“Let’s talk about you,” I said.
She reached over and grabbed my hand. “Dish about what’s on your mind. We can talk about me over a drink before you leave. Right now, I’m here for you.”
I swallowed thickly as Wyatt complained that he didn’t have enough ketchup on his hot dog.
“A Triple-A team is interested in me.”
Her lips parted. “Shut up! That’s fantastic.” She angled her head. “Kade doesn’t know. And let me guess—he’s not going to be happy.”
I bobbed my head. She knew how bad Kade wanted kids and that he wanted them now.
“We agreed to get pregnant when my contract was up next year. If talks go well, though, then I could be playing for another five years.” I twirled strands of my long hair around my fingers, a nervous habit of mine. “I want baseball and kids, but I don’t think I can have both, or at least do both. Teams will shy away from me if they know I want to take a year off and start a family. And if I do take a year off, my gut is telling me I won’t get back into baseball. Not because of me, but because teams aren’t going to take a brand-new mom or one that could be having kids for the next few years. And Kade wants a baseball team full of them.”
She captured a nail in between her lips. “I’m all for you breaking barriers into a man’s sport.”
“But?” I asked.
She leaned in. “You’re not getting younger, Lacey. The sooner you start your family, the faster you can return to baseball while you’re still young.”
A nervous laugh escaped my lips. “But how can I get pregnant if I sign up for another five years?” It wasn’t a question for her to answer. “It’s not like I can play with a big belly in the way. And no organization would even consider me if I’m thinking of getting pregnant.”
Her nose scrunched. “Girl, we’re living in a new age. Why wouldn’t a team consider you? If they don’t, then they’re discriminating.”
In any other type of job outside of an all-male sport, I would agree with her. “Baseball isn’t like a regular job that I can return to and expect to pick up where I left off. Teams don’t work like that. They plan their rosters. Sure, I could go on the disabled list. But would they let me return?”
“Then you need to decide what is most important to you—Kade or baseball.” Her tone was matter of fact.
“Why can’t I have both?” I asked more to myself than her.
She scratched an eyebrow. “Maybe you can. Change their way of thinking. If this Triple-A team wants you, then negotiate a pregnancy into the contract. Make sure the contract has caveats for what you want. If they want you bad enough, then they’ll meet your demands or meet you halfway.”
“While that’s great advice, I’m not sure a baseball organization will want me that badly.”
Her idea made perfect sense, but I didn’t think it was realistic. When the Dodgers were courting me right after I’d graduated college, their management team thought I was pregnant because I’d thrown up on the mound during a tryout. The end result was they went with another closer. At least that was what they’d told me. However, I believed they didn’t want to take a chance on me because I was a female who came with a little more baggage, so to speak, than my male counterparts. She rolled her eyes. “You won’t know until you ask.”
Maybe so.But first I had a tough conversation with Kade ahead of me. If I didn’t have him on my side, then asking for a pregnancy clause was a moot point.
Chapter 6
Kade
Ifound myself pacing the empty house again, waiting for Lacey. I’d dropped off Marcus after a two-hour conversation with him about how booze wasn’t the answer to his problems. I’d also explained to him what my brothers and I had been through when we’d lost our sister and how each of us had found an outlet. Kross felt that ramming his fists into a punching bag helped him. I would’ve suggested to Marcus that music might be one avenue, which had helped Kody, but Marcus couldn’t strum a guitar to save his life, according to Kody.
I peeked out the window in the living room, fuming. After Kross had told me what he’d heard about Lacey and a Triple-A team, it was all I could do to focus on Marcus.
Still, I’d told Lacey I would be a couple of hours. As much as I wanted to spend time with my wife, I felt Marcus needed help. I wasn’t sure my advice would stick or resonate with him. After all, none of what I’d counseled him on in the past had seemed to change his rebellious nature.
Storm clouds moved in, darkening the sky as tree branches swayed back and forth along the side of the driveway.
Just as I was about to call her, I caught sight of her Mustang pulling in.
I padded over to the sprawling staircase and dropped down on the third step as my pulse settled for a beat.
The door opened, and a gust of wind followed Lacey in. “Hey,” she said in a low voice, taming her windblown hair with her fingers.
I hopped up and rushed to her. “What happened?” Her eyes were red as though she’d been crying. I checked her arms and legs and everywhere skin was showing, but I didn’t see any cuts.
She blinked once before pulling away and walking toward the kitchen.
