“You remembered,” she says, taking a sip of wine, a satisfied look on her face.
“Good?”
“Very,” she says, taking another sip.
I smile and take a drink. Layla has damn good taste in wine. I’m not usually a wine drinker, but for her, I don’t mind. We chat and our food arrives. I’m not in any hurry; I want to savor my time with her. We eat, we talk, and we drink more wine. We even order dessert—all in an effort to make it last longer. Neither one of us wants this night to end.
“Ready?” I ask, helping her to her feet.
“Yes,” she answers, keeping her hand in mine as we exit the restaurant.
Only once we’re outside the restaurant, do I bring her back into my arms, covering her lips with mine. Kissing her has become another obsession of mine. From the moment of our first kiss, I knew I’d never grow tired of it. Tonight is no exception.
“Come back with me,” I ask softly.
“To your hotel?” she asks, her soft lips now swollen from our kisses.
“My place,” I tell her. “I own a house here.”
“What now?” she asks, momentarily confused.
I grimace. I should have just taken her back to my hotel. Maybe it’s too soon. There’s a lot I haven’t told her. Like I haven’t told her about my kids. But she could look up anything about me online at any time. I just assumed she’s done so. “Come with me and I’ll explain. I’m parked a couple of blocks away.”
She doesn’t reply, but follows me when I take her hand in mine. Unlocking my car, I help her inside. She twists slightly in her seat and waits for me to explain.
“I never meant to keep anything from you. I thought you knew, but clearly you don’t and that’s perfectly fine. It’s endearing, actually.”
She narrows her eyes at me. I’d better get to the point. “Before I was a manager for the Vipers, I was a player for years. For one of the most storied MLB franchises in the country. One that calls Chicago home. Thus, I lived here for years before moving away.”
She looks like she still has questions. “And you keep a place here, why? It’d better not be just for booty calls.”
Shit, she’s serious. I cough softly, trying to diffuse the situation. “Um... not exactly.”
“Explain, please,” she says, her posture suddenly rigid. I haven’t told her about my kids yet. But, I don’t want to lie by omission. Layla means too much to me.
“You may or may not know this, but I was married for almost twenty years. I have two kids. A boy and a girl. I keep the place for them, so I can see my kids when I have time off. They’re extremely important to me. If you’d like, we can go back to the hotel. I have a room there, for the night, from the team. Or, I can drop you off at your car or at your place. The choice is yours. And for the record, I’ve never brought anyone back to my place here.” When I’m done telling her all that, she visibly relaxes.
“Are my kids a deal breaker?”
“No, I just…I’ve just never dated a man with kids before.”
“They’re teenagers. But they’re good kids. They don’t give their mom, or me, too much trouble.”
“And what about your ex-wife?”
“What about her?”
“Do you co-parent and get along or was your divorce a nasty one?”
I wince. I hate talking about it. But for Layla, I will. She deserves to know. “It was a shock to the system, for sure, but the split was amicable.”
“And I don’t have anything to worry about, right? I won’t have a crazy ex-wife coming after me or anything, will I?”
“No. Steph and I co-parent and get along just fine. We just drifted apart. There’s no bad blood between us.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” I let out a breath. “Where to?”
