why do you think that?”
Molly was silent as she considered telling Jane about the conversation she had with Brady. She didn’t want to make her friend mad, but then again, she thought Jane deserved to have a little kick in the ass where her relationship was concerned. The fact that she had sex with Brady this past weekend was a big breakthrough. They needed to continue to push her forward.
“Now, don’t get mad,” Molly started, knowing it’s one of the worst ways to start a sentence.
Jane crossed her arms over her chest, anger simmering in her eyes. “What did you do?”
“I talked to Brady on the phone the other day…”
“What did you tell him?” Jane practically shouted, causing restaurant patrons to turn and look at them.
“Calm down, Jane. Christ, do you want everyone in the restaurant to know your business?”
Jane spoke through clenched teeth. “What did you tell him?”
Molly shifted in her seat. Jane was a little one, but she was feisty. There was no doubt in Molly’s mind that Jane could claw her eyeballs out of her sockets.
“I didn’t tell him anything specific. I just said there was something you weren’t telling him.” Before Jane could interrupt, Molly spoke quickly. “He was devastated on the phone, Jane. He was desperate; he needed something to give him hope.”
“And you thought it was your job to do that?” Her voice was full of malice.
“You know what? It is!” Molly’s voice raised. “I’m your best friend, Jane, and best friends step into each other’s lives when the other one is being a complete dumbass. You did the same thing with me when I was being an un-fit mother. Well, guess what? You’re being a shitty wife. Brady needs you! You’re not the only one who is hurting after the baby died.”
“Stop!” Jane shouted, throwing her napkin on the table and getting out of her chair. “You have no clue what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t? I thought we went over this, Jane. You’re not the only one in the world who lost someone.”
“You’re going to talk about Luke again? Get over it, Molly, it was years ago.”
Jane couldn’t have slapped Molly harder in the face if she tried. Molly sucked in a deep breath and sat back in her chair, trying not to react to Jane’s attempt to poke at her.
Albert chimed in, placing his hand on both of theirs. “This kind of escalated quickly. Why don’t we all just take a seat and apologize to each other before we say even more things we will regret.”
“Go to hell,” Jane spat out before walking away.
That didn’t go as planned. Molly and Albert watched Jane dodge tables, walking as quickly as possible to get away from them.
“You couldn’t have kept that to yourself?” Albert asked with a shake of his head.
“She’s a bitch.” Molly folded her arms and slouched in her chair. Jane could choke o
n a giant cock for all she cared.
“Love it when you two are being mature,” Albert said sarcastically, calling the waiter over.
Chapter 13
**Brady**
Crack!
The baseball Brady hit sailed over the right field fence and hit an empty chair. Not good enough.
Crack!
A line drive up the middle hit the net that blocked off the pitcher from getting hit. Still not good enough.
Crack!
Double in left center hit the wall. Nothing will be good enough.
“Fuck!” Brady shouted, tossing his bat to the side and grabbing the towel that was hanging on the mobile backstop they used for batting practice.
“Yeah, I would be upset about those hits too,” Parker teased. “Looks like you won’t be starting this season.”
“Will you just keep your mouth shut for one moment?” Brady spat at him.
Parker raised his hands in defense. “Dude, don’t shit on my day because yours is bad. I’m an engaged man. I’m celebrating.”
“Sorry,” Brady muttered into the towel he was using to cover his face in frustration.
Parker had bounced into the locker room earlier, ecstatic over his recent engagement with Margo. They’d had a bit of a rough road adjusting to life together in Atlanta, but Margo found her stride, got a job, and Parker made it impossible for her to refuse his offer of marriage. Brady couldn’t be happier for their young shortstop, too bad it came at a horrible time for Brady.
It had been two weeks since Jane came out to see him. All his rules he set out for her had been broken. She wouldn’t answer his calls, texts, or emails. The only reason he knew she was still alive was because Marc had seen her talking to Patty about the engagement party they would be having in a few days.
Brady asked Albert what was going on, and the last conversation he had with Jane was apparently when Jane and Molly had it out with each other. That led to a phone call with Molly. She proceeded to yell at him and told him to figure out his life on his own; she had too much she had to deal with already.
He was striking out everywhere.
Now, he was stuck in Florida, playing exhibition games and training, wondering what the hell was going on back home.
The night he shared with Jane a few weeks ago was still engrained in his brain. After that night, he kissed her goodbye and sent her on her way with Patty and Marc, a new-found confidence in his mission. He felt like he’d made progress with Jane, like he was able to communicate with her, dig past her tough façade.
But that all changed in a matter of days. All his hard work vanished.
Now he counted down the days until the engagement party. He would be having a serious conversation with Jane, and she was not going to like what he said.
Brady walked away from batting practice to the dugout, where he saw Margo sitting on the bench, a giant diamond ring on her finger, and an even bigger smile on her face.
No matter how much Brady was hurting, he couldn’t help but be happy for the new couple in love.
“Hey, Margo, congratulations on your engagement.” Brady pulled her in for a hug.
“Thank you, Brady. I appreciate it. I still can’t believe he asked me.”
“Are you kidding?” Brady laughed. “The kid has a picture of you in his locker. Before each practice and game, he kisses it before he leaves. Once, I’m pretty sure I saw him make out with it.”
Margo’s eyes widened and then she laughed. “Wish I knew about that. Seems like he’s almost at stalker level.”
“I think you’re right about that.”
They both watched Parker take some pitches and drill them to opposite sides of the field. There was no doubt about it, Parker was meant for great things when it came to his baseball career. And by the loving look on Margo’s face, he was meant for great things in his personal life as well.
“I’m grateful for him,” Margo confessed. “I don’t know if you know how our relationship started, but we were just friends when we met in college. He didn’t really see me as someone he would ever date, and I had the biggest crush on him.”
“He’s an idiot.”
Margo laughed and agreed with Brady. “Yes, he was, and he’ll tell you that. He hated how much time we wasted in college. It wasn’t until after we graduated and went our separate ways that we re-connected. I never thought I even had a chance with him, but then he asked me out. I was so nervous that first date, but he made it easy. The rest is history. I would do anything for him.”
“He’s a lucky bastard. You know he’s marrying up, right?”
“What are you saying to my fiancé?” Parker strolled into the dugout, twisting his bat. He went straight to Margo, grabbed her by the waist, and kissed her feverishly.
Brady’s stomach bottomed out; he remembered the days he used to kiss Jane like that, when she would look at him like if he didn’t kiss her, she was going to fall apart. Would he ever get back to that point with Jane? Or was this the beginning of the end for him? There was only so much he could do to get her to come back to him, and there was only so much rejection one man could take before he finally threw in the towel.
Margo pulled away from Parker, a giant smile on her face. “Your boy Brady here was just telling me you’re marrying up.”
Parker winked at Margo. “He’s right. I’m a lucky son-of-a-bitch. Let’s go elope so you can’t get rid of me.”
Brady wanted to tell them that even a marriage couldn’t hold a couple together, but he kept his negative comments to himself. He never liked being the person who brought down morale, and they were such a happy couple, he couldn’t destroy their day with his problems.
“Well, I’m going to hit the showers. Congrats again, you two.”
“Thanks,” Margo said, while being kissed on the neck by Parker. Brady would have to talk to his shortstop later about public displays of affection in the dugout and during practice. He would let it slide for today, but he didn’t want Parker thinking they could host make-out central during practice.
Once in the locker room, Brady checked his phone and was shocked when he saw a missed call from Jane. Not even bothering to listen to the voicemail, he called her back frantically.
On the third ring, she answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, Jane, you called?” He figured he would play it cool. He didn’t want her knowing how desperate he was to hear her voice.
“Yes, thank you for returning my phone call.”
Uh oh, she was professional Jane. This was not the kind of phone call Brady wanted, but right about now, he would take what he could get.
“Of course. What can I do for you?”
“I’m making a last check of the guest list for the engagement party this Saturday. I know you have a day game, so I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it.”
“I’ll be there. Do you really even have to ask?”
“Just wanted to make sure,” Jane said a little meekly.
“We were supposed to plan this party together, Jane. I feel like a real shithead not having any part in this event, and that’s because you wouldn’t pick up my phone calls or answer my texts.”
“I’ve been busy,” Jane answered, clearing her throat beforehand.
“Oh, really?” Brady could feel his anger boil over; there was no controlling it.
When he saw that she called, he was praying for a different conversation. He was hoping maybe she wanted to talk about how she missed him, how she was stupid for not talking to him. No, she wanted to talk about the engagement party. Mad wasn’t even a good enough description of how Brady was feeling.
“What have you been busy with, Jane? Planning a party I was supposed to be a part of? Don’t you think you wouldn’t have been as busy if you asked for my assistance?”
“It’s a party, Brady. Like you’ve ever planned one before. This is what I do for a job. I’m pretty sure I can handle it on my own.”
“That wasn’t the fucking point!” Brady roared into the p
hone. Brady’s heart pounded as he tried to catch his breath. He needed to get off the phone because he was doing more damage than good right now. “I got to go. See you at the party, Jane.”
Brady tossed his phone in his locker and headed toward the shower; he needed to cool off.
**Jane**
Jane hung up the phone, shocked by Brady’s temper. In all honesty, she really didn’t think he would care all that much that she took over the planning for the engagement party, especially after what happened between them.
Her life was beginning to become too overwhelming. Her husband was on the verge of choking her, she could tell by the sound of his voice. Her two best friends, Albert and Molly, were not talking to her, and she was constantly trying to put on a fake face around Patty when talking about her wedding, knowing deep down she just wanted to cry in a corner.
Wedding after wedding rolled into her office. Freshly engaged brides from around the Atlanta area were begging to work with her, wanting her to make their special day one to remember. Jane passed the events off to Patty and the other girls. Instead of planning, like she told Brady, she focused on the admin side of her business. She worked on her accounting, billing, etc. She drowned herself in paperwork, letting her creative mind rest, because right now, she could only handle one wedding and that was because it was for Patty. She would never say no to Patty.
“Was that Brady?” Patty asked, knocking on the frame of Jane’s door.
“It was,” Jane sighed.
“Is he coming to the party?”
Jane smiled brightly, putting on a good face for her friend. “He wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Patty took a seat across from Jane. From the look in Patty’s eyes, Jane could tell she was about to get a mini lecture from Patty. Jane prepared herself.
“I can tell you’re hurting, Jane. It’s been a rough year with losing Lucy…” Patty paused for a second to catch her breath. “Your relationship with Brady has been rocky. I don’t want you to think you have to always smile around me just because I’m getting married. I know the world doesn’t revolve around me.”