Until There Was You(112)

“Come on, Posey!” called Nicole.

“You can do it, sweetheart!” said her mother.

“Swing away, Merrill!” yelled Jon and Kate.

Posey settled into her stance. Bat up, knees bent, back foot planted, just as Liam had shown her, same as she’d been doing for the past four years. The handsome yet evil Derek Jeter had what—three thousand hits? More? Surely she could get just one. She took a practice swing, tapped her cleats, and got ready, staring at José, who gave her the full power of his third-cousin stare, then brought his glove up to his face. The wind-up. The pitch.

She swung, and something went wrong, because her arms reverberated and the bat was heavier than normal, there was a loud thwack, and a roar, and Stubby’s entire team turned away from her.

To watch the ball fly over the outfield fence.

Her mouth hung open, the bat dangling from her buzzing hands.

“Posey, run!” Jon shouted as he came down the third-base line.

And so she did, trotting in a daze to first base…and then second, where Emily Rudeker slapped her butt, and then to third, and her team was cheering and jumping up and down as she came home.

A home run. Her first hit, ever, was a three-run homer.

She was slapped and pounded and generally roughed up as her teammates whooped and hollered. In the stands, her fan club, as well as Nicole, were on their feet, Stacia crying, Henry grinning and accepting high fives (not that he’d been actually watching, Posey guessed), her father jumping up and down, the camera still in his hand. She grinned up at them, realized she was laughing. Amid the cheers of her teammates, she walked—floated, really—back to the dugout and sat down, dazed and utterly thrilled.

“Well, well, well,” Kate said, clobbering her on the back. “I expect to see that on SportsCenter tonight. That was one amazing hit, pal.”

Looking across the diamond, she saw Liam. He hadn’t changed position, but his eyes were on her, and there it was again, that locked-in feeling. Then he started clapping, quietly, and smiled. That was it, but warmth flooded Posey’s chest as if he’d just presented her with a dozen red roses.

She tipped her baseball cap and smiled back.

The next batter grounded out, and the game was over, Stubby’s 14, Guten Tag 4. Even so, the moral victory was clear, and Stubby’s agreed to buy the first round.

When Posey had been congratulated yet again, when her parents had hugged her and Max had taken several dozen pictures, when most of the people had trickled off, Posey saw Liam and Nicole walking off the field, heading in the direction of their apartment.

“I’ll see you guys at Rosebud’s,” she told her gang, then broke into a run and caught up with Liam.

“Hey, Posey, that was an amazing hit!” Nicole exclaimed, scooping her hair off her neck in a gesture Posey remembered Emma doing.

“Thanks, Nicole,” Posey said. She glanced at Liam, whose eyes were on his daughter.

“Your dad said it was, like, your first hit ever,” Nicole said.

“Sad but true. Hey, do you mind if I have a quick word with your father?”

“Sure! Dad, I’ll catch you at home.” She gave Posey a wave and walked away, all lithe grace and beauty.

Posey watched her go. Abruptly, her heart began slamming against her chest.

“That was a great hit,” Liam said, his eyes glancing off her.

“Whatever,” Posey blurted. Suddenly, looking at Liam was hard. A car passed, and down the street, a mother pushed a pink-clad baby in a stroller, a Golden Retriever walking like a guard at their side.

She took a shaky breath and looked into those green, clear eyes. “Okay, look. I understand you have a daughter, Liam, and she’ll always come first, and it shouldn’t be any other way.” She bit her lip and shoved her hands in her pockets. “When you broke up with me, I said I didn’t need much. But I do. I love you, Liam. I loved you when I was a kid, and I love you now.”

“Posey—”

“No!” she blurted. “It’s Cordelia. You always called me Cordelia.”

“Okay. Cordelia, I just don’t think—”

Posey’s hands flew up to stop his words. “I’d wait as long as you needed, as long as Nicole needed. But I know you feel something for me, and I love you, and I’ve never felt this way about anyone, ever. I want to be with you. I want you to pick me. I know Emma will always be your first love, and that’s fine. But don’t just…don’t just let me go.”

He folded his arms across his chest and looked at the sidewalk. Posey swallowed. Her hands were shaking. “You won’t be sorry, Liam. I’m worth it.”

“I know that,” he said in a harsh whisper. “I do. But I’m not…capable of… Damn it, I have no idea how to say this. But you have this version of me in your head…and it’s just not true.”

“Yes, it is!” He flinched at the force of her words. But once she’d said them, a feeling of calm settled around her. Her heart slowed, her hands stopped shaking, and she reached out and put her hand over his heart, feeling the steady thump. “Liam,” she said softly, “I bet I know you better than anybody. And I love you. There’s no one—no one—I’d rather be with.”

He looked at the ground, and she knew it was over. “I’m sorry, Posey. I really am.”