Warning Track (Callahan Family #1) - Carrie Aarons Page 0,82
back to ours. Colleen Callahan is the most competent, hardworking general manager I’ve ever seen. And I have a World Series to focus on. If there is anything else we want you to know about our relationship, we’ll come straight to you with that information. For now, drop it.”
The room is absolutely silent. I swear, you could hear a pin drop after Hayes stops talking. I’m so proud and relieved he stood up for us both, I could kiss him. But that would only cause another round of inappropriate yelling.
So I pick up the baton, ready to launch into my part of the press conference. “And now, if you’ll stop focusing on our love life, we have much more important matters to discuss. A week ago, Shane Giraldi was arrested on the premises for attacking his wife.”
I go on, detailing the actions being taken against him and what we’re doing to help both Hannah and a charity we’ve partnered with to help the victims of domestic abuse. This is what they should be focusing on, this matters.
When fingertips ghost against my knee under the table after I tell a particularly gruesome part of the tale from what we witnessed in the parking lot, along with my own assault months ago, I’m filled with pure love.
Because Hayes is going to be by my side from this day forward.
40
Hayes
In the end, I get to play in the World Series.
But only because I made my decision with the league and the Pistons before game one even started, and we all agreed there would be no more consequences since I’d chosen a certain option.
Which is how I find myself standing on my base, glove poised, ready to catch the final out of game six. New York has given us a run for our money in this series, but we’ve been the better team. We want it more, we’re the underdogs, and the way we’ve meshed as a brotherhood will never be forgotten.
I breathe in the scent of the ballpark, let the flashbulbs glare in my vision, allow the dull roar to pierce my ears. It’s the last time, hopefully, if we win the series tonight, I’ll be down on the diamond like this. In my uniform, the feel of my trusty old glove on my hand. No one knows, except for Charlie, that this will be my last game, my last season.
Win or lose, I’m hanging up my cleats in exchange for something much more important.
From somewhere up in the stadium, Colleen watches me. My heart flutters with the notion, and part of me wishes we’d met sooner, but then I wouldn’t have had my ten incredible years before her. There is something about having the woman you love watch you play the sport you love, so much so that I wish I got to experience it more. I guess that’s the catch twenty-two here, though if I’d met her sooner, I’d have had to make this decision a lot sooner.
The way we started, with so much animosity on my part and fear of her job, her father’s mistakes and the pressure of all eyes watching on her part … it’s a miracle we’ve made it to where we are. I always thought the kind of love that we share didn’t exist, that I’d find some version of love that contented me enough to settle down with after my career was over.
But with Colleen I was bewitched. From the moment I held her face in my gaze, a part of me knew. Even if I was actively trying to ignore the spark she ignited within my chest, it was still there. And then I kissed her, and I was a goner. There’s no coming back from it, even if it took us awhile and a public scandal to resolve that we should be together.
She is the strongest, most determined, quietly fierce person I’ve ever met. The adversity she’s had to overcome, some that most people would consider dumb since she grew up so privileged, is a testament to her character. Growing up with the parents she did, living under the thumb of the Callahan name? Those aren’t easy hurdles. But she’s taken them on beautifully, and I can’t wait to stand next to her and watch all the good she does for this organization and the world around her for many years to come.
This is her time to shine, I’ve had mine. If we win tonight, I’ll add a fourth World Series ring to