Hawk (The Boys of Summer 4)

“Come on,” she says. “There’s someplace we have to be.” She winks and I squat down so Matty can climb onto my back. I hurt, my body is sore, but she likes to be carried out like this.

By the time we’re to the players’ parking garage, most of the guys are gone. Normally, we’d hit a bar or plan to grab dinner somewhere, but today, we’re doing things a bit differently. There’s a party we must get to.

My family piles in and I slide into the driver’s seat of my SUV. With its heavily tinted windows, none of the fans waiting outside know who we are, that is, until Chase rolls down his window and starts waving at everyone, causing my name to be chanted once again.

“Hear that, Dad?” Matty asks. “They love you.”

And I love you I want to say, but instead I look at her in my rearview and wink. The drive over to the Davenport’s newly acquired home in Beverly takes a little over an hour. In the backseat, the kids are giving Bellamy and me a recap of the game, right down to the last inning, as if I’d ever forget the stress I put myself under. I’m thankful for their enthusiasm though.

I pull along the curb of the residential neighborhood of the who’s who in New England sports. When Ethan gave us the run-down of who would be at his party, he had everyone from the NFL, MLS, NBA, NHL and of course MLB, on his list.

“Hey, look,” Bellamy says as she stands next to the car. “That house is for sale.”

I nod and dread what’s coming next. We’ve been searching for a house, but since the kids have already started school, I’ve suggested we wait until summer. However she wants to move and get settled before our wedding. I can’t say that I blame her.

“Get the number and we’ll call tomorrow,” I tell her. She walks over and pulls the listing sheet from the box. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind living near a teammate, it would make carpooling so much easier.

The four of us walk to the front door, which is open, and enter. The house is decorated in pink — streamers, balloons and a banner saying, “Welcome Baby Girl Davenport.”

“Everyone’s out back,” someone tells us and that’s where we head with gift in hand. Sure enough, the backyard is full of adults and children. Laughter rings out, the sound of splashing from the pool echoes and the kids ask if they can change into their swimsuits to go swim. We tell them yes and watch as they run off, Matty seeking Shea out immediately.

It’s easy to spot Ethan and Daisy, they’re in the corner, under the shade tree. Daisy is beaming as she holds her daughter and Ethan is hovering over the women in his life.

“Congratulations,” I say to Daisy as I lean down and kiss her cheek. The newest Davenport arrived three days ago, early in the morning and on game day, Ethan sent us all a message saying she was in labor and that we’d have to do without him for our game. When he showed up, we wanted to know what the hell he was doing there. “We have a game,” he said. Every one of us yelled until he showed us a picture of Daisy holding their daughter. We tried to encourage him to go back to the hospital, but he assured us this was where Daisy wanted him, saying his mom, sister and Shea were with his wife and newborn daughter. That night, he hit a homerun.

Bellamy coos and gushes over the baby and looks at me. I nod, letting her know that if she wants one, I’ll happily do my best to make it happen. We’ve discussed it and know time is not on our side, so it needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Daisy excuses herself and Ethan follows. They stand in their backyard together as a family, and Ethan calls for everyone’s attention.

“We’d like to introduce you to, Posey Davenport,” Ethan says as he looks down at his daughter.

Everyone around us claps. I put my arm around Bellamy and ask her, “Do you want one of those again?” even though I know she does.

“Yeah,” she says. “We’ll have our own in about seven months.”

My mouth drops open, almost as if I can’t believe her. She takes my hand and places it on her stomach. Her eyes glisten as she says, “We’re going to have a baby.”

As much as I want to announce it to everyone, I can’t. It’s Ethan and Daisy’s moment, and ours will come later. I lean down and kiss Bellamy. “I love you.”

“I love you,” she says, cupping my cheek.

There’s so much more to say, but this isn’t the time nor the place. When we get home and we’re in bed, I’m going to thank her for taking a chance on me and jumping feet first into my hectic life. Until then, I say to her, “I guess I better get you down the aisle, huh?”

“Something like that.”

Yeah, definitely something like that.

If someone would’ve asked me at the beginning of the season how I saw my year going, I would’ve simply said I saw it heading toward the playoffs. Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d have surgery, miss half my season, meet the woman of my dreams, and become a father all in a matter of months. Yet, here I am, at the prime of my life and career with two ten-year-olds, a fiancée who has been my rock and is growing the child we created inside of her, and I’m happier than I ever thought I could be.

Of course, if the Renegades could win the pennant . . .

Yeah, that’s for a whole other story.

As the season comes to an end, we sadly say goodbye for another year. Be safe, good people of Boston, and be sure to say hello to the guys when you see them out and about. They love hearing from their fans.

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