Page 145 of Curveball

I assume with Kaya in her room for the first time, Quincy will sleep in his own bed, but in my sleepy state, I feel him slip into mine and pull my body to his. It feels good. It feels right.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

RIPLEY

The Cougars have a day game today and I’m bringing Kaya for the first time. Quincy is pitching. I’m so excited for her to see her daddy play, even though she won’t see much.

It’s an especially big day because tonight I’m meeting my brother and sister for the first time. I’m both nervous and thrilled.

I’ve got Kaya strapped to my chest in a baby carrier. The press doesn’t know that Quincy and I have a child. I have no idea how he plans on handling this, but he wanted her to come, and I’m letting him dictate the dialogue.

I’m sitting with Arizona, Kam, Bailey, and Mom as we walk down to our seats just behind the Cougars’ dugout. I’ve missed being at the ballpark. I love it here. The energy in Philly is so much better than it was in Houston. They live for the Cougars.

We’re greeted by a small sea of applause. Winning the championship last season has more than ingratiated us withPhilly fans. We’re asked to pose for pictures and sign autographs by several fans before we finally make our way to our seats.

Layton is in the dugout with the team. He works with the catchers as a part-time coach when he’s not working with the Anacondas. He nonetheless takes every opportunity possible to steal a glance at Arizona.

As soon as the Cougars take the field, Quincy’s eyes immediately search for us. His genuine smile when he finds us makes my heart melt.

I lift Kaya’s little hand to wave at him, and he waves back. Arizona wraps her arm around my shoulders and squeezes me. “You two are going to be okay. I can feel it.”

I pinch my lips together. “We’ll see.”

Kam harumphs, and I turn to her. “What’s up?”

She nods toward the screen, which has some sort of Amazon ad running. “Have you ever noticed that the arrow under the Amazon logo looks like a penis?”

My mouth widens. “Oh my god. It totally does. I’ll never look at it the same. You’ve ruined Amazon for me. Every time an Amazon truck goes by, I will only see a penis.”

Bailey examines it closely. “You’re right, but it’s a crooked penis.”

Kam nods. “Totally. It’s like a boomerwang. I wonder if guys like that have to fuck you from around the corner.” She thrusts her hips at a diagonal angle.

We all giggle. Arizona asks, “Have you guys ever had sex with a man who has a crooked penis?”

I smile. “I had one once. Honestly? It felt kind of cool. It rubs differently.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “As long as it’s in the right spot. I wouldn’t want it all the time, but it was a fun change of pace, so to speak.”

Naturally, my mother feels the need to chime in. “I’ve hadplenty, and I agree. As long as they know how to use it properly, it’s a good time. I don’t think I’d buy it for the long run, but an occasional sideways tickle is nice.”

Kam giggles. “I love you, Mama June. Our mother is so prim and proper. I’m not sure she’s ever had sex. Our family dinners were so boring.” She turns to me. “Yours must have been the best.”

Mom and I smile at each other. We did have fun dinners together. Our family might have been small, but she was always there, and we did a lot of laughing.

Kam continues, “Our mom was like Kris Kardashian, a true momager. She was a psycho when we were modeling.”

Bailey enthusiastically nods. “She was. She’s the reason I hate modeling. Speaking of which, what’s the latest with you and that lingerie company, Rip?”

“I canceled the second campaign when I found out I was pregnant. They called about giving it another go, but I don’t know. My body hasn’t recovered fully.”

Mom rubs my back. “You look great. I didn’t know they called again. You should do it.”

I scrunch my nose. “We’ll see.”

I haven’t mentioned it to Quincy. He was pissed as hell last year when I didn’t invite him to the set. He’ll probably want me to do this. I need to think about whether I’m comfortable with my post-baby body.

Quincy ends up throwing a complete game shutout, his first complete game of the season. He’s being interviewed on the field after the game while we wait around.

Arizona is on the field with Layton while they unashamedly grope each other. At some point, Quincy motions for me to join him on the field. He probably wants Kaya.

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