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“It can happen,” Enya says, as if reading my thoughts. She softly sings, “One day my prince will come, right?” She really does have a pretty voice, but I scoff. “Who needs a fucking prince when I already own the queendom?” Enya eyes me. “It’s lonely in a glass turret, though.”
“Hey, Cadence? Did you see me knock it out of the ballpark?” “Really?” She tips her head back as the bill of the cap is covering her face too much. “Hadn’t noticed,” she teases. Her gaze lowers slowly, taking me in from top to toe. “I was too busy objectifying you in those pants. No one told me baseball pants were so sexy.” My face flames a thousand watts again. “I’m turning around now, Cadence. See you at six.” “I’m going to objectify you again as you walk away.” She laughs and I swivel for the training center as I give her a backhand wave.
“I wanted a lucky duck, too, Daddy. So I made myself one. It’s romance, right? I’m giving it to me because I love me.” Fuck. My. Heart. “Yeah, baby. It’s romance. I love it, and I love you, too, Winnie.”
“You’re so beautiful, Ford.” He risks a quick glance at me, his eyes wide. “I mean it. Not just your physique.” However, there is that. “But the way you love your girls. Fatherhood becomes you.”
“Is this a concert?” My question has an obvious answer from the guy breaking into song, strumming his guitar while his band plays behind him. “I don’t have any idea if this guy is good. Or if the later band is either, but you said you never get to go to concerts as a fan and missed it.” With my mouth agape, I turn toward Ford. “You brought me to a concert.” My throat is scratchy. My eyes prickly with happy tears. “This is so . . .” Thoughtful. Romantic. Special.
I nod, but I already have a soundtrack playing in my head. One that includes Ford, and his girls, and a life I never thought I’d have, complete with worldwide success and stolen moments.
“Thank you,” he whispers. Something inside me cracks, and my voice matches the splintering. “For what, darlin’?” “Just being here with me. With the girls.” He looks up at me as he lowers my hands. “Thank you for letting me crash your party.”
Like a whisper in the wind, I can almost hear the sound. I fell in love with baseball because of my mom. The thought hits me so hard it’s like I’ve taken a fast ball to the chest. But my memory can’t be right. I was roughly June’s age when my mom passed.
Stone chuckles, narrowing his eyes once more toward the overgrown field. “Wasn’t malicious then.” He turns back to me, looking me right in the eyes. “It was love.” He sighs. “Your brother knew you were destined for bigger things. Bigger than this yard.” Stone nods at the fenced-in space. “He wanted to give you what he, and I, couldn’t afford.”
“And I’ve never needed your gratitude, although I appreciate it. I’m proud of you, brother. Always have been. Always will be. No matter what.” He squeezes once before he walks back toward the house. His touch punctuated his sentiment. Whether I played ball or not, he’d be proud of me, as long as I was happy.
“Who told you?” I’m curious how Ford suddenly knew about Evan other than snooping through my phone. He turns his head, eyes catching on the rubber duck that I take everywhere with me, and place on my nightstand, so I see it when I fall asleep at night and wake to it watching me in the morning. Here’s to watching over you. As if a bath toy can do that. As if anyone does. “Sebastian. He came to warn me.” “Warn you about what?” Ford can’t look at me, but I see the uncertainty and distrust in the set of his shoulders. “You.”
His words are like a bat cracking in half after connecting with a hundred-mile per hour pitch. Shards of pain erupt inside me. Think before you act, I’d told Winnie. My thoughts were blank. I’d spilled my story, holding nothing back but Ford was like everyone else, making their assumptions, giving into their judgments, and pointing a finger at me.
me. If only I could convince her, we can have something more. Next year. The year after. I’m not certain how that would look but I am certain I’m not spending another birthday without her as my present.
The lines were perfect even if the running path wasn’t. The infield was still a choppy-mowed meadow. The outfield matches the rough-cut grass, but none of it matters. My family built me a baseball diamond.
family member, my jaw tense, my shoulders tight. I’m not an overly emotional man but this . . . this is so much more than pity cake for a birthday. And I’d been kind of a shit brother who didn’t deserve what I’d been given. Siblings who stood beside one another through thick and thin. I wasn’t as tight with each of them as I should be, but I was damn thankful they were my family.
Out of habit, I glance at Stone. “Thank you.” He turns his head and tips his chin at Sebastian. “His idea to finish it.” “Dude,” I snap as my eyes start to burn. Then I close the distance between Sebastian and me, startling my younger brother by wrapping my arms around him. Sebastian stands stone still a second before his hands come to my sides where he awkwardly pats me a few times. Stepping out of the embrace, I cup the back of his neck and look him directly in the eye. “Thank you.”
With the family divided into teams, we play ball, and a teetering whisper in the wind sounds like a voice that’s tickled my dreams. You did good, Fordie.
“This is for the best, Ford. You’ve hurt me.” The dam breaks and the tears I’ve fought finally spill. “I care about you so much.” I love you. “And I don’t want to put anyone in jeopardy again.”
“I’m not lost, cowboy. You are.” I tip up and press the lightest kiss to his lips, struggling to hold back and not kiss him harder, demand he kiss me back. I can’t command Ford to apologize to me, knowing if he truly wanted me, he’d be begging me to stay with sincerity, asking my forgiveness without prompting.
“She did have one thing she thought you should consider.” He softly chuckles, clapping my good shoulder. “She thought ducks would make a nice mascot for the camp.” I laugh, the sound genuine for the first time in a month. “Of course she did.”
As he exits the room, I glance down at the single set of beads, noticing a series of seven numbers among the pink plastic baubles. And a yellow duck charm dangling from the band.
“Maybe he’s saying he wants dinner with you, wants to sleep with you, and wants you to live with him.” Enya wistfully sighs. “It’s a grand gesture.” My breath hitches. “I’ve never had one of those.”
“He said he loved me. Do you think he meant it?” I can’t bring myself to speak louder, afraid of the answer. “Why wouldn’t he love you? You’re amazing with his girls. You take care of him. And he wants to take care of you. He’s sorry, Cadence. He really is.”
“So, your answers?” She’d been quacking like a nutty duck, but what did that mean? “If I’m reading you right, you want to have dinner with me.” “All the dinners.” “And you want to sleep with me.” “Every night.” “And you want me to move in with you.” “Yes.”
“I want sneaking into bedrooms, but preferably sharing one. And birthdays. We can pick our own color scheme,” I tell her. Cadence starts to laugh while tears fill her eyes. “And maybe, possibly, we could work on that pregnancy thing we told your dad about.”
“Explain to me the significance of the old one.” “My parents had it.” She shrugs, keeping her eyes dipped despite her face pointed at me. “I never wanted to change it in case they decided to call.” Her voice drops quieter with the explanation.
“How about this then? When your husband calls, you answer.” “Husband?” She chuckles, the playful mood restoring. “Ford Sylver, are you asking me to marry you?” “You promised to say yes when I do,” I remind her. “That I will.”
After the final concert, I land in Charlestown, West Virginia’s airport, where I’m greeted by four smiling faces and four sets of hands holding up signs. All my darling ducks are in a row. Zelle smiles knowingly wide while holding her little poster. Winnie bounces on her toes, gripping her sign between clenched fingers. And June drops hers to run toward me. But I’d read the words. Will. You. Marry. Dad.
