He gave me a lopsided grin, as though he could sense my weakening. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “Maybe if you hadn’t come along I would have run off to San Francisco and lived out my dream of working in the majors again.”
The air rushed from my lungs at him admitting that I had a point. But then he continued, his thumb pressing more firmly into my chin as if to ensure I was paying attention.
“But you did come along. And the moment you walked into my life, my dreams changed. Does a life in baseball hold some appeal? Yes, of course it does. But it pales in comparison to this new reality I’ve been given. One with you in it. Hell, in the damn center of it. In which I’d be lucky enough to have a family of my own. A wife and hopefully kids.”
Tears stung the back of my eyes at his words.
“L
