Just a Little Faith (21 page)

 

Happy
that
Pax could spend Christmas with her family
,
Seb's heart ached with loneliness. Being with Rangy on Christmas Day helped
some
, b
ut e
ven
his
friend's attempts at cheering him up didn't work. Seb missed his girls
,
and he missed Pax. He realized this only foreshadow
ed
the
weeks
ahead when he would be in Florida for Spring Training
, and the days he would be without her presence.

He and Rangy went to the batting cages a few times and out to dinner every night, but
he couldn't shake
not having Pax beside him at the table.

“You might not want admit it Seb, but you're in love with Pax.”

Startled by the comment, Seb dropped his fork, the clattering noise causing the diners at the
next
table to
stare.
“What? Why would you say something like that
,
Rangy?”

“Because
I'm
no fool. I know part of the reason
you're
down is because it's your first Christmas without your girls
,
and I get that. The first holiday without my
momma
, I sat in my apartment and didn't move from my chair for over twenty-four hours. But you got something else going on. You miss Pax
,
too.”

“Of course I do. We spend a lot of time together
.
I'm bound to miss her.”

“You're trying to ignore it man, but it's more than that. You need to figure out what you're going to do about it. Because if I know her like I think I
do
,
just loving her isn't going to be enough. She's going to want a commitment from you and not just on a relationship with her. She's going to need a commitment on a lot of things.”

Seb stare
d
out
the
restaurant
window
into the night
.
Rangy was right
, but
Seb knew he couldn't fully
give Pax everything she wanted. She want
ed him
to believe in her God.
A commitment he wouldn't give.

****

“H
i Pax.
”

“Hey
,
Bash. How are you? Did you do something with Rangy today?”

“Yes. We hit the cages again and grabbed something to eat.”

He left it at that
. The
sadness in his voice reached across the phone line and tugged at
her heart
.
She curled up on the bed in her old bedroom at her parent
s
' house, the pillow cushioning her head.
“Everyone says hello. I've eaten more than I should
,
so I guess I'll be hitting the treadmill with you when I get back.”

“I'll be waiting. I'll get you whipped back into shape in no time. Did you have a good day?”

“
Yes
. Rachel and her family are leaving in the morning so I guess things are winding down.”

“I know you enjoyed seeing all of them again.”

“I did.” Something in his voice worried her. “Bash, are you okay? You seem more quiet than usual.”

“I'm fine Pax. I've just got a lot on my mind I guess. I better go
.
You
need to get back to your family. I…miss you.”

With a soft click, the call ended.
Pax laid the phone on the bedside table and turned over on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “If only he could see what he's missing. And I don't just mean me.”

****

Seb awoke the next day to sunshine f
illing his den.
Bleary
-eyed, h
e looked
around
.
H
e'd
fallen asleep in his recliner,
phone still in his hand.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he
looked
across
the
room at the clock on the wall
.
Mid-
afternoon
!
H
e'd
slept the day away.

His stomach growled.
As
Seb
was p
add
ing
into the kitchen to rustle up something to eat
,
the doorbell ra
ng.
Rangy wouldn't just show up here, at least not in the middle of the afternoon.
Not without calling first.
He walked to the front door and
squinted
through
the peephole,
then
th
rew
open the door.

“Pax! What are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be home for two days!”

“I know Bash, but after our phone conversation last night, I didn't want to wait any longer. My parents understood
,
and I found an early morning flight. I hope it's okay
.
”

“Okay
?
It's more than okay. C'mere.” Pulling her into his arms, he
crushed a kiss to her lips
.
“I missed you so much.”

“I missed you
,
too. Besides, what girl couldn't use a few extra days to unpack and repack for our trip out West
after
New Year
'
s
?”

He laughed. She al
ways knew how to make him smile
,
but then it struck him. In all their weeks together, this made her first visit to his home. They'd always been at her place or out
somewhere else
. “I feel terrible! I realize you've never been here before. I'm sorry. Come in, and let me show you around.”

“I know. When the driver asked me where I wanted to go, I realized going home didn't make sense
,
and gave him your address. Forgive me for showing up unannounced.”

“Like I said,
I'm
so glad you did
.
Follow me
,
and I'll give you the grand tour.”

Taking her hand, he led her through his home, stopping periodically to explain certain photos on the walls and pieces of furniture he'd picked up in different places. Upon reaching his den, Pax paused in front of a glass case encasing more mementos from his career. “I didn't realize you'd have more of these. The case in California seemed stuffed by itself.”

He laughed. “If there is one thing baseball players do
,
i
t'
s collect things. I'm just lucky to have some really nice items
to display
. Anything in particular you have a question about?”

“
Well,
I have always been curious to
see
one of those gold gloves in person. Is it as heavy as it looks?”

Opening the case, Seb reached around to pull the
rather large
trophy off the shelf. “Here, see for yourself.”

“Oh Seb what if I drop it
?”

“You won't. Here
,
take it.”
H
e stuck the trophy out in her direction.

Accepting it, her face grimaced at the weight. “This thing is not exactly light.” She read the
inscription
.
“'
The finest in the field.' How did they know I ha
ve
the exact same thought
when I see you
?”

“Ha
ha
! I think their meaning and yours might be a little different.” Taking it from her, he replaced the trophy back in the empty space on the shelf.

“Maybe so, but I think my interpretation is the most important.”

Pulling her towards him, he pressed his lips to her temple. “No doubt about that
sweetheart
. No doubt about that.”

 

Seb
fulfilled his Christmas present to Pax by taking her
to Arizona for the National Championship game
after the
New Year
. Seeing
her beloved university
bring another crystal trophy home
sent Pax into hysterics
.
Sebastian shook his head in amusement watching her
scream with joy
at the celebration on the field.

The next day at the hotel in downtown Phoenix, Pax continued to chatter about the play which broke the game wide open. “Can you believe it Bash? I thought all hope was lost until we intercepted the pass and ran it in for a touchdown!
I just knew
my heart would burst out of…”

Her voice trailed off
when she
stopped
dead
in the middle of the lobby.

“Pax? Are you okay?”

“Just a second. I think I see someone over there I recognize.”

Pax leaned around his should
er
,
staring
at someone
near the
front desk. “Huh. I think it is him. Come on.”

Unsure of who
m
,
exactly
,
Pax saw, Seb followed after her, curious
at her behavior.

Pax hesitated, before tapping the man on the shoulder. “Excuse me… Jake?”

Turning around, the man's face lit up in surprise. “Pax!
” He snatched her into a bear hug. “
What in the world are you doing here?”

Pulling back, Pax's smile widened.
“I could ask you the same question!”

“I
have a conference at this hotel
.
Today's session ended a few minutes ago.
Crazy timing with the ball game and all. And you?”

“We're
actually
her
e for the game. Did you go
?”

The man chuckled. “I would have
,
but you know
how
my work can get sometimes.”

“Yeah
,
I remember.”

Seb stood off to the side, not wanting to intrude on this…reunion of sorts.

“Forgive my manners! Jake
,
let me introduce my friend. Seb Quinn, this is Jake Temple.”

Seb stuck out his hand toward Jake. “Good to meet you. I didn't know Pax knew anyone out here. She didn't mention it.”

“Nice to meet you too. Pax and I, well, we kinda lost touch a few years ago. I guess fate saw fit to bring us together
today
.” Seb didn't miss the look
of longing
Pax
gave
Jake
at his comment.
When Jake's eyes connected with Pax, a
feeling of uneasiness came over
Seb
.
“Yeah. I guess so.”

Breaking the stare, Jake glanced at Seb.
“Forgive me,
you may get this a lot, but are you…
?”

Putting her arm around Seb, Pax explained. “Seb
is the centerfielder
for the Cardinals. I know you've seen him play a few times.”

“Of course! Pax
would be the first to tell you
I'm
a big baseball fan. It's an honor to meet you for sure.”

Dropping her arm from Seb's shoulder, Pax grabbed Jake
's hand
. “
Can you
join us for dinner so we can catch up
?
The hotel isn't too far from your place is it
?”

“
No, not at all
.
How
‘bout I meet you back
here in a couple
of hours
? We can eat in the hotel restaurant if you like.
It's very good, I can attest to that.
”

“I think that sounds great. Bash, is
it
okay with you?”

For a reason he couldn't explain, Seb wanted to tell her no
, b
ut he knew it would only upset her. “Sure Pax, whatever you want.”

“
Okay then,
we'll be here. See you then
,
Jake.”

“See you Pax. Good to meet you
,
Seb.”

“Yeah. Likewise.”
Watching them hug again, a
strange feeling of uneasiness wrapped around
Seb
's heart, leaving him feeling cold
.
Who
i
s this Jake
,
and what d
oes
he mean to Pax?