Page 31 of Home Run Fiancé
I find myself twisting my fingers in my lap, feeling like I’ve been cornered. Jake’s handed me the perfect scenario to say what I need to say, but I can’t help feeling nervous about his reaction. Can’t help hearing his words echo in my head:“Don’t develop feelings for me and then get angry when I don’t reciprocate.”
“Rhys?”
I blink and Jake’s face is front and center, open and earnest this time, not the scowling man I met before. The change gives me courage to be honest.
“I’d never been to a baseball game before you took me. I loved watching you play then and I continue to enjoy watching you play.”
There. I said it. I rectified my first lie, now I need to come clean about my feelings.
Jake’s eyebrow hikes up to his hairline. “I don’t get it. Why’d you tell me you were bored?”
Deep breath. “Well…I enjoyed it a little too much and that scared me. So, I lied to push you away. Create some distance.”
Rip goes the Band-Aid. He’s so still, I’m wondering if he understands what I’m trying to say. If he doesn’t say something soon I might just die on the spot.
“Are you saying you like me, Rhys Close?”
Jake’s voice has a singsong quality that has me rolling my eyes. The upward tilt of his lips is the only thing keeping me from exiting the vehicle and running away to hide forever.
Suddenly, Jake’s halfway across my seat, his hands in my hair. “Thank goodness,” he breathes.
My heart threatens to gallop right out of my chest, not from nerves this time, but from what’s happening here. Does he feel the same way?
His lips are on mine and I don’t wonder any longer. He trails his mouth to my ear, my forehead, and my nose, leaving a trail of kisses that tells me he cares.
“I like you too, Rhys.” Jake’s admission washes over me and warms me from the inside. My stomach gets in on the action and lets out a loud growl, filling the charged quiet in the car.
Jake smirks, his thumb stroking across my hot cheek. “You sure are a loud little thing.”
“Oh you shush. Women can be loud too, you know.”
Jake pulls back to his own seat, his hands in the air. “Oh, I know, sweetheart. I happen to adore the volume of your voice. It’ll be great when I’m old and can’t hear anything. I’ll still hearyou.”
My jaw drops and I smack his arm with the back of my hand. When he fakes like he’s going to attack back, I scream and throw open the door. I scramble out, nearly giddy with relief. My head feels like it’s going to spin right off my body. I merely told him I like him and there he is talking about us getting old together in the next breath.
Jake Kersh likes me.
His car door slams and he meets me at the back of the SUV to grab my hand and tug me toward the restaurant. His smile is predatory, like I’m already his and he is mine. We didn’t define what this all means, but I don’t need the words right now. Just that look tells me all I need to know for now.
* * *
“Just tell him how good you’re doing. He’s gotta see you’re turning this into a legit business.” Jake wipes his mouth and puts his napkin next to his empty plate.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a human being eat that much food and still look the way Jake looks. My two eggs over easy and sourdough toast looks like a kid’s snack compared to the overflowing plate Jake’s already finished.
“I will. I’ll keep it very logical and explain why this is what I need right now. School is always there if I decide to go back.” Sounds perfectly reasonable in my head, but tell that to my stomach revolting over the measly food I’ve given it this morning.
Jake leans over the table, his face animated. “Just make sure you don’t apologize for your decision. Own it instead. As much as I know you want Asher’s blessing, you have to be confident in making your own life decisions.”
I nod, finally giving up on my plate. Nerves and eggs just don’t go together. “Okay.” My hand settles on the table, right over Jake’s rough one. I need his touch, to know that he backs me on this. “Can I call you after?”
Jake squeezes my hand and then laces our hands together, right there over the table in a little greasy spoon diner in Burbank. “Depending on when this all goes down, I may be playing an afternoon game. But I’ll call you the second I can, okay?”
I’m still nervous, but that’s the assurance I need to bolster my courage. The funny thing is, Asher used to be “my person.” The one I went to with everything. The one who backed me up always. Somehow, my person has become Jake, my fake fiancé.
“Come on, let’s get out of here and I’ll drop you off at Asher’s office. Then I’ll head to the stadium.” Jake throws down a hundred-dollar bill for a twenty-dollar meal and stands up. I love that he’s generous in that way, but I also want to be able to personally give back to people working their tails off to make ends meet. I want to grow my business to the point where I can pay my bills and maybe help someone else pay theirs too.
I scoot out of the booth and we exit the restaurant with our hands laced together like usual. The minute the door opens, a camera flashes in our faces and I’m taken aback. I’d been lost in our own little bubble there for a bit, forgetting entirely our charade for the public.
