Bender (The Core Four #1)(72)
“Ready to get your asses whooped?” Dodger stood up from the table and pulled out Macie’s chair.
I had been slightly shocked that their parents weren’t offended by some of the things that their boys talked about, but I realized that not a lot really bothered them.
Turner barked a boisterous laugh. “In your dreams Wild Thing.”
I leaned into Camden who was grinning from ear to ear. “Wild Thing?”
“Yeah, Dodger here, thinks that he has the best pitch in the family. Except he can’t get it over home plate for shit. He started calling himself Wild Thing after Charlie Sheen’s character in the movie, Major League. He even has some of those black frame glasses around here somewhere,” he replied.
“My pitch is awesome, you fuckers. Keegan, you can be on my team, that way you know what winning feels like.”
Camden shook his head. “She goes to bed with me every night, so I’m pretty sure she already knows what winning feels like.”
“Camden!” I scolded. Could he embarrass me any more today?
Paul chuckled when Camden shrugged. “No worries honey, we all know Cam’s all bark.”
Oh boy they had no idea there was certainly more than a bite that went along with his bark. He looked down at me, confirming that he was reading my mind. Winking at me, he got up as well. “We’ll divide the teams when we get to the field. Let’s go.”
I started picking up my plate to take it into the kitchen when Donna put her hand on my forearm and said, “Don’t worry about that, we always clean up after we play.”
I smiled at her and set it back down. Out in their garage were two golf carts and a couple bat bags sitting next to them. We all loaded up, Paul driving one cart, and Turner driving the other. Sarah sat on Dodger’s lap since there wasn’t enough room for all nine of us to ride over there. I was sure she was thrilled. We went about two blocks over and stopped at a baseball field that was well maintained but looked like it wasn’t used often.
Camden spoke into my ear. “My parents bought this acreage when I was a kid because they wanted a place that they could take us to practice and not worry about us slamming any balls into the neighbor’s windows. They made it into a baseball field and opened it up to anybody that wanted to come use it. We still come out here after every family dinner and play. It’s been our tradition for over fifteen years now.”
Unloading, we all stood near the fence that ran along the catcher’s position. “Alright time to choose teams.” Turner was taking charge. “I’ve got Mom, Dad, Keegan, and Macie. So Cam that leaves you with Wrigley, Dodger, and Sarah.”
“Sounds fair.” He nodded.
“Y’all can bat first. Macie, how’s your arm?”
“Honestly, I kind of suck at throwing balls.”
He smirked. “I’m sure you’re better playing with them.”
She laughed, but I heard Dodger growl. “Watch it asshole, or Wild Thing might peg you in the face with a fastball.”
“Alright, play nice boys, and Turner cut it out with the wisecracks,” Donna chided.
“Sorry Mom,” he said. “Okay since Macie can’t pitch, how about you Keegan, can you toss a ball? You don’t have to do anything crazy, just underhanded softball pitching.”
I had no idea whether I could or not, but I shrugged and said, “Sure, I can try.”
“Good girl,” he praised, which made me think about Camden saying the same thing to me in the bedroom. My face reddened, but thankfully nobody noticed. “Macie you go stand between second and third base. I’ll take the spot between first and second. Mom, you and Dad go in the outfield. Everyone good?”
We all nodded and went to our prospective positions. Everyone else was off to the side waiting for their turn to bat, while Sarah was up first. Dodger helped place her feet the correct way and put her hands on the bat where they should be. He nodded at me when she was ready. I stepped in a little closer to go easy on her. First toss, she swung and missed. We all clapped and told her to keep trying and to keep her eye on the ball. Her second swing she clipped the ball, but it was a strike. The next one I threw was way off its mark. She laughed at me, and it warmed me that she was having such a good time. Dodger stayed close to her and was coaching her when to swing. My fourth pitch, she swung and hit the ball. It went rolling on the ground, and Macie took off after it. Sarah ran to first base, and we all slowed down to let her get to the base. Dodger whooped and cheered for her. I didn’t think I’d ever seen a bigger smile on her face. Next up was Wrigley. He wound his arm around while holding the bat, warming up his arm.
“Don’t worry pretty girl, I won’t hit it too hard,” he taunted.
“I’m sure you don’t,” I dished. I heard Donna laughing in the outfield, and I saw Camden shaking his head.
“Just hit the fucking ball asshole,” Camden yelled.
I tossed my first pitch, and he swung and missed. Granted it wasn’t the best throw, but I think Wrigley had planned on swinging at everything I threw his way. The second ball, he hit, and it went sailing past my head and out toward Turner. Sarah took off running at Dodger’s command, and she made it to third base before she stopped. Wrigley made it to first base, and he looked all too pleased with himself.
Camden was up next. When he walked up to the plate, his baseball cap shadowed his eyes, and I took my time to shake my shoulders out. When he brought his face up, and our eyes connected, I swallowed hard. Holy shit… keep it together Keegan, he’s trying to intimidate you. He nodded at me, letting me know that he was ready. Why did I love his serious face so much? I brought my arm back and underhanded the first pitch. It went wide, and Camden let his bat fall to his side as he went to get the ball. Tossing it back to me he smirked. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. Fine, two can play at this game. Everyone else was chanting, “Here batter, batter,” over and over, not paying attention to the tension that Camden and I had going on between the two of us. I kicked my feet back and forth on the dirt and held the ball up to my face. I licked my lips, knowing that he could see it, and gave my hips a little wiggle. His eyes narrowed at the movement. Throwing the second ball, he swung and missed.