With draft day for the major league right around the corner, our household had been far more tense than usual. Hell, our household wasn’t normally ever tense, to be honest.

We all seemed to walk on eggshells around Jack, worried about the level of pressure he must be under. His two agents, who couldn’t officially be his agents until he got drafted, called him almost daily with updates about the things they heard about him—what team was interested, what they were might offer, that sort of thing. Every phone call he got either gave him new information or contradicted what he’d been told the day before.

I knew they were only trying to keep Jack in the loop, but it seemed frustrating as hell on his end. But if he felt anything other than excitement and anticipation, he hid it well.

Gran and Gramps had been extra attentive toward him, following him around the house, asking if he needed anything. He endured their smothering in silence until he finally snapped one afternoon.

“I love you both, but you’re driving me fucking nuts right now. Just be normal!”

“Jack! Language!” was all Gran said before turning to finish cleaning the sink.

“Dean, come with me,” Jack called out as he grabbed his keys from the key organizer and pushed open the front door.

I ran to catch up to him. “Where are we going?”

“Shopping,” he shot back before hopping in his truck. He pulled out his phone, typed an address into a GPS app, and allowed it to guide us. “Do me a favor and call Melissa.”

I shot him a questioning look. “Why?”

“Just do it, damn it. I can’t talk while I’m driving. Just call her for me, please.”

Without asking again, I dialed her number.

“Hi!” she answered, her voice chipper.

“Hey. Jack asked me to call you, so . . .” I glanced at my brother, waiting for some direction.

“Ask her what kind of camera Cassie had,” he said, and understanding hit me.

“He wants to know what kind of camera Cassie had. Do you know?”

“Oh, hold on,” she said before I heard a door slam. “Sorry, she’s here in the apartment. Yeah, she had a Canon Rebel something or other.”

I laughed. “That’s helpful.”

“It is helpful. You’ll see when you get to the camera store.”

“Okay, I think that’s it.” I turned toward Jack, who stared straight ahead as he gave me a nod. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“‘Bye, Dean.”

Jack pulled into the shopping center parking lot we’d been directed to and stopped for a moment to look around. Once he spotted the store he was looking for, he made a beeline toward a parking space in front of it. I hadn’t realized that specialty camera stores even existed anymore. It seemed like everyone bought their digital cameras from megastores or online.

He hopped out of the truck without saying anything, and I knew better than to stay put. Jack was on a mission, and I was his partner in crime. I walked inside the overly air-conditioned store and was amazed at all the camera equipment that surrounded me. There were cameras of all types, tripods, cases, and lenses of all sizes. A store like this was probably something Cassie dreamed about nightly.

“How can I help you gentlemen today?” An older man stood behind the counter, his pants held up by striped suspenders.

“I need to get a camera for my girlfriend. Hers got stolen.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” the man said.

“Yeah, well, she had a . . .” He paused.

When Jack looked at me for help, I said, “Canon Rebel?”

The man stood up a little straighter, his eyes lighting up with recognition. “We have that in the newest model if you’d like to see,” he said with a smile, but Jack shook his head.

“No. What’s the next best thing? If you wanted to be a professional photographer and you were really, really good at it. What kind of camera would you want that would be good enough for now and for your future?”

Jack had clearly thought this out, and I was impressed. Cassie was going to blow a gasket.

“Most people upgrade from the Rebel to the Mark III. It’s a significantly better camera that gives you more options.”

“Perfect. I’ll take it.”

“Do you need just the body, or would you like a kit?” he asked Jack, and I stood there staring at him like he’d just spoken a foreign language.

“What’s the difference?” Jack asked, unfazed.

The man chuckled. “Oh. Sorry. The body is just the camera, but no lens. And the kit would include a lens.”

Jack shifted his weight. “Considering both her camera body and her lens got stolen, I guess I need the kit,” he said with a nod.

I laughed as the man disappeared into a back room. “Cassie’s gonna flip.” I patted him on the back, proud of what he was doing for her.

“I hope she likes it.” He suddenly looked nervous as the man returned, holding a large box.

“All right.” The man punched some numbers into his computer and read Jack the total, and I braced against the counter for support.

“Wow.” I let out a little whistle of surprise but Jack ignored me, handing over his credit card without hesitation.

“She’s worth it,” he said to me in a low voice. “And she deserves it. That money’s nothing in the grand scheme of things, okay?”

He was referring to his signing bonus. Granted, he hadn’t gotten it yet, but it would definitely be a hell of a lot more than three thousand dollars.

“I had no idea they could be that expensive, was all,” I said, trying to backpedal a little.

“It’s like buying a computer,” the man said as he handed Jack the receipt. “And the return you can make on this investment is well worth it.”

“Yeah, Dean. It’s well worth it,” Jack said to me with a little attitude before taking the box off the counter.

“Thanks for the business,” the man called out as we exited the store.

When we walked outside, it was like leaving an icebox and stepping into a sauna. The heat hit us and I groaned, not knowing which temperature I preferred.

“She’ll love it, right?” Jack asked, seeming suddenly unsure of his grand purchase.

“What’s not to love? It’s amazing, Jack. Really thoughtful.”

“Text Melissa and make sure.”

“Since when did you and Melissa become best friends?” I asked, my jealous bone tingling.

“Stop being a baby. She’s helpful. And it’s not my fault you can’t seal the deal with her,” he said before socking me in the arm.

Was he right? Was it my fault that we weren’t dating? I certainly didn’t think so. Melissa had been running hot and cold ever since Jack and Cassie had gotten together. I wanted to believe that she flirted with me because she was interested, but I honestly couldn’t tell.

At least she wasn’t dating anyone else. I wasn’t sure I could handle that.

“Where’d you two run off to?” Gramps asked when we walked through the front door.

“Jack bought Cassie a camera,” I announced before remembering that they didn’t know hers had been stolen.

“That was awful nice of you, Jack. What’s wrong with Cassie’s other camera?” Gramps asked, and I mouthed sorry to my brother as he glared at me.

“Nothing. This one’s just better, and I wanted her to have the best,” he answered easily with a smile.

Gran emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “That’s really sweet of you. She’ll love it. When are you going to give it to her?”

“I think I’ll give it to her the morning of the draft. That way we’ll both be one step closer to our dream careers.”

Gramps let out a little whoop. “This is so exciting. I get to see Kitten in action.”

I chuckled. Hearing Gramps call Cassie “Kitten” made me laugh every time.

• • •

By the time draft day rolled around, the excitement level in our house had reached a fever pitch.

Early that morning, I woke up to the sound of Jack’s alarm blaring from his room, which was pretty damn loud in my room too since we shared a wall. Glancing at my nightstand, I noted my alarm clock read 6:42 a.m. Why the hell was Jack waking up so early?

I had rolled over and covered my head, tossing and turning, willing my brain to shut off so I could go back to sleep, when Jack walked into my room.

“Morning, little brother.” The mattress dipped deeply as he sat down on my bed, making me roll toward him.

“Ugh.” I opened one bleary eye. “Why are you awake already?”

“Big day,” he said, running his hand through his hair.

“Are you nervous?”

He smirked. “Nah. Not really. I’m more excited than anything else.”

“You gonna give Cassie her present today?”

The smirk widened into a full-on smile. “Yeah. I can’t wait for that either.”

“Great,” I grumbled. “Now, go away so I can sleep.”

• • •

Later that morning at a more decent hour, Gran walked into my room, looking more dressed up than I’d seen her in a long time. The last time I remembered seeing her in a dress like this one was at my high school graduation.

“You look really pretty, Gran.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I wanted to make sure you put on something nice as well.”

“What’s Gramps wearing?” I asked, assuming that he’d be in his typical ratty blue jeans and bowling shirt, which wasn’t exactly dressy.

“He’s wearing slacks and a button-down shirt. Dress nice, Dean.”

“Can’t I wear shorts? I have lots of nice shorts.” I was actually half serious. I wanted to be comfortable, and I hated dressing up for no reason.

“No shorts,” she said, giving me a pointed look before leaving me alone.

What the hell was wrong with shorts? I groaned before searching through my closet for something decent to wear.

Eventually the three of us gathered in the kitchen as we waited for Jack and Cassie to arrive.

“He’d better get here before everyone else does, or that will be awkward,” I said, and then noticed both Gran and Gramps were both uncharacteristically quiet. “Are you two okay?”

“I’m just nervous is all,” Gran said, tugging at the waistline of her dress.

Gramps gave me a wink. “I just want it to be over with so the cameras will leave and we can really celebrate.”

I gave him the side eye. “The cameras aren’t even here yet.”

“But they will be. And they’ll make us uncomfortable,” he insisted.

To be honest, I hadn’t given the cameras a second thought, assuming they’d be solely focused on Jack and not really on us. Was I being naive?

“I’ll be right back.” I hopped up from my chair and jogged to my room to look myself over one last time.

If the cameras ended up on me at all today, I wanted to look good. Looking in the mirror, I realized that I looked tired. Damn Jack and his stupid alarm clock. I was splashing water on my face when I heard Jack come home.

“Gran? Gramps? We’re here!”

Loud cheers and congratulations filled the house as I entered the kitchen. I walked in just as Gramps said, “That’s great, dear. Oh, that’s just great news.”

Cassie was beaming, and Jack was smiling at her as if he couldn’t be more proud.

“You got the internship, sis?” I guessed before glancing at both my brother and his girlfriend.

She looked beautiful, but my eyes widened a little when I saw she was wearing shorts. I opened my mouth to ask Gran if I could go change, but I stopped myself when I caught her casting a don’t even think about it look my way. I’d swear that woman could read minds.

“I just found out. I wasn’t going to take it, but now I can.” She looked at Jack before I lifted her off her feet in a giant bear hug.

“Congratulations. That’s awesome.”

A quick rap at the front door pulled us out of our mini celebration. The laughter died and I glanced at Jack, anticipation stretching my nerves taut.

Unfazed, Jack pulled the curtain back and peered toward the porch. “It’s just Marc and Ryan.”

Jack left to greet his agents, and I followed. The men came in all smiles, loaded down with stacks of paperwork, a bottle of champagne, and a box filled with baseballs.

“How you feeling, champ?” Marc asked.

“Good, thanks,” Jack said before relieving him of the box of balls.

“Hey, Dean. How you doing?”

I smiled as Marc playfully punched at me, but I ducked and weaved, pretending to be some awesome boxer as I jabbed at him in response. We stopped after he almost dropped the champagne.

The two men introduced themselves to Cassie, who had followed us into the living room, and she handled herself like a champ, very friendly and not seeming nervous at all.

“Jack, you held back on how good-looking your girl is.” Ryan winked at my brother with a chuckle and I tensed, knowing how jealous Jack could be when it came to Cass.

“Settle down. I haven’t signed any agreements with you two yet.” He smirked before wrapping his arm possessively around her waist.

Gran called us all back into the kitchen, the spot in the house where she felt the most comfortable and in control. “This whole thing is nerve-racking,” she declared. “Why aren’t you nervous?” she asked Jack, but he only smiled.

“Because there’s nothing more I can do. I’ve worked my ass off and left it all out on that field every day for years.” He shrugged. “It’s out of my hands at this point.”

“How’d you get so smart?” She cupped his face with both hands and planted a kiss on each cheek.

“I learned it from you. Now come sit with us and relax.” He led her by the hand toward the table when the chime of the doorbell stopped them. “You sit, Gran. I’ll let them in.” Jack handed her off to me, and I urged Gran to sit.

Jack walked back in followed by two cameramen, a reporter, and a producer. They discussed how things would work—that we would basically be filmed waiting for the phone to ring and for Jack to get his offer. They would film his reaction and ours when the call came, and then interview Jack afterward. The producer kept reminding us not to look at the cameras and to act natural, as if it was completely normal to have two cameramen shoving lights and equipment in your face while you sat at your dinner table.

The draft had already technically begun, and when the sound of a reporter talking on the television in the other room filtered into the kitchen, I had to fight the urge to go watch the TV instead of sitting at the table.

I watched as Marc and Ryan kept busy texting on their phones, and realized in that instant that what they did for a living not only intrigued me, but excited me. I loved baseball, and if I couldn’t play it like Jack did, maybe I could still pursue it as a career in a different way.

Our landline phone rang and Jack walked toward it, suddenly looking a little unsure. It was literally his moment of truth, and I held my breath as he answered. We all knew that Jack didn’t care who drafted him. He simply wanted to play ball, and which team he played for was a minor detail at this point.

“Hello?” His gaze was drawn to the table, connecting with us as he talked. “Speaking.” He paused only for a second before smiling. “Thank you so much. Yes, sir. I’ll be in touch. Thank you.”

He slammed down the phone before shouting, “Arizona!” and the room broke out into cheers and congratulations. “I’m a Diamondback!”

Jack gave me a hug, and I was surprised to find my eyes burning with tears. Not like a baby or anything, but tears of pride and joy blurred my vision, and I had to blink rapidly to force them back. I was overwhelmed, filled with genuine happiness for my big brother and everything he’d worked so hard to achieve. It almost felt like my win as much as his.

“Carter, come on,” Ryan said. “Do we have to call these guys back and negotiate or what?”

The business of the draft was just getting started. These guys had a job to do, and getting an offer was only the first step.

“They said five,” Jack said, and I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. I must have missed something as I was lost in my thoughts.

“Yeah? Did they say five?” Ryan’s eyes widened.

“That’s what they said.”

“Well, all right! How do you feel? Should we push?” Marc scribbled notes furiously onto his pad, and I realized they must be referring to his signing bonus.

“I think five is more than fair. I’m happy with it,” Jack said, and I wasn’t sure if he meant five hundred thousand or five million.

“I know it sounds like a lot of money right now, Jack, but you’ll lose half in taxes and we take our cut. You won’t be making much for the next few years in the minor leagues. We could probably get them to budge some,” Marc suggested, still scribbling like a madman.

“I’m happy with it,” Jack said with confidence. “I just want to play ball.”

Marc stopped writing. “All right then. We’ll accept the deal as is. Congrats!”

“Five million isn’t a bad signing bonus, right?” Jack asked Cassie, and she choked on her surprise.

“That’s what it is? Five million dollars?”

“What did you think?” He laughed as he pulled her in for a hug.

The reporter tossed Jack a Diamondback hat and a jersey with his name already on the back, and he immediately put them on.

“How do I look?” he asked with a grin, modeling the dark red jersey with D*Backs emblazoned on it.

Gramps lifted his hand for a high-five. “Like a million bucks.”

I grinned. “More like five.”

“Can I get my camera?” Cassie asked. “Are we allowed to take pictures?”

The producer turned to her. “As soon as we stop rolling. Otherwise your camera’s shutter clicking will filter into the sound bites.”

They pulled Jack into the living room, where there was more natural light, and interviewed him as we all waited for him in the kitchen, talking in hushed tones amongst ourselves about the team and the bonus.

Before we knew it, the camera crew and agents had cleared out, gone as quick as they’d come, and it was just the Carter family again. And Cassie, of course, but she felt like family to more than just me at this point. I could tell that Gran and Gramps really cared about her.

“I’d really love to take some family pictures of you all, if you don’t mind,” Cassie asked, and Gran’s face lit up. We’d never had them done before, and even I admitted that it was a great idea.

Cassie posed us out back under one of our big trees, smiling as she clicked away on her new camera. She organized us so she could take pictures of us alone, all together, and then separated us into groups like just me and Jack, and just Gran and Jack. I would have hated all the posing if it were anyone else asking us to do it, but Cassie made it bearable.

Gramps asked if he could take a photo of Jack and Cassie. I laughed, assuming it would come out blurry, or only Cassie’s head would be in it. But apparently, after some instruction from Cassie, he did pretty well.

“Can we get one more with Dean?” Cassie asked before waving me over. “I don’t have any pictures of the three of us. I really want one. Or twelve,” she called out to Gramps.

My heart warmed inside my chest. The way Cassie always tried to include me was exactly why I couldn’t help but think of her as family already. I was so thankful Jack had found her, and that she tolerated him.

“Thanks for including me, sis,” I said as we ended the shoot, dying to get out of these pants and into some shorts.

“You know I love you,” she said with a smile, and Jack glared at me.

“Back off, little brother. I might be gone in a few weeks, but I can still kick your ass,” he said with a playful snarl.

“Yeah? You and what army?” I said before he broke away from Cassie and chased me into the house.