Page 42 of Batter Up!

“I would be honored,” I said and leaned down to kiss her sweetly. I intended for it to be a quick peck on the lips, but she deepened the kiss this time. Cheering erupted around us, but I didn’t care at all. Our kiss was interrupted when her belly growled. “Our baby is hungry. Can you take a break now to eat some pizza?”

Molly looked over to Penelope, who just waved us away. “You’re the boss,” she said with a smile. “Go eat!”

“You should have a few pieces, too,” Molly replied.

“Girl, I already did while you two were giving each other heart eyes.”

“Yeah, we didn’t save you much,” Cooper said with a laugh. “Sorry, bro.”

I rolled my eyes at one of my favorite teammates and took the box of pizza that still had a few slices left. I took Molly’s hand in mine, and we walked over to the cafe table in the back corner.

“Oh my gosh. This smells….” Molly said as she took a deep breath and looked down at the table while she held onto her stomach, “horrible.”

“What? I thought you told Swick, Brooks, Baxter, and Endicott that you were craving meat lovers pizza.”

“I was,” she replied quietly. “But now, the baby wants pineapple pizza. I’m sorry, Ty. I know you don’t have a lot of money, and you got me what I had wanted. I can just make a sandwich in the back. I’ll be fine.”

“Nope. What my baby wants, my baby gets,” I said as I whipped out my phone.

I dialed a number I knew by heart and smiled as I heard, “This is Pizza Palace. Darren speaking. Is this for carryout or delivery?”

“Hey, Darren, it’s Tyler Stone. I need to order a small pineapple pizza as quickly as you can get it.”

“I can have that ready for you in 15 minutes, Mr. Stone,” Darren, the owner of the Pizza Palace said with a chuckle. “Did your lady not want meat lovers anymore?”

“Do they have fried pickles?” Molly asked me with excitement in her blue-green eyes. “And maybe potato chips? Oh! Could they drizzle ranch over it after it’s cooked? Ohhhh, yeah,” she added with a moan, “that sounds amazing.” Her moaning about pizza made my dick twitch in jealousy.

Darren chuckled through the phone, “A pregnancy craving pizza of pineapples, fried pickles, and potato chips coming right up. And I’ll put the ranch on the side to drizzle when she’s ready, so it doesn’t make the pizza soggy.”

“Darren, you’re the best. Thank you!” I exclaimed.

“I have three kids under the age of four at home. I know how pregnancy cravings are,” Darren explained. “You ball players spent enough today on pizza as it is, so this pizza will be on the house. Consider it a baby shower gift.”

“Thank you so much, Darren!” I said. I told him Cooper or one of the guys would be by soon to pick up the pizza and disconnected the call. “It will be ready in fifteen.”

“Thank you, Ty. You must think I’m crazy!” Molly said with sincere appreciation. “Let me go get some money for the pizza.”

“No worries, baby,” I said with a grin. “The owner said the pizza is a baby gift.”

“That’s so nice of him!” she exclaimed. “Let me get money for a tip for him then.”

“No need, Shorty,” Cooper said. “I got a tip for him, and I’ll be back in a flash with your pizza.”

“Thanks, Coop!” Molly said, and I heard her belly rumble again. “Hurry.”

Molly and I both laughed, and I put the bottle of pink lemonade and the small gift bag I had been holding onto the table.

“What’s this?” Molly asked as she unscrewed the cap of the lemonade and took a drink. “Oh, man, this is the perfect drink.”

“I’m glad that craving didn’t change,” I teased.

“Hush!” Molly said with a giggle. I had remembered how much fun she was to joke around with at the bar, and that was something I really liked about her.

“So, this gift here was going to be the last gift given to you today, but we kind of got interrupted,” I explained as I handed her the small gift bag.

“Can I open it now?” she asked, practically bouncing in her seat.

“No, you have to wait until the official baby shower,” I said with as serious a face as I could make.

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