Page 125 of Restricted List

“So? You’ve both liked each other for years. It’s not like you just met.”

I absentmindedly fidget with the hem of my shirt. “I’m not in love with him, Lo.”

“You are,” she says assuredly, grinning widely. “You just don’t realize it yet.”

“I… care about him. A lot.”

Harlow cocks her eyebrow with a smug look on her face. “You know what normal people call that, right?”

“I… I don’t know,” I sigh. “I’ve never been in love.”

She places her hand on my arm and squeezes lightly. “Which is why you don’t recognize the feeling for what it is. You might think it’s too soon to feel that way, but love is love. Sometimes you just know.”

I care about Cole.

I care about him more than I’ve ever cared about anyone.

But could I love him?

I could. One day.

But not today.

Right?

He’s so easy to fall for. This may have started with us sleeping together “just once,” but it never felt like it was just sex to us.

Cole is absolutely the sweetest man I’ve known.

We click in the bedroom, there’s no doubt about that, but we click as partners, too. I stay with him often, and a lot of that time will be spent with me in his arms, just holding me contentedly as we talk about anything and everything. The connection between us grows deeper every day.

I’ve never felt so comfortable.

I do know I love the way he makes me feel.

I love the way he makes me laugh.

I love the way he says the sweetest things to me.

I love the way that on the days I don’t stay with him, he still calls me, making sure to tell me good night before I fall asleep.

I love those things, and they’re all part of him.

Maybe Harlow’s right. Maybe I could be in love with Cole.

And that thought puts the brightest smile on my face.

thirty-nine

Cole

“Do you have togo?” Rory asks, looking up at me from where she’s resting her head on my chest. With those coffee-colored eyes and my T-shirt hugging her curves so tightly, she’s never looked more beautiful.

I twirl strands of her hair around my fingers absentmindedly as I try to just enjoy this moment. “I’ll be out of a job if I don’t go. Plus, I don’t think your dad would like my excuse of,‘Sorry about skipping Spring Training. I just wanted to spend more time with your daughter that I’m secretly dating.’”

She laughs lightly, the sound burrowing deep into my soul. “I know. But you’re going to be gone for so long.”

I’ve never cared about how long I’m away for Spring Training before. We get to spend a month and a half in sunny Florida as we prepare for the season—I’ve always loved that time. I’ve loved getting back on the field after some time off.

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