Free Spring Training by Stacey Lynn Rhodes

a bit surprised by the romantic gesture. But that didn’t stop her from immediately placing her hand in his as she stepped over the last bit of growth onto the asphalt. He twined his fingers with hers and they began to walk side by side along the river.
    At the pace they were going, this didn’t have any pretense of being exercise, and it had been ages since she’d just strolled with someone, especially a man. She was used to being in high gear, so it was a novel experience soaking in the stillness of the impending evening while the water moved along beside them. The sound of birds and the distant hum of cars on a road a ways off were the only things breaking the quiet, and they didn’t detract from it.
    It was nice.
    Teri began to consider that she’d missed out on some things in life without even being aware of them. She wouldn’t change her circumstance for the world, because that would mean wishing away her two boys, who she loved more than anything, but it was true that it had been an unconventional young adulthood for her. She was used to being in charge…and being alone.
    “Penny for them?” Aaron asked. “Or are you just enjoying the walk, I hope?” He accompanied his question with a squeeze of her hand.
    “Nothing important. Just thinking about whether I’ve ever just gone for a walk like this before,” Teri admitted.
    Aaron looked down at her in surprise. “Well, if you haven’t, I’m doubly glad I suggested it then.”
    “Me too. Sometimes you don’t realize you’re missing something until something big shakes up your routine.”
    “Like having your extremely talented son get his shot at the pros?”
    “Yep.” Teri couldn’t keep the proud smile from her face. “Kind of crazy how quickly it all happened.”
    “It’s lucky that you have a flexible job.”
    Teri smiled wryly. “No luck about it. I put in my time over the years for exactly that reason—so that now I have freedom and I’m not locked in by having to punch a clock.”
    They walked a bit farther and came to a place on the walkway where they had an unobstructed view of the river. Aaron brought them to a stop and slid his arm around her shoulders as they watched the water go by. A few ducks were floating along, occasionally ducking under with their tails up the air, making Teri smile.
    After they resumed their progress, Aaron asked her, “What do you like to do for fun?”
    She raised her eyebrow. “Besides watch baseball? What else is there?”
    They both laughed.
    “I work, work out and watch sports. That’s pretty much it,” she admitted. “I should probably get a life.”
    “Hey, that’s more than a lot of people do,” Aaron protested. “Any other favorite sports…besides the obvious?”
    “I do play tennis and golf sometimes wi—” Teri stopped speaking as Aaron’s phone began to ring with a twangy country song.
     
    Crap . Aaron let go of her hand as he fumbled in his pocket for it. “Sorry.”
    “It’s okay—go ahead and answer it.”
    Aaron finally managed to retrieve the phone and hit answer. “ Thanks ” he mouthed to her before answering aloud, “Hey, man, what’s up?”
    “Holy fucking crap it’s a girl what the fuck am I gonna do man?” All of the words came tumbling out in a rush, and the high pitch to Deke’s voice perfectly illustrated his panic. In fact, if he hadn’t known it was his friend from the ringtone, he wouldn’t have recognized his voice.
    “Congrats, Deke.”
    “No penis!”
    He burst out laughing, unable to respond to that right away.
    “I’m serious. What the hell? I dunno why, but I really thought it was gonna be a boy.”
    Teri must have been able to hear Deke’s end of the conversation because she offered, “Tell him that sometimes they like to hide their boy parts. Only way to tell for sure is a chromosome test.”
    Aaron dutifully repeated her words to Deke.
    “Naw. Julia ain’t goin’ for that. You know what they have to do for that? Stick a big ole