Page 78 of Bad Ball Hitter

He hangs his head and nods. “I told Miranda about the possibility of you being Jake’s dad.”

“What?” My voice is lethal, my temper flaring.

“In my defense, I didn’t think she’d run to the press.”

My eyes slam shut as another ripple of anger works its way through. I should’ve known Miranda wouldn’t back off that easily. I almost laugh. In fact, I think I did. I know I made some deranged sound.

“How the hell did you know?”

“I overheard you telling Rappel back in San Diego.”

“Oh, you’re the rat.”

“I know. Man, I’m so sorry.”

“No. I thought…” I chuckle at what I thought. “I thought there was an actual rat. Fuck. I can’t believe you screwed me over like this.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize Miranda would do this. I’d never intentionally hurt the team like that.”

“You hurt more than the team. We’re talking about life here. I was going to tell them.” I banged my fist against the door so hard that the glass-framed wall hanging shook. No, this is my fault. I should’ve told them sooner. I will take responsibility for my actions for once, but I will talk to Miranda.

Turning to face Kaplan, I stare at him straight on. “Let’s put the past behind us. I should’ve told her sooner, and that’s on me. All I want from you is to win a championship.

“Let’s win a championship.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Lila

“If you sign here and here, you’ll be the proud owner of Lila’s Pet and Paws.” Jett sits behind his large wooden desk, his lips curved into a warm smile as he gestures to the papers before me.

The pen feels heavy as I press it against the crisp white paper. My heart races as I take a deep breath. This is it. This signature secures the future I’ve envisioned—my dream.

Without hesitation, I scribble my name across the line. When I lift my pen, a wave of euphoria washes over me, pushing aside the constant sense of dread.

I did it. I’m an official business owner.

When I dropped out of college and cared for Jake, I never thought I’d see this day. Life comes at you hard, but I persevered. I didn’t let my lack of a college degree and single motherhood get in my way.

That’s not to say I didn’t have help. I’m fortunate to be in this position. The owner’s trust in me and perhaps the banker’s crush played a part, but had it not been for my hard work, I wouldn’t be the new owner of a pet grooming store. That’s something to be proud of, regardless of how I got it.

“Now that the paperwork is officially done, I’m putting my banker hat aside and asking how you are doing with everything in your life?”

His question throws me off. Jett has been a client of mine for the past nine months, and I knew he was interested in me, but to come out and ask such an intrusive question is jarring. Totally unexpected.

“It’s been…” Rough, horrible, happy, sad—pick an adjective. With the rollercoaster of emotions I’ve been through, they all seem to work. I settled on, “A wild ride, for sure.”

“I can’t imagine. Fans can turn on you quickly if you slip. Drake’s sudden turnaround and apology letter helped with public relations, but none of that helps you.”

“No. No, it doesn’t.”

And it certainly doesn’t help Drake is gone. We need a night to sit down and have a serious conversation. We didn’t get to have one before he left. After that bombshell dropped, I couldn’t look, let alone talk, to him. I couldn’t speak to him the first few nights after he left. It was too hard. I needed time to process everything. It killed me knowing he had slept with my best friend. My own best friend! The more I dwelled on it, the angrier and more hurt I became.

But what grounds did I have to be mad? We weren’t together. It had been four months since our breakup, which in college dating time was equivalent to years.

Should he have told me sooner?

Definitely, but I understand why Drake kept it from me. The idea of becoming a father, not just to a baby but to a seven-year-old, must have been overwhelming for him. If the results came back positive, he would’ve missed out on so much of Jake’s life.

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