Page 77 of Reckless Impulse

My eyes track Quinn’s every move. I must be distracted, because Darren nudges my shoulder, breaking my concentration. “So, are things getting back to normal with you two?”

Darren knows about Quinn and my past. He also knows how shitty things became once Cami told me she was pregnant. He was a bit surprised, to say the least, when I mentioned Quinn was in Tampa with me and the girls for spring training. But he didn’t say anything more. I guess after seeing the way we were all over each other at his party the other week, he probably has some questions.

“Things seem to be moving in the right direction,” I say with a genuine smile.

“Thank fuck,” he says. “You deserve to be happy. And I know damn well that woman right there is the one who always made you the happiest, even before you realized exactly what that meant.”

“Thanks, man.”

Darren stands abruptly. “Sorry, brother… we’ve got runners. I swear they do this shit on purpose. Be right back,” he says, then takes off, sprinting across the field after his four-year-old boy, while his wife runs after their little girl running in the opposite direction. Their oldest is sitting happily, playing with Addy.

Thank God we're not at that stage yet, but I know those two will be scheming soon enough. I watch as Quinn tickles Sophie. I can hear her belly laughs from here, which only spurs Quinn on more. Her face is hovering over Sophie’s, both sporting huge smiles.

The next thing I know, Sophie’s grabbing onto Queenie’s face and rubbing her nose to hers.

Eskimo kisses.

Quinn’s eyes go wide and dart to mine. Her expression is of awe and shock, and I'm out of my seat and by her side in an instant.

I place a kiss on her temple, no words spoken. Her eyes gleam with unshed tears. She knows my little girls adore her. Who wouldn’t? She’s giving my girls something that I didn’t realize they’ve been craving.A mother's touch.

Shit, now my eyes are watery.

Sophie rolls over and crawls to where her sister is playing, leaving Quinn and me alone for a few moments.

Both lost in thought, we watch mindlessly as Darren and Katie chase around the runaways in the grass ahead of us. When they all pile on top of Darren, we chuckle softly. Then he breaks free and throws Katie over his shoulder as all their kids chase him around, laughing and smiling. I’m envious sometimes of what he has… because it's everything I’ve ever wanted with Quinn.

“The first time I saw Katie… I thought you two were a thing,” she says, grabbing my attention.

“Mmmm,” I mumble as I nuzzle into her neck, placing a gentle kiss on her collarbone.

“It was in the spring of your junior year. I was walking into the locker room tunnel, and I saw her standing there with you. She was so damn pretty, and her hand was on your shoulder. There was such a familiarity between you two…” She pauses, taking a deep breath.

Shaking her head, she continues. “I was so jealous at the thought you might’ve been sleeping with her. Clearly, I know now she was Darren’s girl, but back then, I was so upset.”

Pulling her chin to face me, I see more tears flood her eyes. “Baby.”

“She’s part of the reason I started dating… I couldn’t stand the thought of pining over you and not having you completely. We always said we didn’t want to mess up what we had. Our friendship came first. So when those feelings of jealousy took over, I knew you meant more… You were about to be drafted, and I didn't want to go and throw a wrench in your well-planned out life.”

My life may have revolved around baseball, but even back then, she was the center of my universe… my person. I hate that I didn’t admit it to myself sooner. I thread my fingers through hers, hoping the connection will help her get her feelings out.

She looks up at the sky, blinking away her tears. “I just keep thinking how different our lives would be now if—if I only knew.”

Grabbing her, I pull her to my chest. “Shhh, it’s okay. Neither one of us could have foreseen our future. Granted, there are some things I would love to change, but look where we are now.” She has no idea the countless times I wished for things to have played out differently.

Nodding into my chest, she takes in a shaky breath. Her breathing settles and she wipes away the last of her tears.

“Phew, that was intense. I'm sorry, just the Eskimo kiss from Sophie sent me into a spiral. My emotions got away from me there.”

“Never apologize for that, Queenie. We’ve been through a lot of shit over the years.”

“You can say that again.”

“But I can tell you this… I’m so thankful to have you back by my side.”

She looks like she wants to say something more, but we’re interrupted when the twins climb on top of us, tackling us both just like Darren’s kids were. And in this moment, I feel like all of my dreams are right within my reach.

We say our goodbyes and pack up the girls to head home. It's late by the time we pull into our garage. The girls are sound asleep in the back, and I take it as an opportunity to fill Quinn in on some big news.

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