Cassie’s eyes lit up, but she held back a smile as she asked cautiously, “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I told you at the beginning of the year that I thought it would be my last. I went into this season thinking that and I’ve mentally said my good-byes to everything and everyone. I’m ready to leave,” I said, and was happy to realize that I really meant it.

“Jack, if you’re ready to leave, then I can’t wait to have you home.” She smiled as the tears welled in her eyes.

Sighing with contentment, I pulled her closer and buried my face in her hair, inhaling the fragrance of her shampoo. The feel of her body pressed against mine not only aroused me, but comforted me as well. This girl was my life. I was holding my life in my arms and as long as I had her, I knew I’d be okay without baseball.

“I can’t wait to be home, Kitten,” I said into her hair. “I’ve missed so much. I don’t want to miss any more. And the nastiness of the business, it’s just not worth it.”

Cassie knew what I meant. The business side of the baseball industry had the potential of souring your entire experience if you allowed it to. I wanted to leave on my terms, before I not only hated myself, but the sport as well.

“You’re sure? One hundred percent certain this is what you want?” She tilted her head back and looked me in the eyes.

“Without a doubt. And you know what the best part is?” I asked, and watched as her long blonde hair swayed as she shook her head. “I feel relieved.”

“Then you know it’s right.” Her smile grew as she pushed her lips to mine and pulled me hard against her. When she broke the kiss she asked, “Does Dean know? Or Marc and Ryan? Do they know?”

“Not yet. They’ve been fielding offers from other teams lately since my contract’s up. There’s been some pretty great offers, but I haven’t even considered them.”

“Daddy, I’m ready!” Chance shouted from the top of the stairs.

“Be right up. Give me two seconds,” I shouted back and watched as he kicked at the railing. “Don’t kick the railing please, buddy.” He stopped and dropped to his butt, his legs folded Indian-style as he waited for me.

“You should probably tell Dean in person,” Cassie suggested. “Want me to invite them over for dinner? Coby loves swimming in the pool.”

“Actually, that sounds great. Can we invite Gran and Gramps too?”

“Of course. I’ll call everyone. You go swim with your boy.”

Giving her a quick kiss, I bolted upstairs to change.

Cassie handled everything while I swam in our saltwater pool with Chance. He splashed and kicked, but mostly he wanted me to throw him around. Playing in the pool with this kid was almost a better workout than the gym. My shoulders ached by the time Dean and Melissa arrived and my little nephew jumped in the water, begging for me to throw him too.

“Frow me, Unckie Jack. Frow me!” Coby screamed out in excitement, his cheeks turning bright red.

I grabbed him and tossed him into the air as he squealed. His little face popped right back out of the water as soon as he entered it. “That vest thing you’re wearing is pretty cool,” I said to Coby, impressed with the floatation devices kids these days had to wear.

“That’s for little kids. I’m wearing big kid floats,” Chance informed me as he touched one of the inflatable bands he wore around his arms.

My brother, Dean, appeared out of nowhere and dove straight in, splashing everyone in the pool. He swam over to where the three of us were and gave me a nod.

“Are kids always this competitive?” I asked him after I tossed our kids into the water again.

“I don’t know about all kids, but ours sure are.”

“We weren’t like that,” I insisted as I tried to remember being that way with Dean growing up.

He laughed. “No, what you mean to say is I wasn’t like that. You were definitely like that.”

“Was not.”

“Was too.”

“We’ll ask Gran then.”

“Ask me what?” Gran’s voice caught our attention and I hopped out of the pool before drenching her in a wet hug. “Jack! Stop it.”

“Gran’s all wet!” Chance shouted. “Daddy, you got Gran all wet. I wanna get Gran all wet.” He clambered out of the pool and ran into Gran’s legs, soaking her pants.

“Chance, no running!” Cassie called out from the open window.

“Sorry, Mommy!” Chance yelled as he ran/walked back to the pool and jumped in.

Gran eyed me like she was going to kill me and I played innocent. “I can’t help it that all the boys love you. You should really blame yourself.”

“Nice try.” She waved a finger at me. “Now, what were you boys talking about?”

“Gran, Jack seems to think that we weren’t competitive growing up,” Dean said in a mockingly shocked tone as Gran giggled.

“Obviously Jack has a selective memory. Honey, you were extremely competitive with Dean. But he wasn’t competitive back. He just wanted to be like you.”

“Told you.” Dean splashed me before diving under the water.

“Uncle Dean, throw me!”

“Frow me too, Daddy!”

“Me first, Uncle Dean!”

I watched as Dean tossed our kids into the air one at a time before they splashed into the water below. Their excited squeals filled the air and I wondered if there were any greater sound than the sound of your family laughing together.

“You’ve built a beautiful life for yourself, Jack,” Gran said softly. “I couldn’t be more proud.” My grandmother leaned against me and slipped her arm around my waist.

“Thanks, Gran. I wouldn’t be half the man I am today without you and Gramps. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. And for Cassie. I don’t know where’d we be right now if it wasn’t for you two.”

She wiped at her eye. “Oh, stop. You’d be exactly where you are right now. It just might have taken you both a little bit longer to get there.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely. You two were made for each other. You would have found your way there eventually. You’re like magnets, each one pulling at the other until you connect, unable to pull apart.”

“What about that knucklehead and his wife?” I pointed at Dean and she whistled.

“I’m not sure those two would have ever got their stuff together if Cassie didn’t drag the tiny one over to our house that night. We’d probably still be waiting for them to work it out.”

I had to agree. “So you’re to blame,” I teased and gave her a slight nudge.

Cassie and Melissa walked into the backyard side by side, whispering and laughing about who knows what. Gramps followed close behind, his eyes searching for Gran. He walked over and staked his claim.

“Get off my woman, young man.”

“Now I know where I get it from,” I said with a chuckle.

“Get what?” he said innocently.

“The desire to piss all over my property,” I informed him with half a grin.

“I do not want to piss all over your grandmother, Jack,” he started to say before Gran cut him off.

“A woman can only take so much. If either of you need me, I’ll be with the outnumbered gender in the kitchen, where we belong.” She sauntered over toward the girls.

“Kitten, did you hear that? Get your ass in the kitchen where you belong!” I hollered and she scowled at me.

“Bad word!” echoed from the two tiny mouths in the pool.

“I’m sorry,” I shouted at them before jumping back in.

The ladies didn’t disappear for long before they were all demanding we leave the pool and come get ready for dinner. They promised that we could swim after dinner, but we needed to eat first.

Our dining room table was set for eight and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this relaxed and genuinely happy. Cassie set down separate bowls filled with pasta and spaghetti in the center of the table, before asking everyone what they wanted to drink. Melissa added a basket filled with garlic bread to the mix, and Gran followed carrying a huge salad.

I loved these women. Even Fun-Size.

Cassie steered Chance toward one of the middle seats and pulled back the other middle seat across the table for Coby. Coby sat in some sort of booster chair thing, while Chance grabbed a stack of books from his room. I laughed as he carried them down, stacked them neatly on top of his chair, and then couldn’t get up.

“Help me please,” he asked in his raspy little voice.

I lifted him up and placed him firmly on the mountain of books. “He won’t fall?” I asked no one in particular.

“He might,” Cassie answered.

“I’m not gonna fall,” Chance insisted as I scooted his chair closer to the table.

Gran and Gramps sat at the head of the table while my son sat between my wife and me. I was forced to stare at my brother’s ugly mug throughout the whole meal.

“It was really nice of you to have us all here for dinner,” Gran said in our direction. “Thank you for inviting us.”

“Yeah. I love coming here for meals. Especially if Gran’s cooking,” Melissa added, taking a huge bite of bread.

Cassie leaned forward to give me an encouraging look, and I nodded.

“Well,” I began, “we wanted you all here because I have some news. And I wanted to share it with everyone at the same time.”

All eyes focused on me as the room went silent. Even the boys stopped fidgeting for a second. “I’ve officially decided that this will be my last season playing baseball.”

Suddenly, several voices all rang out at once, each trying to talk over the other. Cassie raised her arms in the air to quiet them down. “Let him finish.”

I looked around and scrunched my face before clarifying, “I was finished.”

Dean’s fork clanged against his plate. “But what about all the offers? You won’t even consider them?” He suddenly turned from a brother to an agent.

“It’s not about the offers,” I said, then my tone turned firm. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“But these are major league, starting rotation offers, Jack. Really solid contracts.”

“I don’t care, Dean.”

Melissa reached over Coby and settled her hand on top of Dean’s arm. It seemed to bring him back to reality and remind him who he was; my brother, not my agent.

“Why now?” Gramps asked, and I felt it was a fair question.

“Honestly? Because I think if I spend any more time playing, I’ll lose it. I’ll lose it all. The love I have for the game. The respect I have for the office that runs it. I’m tired of all the bullshit that goes on behind the scenes.”

“Bad word, Daddy!” Chance yelled.

Coby giggled. “Bad word, Unckie Jack!”

“Sorry, guys.” I really needed to watch my language around the boys. This was going to be an adjustment.

Shaking off my mental list of things to do once I retired from ball, I continued. “But I’m mostly tired of not being around. These past five years have been the hardest ones for me. I might be a success on the baseball field, but I’ve felt like a failure at home.”