Page 15 of Catching Him

“I love you.”

Oakley whispered the words against the shell of Eric’s ear. Eric’s eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. It had been such a rollercoaster day, and he was the happiest he had ever been. Sometimes Eric didn’t know where to go with that. He had never been this scared to lose.

While he waited on his turn to bat, Chipper eyed the nymph on the sidelines—deep in conversation with Eric. Goddamn. He was adorable. Chipper could put the guy in his pocket. They had crossed paths a few times. All Chipper knew was Baylor was a highly sought after wedding planner and he seemed to hate Chipper for some odd reason. This was new territory for Chipper. Everyone liked him. But every time Chipper tried to approach Baylor, the guy ran. At first, it had been cute. Baylor was all put together and adorable. Chipper just thought he made the guy nervous. Now he wasn’t as sure that was the reason, and Chipper was obsessed.

“Why do you keep watching Eric and Baylor? You only look this intense when you’re in the cage. While I’m a thousand percent sure you can take me, I’ll definitely try holding my own if you’re about to attack my husband.”

Chipper tried rearranging his features at Oakley’s lecture. He realized how harsh he probably looked. “Sorry. No. It’s Baylor. Why doesn’t the guy like me? I haven’t done shit to him.”

Oakley snorted. “Dude, you hit on the guy like he’s a cheap whore every time you cross paths with him. Maybe you shouldtry talking to him like a normal person.” Oakley brightened. “From what I understand, he handles more than weddings. You should try to hire him to put together something for you.”

“Like what?” Even Chipper heard the annoyance in his voice. He didn’t like being interested in someone who made him work.

Oakley shrugged. “I don’t know. When’s your next big fight? You could have him plan your victory celebration, or your mom’s birthday. Use your imagination.”

“When is your man’s next birthday? We could plan him a huge surprise party.”

Oakley shook his head. “For such a talented fighter, you’re looking very chicken shit right now, but fine. If you need me to help, I’m in.”

A huge grin split Chipper’s face. “Since you’re helping, I’ll let the chicken shit comment slide.”

Without waiting to learn any details about Eric’s birthday, Chipper let out a loud whistle. “Yo, Baylor.”

Baylor’s entire body stiffened. A sexy and annoyed looking green gaze swung his way. Damn. He would be fire in bed. “Wait for me after the game. It’s business related.”

Baylor gave him a sharp nod and went back to talking to Eric.

A wicked chuckle rumbled under Chipper’s breath. He had the guy now. Baylor just didn’t know it yet.

Nothing had changed really, but Oakley felt differently about life today. He was still headed down the same difficult path, but he knew he wasn’t alone anymore. What had once felt unbearable and insurmountable now looked a little less bleak. That was Eric and his beautiful heart. Oakley was well aware he didn’t deserve him. He wouldn’t change a damn thing about them.

Chipper’s suggestion about a party for Eric had started—in Oakley’s mind—as just helping himself while helping a friend. As the game had gone on, the idea grew. Eric deserved to be celebrated. He deserved everything. Oakley grabbed his phone from his ball bag and shot off an email and a few texts. He would make sure Eric got the whole world. Oakley would start the moment he finished this game.

After saying a bunch of goodbyes, Oakley slung the bag over one shoulder and Eric’s collapsible camping chair over the other.

Eric huffed. “Let me carry those.”

“No.” Oakley chuckled at Eric’s irritation as he walked away.

Giving up, Eric fell into step beside him. “Did you have fun?”

“I need the exercise and it’s always good to see the guys.”

Oakley fell back a hair. He wrapped his arms around Eric and walked in step with him to the apartment. Eric laughed at his playfulness but didn’t try to get away. Oakley kissed his ear.

“I love you.”

He saw Eric’s cheek curve with a smile. “I love you too.”

“Thank you for coming today. I liked having you there. You seemed to enjoy your time with Baylor.”

Eric glanced over his shoulder. “I like watching you play. As for Baylor, it seems he’s in town because he’s best friends with someone named Bandit. So he got dragged along, but he’s actually really nice. I thought he was kind of stiff when he planned our wedding. He was a lot more laid back today.”

Oakley decided to give Eric a little breathing room and took his hand instead. “Yeah. I’ve never been sure if Bandit’s real name is Bandit, but he’s that red-haired guy who plays soccer for New England.”

Eric nodded. “That makes sense. Baylor said he was actually from Vermont, but he’s done so many celebrity weddings fromsimply word of mouth that he doesn’t even have a permanent residence any longer. He goes where the money is, and then crashes with Bandit when he has time off. Apparently, they went to high school together.”

“The guy is seriously wrecking Chipper’s ego.” Oakley threw the words out there in case Eric had gotten any insight.

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