home run

end

Arizona was hot. Despite everyone saying, "Oh, but it's a dry heat!" Leigh's hair begged to differ. It frizzed out as soon as she stepped off the pressurized airplane and into the tunnel connecting it to the terminal. It was 84 degrees and Leigh felt each one of those. Anthony had wrangled an Airbnb near Mesa for the month and it was beautiful classic American Southwest architecture that made her briefly forget the baby hairs that were stuck to the back of her sweaty neck.

"How many places do you think we could have sex in before spring training is over?" Anthony asked as they dropped their backpacks down on the master bed. Leigh barked out a surprised laugh and pulled him into the large ensuite.

A couple of hours later, the two of them drove Anthony's rental over to where Schwarb was staying with Kris and Jess for dinner.

Their spring training rental was, putting it lightly, massive, compared to where Leigh and Anthony were staying. It intimidated Leigh, realizing how much this place would be worth for a month. Within minutes, Leigh found herself in the kitchen with Kyle, helping him grill chicken inside rather than battle the mosquitos outside.

She heard Kris make a joke and Anthony's boyish laughter and cracked a smile.

"It's pretty cool of you to come out for spring training." Kyle commented, flipping a chicken breast while Leigh stirred some vegetables.

She shrugged, glancing up at him before replying, "It's really no big. He's doing me a favor by dragging me out of Chicago for a month, anyway."

"Yeah, he uh, he told me about what's up," He looked at her and clicked the tongs he used at her face, "He only told me because he knows one of my sisters went through something similar. Kelly's freshman year in college was hard for her. She had all of us for support though and she used it. Got the creep expelled."

Leigh gave him a sad look but he continued, "I'm just saying, Leigh, you have a support system and it won't kill you to use it. It doesn't make you weak to want help."

"Thanks, Kyle." She said, meaning it completely. Her eyes were focussed on the vegetables and she tried very hard not to let any tears well up in them.

"If you ever need to talk to someone about it, you can talk to me, or I can give you Kelly's phone number. She'd be happy to help out."

Leigh shook her head, "Thank you, but I don't want to have her relive it. Anyway, I suppose I need to utilize my own support."

Kyle's face split into a smile and his one dimple pressed into his cheek, "I'm glad you're so chill. I was nervous when Rizz asked me to talk to you. Now that I've got that over with..."

She laughed, smacking him in the arm with her spatula, "Don't be a jerk."

Anthony poked his head in the kitchen, "Is dinner done? I am starving... Schwarb, you're starving me."

He came up behind Leigh and put his chin on her shoulder to cry at Kyle.

Leigh fondly rolled her eyes and Kyle threw his hands up, "You kids are so ungrateful! Dinner's done when I say it's done."

Anthony's laughter was contagious on her back so Leigh joined in, feeling blood heat up her cheeks in happiness. When she popped a green bean into her mouth from the pan, life seemed like it would work itself out.

———

Josh had been hit with a minimal jail sentence, which Leigh didn't care about, but what she did care about was that she was granted a Stalking No Contact order that would last her ten years and be honored over state lines. The trial didn't last as long as she thought it would, partially because of Anthony's lawyer and partially because of the damning evidence Josh had mailed to her.

Dickie and Anthony had finally met when the shark week special aired and they had been in Los Angeles for it. Dickie immediately pulled Anthony's larger frame into an enthusiastic hug and he almost shouted, "You should have seen L knock the shit out of that creep!" When Dickie hugged Leigh, he grabbed at her biceps with a look of surprise in his face, "These weren't here last year!"

Leigh had moved onwards and upwards, filming first specials, and documentaries, and finally her own fictional work.

She had been invited to sing the seventh inning stretch during the playoffs since she had become a local celebrity. No one mentioned her restraining order troubles or a recent article TMZ published about her altercation with her stalker in an Australian nightclub. After the Cubs won the game and Leigh was tucked underneath the covers of their bed with Anthony, the two of them whispered back and forth about the first time they had met into the early hours. Leigh was getting sleepy, curled up next to him until Anthony pulled out a ring and proposed to her.

They had eloped a month later in secret at Leigh's request, a tiny town hall in Fort Lauderdale while the team was in Miami. Anthony's mother did not agree with that arrangement and made them immediately start planning a proper wedding in winter.

No matter how far apart they were at any given time or how long they had been attached at the hip during the downtimes between his games and her films, all she had to do was look at his face and feel like she was finally home. Whenever Anthony looked at Leigh, he saw his future, written out in the lines of her face and the patterns in her freckles.