So many morequestions danced on my tongue, but I swallowed them down. Ollie and Parker’s friendship seemed like more to me, but who was I to question it? Besides, whenever someone tried to talk to Ollie about it, she shut them down. One day, she might see what was right in front of her, but until she was ready, there was nothing any of us could do to help move them along.
Ollie hit the blinker, pulling onto Parker’s street. God, I loved this neighborhood. Compared to the rest of the guys’ high-rise apartments, Parker’s home seemed much more normal. The smaller craftsman’s style home matched the other houses in the quiet neighborhood, but his took up the end of the dead-end street. It seemed like a place meant for a family—a home someone could grow into. Parker loved it, and that was what mattered most.
I smiled at the thought—at least, I did, until I noticed all the cars lining the street in front of Parker’s home. “Umm, Ollie? I thought you said this was a small dinner party.”
“Did I?” She gave me a knowing smirk. “Nope. Should’ve mentioned tonight’s team dinner. Parker asked for us to join the guys and begged me to make something to eat.”
My throat dried as I watched members of the Hawks leave their cars, heading up the front porch, holding gigantic bowls and serving trays. After Ollie finished parallel parking, I shot her a lethal glare. “You did not tell me this was a team dinner. We shouldn’t even be here, Ol, especially me. I have nothing to do with the guys.”
“Relax,” Ollie sighed. “It’s always a huge affair. And it's never just the players—management and friends come too. I already told you, you’re a part of our crew, which means you’re required to attendallthe team functions.”
“I don’t remember any of this in our friendship handbook.”
“Sorry, babe. Snuck in an additional clause during negotiations. Besides…” Ollie nodded behind me. “Pretty sure I’m not the only one who wants you here.”
I followed her line of sight and saw Damien climbing out of his car. My eyes roamed over his dark-wash jeans and tight, black, button-down shirt. With his tattoos and dark hair swaying in the wind, he was temptation personified, and my legs instantly clamped together.
As if he sensed my presence, his footsteps slowed, and he looked over his shoulder, meeting my eyes through the car’s windshield. I gave him a little wave, unsure what else to do. Damien just shook his head, a smirk at the corner of his lips. I turned, narrowing my eyes at Ollie. “You knew he was going to be here.”
“Maybe.”
“You are the worst meddler. Remind me again why I love you?”
“Because I’m the best, and you need someone who’s going to push you out of your comfort zone. Besides, even though you refuse to admit anything, it’s obvious to everyone with eyes that you like him. So, go. Have fun and try to enjoy tonight. Don’t worry about what you’re supposed to be doing and just let loose for once.”
“You’re the worst influence.”
Ollie chuckled as she reached behind me and grabbed a couple of bottles of tequila. “Oh, I am well aware. Now, let’s get inside before the guys start without us.”
It was going to be averylong night.
TWENTY
Most team dinners played out the same: shit-talking, drinks, and more food than we’d ever need. We’d spend hours around the table, some of us standing and others seated around the room. Either way, we were all together, sharing tales of our start in baseball, the universal link that tied us together.
When we first started, only four or five guys showed up, mostly out-of-towners who had nowhere else to be that night. But over time, it expanded, and now, we were running out of room in all our homes. Drobrek’s was the largest, with an open concept that allowed for pockets of people to gather in different areas yet stay together. It made it the simple choice when we had to decide where to go. Plus, he loved having everyone over. The man lived to host parties, especially when it was our entire team taking up his space.
Tonight, there were more people than we’d ever had before. Almost every member of the team showed up, as well as manyof the members of the front office. Russ, the team’s manager, sat in one corner, talking quietly with Melanie. Even Weber came, although he left as soon as they cleared the plates.
And most surprisingly?
Brianna stood only five feet from me, looking all too beautiful with her casual outfit, her hair slung back in a braid. Pieces of it stuck out, the shorter strands not contained by the band. For a moment, her hazel eyes met mine, but she shot them back down, returning her attention to one of the rookies, our new second baseman, Banfield. My jaw tensed. It wasn’t like I had anything against the guy, but right now, I could have smashed my fist through his face and felt zero regrets.
Shit.What the fuck was happening to me? I wasn’t a jealous guy. I never cared enough to be jealous. But for some reason, Brianna had crawled under my skin, and I hated the idea of her giving her attention to anyone else. I wanted to earn her soft smile, wanted to cause the sweet blush that filled her cheeks, wanted to be the man she sought when she walked into a crowd, knowing my eyes were always going to be searching for her.
As I downed the rest of my drink, someone nudged their elbow into my side. I glanced down to find Ollie smirking at me, a large margarita in a sippy cup clutched in her hands. “You’ve got a crush…” she sing-songed.
I rolled my eyes. “Ol, I’m almost forty. I’m way too fucking old for a crush.”
“Call it what you want,” she mused, “but you’ve hardly taken your eyes off Bri all night. Why don’t you go talk to her?”
I shook my head. “She’s not interested. Bri hasn’t said two words to mesince she got here. Not gonna mess up her night any more than I already have.”
“Brianna doesn’t know what she wants.” Ollie shook her head and lowered her voice so only I could hear it. “She’s spent too long on the sidelines, letting people forget her worth. If you want anything more to happen between you two, you’re going to have to make the next move. Show up for her. Show her she means something to you.”
I lifted my gaze, finding Brianna’s eyes fixed on me now. She ducked away again as soon as we connected, but I could see something reflecting at me: the same need, the same longing I was sure was etched into my features like a brand. My feet longed to take a step, to close the distance between us, but something unfamiliar stopped me.
Changing the subject, I tapped the bottom of her cup. “I see Parker hasn’t forgiven you for ruining his new rug.”
