RIVAL NIGHT: Third Installment of the "Brennan Baseball Series"

Chapter Twenty-One: For Good

Jake and Nick worked their butts off and practiced their plan over and over again and when the next day came, you can bet they were ready to catch Luke red-handed in front of everyone.

Honestly?

Jake couldn't wait.

    But more importantly, he knew he had to do this for himself, for this team, and his kids. He found himself in the same headspace he was two years ago when he had to stand up to Rick Lane and now he had to do the same thing with his nephew. It was crazy but not impossible.

    Jake got to the field early after school and flipped through the photos and articles he had to condemn Windimere. He couldn't believe that Luke would go behind everyone's backs like that- especially Adair's. They all thought Windimere was safe and trustworthy but he wasn't.

    "Gives new meaning to you can't trust everyone," Nick said as he appeared next to Jake in the dugout. "Hey."

    "Hey. You wanted to get here early too?" Jake asked, putting the papers away.

    "No," Nick said, putting his bucket and balls down by the fence. "But I knew you would and I wanted to see you."

    "Everything okay? How's Savannah?"

Nick sighed as he dragged the bucket over to sit down next to Jake. "She's getting there. Mac is still beyond furious with the doctor who discharged us. Sh-"

    "I thought Jack had you?"

    "He did but he's only a resident. Pearle, the guy who sent us home, was an attending."

Jake shook his head, staring out at the empty field, as he thought about it. "How did you know?"

    "How did I know what?"

    "That you could trust me," Jake said. "All this... it's just making me wonder. How much do we really know someone? Like actually..."

Nick stared out at the field as Jake looked at him, Nick thinking for a second. "Well, you can never really know someone, Jake. But in answer to your question... I knew I could trust you because when I really knew you, all I wanted was for you to be happy even if I couldn't be part of your life."

    "But you are and always will be."

    "I know that now," Nick said. "But when I didn't know you truly, I thought differently. But now, I can't imagine life without you. You saved me from myself, Jake Wolff, and the past three years have been pure dreams into reality so... Thank you."

Jake hugged him and then pulled apart, smiling but it dropped when he noticed Windimere coming closer. Jake nudged Nick.

    "Oh it is on," Nick said, giving Jake a fistbump.

    "SO on," Jake said, nodding.

The game was underway and Jake put Nick at first base and he was at third. Nick gave Jake a look from across the diamond and nodded to him.

    "Come on, Parker. Let's go, baby," Jake said.

The game continued and Windimere was silent, surprisingly, but the plan wasn't set to work until after the game. Brennan won 8-2 and as Jake went out of the dugout, he heard footsteps next to him as Windimere came near.

    "What in the world... is this?" He asked, holding the article.

Jake slung his backpack over his shoulder and motioned to Sam Adair. "Go ask Sam. He's the one who told me to put it up."

This was a complete lie but this was the way it would work. Nick stood next to Jake as they watched Luke approach Adair. After lots of hand motions and what seemed like yelling, Luke stormed off and Adair approached Nick and Jake.

    "What... How did you two find this out?"

The two friends looked at each other and then back at Sam. "We just found it, Sam and we knew we should bring it to you."

The article Jake and Nick had found was about Luke getting fired from South Legion, Northwestern, and literally every other job he had held because of misconduct. And it was a damn sure good reason to fire him from Brennan.

    "I am so beyond sorry to the two of you. I never noticed how destructive he was. I... should have done something sooner."

    "So.. is he gone?" Nick asked, earnestly.

    "Immediately," Sam said, firmly. "As of now, you two are permanently reinstated and I will never do anything like that to you ever again."

He walked away and Nick and Jake held their excitement. When he turned the corner, they high-fived and fist-bumped and celebrated. This was a huge win.

    "When people ask where he went, what do we say?" Jake asked, with a thought.

    "Wolff and Zamkinski took him down," Nick said with a grin.

    Riley bear-hugged her husband when Jake walked into Dizzy's and Mackenzie joined in, hugging her own.

    "Hi, Ry," Jake said, grinning as Riley put her hands on his face.

    "You look happier than I've ever seen you," She said, smiling into his puppy dog brown eyes.

    "I'm ecstatic, hon," he replied, kissing her.

She led him to the table and Nick got up and hugged Jake as Mackenzie and Riley looked on, smiling. The waitress came and brought drinks and Nick handed Jake one as the four friends started chanting, "Speech, speech!" Jake laughed as he stood up.

    "I don't have much to say except I'm so lucky. I-"

He stopped as his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at Nick. "It's Adair."

    "Answer it!" They all shouted.

Jake put the phone to his ear. "Hi, Sam. What's up?"

    "It is no surprise that I am still utterly embarrassed and guilty about how I behaved towards you and Nick and I have been sitting at my desk all afternoon wanting to give you two an amazing gift and I can't think of one."

    Jake smiled. "Oh, Sam. That's sweet but that's not necessary."

    "I didn't finish, Jake."

    "Oh?"

    "I couldn't think of one because it was staring me right in the face. Jake, I am pleased to add a total of five extra years to your contract and with Nick as your assistant, if you two accept, you can lead the varsity baseball team to more titles as I'm sure you will."

Jake was shocked; he didn't say anything.

    "Jake? 'You still there?"

Jake shook himself out of his daydream and nodded. "Yes, yes, 100 times, yes!"

    "I'll mail the contract to you. And Jake?"

    "Hm?"

    "Thanks for everything."

Adair hung up as Jake just stood staring at his phone.

    "Jake? You okay?" Nick asked as he stared at his friend wondering what the heck their boss could have said.

Jake relayed Adair's message to Nick who immediately jumped up and hugged him before he had a thought.

    "You said yes, right?"

    "Of course I did!"

The whole place erupted in cheers as Riley kissed Jake and Mac hugged him. But Jake couldn't see anything but Nick. The two came close again and hugged for a long, long time. When they pulled apart, Jake could have not felt more elated.

The past three years had been a dream and now, the story continued.

He and Nick's story would continue and always live on.

Just as everything they had built would always be.