Page 29 of The Umpire Strikes Back

She hesitates, fiddling with a loose thread on her pajama pants. “I wish… I wish I had a mother like you.”

Her words knock the breath out of me. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I have to swallow hard before answering. “Juniper, you have an amazing dad who loves you so much,” I manage, my voice thick with emotion. “And… I’m here for you too, whenever you need me. Always.”

She turns to face me, looking so earnest. “You promise?”

I set the brush aside and pull her into a hug, heart aching and full all at once. “I promise,” I whisper, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Within minutes, she’s tucked under her blanket, drifting off with her stuffed unicorn clutched to her chest. I stand there for a moment, overwhelmed by the wave of love I feel for this little girl and her father.I’m definitely in deeper than I ever expected.And yet, the idea of stepping away now is unthinkable.

I flick off the light and slip into the hallway, a soft hum of voices from the living room guiding me back to Ripley. He’s waiting on the couch, gaze lifting as I approach. There’s a tenderness in his eyes that tells me he overheard at least part of that conversation. My chest tightens.I want this, I realize. I want this family. And as I move to join him, curling into the circle of his arm, I know I’ve never felt more sure of anything in my entire life.

17

Ripley

I hover by Juniper’s bedroom door for a moment, heart pounding, breath caught in my throat. I heard her little voice through the crack—the wordsI wish I had a mother like you—and for an instant, it felt like the floor vanished beneath me. Slowly, I back away, give them a moment, and let Kali handle it. But my chest tightens with an overwhelming mixture of longing and hope.

Because I want that too. I wanther. Not just for myself, but for Juniper. And it hits me like a fastball straight to the heart:I love Kali.

I’m still trying to process that when Kali slips out of Juniper’s room. She moves softly, like she’s afraid of making noise, but there’s a tension in her shoulders that tells me how much that little conversation affected her. She meets my gaze across the living room, something raw and tender shining in her eyes. Slowly, she crosses to the couch and sinks down beside me, not quite meeting my gaze yet. I can see the swirl of emotion in her expression, mirroring what’s coursing through me.

My throat feels tight.Say something, Ripley.But instead of words, I slide an arm around her waist and tug her closer. She leans in willingly, resting a hand on my chest. The warmth of her palm sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. For a moment, neither of us speaks, just breathes in the hush of the room, the only light coming from a small lamp in the corner.

“She’s okay,” Kali says quietly, fiddling with the neckline of my T-shirt. Her voice trembles, and I can tell she’s still emotional.

“I know.” I smooth a hand over her hair, the soft strands slipping through my fingers. “And she’s right about you. You’re… incredible with her.”

She lifts her gaze then, those deep eyes full of something that makes my heart feel too big for my chest. “I just… I don’t want to overstep. But I care about her so much. And you.” Her voice catches. “I want this—both of you—in my life.”

My chest constricts at how badly I want that too. Carefully, I slide my hand down to her chin, tilt her face up. There’s a question in her eyes, and I answer it by leaning in, pressing my lips to hers. The kiss is gentle at first, a slow brush of mouths, but it’s enough to send a surge of heat coursing through me. She tastes faintly of the wine we had with dinner and something else, something purelyKalithat I’ve come to crave.

When our mouths part, I keep my forehead against hers. “I’m not sure how to do this,” I admit, voice gruff. “I mean, I want you. And I know Juniper does too, in her own way. But… is it too fast? Are we rushing?”

She exhales a shaky laugh, brushing her fingers along my jaw. “It might be fast,” she says softly, “but it also feels… right. Like we’ve been headed here from the moment we met.”

I close my eyes, relief and desire tangling up in my chest. “I’m so glad you feel that way,” I whisper, then I pull back just enough to look at her. “Because I want this, Kali. I want to figure it out—me, you, and Juniper, together. I want you in my life. Every day.”

Her eyes glisten, and she leans in to kiss me again, deeper this time. My hand slips to her waist, sliding beneath the hem of her shirt to rest on the warm skin at her lower back. She makes a soft sound, one that sends a flare of electricity racing through my veins. God, she feels so good in my arms. Like she’s meant to be there.

I tug her closer, and she shifts so that she’s practically in my lap now, one knee pressing into the cushions beside me. The couch creaks with the movement, but neither of us cares. She runs her hands over my shoulders, up the back of my neck, tangling her fingers in my hair. A low groan rumbles in my chest, and I deepen the kiss, our breaths mingling in the warm air.

“Kali,” I murmur between kisses, “I swear, I’ve never felt like this about anyone before.”

Her response is to kiss me harder, and I slide my hands up her sides, my thumbs grazing the edge of her bra. She gasps softly, arching against me, and my heart just about explodes at the realization that she trusts me, wants me.

We break apart for air, both of us breathing heavily, eyes locked. Her cheeks are flushed, and her pupils are blown wide with desire. I press my forehead to hers, trying to gather my scattered thoughts.

“Ripley,” she manages, voice trembling, “I… I want this. I want to be with you.”

“Yeah?” A grin breaks across my face, relief and excitement surging. “You sure?”

She snorts a tiny laugh. “I’ve never been more sure. I mean… I was afraid it was all in my head, that you’d see me as just a fling, or worry I couldn’t handle Juniper?—”

“Hey, no.” I cup her face, forcing her to look at me. “I’ve been worried you’d run the second you realized how complicated my life can be. You’ve got your own career, your own dreams.”

She shakes her head adamantly. “Complicated’s okay if it’s real.” Then she swallows, eyes suddenly shining with tears. “And this is definitely real.”

I draw her in for another kiss, tasting the salt of a single tear that escapes down her cheek. It’s not sadness, though, I can feel the joy behind it, the release of tension we’ve both been fighting. My arms tighten around her, like I can’t hold her close enough.

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