She playfully smacks me in the chest, but I grab her wrist and push into her, brushing my nose against her cheek, laying lazy kisses against her jaw. But not pressing my lips to hers just yet.
“You know this can’t happen again, right?” she whispers against me.
“Yeah.” I find her mouth and kiss her once more. “Definitely never happening again.”
25
Emmett
“This is the training room,” I tell Milo. “And this is Dr Rhodes. She’ll be overseeing any treatment you’ll need.”
Kennedy holds her hand out to shake his.
“Hi.” He clears his throat, but his voice still comes out a pitch too high and it has me questioning just how long ago he went through puberty. “Nice to meet you.”
“Welcome to the team. Let me know if you need anything on this end of things, and if you need anything out on the field, my husband Isaiah can help you out.”
His eyes go impossibly wide. “Isaiah Rhodes? You’re married to him?”
“I am.”
“I’m a huge fan.” He catches himself. “I don’t know if I can say that anymore though, since I’m his teammate now.”
Milo Jones is young enough that he’s fanboying over his own teammates. Got it.
“That’s okay. I’m kind of a fan myself sometimes. And heck, I’m married to the guy.” She offers him a wave before she gets back to work. “Congrats on the call-up.”
I cup Milo’s shoulder, moving him along. The poor kid is practically shaking like a leaf under my palm. He’s been a ball of nerves since he walked into the building earlier today and it hasn’t subsided since we started this tour.
I don’t particularly blame him. The day you get called up from the minors is one of the biggest days of your life. It’s equal partsexciting and terrifying, but that fear is definitely compounded on this particular day.
Unsurprisingly, the city and the league have been in a state of pandemonium over Reese’s decision to trade Harrison Kaiser to Houston. It cleared some room in the budget as well as a spot on the roster, but the fans have been in an uproar all day and I have a feeling it’s not going to let up anytime soon.
It’s far worse than I was expecting, and while yes, it could be perceived as a controversial trade to offer up a well-known veteran before we know our playoff potential, the headlines have been less focused on the move itself and more so on the fact that it was made by a woman.
Even if I didn’t know Reese, I’d be disgusted by some of the things being said online. But I do know her. I know her intentions. I know her heart and love for this team.
Don’t get me wrong, scrutiny from fans and media outlets over trades and pickups is all part of the game. But this is on a different level, and everyone in this building knows it.
I haven’t gotten a chance to speak to Reese today. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind with the media, Milo’s arrival, and the usual changes that happen when a new player joins the team. All I can do is hope that she’s stayed offline. The things people have been saying, the names they’ve been calling her... it doesn’t matter how tough you are or how solid you stand in your business decisions, it’s enough to make anyone break.
“What’s in there?” Milo asks, pointing at a set of closed doors as we pass them.
Images of last night run through my mind as I stand outside the gym where I got Reese off. The way she moaned my name. The way she tasted on my fingers.
Thankfully, I did a deep clean of the mirrors before I left last night.
“That’s uh...” I clear my throat. “That’s just the gym, but let’s keep the tour moving, yeah?”
He gives an unconfident nod of his head, and I feel for the kid. He’s young, and the scrutiny of today isn’t just landing on Reese—he’s getting his fair share too. The pressure on his shoulders is far greater than it should be for someone’s first day in the major league.
“You nervous?” I ask quietly.
He shrugs. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“Oh, I was fucking terrified on my first day in the league.” Out of the corner of his eye, I watch as he looks up at me. “Everyone has a first day. Then you’ll have a second. Then soon enough you’ll lose track of the days, and you’ll forget why you were ever nervous in the first place.”
“Pretty sure I’ll never forget why I was nervous today. I just got called up for Harrison Kaiser. What the hell?”
