The Other Game (The Perfect Game 4)

Gran’s eyes started to tear a little as she hugged him. “I’m so proud of you. Go show ’em what you’re made of, honey.”

“Thanks, Gran.”

Jack’s eyes got misty, and I realized that if my big brother cried right now, I was going to lose it too.

When it was Gramps’s turn, he reached out like he was only going to shake Jack’s hand rather than hug him. Jack’s eyebrows shot up.

“It’s been an honor,” Gramps said before laughing. “Just kidding. Get over here, son.” He grabbed Jack and hugged him hard. “We couldn’t be more proud of everything you’ve accomplished. You deserve it. Now, go pitch your heart out, and we’ll take care of your girl.”

“Drive safe,” Gran said before giving me a quick hug and a shove.

“Jeez. You don’t have to push me out of the house, Gran,” I grumbled as I grabbed my borrowed duffel bag and slung it over my shoulder.

Once outside, Jack loaded up his truck, which thankfully had the hard top on. It must have killed him to put it on, but I didn’t even want to imagine what a long road trip would have been like without it.

“Why were you in such a rush to leave?” I asked as he took my bag from me.

“I just—” He shook his head. “I didn’t want to cry, okay?” When I just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say, he growled, “Get in the damn truck,” and then hopped in.

“Thanks for putting the top on,” I said as I pulled the door closed.

Jack turned the key in the ignition and the radio almost blasted me out of my seat. He reached for the volume and turned it down.

“Shit, sorry,” he said with a sheepish glance my way.

We both looked toward the house where Gran and Gramps stood on the front porch in their matching robes, waving at us. Gramps held on to Gran as she wiped away the tears on her cheeks. Jack and I leaned out the windows to wave back at them.

Jack shot me a glance before he put the truck in gear. “Besides, I figured that seven hours was too long of a drive to attempt without the shell. We’d both be sunburnt and blown to hell by the time we got there.”

“Not to mention the fact that our throats would have been sore,” I said, and we both laughed at the memory.

We’d driven to San Diego once in high school for a concert, and Jack had left the top off. For the whole drive, we couldn’t hear each other speak, and we had to shout over the sound of the wind ripping through the car. By the time we got back home, we barely had voices and our throats were killing us.

Jack pulled onto the freeway and I settled back in my seat, intent on getting comfortable for the long ride. “You already have a place, right?”

“Yeah. Marc and Ryan helped hook me up with a player who was already renting a house and had two extra rooms. I guess the other guys living there got moved up.”

“Nice. How’s Cassie?”

He inhaled a quick breath. “Good. She cried on the phone this morning, but that’s only because she didn’t know when we were going to see each other again. But fuck if it didn’t kill me to hear her crying like that.”

“I bet. So what’d you tell her?”

“I told her I’d fly her up as soon as I got settled. Hell, I’d ask the girl to move in with me and live with me forever, but she never would.”

I smiled. “You mean that, don’t you?”

He looked at me for only a second before looking back at the road. “When I think about the future, all I see is her and baseball. And when there’s no more baseball, I still see her. You know? I’ve never felt this way about anyone. Never knew I could.”

“That’s huge coming from you.” Actually, his revelation blew my mind. Jack had never given his heart to anyone before he’d met Cassie, not even a small piece of it.

“Well, we can’t all be like you, Dean.”

Frowning at him, I asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He glanced at me and reached out to punch my arm. “You know. Perfect.” Refocusing on the road, he said, “Nah, I just mean that you’re willing to take a chance on love. You find a girl and you get attached.” He coughed and said under his breath, “Funsize.”

“I’m not attached. There’s nothing to be attached to.”