Long Road Home (The Barker Triplets 4)

“I am.”

“You don’t look so good. Are you sure you don’t have that flu that’s going around?”

Logan all but snorted. “Pretty sure it’s not the flu.”

Marianne glanced between the two men, a hopeful smile in place. “I don’t mind helping out.”

“I’m good,” Shane replied. “But thanks for the offer, and thanks for taking my spot this morning.” He shot a look toward Logan. “Forest here says the only reason we made the finals was because of your stellar coaching at first.”

“He did?” Marianne all but preened like a peacock.

The men were saved by the umpire, who wandered over to let them know it was time for the infield to take some balls before the game started. Shane tugged on his ball cap and followed Logan onto the field, with rainclouds brewing overhead. This was good. A distraction from a life so much less than what it used to be.

He tossed a ball to one of the fielders and got his game on.

In the end, the game was a nail-biter, each team taking the lead like yo-yos, but the New Waterford Comets came out on top with a double hit to right and Abel stealing home. Afterward, as Shane downed his fifth bottle of water and packed away the bats, the rain that had been holding back for hours gave up the ghost, and the first drops began to fall. He stepped back out onto the field, eyes raised to the sky.

Bobbi loved the rain. The feel of it on her skin brought out some primitive, hedonistic side of her. How many times had he watched her dance in the rain? How many times had he joined her, if only to tear off her clothes and let his desire rage. How many times had they made love during a storm, their bodies slick and wet and heated from the kind of desire that was, at its base, animalistic and possessive and so damn good, it made his gut clench.

When had it all gone wrong?

“Hey, we’re going to the Grill for victory pizza and wings. Duke’s got it hot and ready.” Logan peered up at him from the dugout. “You coming?”

Shane yanked off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. He slowly shook his head. For a moment, the only sound he heard was the patter of rain on top of the dugout roof and the whisper of wind that rode underneath it.

“I don’t think so.”

“You can’t stay like this,” Logan said quietly. “You’ll spiral into all that darkness you’ve never been able to shake, and this time, you might not make it back.”

Shane knew that Logan meant well. The guy was solid and had always been there for him. But this thing he was dealing with wasn’t going away anytime soon, and Shane knew that no one could help him but himself. And for that, he was going to have to dig deep.

That was, if he wanted to.

“I’ll be okay,” he said. Shane would have attempted a smile, but there was no point because Logan had always been able to see through his bullshit. “Eventually.” He nodded to the pack of kids huddled under a tree by the parking lot. “Tell Abel and the boys they did good.”

Logan regarded him for a few seconds and then tossed him a set of keys. “Take my truck home. I’ll get a ride to the Grill with one of the parents.”

By the time Shane got back to Whitehall, the family estate he called home, the rain was coming down real good. Most folks would have dashed through the deluge, but he took his time, hoping that somehow, this connection to nature would spark something inside him. By the time he got to the studio, his clothes were drenched. He’d taken exactly three steps inside the place when he realized he wasn’t alone. His sister, Eden, was sitting at the island in the kitchenette.

“Hey,” she said, sliding from the stool. “You left the studio unlocked.”

“You don’t need an invite, Eden.” He frowned. “Am I missing something? What are you doing here? I thought you were on the West Coast for the summer working at a vineyard in Napa.”

“I got a week off, so I’m not here long. I’m on my way to see Dad.”

“He’s in Boston.”

“I know.”

“New Waterford is a bit of a hike.”

“You’re my big brother.” She walked over to him and gave him a hug. “You’re kind of worth the hike.”

Shane kissed the top of her head and took a step back. His kid sister was twenty-one and had taken a year off from college to travel and try new things. His dad always had difficulty saying no to Eden, especially after his stepmother passed away, and when Eden announced she was taking a break from her studies, the man hadn’t batted an eye.

Shane knew why Eden was here.

“I’m fine,” he said, heading to the bathroom for a towel. “You don’t need to worry about me.”