Page 150 of Stolen Bases

“I was hit in the knee by a line drive; it knocked me on my ass, and my hat flew off. Nico saved my ass and got the runner out at first, ending the inning. I went to reach for my hat and realized it wasn’t on my head. Your brother returned it to me, and I thought little of it. We were winning; I was on fire. I had to keep my head in the game. As soon as the game ended, he confronted me. He was pissed and told me to stay away. I told him no. Said I was in love with you. He lost it and punched me.”

“Cam…” Talia breaks into a sob.

“Shh, baby. It’s okay.” I cup her face in my palms and wipe her tears away with my thumbs. “There’s something else I haven’t told you.”

“Okay.”

“Nico told me the reason he hates my guts.” My mouth dries up, and my heart races. “It’s really fucking bad, baby. I hate myself. I didn’t want to believe it, but the way he screamed at me, I have a feeling it’s true.”

“What’s his reason?”

“He, umm... He said I slept with his girlfriend.”

Talia rears back as if slapped. The picture of us flutters to the bed. “You did what?”

“I know I’ve made a lot of stupid mistakes, but I would never knowingly do this to him. To anyone. It’s not who I am. My brother went through cheating with his ex-wife, and I know how much it hurts. Believe me, Talia. I wouldn’t do this on purpose.”

“Who is she?”

“That’s the thing; I don’t know. He didn’t say, and I’ve been wracking my brain for weeks trying to figure out who he’s talking about. I didn’t even know Nico had a girlfriend.”

“Wait, you knew for weeks? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Fuck.

The hurt in her eyes is like a knife to my chest. I should have told her sooner. I promised her I would always be honest, and while I didn’t technically lie, I still withheld information from her.

“Because I didn’t want it to be true. But I felt the pain and anger in his words tonight when he was yelling. He accused me of having everything and then asked me why I had to takehertoo. It didn’t feel like he was talking about you.”

Tears pour down Talia’s cheeks. If I could take away her hurt, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

“I’m so fucking sorry, baby. I’m sorry.” My nose tingles as tears build at the corner of my eyes.

“No.” Talia shakes her head. “I don’t believe it. You wouldn’t do that.” She climbs into my lap and straddles me, burying her face in my neck.

I breathe in her sweet scent as her hot tears roll off her cheeks and down my chest. I hold her as she cries. Every tear rips me to shreds.

“I think you need to go home and talk to him.”

“No.” She wraps her arms around my back and squeezes.

I hold her just as tight, afraid that if I let go, she’ll leave me and never come back.

“I want to stay with you.”

“You have to. He’s your brother. He needs you. Your family needs you.”

“I need you,” she croaks out.

My heart shatters into a million pieces. She has no idea how much I need her. Right now, her family needs her more. As much as she thinks she’s the afterthought, she’s really the glue in the Romero family.

I kiss the crown of her head. “I need you too. Always. But for right now, you need to be there.”

“Stop. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Talia…”

“No, Cam. Please, don’t say anything else. I know, okay? I know. But for right now, just hold me.”

---