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“Can’t say I love them that much.” I sucked in a sharp breath.

“Right, that’s why your agent has you doing all those campaigns, right? I’ve seen the tabloids, Silver. I know you aren’t celibate, and no one expects you to be.”

“What’s it matter to you?”

“I’m the team leader. Everythin’ you knuckleheads do affects me. But this isn’t why I wanted to talk. My girl is pregnant again, and I don’t want to keep raisin’ kids in a penthouse. I’ve built her a house back in my hometown. I’m gonna finish the season, then retire. I’ve had my fun, made my money, and now it’s time for someone else to fill my shoes.”

“Wow, congratulations on the baby. You’re one lucky SOB.”

“Please keep this between us. I only found out this weekend and don’t need the rest of the team knowin’. Look, I see your potential. I went and did some research on you, and you’re one hell of a pitcher. I think you should be the one fillin’ my position. Coach doesn’t want to put you on the mound yet because he’s scared, but I need you to clean up your act. No more partyin’. No more different flavors of the week. Be on time for practice. Hell, be fuckin’ early. Show him you’re ready for it and that you want it.”

I gulped slowly. This was one hell of a talk.

“You want me to fill your shoes?” I asked as a loud ringing noise filled my ears. This was everything I had dreamed of, on a silver fucking platter.

“There’s no one else who I think can pitch like me. Mind showin’ me what you’re capable of?”

I nodded, at a loss for fucking words.

After just ten minutes of seeing me pitch, Jaxon grinned and told me to go home. He’d seen enough of my capabilities and wanted me to rest up for the game tomorrow. This was a dream come true, although not guaranteed. So I didn’t want to get my hopes up yet or tell anyone, not even my two best friends.

Everyone hada different ritual before a game that they thought gave them luck. Hunter liked to have sex an hour before a game, Graham liked to do yoga the morning of, and I liked to watch an episode ofShark Tankwhile eating a bowl of cornflakes with 2% milk. It had to be 2%. One time, I had whole milk, and we lost the game.

The rituals were stupid and superstitious, but they were our routine. Without them, I was sure we wouldn’t win all the games we did, not that every ritual was right. I know some of the other players liked to hit the gym, which was stupid because an injury could happen so easily, but we all turned a blind eye to each other’s rituals and hoped for the best in the locker room.

We all crossed our fingers that everyone actually did their routine and nothing changed this morning. It was ominously quiet in the locker room on game day. Everyone had headphones in, and my first couple of games, I used to wonder what everyone else was listening to, if I was playing the right music. Hunter had told me to get my head out of my ass and focus on myself.

I really liked classical music. I think it had to do with mymother and the fact that was all she played in the house on the sound system when Dad would come home at night. It usually worked to keep the peace, but not always. Now, at twenty-two years old, nothing calmed me like the sound of a violin or piano. The whole way from my condo to the stadium, I listened to some variations of strings and then in the locker room it was piano.

It was thirty minutes until we were expected out on the field. Jaxon still wasn’t here. He usually showed up an hour before a game and would have given us a pep talk by now. Everyone was on edge today.

When the locker room door opened, we all turned our heads, expecting our captain to walk through. We weren’t expecting the team manager to be there with Jaxon behind him, on crutches.

“Oh, what the fuck?”

“We’re fucked.”

“This can’t be happening.”

“Fuckkk.”

“The championships…”

Everyone was freaking the fuck out, and internally, I was doing the same, but I watched Jaxon, analyzed his every move. He’d never been injured before, not from what I’d read in his stats.Something fishy was going on.

“As you can all see, Dexter is out. Silver, you’re taking his spot. I don’t want any arguments or questions. This was Dexter’s decision as your team leader. Gear up and get the fuck out of here,” Coach bellowed, and everyone scrambled to grab their gear. One by one, they headed out of the locker room, leaving Jaxon and me alone.

“What the fuck, man?” I asked, walking up to him, where he was rummaging in his locker. He pulled out his glove and handed it tome.

“Prove to me you’re worth it.” He winked and walked out of the locker room, perfectly fine.

He was gambling our chance of being in the championships on me pitching.

Outside the locker room, Logan was standing there with six-month-old Kane on her hip. He was staring at all the bright lights and reaching for the sky. Logan was anxiously shifting him from hip to hip while looking worriedly at Jaxon. She was in on it.

He hobbled over to her on his crutches, kissed her head, whispered something to her, and then kissed Kane’s head. She nodded at whatever he said and headed to the VIP section where our friends and family could sit.

“Not going with your girl?” I asked, slipping his glove on my hand and hoping I was worth everything he was risking.