I walked through the sea of red-clad Angel fans, my stomach protruding like I was smuggling in a beach ball under my maternity top. Silently, I cursed Jack, wishing that I had been smart enough to time my pregnancy with an off-season due date. But then again, we hadn’t really planned it anyway.
Making my way into the players’ wives section, I smiled at my new companions and forced my growing body into the tiny green stadium seat. I looked down the aisle at Ashley, the ridiculously cute blonde wife of one of the veterans. She was the queen bee of the wives on this team, their Kymber, but minus the horrible attitude. Every team probably had their own Kymber, but I never wanted to be her. At least Ashley hadn’t treated me badly when I first arrived. I wasn’t sure if it was because Jack had already paid his dues in the organization, or if it was because we were married and I didn’t work, but I didn’t care. Whatever created less drama and stress in my everyday life was good enough for me.
“How are you feeling, Cassie?” Ashley smiled from behind her oversized sunglasses.
I rested my hands on top of my huge belly. “Like a whale,” I huffed out. This kid was heavy. My lower back hurt and my ankles were swollen. Not like I could see my ankles anymore, but I could feel them.
How come no one ever warned you that one day you’d look down for your feet and they’d be gone? One day out of the blue, my feet disappeared beneath the oversized growth in my stomach and I freaked out. No matter how hard I tried to see them, I couldn’t. It was scary to lose your feet. I decided right then and there that the next time someone I knew got pregnant, I would warn them, One day you’ll wake up and your feet will be gone. Do you need a pedicure? Are your feet dry? Who knows, because you can’t see them.
The freakiness of losing my feet was one thing, but losing the private part of me was another. That had disappeared earlier, but it was still traumatic. Jack laughed at me when I told him I had no idea what was going on down there. He promised to keep an eye on it for me. How comforting.
The sound of someone shuffling to the seat next to me stopped me from feeling sorry for myself. I turned to see a girl I didn’t recognize. The poor thing, she looked terrified.
“Hi,” she said softly, her long brown hair falling in front of her brown eyes as she directed her gaze toward the field in front of us.
“Hi. You must be new.” I hesitated, wondering if this girl was actually the girlfriend of someone on the team, or just a weekend fling. I’d seen enough girls come and go over the years that I finally understood why the other wives tended to keep their distance, but it still didn’t explain the outright nastiness once they knew the girl belonged to one of the players. There was no acceptable reason for that kind of behavior.
She nodded. “My boyfriend just got called up from the Salt Lake City team.”
“What position does he play?” I hoped he wasn’t a pitcher. Don’t ask me why, since I knew the team’s roster carried more pitchers than any other position on the team. I think it boiled down to my being scared for Jack. The whole thing with the Mets had scarred me. I’d learned the hard way how disposable and replaceable the players were once they no longer fit the team’s long-term goals.
“He’s a catcher,” she said, and I recognized the pride beaming in her eyes.
“How long have you guys been dating?” I asked. She looked so young. A lot younger than I knew I looked when Jack was called up.
“A few years. We’re high school sweethearts.” A breath escaped as she glanced down at my belly. “And you? Who’s your husband?”
“Oh, I’m Cassie,” I answered, extending my hand toward hers. She grabbed it for a firm shake. “Jack Carter’s my husband. And he did this to me.” I looked down at my monstrosity with chagrin as she giggled.
“I’m Shawna. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Cassie? Cassie!” Ashley’s voice interrupted our conversation and I turned my sunglass-covered face toward hers.
“Yeah?”
“Why don’t you come sit next to me,” she said coyly, patting the empty seat to her right.
“I’m okay, thanks,” I told her. “I probably won’t stay the whole game.” I’d stopped sitting for Jack’s entire games as soon as it got too uncomfortable to stay in those chairs for almost three hours. A few times I’d snuck downstairs into the tunnels, where it was cool, to wait for Jack. Even if the weather hadn’t warmed up entirely, this baby kept me plenty heated.
“Are you going to switch seats?” Shawna asked.
“Nah. I’m fine right here. A word of advice—don’t take it personally if the other wives don’t go out of their way to play nice at first. It’s just what they do until your boyfriend has paid his dues to the team.” I wanted to warn her that the other women wouldn’t be as kind as I was. And since she and her boyfriend had been together since they were kids, I feared she wouldn’t be strong enough to handle it.
She glanced past me at the rows of other women and shrugged. “I’ve dealt with worse. The girls that tried to come on to Bryce while he was playing in the minor leagues were disgusting. They were relentless and disrespectful. At least these women aren’t trying to take him away from me.”
I nodded in understanding. “Oh, Shawna, you have no idea. Remind me one day to tell you our story. But not now. I’m way too tired.”
She flashed a pretty smile at me. “I’ll hold you to that.”