Page 52 of Double Play

Still, she narrowed her eyes at him and didn’t move an inch from her position in thedoorway.

“And after that night, I wasn’t thinking about your computer at all. I was thinking about you, and how interesting and smart and sexyyouwere.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Flattery?”

“It’s not flattery. It’s just the truth. When I saw you in the stands, fixing to faint, I lostmymind.”

“What do you mean, you lost your mind? You came andhelpedme.”

“Yes, because I was scared out of my mind.” He wiped a hand across his face, even the memory of it shaking him to the core. “I didn’t know whattodo.”

“You did the right thing. Exactly the rightthing.”

“But what if Ihadn’t?”

She stared at him, sadness dimming the light in her eyes. “Dwight, what are you doing here? My heart condition is what it is. I can’t help it if itscaresyou.”

Time to put it all out there. “I’m here because Iloveyou.”

There. He’d said it. And it felt good. But Maggie didn’t look veryimpressed.

She shifted position, propping herself against the doorjamb, her head turned away from him. “You kind of said something like that before. Then you disappeared. So don’t use that word unless you mean it. If you love me, where have you been? Why haven’t youcalled?”

He ran a hand across his head, wishing there was some way to avoid looking like an idiot. But no. “Because I’m an ass. A full-on, donkey-ass idiot. I had this idea that you were embarrassed about me in front of your parents. That you didn’t want to be with a second-tier player. That you wanted to make sure you were dating a Friar, not a aCatfish.”

Her head whipped around. “Excuseme?”

“I know you didn’t,” he said quickly. “Nina set mestraight.”

She marched toward him and prodded him in the chest as she spoke. “Ninashouldn’t have to set you straight on that. I’m a professional, Dwight. I am not open for bribery, whether it’s through a killer smile or because I want to help the man I love. That isnothow I operate, and you really ought toknowthat.”

He stilled her hand against his chest, his heart suddenly racing. “You said youloveme.”

“What? No I didn’t.” Her eyes blazed up at himindignantly.

“You called me ‘the man I love.’ Samething.”

“It was a hypothetical.” But from the way hectic color came and went in her cheeks, he knew he’dbustedher.

He picked up her other hand and held both of them in his. “Maggie Blythe, one of the many things I revere about you is your honesty. Now, I love you. I told you that straight up. Do you lovemetoo?”

She ran her tongue across her lips, a gesture she often turned to when she was nervous. Inside, he gloated. Nerves were good. They meant she had strong feelings. Hopefullygoodones.

“Let’s get back to your grovel,” she said. “You were saying, about being adonkey’sass?”

He tilted his head back and let out a booming laugh. “Fine, you want more?” He lowered himself to his knees. “I’m a donkey’s ass who loves you. I’ve been in hell the past couple of weeks. Barely able to smile at the fans. I don’t even know how I managed to hit a baseball. Maybe because my mind was somewhere else. It was with you. You’re all I’ve thought about since I got called up. Will you please find it in that big, kind, perfect heart of yours to forgive me, or at least give me a chance to win yourforgiveness?”

A flush spread across her face. “You are the craziest guy. My heart is obviously notperfect.”

“It’s perfect because it’s part of you. On the plane, I was thinking about it. When I saw you having trouble in the stands, I panicked because I didn’t really know what to do. So I need to inform myself. I might even take EMT training. I don’t want to be scared like that again. I want to be there when you need me. I want to be your man. Alltheway.”

Her eyes glistened with tears. “Youdo?”

“I do. Just give me another chance. This is how I do things, baby. I crash and burn the first time, but if I get a second shot, I don’t messitup.”

She laughed through her tears, and he knew he had her.ThankJesus.

He lifted her hand to kiss it. “Does that laugh mean you’ll give me anotherchance?”

---