I love Felicia, but it’s not fair to her. Not when I look at her and wish she were Presley. I have to figure out what the hell I want to do. So, I head to the one place that I can always feel at home—the field.
I step out of my truck, smell the fresh cut grass, and I relax. There’s no one here but me. I walk to my position and step over a puddle. “So much of my life was spent right here,” I talk to the baseball gods. They’re real in my head. “I asked you to let me play in the majors, but at what cost? I had to lose her? You couldn’t let me keep both?” I walk in circles. “You had to make me choose, and now look where I am. No baseball. No Presley. And no answers.”
My mind fills with memories. But one that I’ve fought back for so long, hits me like a ball to the face.
Holy shit. Holy fucking shit! I’m going to play in the major leagues. I can’t believe this. All these years are finally paying off. The money, the traveling, the life I can give her is at my fingertips. Presley. I have to tell her.
“Just sign these papers and we’re all set.” The team manager is already sliding the contract over.
“I need to talk to my fiancée.” I hesitate for a second.
He sighs. “I’m sorry, son. You need to sign now or the deal is off the table. If we come back.” He pauses. “I won’t be able to get you as much.”
I’m not letting this pass. I’m going to play in the majors. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and it’s here. Presley would slap me for letting this much money go. I reach for the pen. “I’ll sign.”
“Well, Zach.” The team manager stands and smiles. “We’re happy to have you as a member of the Dodgers organization. You’ll need to report to LA by the end of the week.”
“The end of the week?” I clarify.
“Yes, the season is already in full swing. The coach wants you there as soon as possible.”
I finish with the papers and rush out to find her. I can’t wait to see her face when I tell her all our dreams are coming true.
“Pres!” I yell as she’s exiting her class.
“Hey.” Her smile is bright as she walks toward me. You’d think after all this time she’d be less beautiful to me, but she’s not. I don’t even notice the girls that pass by. None of them are close to what I have. “You okay? You never meet me outside of class.” Her green eyes are full of concern.
“Darlin’,” I say, stopping right in front of her. “It’s happening.”
Her eyes widen and her lips part. “What’s happening?”
“I got offered a deal!”
“Zach! That’s amazing!” She leaps into my arms as I fall back a little with a laugh. “Where? What team?” she asks with excitement. “Oh, my God! What are they offering? Wait, who offered?” She shoots the questions off in rapid fire.
She steps back and takes my hand. I can’t believe this is really happening. “LA for the Dodgers.”
“California?” she gasps. “That’s the other side of the country. I . . .” Her breath hitches. “When do you have to give them an answer?”
And it hits me—I’m going to leave her again. After we spent the last two years apart.
“I already signed the contract.”
Presley steps back and clutches her stomach as if I’ve just punched her. “You already signed? I thought we were going to wait. I didn’t think you’d take it, especially without talkin’ to me.”
“It won’t be that bad.” I explain to her. “I leave this week, and I’ll find us a great house. You can come as soon as you finish this semester. I promise, it’ll be fine.” Maybe I can convince her this isn’t going to be that rough.
She doesn’t say a word. Her eyes fill with tears, and I’m no longer happy. “I can’t go with you now . . . I’m not leaving school, Zach. You . . .” She starts, but then she turns. “I can’t believe you didn’t talk to me.”
“Pres.” I try to get her to look at me. “I know it’ll be hard, but we can make it work.”
“I’m in the first semester of my freshman year. I can’t quit. I’m happy for you, but I don’t know.” She chews her lip for a second and then continues, “I’m hurt.”
I take her hand. “He told me if I didn’t sign now, I could lose the contract.”
“We’re supposed to be partners. How could you not talk to me?”
“I wanted to. But I figured you’d be fine with transferring schools and moving.”
Clearly, I was wrong.
“And then what if you get traded? What if in three weeks you get called up? We’ve been apart for so long. I can’t do this again.” Her voice hiccups in the middle.
“Yes, we can. We’ll still see each other, and you only have three years left of school. You can come out and live with me after that or transfer to California whenever you want.”
We’ll be fine, she just needs to calm down. Presley is my fiancée. She’s my world, and we’ll work through this.
“You want me to wait three years? You want me to sit here while you’re all over the country with these girls who are waitin’ for a chance to bang the ball player? No. No way. You can’t possibly think that’s fair. I have already waited two years just to get here.” There’s no anger in her words, just sadness.