Page 19 of Bad Ball Hitter
I have no idea what she means. Just because she owns a baseball doesn’t mean it was fate.
“I don’t think so. Jake isn’t a prop. He’s a real kid with feelings.”
“Of course he is,” Miranda counters, her gaze softening just enough to show she isn’t the monster incapable of feelings. “But he likes Drake, doesn’t he? And Drake likes him. It’s good for Jake to have male role models.”
Her words are a gentle prod, nudging at my protective instincts. We may not know each other well, but she knows enough to hit where it hurts. I’ve worried about Jake’s lack of a father figure, but I can’t do anything about it. I don’t know who his father is. His birth certificate lists him as unknown. And I’m certainly not in the right space to find a partner.
I bite my lip, which Miranda takes as reluctance.
“Hey, Jake?” She yells before I have time to answer.
Jake comes running from the bedroom.
“How would you like to spend time at the park with Drake?”
I seethe.
“Yes! I liked Gun Man.”
“It’s Drake,” Miranda says in her superior voice.
“I don’t like Drake. It rhymes with my name.”
“Then call him Gunner. That’s his last name.”
“I don’t like it either. It’s just stupid. I like Gun Man.”
“But that’s stupid?—”
“He’s not going.” I slap the top layer of bread with more force than I meant to and motion for Jake to grab it.
Jake’s face falls. “Please, Mama Lila. I want to go.”
I grind my teeth. How dare she ask him after I had said no. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”
“You can go too, Mom.” He swivels around to face Miranda. Her back stiffens. She clearly doesn’t want me tagging along.
“I don’t think so, Jake.” I hand him the sandwich and make mine.
“But we want you too. Right, Miranda?” He settles in the kitchen chair and bites into the bread. “And Gun Man liked you.”
“It’s Gunner,” Miranda says under her breath. Her jaw stiffens as she turns to me. “It would be fun. If the only way you’d allow Jake to go is to tag along, then by all means, come join us.” She lowers her voice and adds, “Be the third wheel.”
“I don’t think so.” The thought of watching Drake and her interact is enough to make me vomit. Though, I better get used to it. I don’t think he’s going anywhere soon.
“Please, Mommy.”
I take in those soulful brown eyes and melt. A trip to the park wouldn’t be insufferable, I suppose. “Fine, I’ll go.”
“Seriously?” She rushes over to hug me, her expensive perfume nearly choking me. I stiffen in her embrace, already regretting my decision. As she pulls away, chattering about what she’s going to wear and how excited she is, I can’t shake the feeling that this will be a disaster.
Closing my eyes briefly, I steel myself for what’s coming. The thought of seeing Drake again, of watching him interact with Jake, fills me with a mix of longing and dread. But no one knows our history, and it’s best to keep it that way. We’ve both matured since high school. We don’t harbor those same feelings or regrets.
I reach for my necklace. This is going to go over well—not.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lila