“I know, Kins. But I’m never going to stop taking care of my family. So let me? Please?” She stared at me for almost an entire minute before nodding. “Also, don’t take this the wrong way, but what if you came out here alone?” Her brow furrowed. “Not because I don’t want to see Anna. I miss her like fucking crazy. But what if we take a couple days just for us? Figure out what we’re like outside of being Anna’s parents.”
Kinsley paused, “I’ve never been away from her that long.”
“And if you’re not ready, I get it, mama.” It would hurt like hell to wait, but there was no way I’d ask her to come if it made her stressed. “It was probably a bad idea. When I get back, maybe I can take you out?”
Kinsley opened her mouth but then slammed it shut and shook her head. “Give me a minute.” And then, the screen went black. The time kept ticking by; with every passing second, my mind raced with doubts. There was no way I deserved another chance with Kinsley. I’d done enough in my past to erase any hope I had of earning her, but I was enough of a bastard to try. I’d just formed a speech in my mind when the call clicked back on. “Chelsea and Mark are going to watch Anna for us. I have to be back at work for a meeting on Thursday, but if the offer still stands…”
“Does that mean…”
She nodded her head, trying to hide her grin, but it was useless. Her smile was a beacon to me, always calling me back to her. I’d find it in any crowd. “Yeah, hotshot, I’m going to come out to see you. Let’s see how it goes between us.”
My leg bouncedas I sat on the bench in the dugout, my eyes scanning the crowd every few minutes. The rest of the teamwarmed up around me, kicking up dirt and grass until the scent permeated the air. But I couldn’t focus on that, not right now.
Instead, I searched for the group of seats reserved for team families. Some of the team had bought seats earlier in the season, and, luckily for me, one player’s sister had to cancel her trip, leaving the ticket up for grabs. Now, it was waiting at will call for Kinsley as soon as she got here from the airport.
As I stepped out onto the field, vibrations and cheers from the home team’s fans echoed. San Francisco’s stadium was so different from ours. The edge of the outfield bucked up against the bay, giving us nothing but darkening blue skies over the water behind us. Back home, the city surrounded us instead. Being away for games was always a little jarring, from the long flights to the hotel beds and even trying to get ready in unfamiliar locker rooms, but it was even harder now that I had people back home waiting for me. At least this time, Kinsley would be out in the crowd, rooting us on.
Fuck; my fingers stretched over my pants, feeling for my phone, even though I’d locked away before coming onto the field. If I could just check that damn app, I’d feel better, know Kinsley was on her way to me. She was supposed to land over an hour ago, but she hadn’t arrived yet.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t pick her up from the airport because I had to get to the field, but Hadley had volunteered. She was tagging along for this round of games and squealed when she found out Kinsley was coming out for the next two. Before she’d left the hotel this morning, I’d slipped her a gift for Kinsley, hoping she’d like it.
“Hey, Lyons!” My head bobbed up, finding Cam smirking at me. He pointed up at the stands. “Your girl is here.”
Without another word, I turned and rushed to the edge of the field. Cam pointed up into the crowd, and there she was, standing right next to Hadley. Fuck, I liked that. I’dnever had a woman in the stands for me before, not wanting to overcomplicate things. But with Kinsley, everything was different. Seeing her up there, sitting with the rest of the wives and girlfriends…fuck, it felt so right, as if that seat had always belonged to her.
Hadley spotted me first and then elbowed Kinsley. Her eyes darted down, scanning the field until she found me. Her resulting smile knocked the air out of my lungs, filling me with more joy than anything else had in years. Dark, emerald green fabric surrounded her, and I mouthed, “Turn around.”
She rolled her eyes but complied, showing me the back of the jersey I’d grabbed for her this morning. White letters splayed across her shoulders—fuck. She wore my jersey with pride, marking herself as mine. My dick hardened in my pants at the sight. I was already counting down the minutes until this game was over, fantasizing about all the ways I’d make Kinsley scream once we were behind closed doors. I could already taste her on my tongue, could already feel her sweet heat squeezing me tight.
Cam smacked my shoulder, “Knock that shit off, man. Win the game first, and then you can take care of your girl.”
“You’re one to talk,” I smirked. “Don’t think we didn’t see how quick you slipped out last night.”
“Not gonna apologize for that.” Cam winked at Hadley before he moved back toward the dugout. “But I want to win this one, show them that last night was a fluke.”
“Fuck yes.” With one last smile at Kinsley, I followed him. “Kinsley came all this way, I want to give her a good show.”
“Let’s do it,” Cam agreed. “Trust me—there’s nothing like winning when your girl is in the stands.”
TWENTY-NINE
“My God, this is intense. Is it always this intense?”
If the game kept going like this, my fingernails would be whittled down to nothing by the last call. The Hawks were playing well, but San Francisco had a killer batting line-up, and it was taking everything to keep the score about even. With the teams shifting into the seventh inning, the scoreboard taunted them with each passing run, making it seem like they’d never catch up.
Jace rushed into the dugout from the outfield, sparing me one last look before he disappeared. Sweat covered his brow, making his blond hair seem even darker than normal. It worked for him, but then again, the anticipation of what would come later was driving me to the brink of insanity. Every time he flexed those toned arms or stretched his thick thighs, I clenched my legs together, unable to shake the need coursing through me.
Hadley nodded at my side. “Always. Especially as they get further into the season. Sure, they have fun together, but they want to win. Want to up their standing. Everyone has high hopes of getting to the playoffs this year.”
I tried to follow along, but Jace stole all my focus, especially as he moved up the batting order. It had been years since I’dbeen to a game, but I loved being in the stands. We had to go to a home game. Anna might be too young to appreciate it right now, but when she got older, I wanted her to experience this, to see her dad out on the field, watching as he gave his all to his team.
Hadley reached over and took my hand. “Have I mentioned how glad I am that you’re here? It’s been a while since I had anyone else cheering with me.”
“What about Brianna and Ollie?”
She shook her head. “It’s hard for Brianna to be here when Damien’s not on the field. But supposedly, he’ll be back soon. As for Ollie…” Her voice trailed off as she looked out onto the field, watching Parker Drobrek move out to home plate. “There’s something going on between her and Parker.”
Even though I’d been around the group for the past few weeks, I’d yet to see Ollie and Parker in the same room. When I’d first gone to Hadley’s, Ollie snuck out as soon as the guys came back to the house. And when everyone had gathered at my apartment, she was the only one who declined.
