Page 58 of More Than Words

He nodded, looking a little less wary, but I knew sometimes it was easier for him to be around new people. They didn’t have any preconceived notions about who he was. And they also didn’t expect him to remember shared experiences. I just wasn’t sure exactly how much he’d bust my ass over our guest being a lady.

Bringing someone home with me hadn’t happened since I was in high school, so I was sure he and Hutch would have a field day giving me shit.

“Is your friend a Sox fan?”

Hesitant to answer, I kept quiet, even when he turned slightly to face me as the car slowed next to the curb in front of her building. Isobel was leaning against the brick, her foot propped up while she typed on her phone.

Pops followed my gaze and then burst out laughing. “Only you could fall for a Cubbies fan, Adrian. I would say I hoped her taste in men was better than her taste in baseball teams, but she is spendin’ time with you.”

The worn Chicago Cubs hat pulled down over her twin braids wasn’t a surprise, but it also wasn’t staying. I grabbed my extra hat from the back seat and leaned forward to shove it into my back pocket.

“Yeah, yeah, old man. Just don’t embarrass me.”

“I think you probably do that enough by yourself. You don’t need my help.”

“You can walk the rest of the way,” I threatened as my eyes met Isobel’s through the windshield. She smiled hesitantly, her eyes darting between me and my surprise passenger.

“And miss you makin’ an ass out of yahself in front of a pretty girl, not on yah life.”

“Behave.”

“Why would I do that?” He laughed while I checked my side mirror, swinging open my door after the traffic had cleared. She didn’t live too far away from the ballpark, so we could have walked from here, but I’d splurged on a season parking space in a lot near Fen a few years ago when Pop’s stamina had declined.

“Hey,” Is said while I walked toward her, my eyes taking in the tight red t-shirt and frayed jean shorts she was wearing. Add in the double braid under her traitorous ball cap and she looked years younger than what separated us.

“Hello, gorgeous,” I greeted, enjoying the pink creeping up the side of her neck.

I snatched the edge of her cap, carefully pulling it off before I leaned in and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. Pops had already guessed I had a thing for her, so there was no point in holding back my affection.

“Hey,” she argued, reaching for her hat, but I held it behind my back. “That’s…”

Distracting her with another quick kiss, I pulled my worn cap from my back pocket and pulled it down over her hair.

“You can have this back later. But you’re wearing mine today.”

“Should I be worried about what’s on this one?” She asked, lifting the brim of my hat and trying to pull it off.

“Don’t you trust me?” I teased, stepping back to capture her hand and tugging her down the few steps to the sidewalk.

“You really want me to answer that question?”

“Probably not, but let’s get going so we can find our seats before it gets too crowded.”

She tugged on my arm, reaching up to scratch the thick stubble on my cheek while she threw me a naughty smirk. “I thought this was my seat.”

“Later,” I chuckled. “After I show you what a real ballpark looks like.”

Despite his protests about letting a lady sit in the front seat, Isobel insisted on climbing in the back, patting Pop’s shoulder before she settled into the leather seats.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. O’Neill. Now I know where Adrian gets his handsome smile from.”

Pops grinned, smirking at me as he turned slightly. “He wishes he had my looks. Poor boy got some of those pansy ass, pretty boy genes from his Ma’s side of the family. Always felt sorry for him and his brotha.”

“How unfortunate for him,” Isobel quipped, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. “I can only imagine how devastated he is that he won’t get to be a silver fox like you.”

She was pouring it on thick, and we both knew that Hutch and I looked just like him, but I’d let them have their fun.

“Yeah, some of the ladies around the neighborhood still think I’m a piece of man candy, but my heart hasn’t been up for grabs for a long time.”

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