Page 89 of Relief Pitcher

CHAPTER39

COOPER

Danita: Good luck today! It’s going to be a great game!

Cooper: Over text, I can’t tell if this is genuine enthusiasm or a form of cheerful threatening.

Danita: Both?

Cooper: Why haven’t you returned my calls?

Danita: Sorry. It’s been a wild week at work. Let’s catch up at the after-party?

Cooper: Sure. Don’t kill Nick, okay? I don’t want to be on the news for anything but winning the game.

Danita: Fair enough. I’m more of a slow-acting poison kind of person anyway.

* * *

I hadn’t seen the field this packed all season. The other teams were there to show support, along with tons of spectators filling the bleachers and sitting on the fences surrounding the field.

The sun beat down from a cloudless sky as beads of sweat dripped along the back of my neck. I leaned against the fence at our dugout, doing my best to keep my attention on the game, but it was hard to focus when my mind kept wandering to Ty. I wanted to know how he was—how hetrulywas, no superficial bullshit—where we stood, if we could go somewhere and talk. Unfortunately, we still had a few minutes left in the game and were down by one. And there was the after-party to get through.

Ty didn’t seem to have the same focusing problem as me. He’d been playing great all game while I’d made rookie mistakes.Focus, asshole. Danita will kill me if I’m the reason we lose.Then again, if she knew I was distracted because of Ty, she might go easy on me.

River was heading to bat with Topher on third. Then Ty was at bat, then me. No pressure.

People chanted for River, but my brain let the words pass without a second thought. Instead, I mentally pulled up the texts from the past week between Ty and me and analyzed them for the hundredth time. We’d texted like usual since the anniversary party last weekend, and things had seemed fine at practices. Except we hadn’t fooled around because teammates had invited us out after each practice, and Ty had gone home from there. It was normal for our team to do that as the season wound down, but it also interfered with my time with Ty.I don’t want our time to wind down too. I hoped his leaving after those outings wasn’t a sign he was pulling away. God, I was twisting myself up with the what-ifs.

We hadn’t texted about anything he’d said at the party. When I told him I’d give him time and space, I’d meant it, but it wasn’t easy.

Cheers pulled my attention back to the field, where I saw River make it to first base and Topher reach home. Tied.Focus!

I needed to tell Ty how I felt about him, about us. I knew he was skittish about dating and relationships, and the last thing I wanted to do was pressure him, but it wasn’t fair to either of us if I held myself back. I was trying to find the line between respecting his boundaries and respecting my needs. We’d reached a point where I was starting to feel the urge to censor my feelings toward him to avoid scaring him off. That wasn’t okay.

I’d told myself several times this week thatpart of Ty is better than no Ty. Fucking around after practices is enough. But it was more than fucking around. I knew he felt something for me too, but the question was whether he wanted to act on it.

I knew better than to hide my feelings. I’d worked through too much shit in my relationship with Aleck to let that happen. I couldn’t disrespect the work we’d put in by regressing to immature communication.

I didn’t expect a big commitment from Ty, but I needed him to know I was all in on working towardsomething. I wanted to know if we were on the same page or, hell, even reading the same book. Most of all, I wanted Ty to know that despite being scared out of my goddamn mind that I’d get hurt again, he was worth any chance of that happening.

Right. Decided. I would ask him to talk after the post-game party. My stomach rolled at the thought of how it might go.

Trust that it will go okay.Signs pointed to Ty having feelings for me. He’d invited me to his parents’ anniversary party, taken care of me when I was sick as a dog, and spent time with me without orgasms. Evenafterthe orgasms. Historically the least likely time a guy stuck around. It had to mean something.

“This one’s for you, Big Guy,” Ty whispered in my ear, then slapped my ass. In front of the entire team. And the spectators. And Danita.

I stared at him, mouth wide open, as he strode confidently through the dugout with a bat over his shoulder. His swagger hit me as hard as his pheromones.

“You owe me twenty bucks.”

“I bet they’ve been fucking all season.”

“You didn’t notice that one of their cars was always left here after practice?”

“Aww! So cute!! But seriously, Ty better get us this win.”

“No pressure. Right, Coop?”

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