Page 17 of Mended Hearts

“I’m so sweaty. I wouldn’t even touch me.” She tries pulling away.

“Well, good thing I like you.” I pull her in tighter. “I wish I could catch more of your practices. These preseason tournaments are making it impossible.” Times like these, I wish we only played spring ball like the girls instead of this preseason stuff they started doing three years ago.

“Well, at least we have that in common.” She turns around in my arms and faces me, lightly draping her hands around my neck.

“Oh, is that all?” I ask with a smirk.

“There might be a few other things.” She reaches up and presses her lips against mine, pulling back before I can deepen it. “I’d like to think we’re both good kissers.”

“That might be questionable,” I tease. “I need you to try that again so I can come to the same conclusion you have.” I pucker up and she obliges to my request. This time, she doesn’t pull back. In fact, it’s her opening my mouth, granting me accessfirst. My hands tighten around her perfect hips as I pull her body into mine.

Honking in the distance brings us both back to reality and we slowly peel ourselves from one another.

“I’d hate for one of my dad’s spies to see us.” She gives me a half smile, attempting to joke about it, but I know it’s something she truly worries about. After telling me what her mom had said, she’s lucky it was her who found us and that she didn’t tell her father.

“Yeah, I need to get home too. Mom’s making my favorite meal.”

“And what’s that?” Echo asks as we walk side by side down the student parking lot behind the school. We’ll have to split ways once we make it to the front.

“Lasagna.” I grin just thinking about it. My mom makes the world’s best lasagna. I’m convinced of that, and I could quite possibly eat it for the rest of my life and never complain.

I kiss my girl on the lips and tell her bye, watching as she heads home. I can’t help but wonder what’s bothering her. I just hope she believed me when I told her I wasn’t going anywhere. She’s worth the pain in the ass her dad can be. I’m not going to let him dictate my future. I just pray she won’t either.

“About time you got home,” my mom says as soon as I walk in the door.

“I hurried,” I lie. “I knew what tonight was.” That part is at least true.

“Good, because you’re the only reason I make it. There’s a lot of work that goes into all this goodness.” My mom looks up from the steaming dish she just grabbed out of the oven and smiles.

“I knew I was your favorite,” I murmur. For some reason, I have a strong urge to hug her. We have our moments when we butt heads, but I can’t complain. Plus, Ma has never missed a single one of my games. That takes true dedication. The samededication my dad throws into Dax. He used to come to my games when I was younger, but now they branch off if Dax’s and my schedules collide. I used to let my dad not attending all my games hurt my feelings. I’d see him and Dax going to all these airplane shows and always wanting to go check out new exhibits at the Air and Space Museum and get jealous. I was his first son—a baseball prodigy—and he’d rather look at fossils. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned it’s not necessarily that Dax is my dad’s favorite, it’s just the two of them both enjoy the same things. I can’t blame them when they invite me to join and I always decline.

Being with Echo has opened my eyes a bit. It’s easy to think negatively about your life and the people in it. Until you witness what someone else has to deal with. I will forever be grateful to my parents. They’ve let me spread my wild wings since day one, and never once did they try to clip them.

Suddenly, something wet and cold smacks me in the back of the neck. I turn toward my brother, who’s trying to suppress a laugh with his hand over his mouth, and I glare. Way for him to ruin the moment.

“Sorry, bro. I was aiming for the sink.”

“Aiming for the sink with your eyes closed apparently,” I smart off, bending down to grab the rag. I lean past my mom and toss it in the sink.

“How’d you guess?” Dax replies, being completely serious. He continues setting the table and I shake my head. We definitely are complete opposites. Where I’m a sarcastic smartass, he’s carefree and goofy. I can’t help but chuckle as I watch him playDuck, Duck, Goosewith the cups he’s setting down. He’s such a nerd.

I come up behind him and smack him on the head. “Goose.”

“Hey,” he whines as he starts to chase me around the dining room table. Now I feel like a carefree eighth grader again. And I revel in the lightness of it all.

THE NEXT DAY at practice is much cooler than it has been lately. November is always my favorite month of the year—the beginning of fall. It’s no longer sweltering heat outside, but it’s also not cold yet. This in between is my happy place. I quickly gather my things once practice ends. I know my girl will be waiting, and I can’t wait to see her. It isn’t like I can touch her in school. So our fields are the only semi-safe place for us to get in a little PDA, and for some reason, today I’m feeling extra frisky.

“I’m sure impressed by that wicked arm you have.” Echo gives me a sexy smirk as she rounds the dugout, using my words back on me. I had just walked out from changing when I spot her. She leans against the deep-red cinderblock, propping her foot back against the concrete. She keeps her eyes focused on me as I stride toward her.

“I think you’re mistaken, Striker.” I drop my bag, standing right in front of her. I press my body against hers. Her breath hitches as she begins to drape her arms over my shoulders. I let my hands run down the length of her arms as I push them above us, pinning them against the dugout wall with one hand. “You’re the one with the wicked arm. I’m merely just a third baseman.

“And that’s where you’re mistaken, Chipper.” She squirms against me, a little breathless. “Who says I was even referencing baseball?”

“Mmm.” I lick my lips. I press my lips to hers and she moans, her body sinking against mine.

I grab her hand, lacing our fingers together as I pull her around to the opening of the dugout. It faces out toward the wooded area behind the school. Out of view from anyone who may be lingering around the fields. We never have privacy and I’m going to take advantage of the space and time we have at the moment.

Once we’re inside, I twist her so she has her back to the wall and is facing me.

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