Page 68 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

Logan calls the pitch, and Spencer shakes him off before finally nodding at Logan’s fourth suggestion.

He winds up, and the ball leaves his hand.

Dink.

We all watch as the ball makes its way out to left field. It has the height, but does it have the distance…

My gaze lands on O’Hara. I can see him tracking the ball, his eye on it, and in a few more seconds, his glove.

Thirtyminuteslater,Iexit the clubhouse to find Cat standing near the visitors' exit by left field. She hasn’t seen meyet and is leaning against a wall, a neutral expression on her face. I let my gaze leisurely take her in.

She’s wearing jeans, a blue Smokies button-down jersey, and a white team t-shirt underneath, both of which display my number. She’s a vision and the only thing I see.

A smirk crawls on my lips, and I feel satisfied to know this woman is mine. When my gaze makes its way to her face, I find her watching me. Her eyes track their way up my body, and my smirk turns into a full-blown grin.

When Cat’s eyes find mine, her mouth lifts at both corners, and my heart flips.

“That was so much fun,” she says, stopping a little more than a foot away from me. Not close enough for me, and I close the distance a few inches. Needing to touch her, I gently push a loose strand of hair behind her ear. When I hear her breath catch, my gaze falls to her lips.

The overwhelming desire to kiss her stuns me, but I control the urge. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated, and I want to make sure that I’m not moving too fast. But when Cat’s eyes flick to my lips, I thank my lucky stars and don’t hesitate.

Sliding my hand to the back of her neck, I lean in and gently press my lips to hers. “I’m glad,” I whisper, my mouth still against hers, before pulling back so that I can look her in the eyes. “Are you ready for dinner?”

“Would you be upset if I said I wasn’t hungry?” she asks sheepishly, placing a hand on my chest. Heat spreads throughout my chest, branding my heart. “I know the plan was to eat, but I took Scarlett’s advice and grabbed some of the food here.”

“Scarlett?” My brows shoot up.

“Ava did a video chat and put Scarlett on. She was watching the game with me for a bit.” Warmth spreads through me andwraps its way around my heart. “That little girl of yours is pretty amazing! I can’t get over her in-depth knowledge of baseball.”

An overwhelming amount of pride fills me, and I grin. Loving the fact that my daughter is a sports fanatic. “That’s my girl! What did you think would happen with both her father and uncle playing professional sports?”

Cat’s face scrunches up, and I run my hand down her arm, grabbing her hand. Her blue eyes pin mine before she pushes up on her toes and gently presses her lips to mine. Sending tingles down my spine.

“Cat!” Logan calls out. “Did you have fun tonight?”

She turns toward Logan but leans closer to me, and without thinking, I wrap my arm around her waist, pressing her back to my chest. “I did, but is there any way to make the game a bit shorter?”

Logan and I laugh, but when she looks quizzically at both of us, we stop.

“Oh, you’re serious,” he says, surprised, but then Cat’s eyes sparkle and Logan throws his head back, laughing. “Nice one.”

“What are you doing tonight?” I ask him.

“I’m actually going to head to my room and call it a night. What about the two of you? Heading out for dinner?”

Cat steps away and glances up at me. I reach for her hand again and lace her fingers with mine. “No, we’re going to head down to the RiverWalk before heading back to the hotel.”

“It’s the perfect night for it,” Logan says distractedly as he pulls his phone from his back pocket and looks at the name on the screen. “I have to take this. See you tomorrow, Cat?”

Cat nods, and he smiles distractedly as he picks up the call.

“Oh, you have to see this.” Cat reaches for her phone and taps the screen before handing it over to me. A picture of Scarlett, Duncan, and Emmy are all sitting in front of the TV wearingSmokies jerseys while I’m at bat. “Can I use this photo on your account?”

My chest expands at the message this photo sends, and I nod, swallowing hard. Handing the phone back to her. “Did you get any other pictures?”

“Just a couple hundred,” she beams, and I’m not sure if she’s serious or joking. “Some of you throwing the ball, catching a grounder, covering second and third…these are reusable shots where time and game don’t matter. It makes for easy social media content.”

My eyes widen, and I stare at her, a slow grin riding across my face.

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