Page 56 of Stepping Up to the Plate

“No. I mean probably, but I was thinking how lucky I am to have a man who takes such good care of me.”

He blows a raspberry before going back to washing the conditioner out of my hair. “Taking care of you is one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. I’m the lucky one, doll.” Before I can argue, he shuts off the water and grabs a towel to dry us both off. Leaving me to handle my skincare routine, he heads into the kitchen to grab two glasses of water and check the locks on the door.

“You lock the door every time you come into the condo. Why do you check it again before bed?” I ask curiously.

Slipping in beside me, he shuts off his light and pulls me to him. “Can’t be too careful. I’ve got my most precious things in here.”

“Your not-so-secret Pop-Tart stash?” I tease.

“That,” he laughs. “And my sweet girl. One of you is replaceable. The other is too special to risk.”

With another fissure in my heart mended, I fall asleep that night wrapped in strong arms.

ChapterTwenty-Six

• BRADY •

August

After an amazing night with Lola, I’m forced to leave her sleeping in my bed in order to make the flight for our away series. As captain, I am usually the first one there, but it was harder than ever to pull myself out of bed.

Arriving with a few minutes to spare, I make myself a cup of tea, fully intending to sleep on the flight to Austin. As much as I love my job, it feels like a bad time to leave home. Things with Lola have been great, but I was never able to figure out what had her out of sorts last night.

When the game ended, I expected a text from her congratulating me on my home run. Not that I care, but I knew she was watching from my place. Not hearing from her was a little unsettling.

I was surprised when she wasn’t waiting for me in the living room. The relief from realizing she was in the shower and not back at her place was short-lived when I saw how pink she was. She takes her showers hot, but not scalding as it must have been to show up on her skin. The night took a much better turn, but I still want to know what put her in a bad mood in the first place. I’m a fixer by nature and I can’t tackle the problem if I don’t know what it is.

“Papa Bear, you look tired.” Kent comments from beside me. “Long night?” I answer him with a shrug. He continues on. “Someone must have gotten a nice going away present for playing well last night.”

If only he knew how nice of a present it was. I swear I can still taste Lola on my tongue and I will never forget the feeling of her thighs shaking against my ears. Ever. It is permanently etched into my memory.

Plopping into the seat beside me, Robby groans. “It’s too early to be this chipper, Dela Cruz.”

“Agreed,” I mutter.

“Geez, you wifed up guys are no fun. We’re living the dream. Heading to Austin and then Vegas to dominate our competition. I know you’re missing out on one of the job perks now that you have a ball and chain, Becker. But you have to admit it’s a sweet gig.”

Ignoring the obvious baiting, Robby answers our friend. “It’s the best gig. I just wish I had a few more hours of dreams before I was living them. Why the hell did we need to be here this early? The game isn’t until tomorrow. It’s only a two-hour flight.”

“We’re doing a press thing this afternoon,” I tell him. “There is a children’s hospital in Austin and we’re going to visit the patients.”

“Ugh,” he complains. “Now, I can’t even be salty about it.”

“Sorry, man. I’ll try to make sure next time we have a press stop it’s for a terrible cause.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“Come on. Let’s get in line to board so we can get seats far away from Kent,” I joke.

“Hey, not cool you guys!” the man in question whines.

“Smart thinking,” Robby comments as we walk out to the tarmac. As excited as I am to take the field, I can’t help thinking it’s going to be a long week away from my girl and that something isn’t quite right.

* * *

After arriving in Austin on Thursday, we spend several hours at the hospital talking to the kids and their families. Being around them makes my heart heavy, but also strangely warms it. Seeing families taking care of each other reminds me of growing up. It also reminds me I need to call and check on my brother. His wife is about to pop and I should be an uncle any day now.

Saturday’s game was rained out. Causing us to have a double header yesterday. We didn’t get to leave for Vegas until late last night. I will be glad to get back to Nashville on Wednesday and back in my bed with Lola.

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