The One (Coming Home To The Grove 3)

The gossipy female anchor says, “I know where her hand is right now,” and about then, I get my first wave of nausea. Too bad I don’t know if it’s from being pregnant or if it’s because I’ve just seen evidence of my husband stepping out on me with some slut. Oh Brody, how could you do this?BrodyI wake up with a hangover.

I feel awful inside and out. Realizing that I didn’t get to talk with Rose the night before, at least I hope I didn’t since I drank too much, I call her, and she doesn’t answer. I try several times, but she isn’t answering.

Great.

I shower and manage to get myself to the game, even though I’m finding it hard to find motivation to even show up.

I arrive in time to throw a few pitches for the last few minutes of warmups and then go back to the locker room to try Rose again. It isn’t like her not to answer my call. Five times trying her, and she still doesn’t pick up. I try her parents’ house, and her dad is short with me but says she isn’t there.

The team gets called to take the field, so I’ll have to try her after the game.

“Looked good on the tube today,” Kaden says to me just before the game starts. He’s such a smartass. Of course he’s going to point out the fact that I was subbed out after the third pitch yesterday.

The coach looks pissed off already, but since I missed all but the last ten minutes of warmups, I’m not too surprised by this. I take my hat off and put it on my heart before the first pitch, wondering if Rose cares enough to be watching. I hold it there, longer than normal, hoping she sees it and knows that I love her. I feel that I’m barely hanging on right now, and I need her more than ever.

The first batter gets an easy hit off of my pitch, and I’m having trouble keeping my temper. He’s standing on first base, smirking at me. I take my hat off and wipe the sweat from my brow. The second batter doesn’t swing at my first two pitches. One of them was a strike, and the second was too far out of the box.

The feeling of everything falling apart and how helpless I feel seems to bottleneck inside of me and explode when I throw the third pitch. I fire the ball, but it hits the batter instead. This is a rival team for us, and the emotions are high anyway. Both teams rush the field as the batter storms at me with the bat raised over his head.

It wasn’t intentional, but I don’t blame the batter for thinking it was. The umpires and coaches get between us and the other team, sending everyone to their dugouts. There’s a bunch of yelling between everyone, and all that’s going through my mind is whether Rose is watching or not. Once the teams are sorted back into place, the coach pulls me, “You look like crap. Take a few days and get your shit together.”

I don’t even rebuke him. I know I look like shit. I feel like shit too. I shouldn’t have gone out drinking last night. I should have gone back to the hotel and talked through everything with Rose.

I’m sure I’ll hear from her after that game. She’s probably freaking out right now wondering if I’m okay. But when hours go by, and I don’t hear from her and she’s still not answering my calls, I know there’s something up. The next day I try her again and again but she’s still not answering.

What the hell is going on with Rose?11RoseI haven’t spoken to Brody in four days, and I’m not answering his calls. It would be so much easier if Brody wasn’t someone sort of famous. My parents are besides themselves with worry, and I’ve had to convince my dad not to go and track Brody down.

I saw Chrissy last week at her gym, Get Fit, but I haven’t seen Lacy and Carrie much in the last four years, except for the few visits I’ve made home. But even then, it was usually just to meet up for lunch or something. And it’s never been all four of us.

They all seem to be so happy. Lacy’s going on and on about planning her wedding. Chrissy is happy to finally be rid of her ex. I never did like him, but of course I never told her that.

And Carrie seems happier than I’ve ever seen her.

“So how was the charity ball last week?” I ask her.

Of the four of us, she’s the only one that went.

Carrie blushes as she says, “It was good.”

At that instant the sheriff comes in, looking behind the counter. He gets a frown on his face until he looks around and his eyes finally land on Carrie. The smile completely transforms his face, and he heads straight for our table.