(Complete) Kenzie Lynch grew up around baseball, but her father refuses to let her get involved with any players. Christopher Jett's loves baseball, Coach Lynch and the girl he can't have. After six years, can they learn to be friends and will frie...
Double Play: A play by the defense where two offensive players are put out as a result of continuous action resulting in two outs.
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Present day....
She saw him waiting as she locked her door. Then she fell against the door and sobbed. Everything felt the same, but it wasn't. They weren't kids anymore.
Six year vanished in an instant, as she remembered yelling she hated him. She had meant it then just like she hated Kimmy. She didn't hate him anymore. She had learned to accept her heart, made its choice and she would always love him.
She daydreamed about when he retired or if an injury forced him out. She imagined him coming for her. It was always like a scene in a romance movie.
She cried because her heart was bursting. She had always focused on her pain — on her hurt. Why would he feel hurt? He left her, but she had seen it in his eyes. Being in her apartment was painful for him. Just calling himself Chris showed, he remembered.
She had seen him cut reporters to the quick for calling him Chris. In high school and college, he preferred Jett, but put up with an occasional Christopher or Chris without getting angry. Jett rarely got angry even when they argued, but he did when others used her name for him — the one she used when she had told him she loved him.
Kenzie realized he was hurting too. She was jealous of the model, but even Ben had said she was a fake girlfriend. Ben asked her opinion.
"Do you think he's gay? He has never dated anyone."
"He had girls." She reminded her brother.
"Not for years."
"Then you both are, because you don't date either."
"That's because they're vultures all of them."
"Not all women are like her." That woman bothered Ben more than Kenzie. "Jett probably feels the same way as you, dummy."
After assuring Ben Jett was not gay, she felt guilty, because she moved on from him by dating.
He texted her he was sorry. For what? For leaving or making her cry.
Feeling confused, she replied.
Kenzie: Who is the last person you had sex with?
Jett: You
Kenzie: Why?
Jett: I have never found a woman who comes close to you.
Not wanting to pursue that line of questioning, she didn't reply. Emotionally exhausted, she slept through the night for the first time since they found Kimmy.
Brandon appeared at her door the following morning looking like he had quite the night. His eyes were red and his clothes wrinkled. As they embraced, she felt him leaning on her.
Pulling back, she asked, "What did you do? Get drunk?"
"What? No! I listened to Paul talk about Kim all night. Jesus, he thought he loved her." He scoffed. "They were too high to know what love is."
"Is he going to get clean?" She had no affection for Paul, but didn't want another family to go through what they had.
"Says he will. He'll need help. I promised I would."
Kenzie was glad Paul was stepping up, but at the same time felt dread. She didn't want to replace Kimmy with Paul. Kimmy drained the life out of her for years.
"You know it's not easy. I gave up a lot for her. She never thanked me." Instead, she told my biggest secret.
What would have happened if Kim hadn't blurted she was with Jett? Would she have continued to see him? Would she have chosen him over her father? Maybe Jett saw into a future she was too blind to see. Was he trying to save them the pain, they would have felt later on? He failed miserably.
"I know, but I love him." Score one for Brandon, because she stopped loving Kim long ago. "I'll have your support."
Kenzie felt sick. She thought she might hyperventilate. She couldn't deal with it again. She shook her head over and over.
"Oh baby, it's okay. It's too soon, I know. How was the rest of yesterday?"
"Okay." She couldn't elaborate.
"Crap! How did you get home?"
"Jett gave me a ride." She answered truthfully.
"Oh good. Nice car, I bet." He was always in awe of Jett. He wouldn't if he knew the truth. "Did you two get along?"
"We're friends. I'd say we are way past the pulling of my ponytail."
Brandon shook his head, as if he couldn't believe a god like Jett would ever do that. She wanted to tell him Jett was very human. It occurred to her she never really thought of Jett as famous other than being rich. She resented his wealth especially when he tried to use it to save Kimmy. She stripped her heart for Kimmy and he hardly dented his bank account.
Brandon asked, "Are you okay?"
"What's okay?" The man she loved cared more about her than she ever realized.
Brandon shrugged. "I need you. We need to keep an eye on Paul."
Kenzie felt something in her brain snap.
"His family's rich. Send him to rehab. I can't do this again. I won't. You can do what you need to do, but leave me out of it."
"But I need you. You're so good at it"
"Good at what? Giving up my life for a thankless bitch! If it weren't for Maisy, I would have been done with her six years ago when she ruined my life!"
"Your life isn't ruined. I know it's been hard, but we're in it together. That's what love is."
"I don't want to. I hate Paul. I always have. He's a jerk and has always treated me like crap."
"What? No way! He knows how I feel. You know that we're in love."
"No, we aren't."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I have never told you I love you."
"But you do."
"No, I was in love once and I can't imagine ever loving anyone else."
"How can you say that? Have you been pretending?"
"No, I like you a lot."
"But?" He had taken a step back. She was glad for the distance."
"But I just can't love you. I don't see us as happily ever after."
"Because you loved some other guy?"
"Yeah." She whispered.
"I can't stay here. You lied to me."
She upset him and felt bad, but never expected to cry. "I never lied. I liked you a lot, just not like him."
"So do you think this guy will come back to you?"
She shrugged. "Maybe... I don't know. I'm sorry."
Brandon turned and walked out the door. She didn't have to look, she knew he wouldn't wait for her to lock it.
She wished she hadn't hurt Brandon. She understood that feeling, but it would end. Had she been using him?
Jett came to her mind again. The day they drafted him she cried until she thought she'd die — death from crying. She had hoped maybe he wouldn't get picked. Of course, he was chosen in the second round. She kept thinking he was so happy and she was miserable. Maybe she was wrong.
