Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 185

We’re Not Fixing Him
Victoria’s POV
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I bit my bottom lip hard to keep it from trembling, my hand gripping the wooden railing so tightly my fingers went numb.
Slowly, I pulled the phone away from my ear, taking a long, shaky breath through my nose until my chest stopped shuddering, before pulling the receiver back to my mouth.
I forced a tiny, breathless laugh.
“Mom, seriously. I’m okay. I’m just tired.”
“Tired?” she repeated, sounding skeptical. “You’re on a summer getaway with your friends.”
“Which is exactly why I’m exhausted,” I countered smoothly, leaning my head back against the wall. “You know how these guys are. Every single hour is packed with some intense activity-swimming, hiking, outdoor cooking. We haven’t had a single quiet minute until today.”
A quiet beat passed before my mother let out a soft sigh.
“I don’t completely buy that, Tori, but I’ll let it go for now. When are you guys heading back?*
“Monday morning,” I replied. “Just a couple of days left.”
“Good. I can’t wait to have you back home,” she beamed warmth creeping back into her tone. “And Elijah too, of course. You know, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to host the rest of your friends again before the summer ends. I really enjoyed having everyone over last time.”
A faint, genuine smile touched my lips at that. “I know, Mom. I’ll ask them if they can make time for a sleepover and a big dinner before everyone gets busy with the draft. We’re not college kids anymore. Everybody’s starting to get real lives now.”
“I know, baby,” she murmured softly. “Get some rest today, alright? Call me tomorrow.”
“I will. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
I hung up the phone, letting out a long breath as I stared down at the blank screen.
I still hadn’t told my parents or my sister, Willow, about the pregnancy. I wanted to do it in person when I got back home, where we could sit down together without the interference of phone lines and long distances.
I just hoped they would take the news with grace and joy rather than panic.
The glass door to the balcony clicked open behind me.
I turned around to find Nova stepping out onto the deck. She had a soft, hesitant expression on her face, holding two chilled bottles of fruit juice in her hands.
“Hey,” Nova said quietly, gesturing toward the railing. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.” I stepped aside to give her room. “Come in.”
Nova pulled the glass sliding door shut behind her and walked over, leaning her elbows against the railing alongside me. She handed one of the cold glass bottles toward me.
“Thought you might want something cold. Found them in the back of the fridge.”
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Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains
“Thanks,” I said, taking the bottle and twisting the cap off
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stood side by side in silence for a few long moments, watching the sunlight bounce off the rippling surface of the lake below
The silence between us wasn’t awkward-it was the quiet, shared understanding of two people who had spent way too long dealing with the same chaotic variable.
Nova took a sip of her juice, letting out a dry chuckle that made me look over at her.
“You know,” Nova murmured, staring out at the trees, “if someone had told me six months ago that you and I would be standing on a balcony sharing juice while Ashfield sits downstairs with a swollen face, I would have called them crazy.”
A small laugh bubbled up in my throat before I could stop it.
“Honestly? Same here.”
Nova shook her head, a faint, rueful smile touching her lips.
“It’s absurd, isn’t it? The sheer amount of energy we both wasted on a guy who was too wrapped up in his own head to actually value either of us.”
“It really is, I admitted, taking a sip of my drink. “I spent fifteen years convincing myself that if I just stayed quiet enough. loyal enough, and supportive enough, he’d magically wake up one day and realize I was what he wanted.”
“And I spent months playing the devoted caretaker, Nova added, rolling her eyes at herself with a light scoff.
“Holding his hand through every single mood swing, convincing myself that being his anchor meant something deep. Meanwhile, he was just using both of us as emotional safety nets so he wouldn’t have to face his own mess.”
“Ay least you didn’t spend your entire childhood doing it, I teased softly, nudging her shoulder with mine.
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“Hey, don’t competitive-pity yourself,” Nova laughed, pushing me back lightly. “A waste of time is a waste of time whether it’s fifteen years or two months. The point is, we’re both out of the delusion now.”
I looked over at her, noticing how relaxed her posture was despite everything that had happened in the hallway last night
“How are you holding up? Truly?”
Nova took a slow breath, leaning her back against the wooden rail and looking up at the clear blue sky
“Frankly I feel strangely light. Like when he brought Lexi back and everything blew up, I thought I’d be devastated forever. But watching him crumble last night, hearing him ramble about how confused he is I just realized I don’t want to spend my life trying to fix a broken house that doesn’t even want a foundation
She turned her head to look at me, her eyes clear and honest “And what about you?”
“I’m angry about the years he took for granted,” I said quietly, feeling the truth of the words as I spoke them
“It hurts knowing someone you loved as a best friend could be so careless with your heart But I don’t want him back. Nova I haven’t wanted him in that way for a long time. I have Elijah now, and he’s he’s everything Caleb never could be
“Elijah’s a good one,” Nova agreed, nodding softly “The way he stepped up for you last night man, Leo almost had to tackle him to keep him from taking the roof down.”
I smiled faintly, warmth spreading through my chest at the thought of Elijah.
“Yeah. He gets a little overprotective.”
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15:43 Wed, Aug 26 ·
Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains
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“A little?” Nova snorted, taking another sip of her juice Tori, the guy looked like a lethal weapon in a cotton pyjamas. But hey, it’s nice seeing a man actually stand up for the girl he loves without hesitating.”
We both fell quiet again, but the heavy, dark atmosphere from breakfast had completely lifted.
The shared misery had transformed into something comfortable, lived-in, and surprisingly freeing.
“So.” Nova said, shifting her stance as she deliberately steered the conversation away from Caleb entirely.
“Are you guys doing any shopping before we head back to the city? Because if I have to spend another forty-eight hours staring at pine trees, I might actually lose my mind.”
“Adele mentioned something about a local market down in the town square,” I replied, glad for the shift in topic.
“Supposedly they have amazing hand-carved home decor and local baked goods.”
“Count me in,” Nova said instantly, raising her glass bottle in a tiny toast. “Anything that involves sugary pastries and staying away from the living room couch is a win in my book.”
I clinked my bottle gently against hers, letting out a soft, genuine laugh as the morning sun warmed the balcony around us)
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15:43 Wed, Aug 26 ·
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Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captams