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"What’s up, Carter? You okay?" our starting catcher, Frank, asked lanced at hione all the tiet like that?"

"Hell yeah,away from Christina and the kids It’s hands down the worst part about being a ball player" He downed the rest of his shot "Well, aside from the politics and all the business bullshit that ruins this sport for us Missing the little things likewith hoaht? I feel like I’h another day arten today and all I got was a picture Ikills me," I admitted

"You need a drink" He waved the bartender over "Scotch on the rocks"

"I don’t drink scotch"

"You do tonight," he said flatly

I shrugged, willing to try anything to help settle my soul

"How many seasons is this for you, Carter?"

I knehat he was getting at He wanted to kno close I was to the elusive tenth season It was an unspoken thing we all reached for, that tenth season, which equaled full pension benefits "Ten"

"What are you going to do when it’s over?"

"I’ when this season ended, but I wasn’t telling my teaet easier Just so you know," he said after finishing another drink "It’s always the sa our kids without their fathers The absolute worst part is when Christina needs help disciplining the boys and I’ht her and there’s no one to help her keep them in line, you know? I feel like co"

That thought killedabout I wondered how he could be so calave Kitten shit like that, I’d be on the first plane out to beat his ass Or probably not Because I’d get benched

Fuck

"Yet here we sit" I waved e waiting to fly ho a normal job like the rest of the world so we could be home with our families"

He set to do this for a living And you know damn well that if they could do this, they would No real man would walk away from this opportunity"

The hairs on my neck bristled as I for baseballcare of your fa a real man is about"

He lookedcare of the a life for them that most can’t I knoe aren’t home all the time, but there are plenty ofAnd trust me, their jobs are nowhere near as cool as ours"

Frank was definitely a glass-half-full kind of guy and I was drowning in a glass-half-eht "This isn’t the life I wanted to provide," I said My thoughts turned fuzzy as the scotch filled my head

"Well, this is the hand you were dealt A ladly take your spot"

His coht I couldn’t have it both ways I could either be a baseball player until I couldn’t throw anymore, or I could be ho like a little girl I sounded like Dean

As soon as I got hoht over the stove that Cassie had left on forto the floor before I crept up the stairs Peeking in on ive him a peck on the cheek His eyelids fluttered, but he didn’t wake up

Walking down the hallway into thewife, then slipped roaned "Jack?"

"You expecting someone else?" I teased as her eyes opened

"Maybe What day of the week is it again?" She chuckled and I silenced her with my mouth I nipped at her lips before she parted theainst mine in a frantic dance "I missed you"

"I one" I rolled on top of her and leaned on my elbows, so I could look down at her beautiful sleepy face

"Don’t apologize, Jack I’ve told you a hundred ti into" Her hands cupped the sides of my face and I wanted to freeze this moment

"But did you know I’d leave you alone e had a kid? Did you sign up to be a single leme to move over "What do you want to hear, that it sucks sometimes? That I hate it when you aren’t here? Because some days I do, Jack I really do Like when Chance does so super funny and I wish you were here to share thatthe things that Chance does, but because I’ theh about how crazy our boy is, but when I look, you’re not there And those are the parts that make me sad"

If she wanted to break what little resolve I had left, she was doing a da about"