“Me neither,” he replies with a smile.
“Wow, are you Rhys O’Shaughnessy?” Two teenage boys have approached us. They’re obviously brothers, with their matching red hair and blue eyes. The older one is wearing a Cubs T-shirt.
“Baseball fans,” Rhys replies with a grin. “I am, yes.”
“Wow, I’m your biggest fan,” the older boy says and offers his hand for Rhys to shake. “You’re awesome. Why aren’t you playing this season?”
“I’m getting my shoulder back in shape, man. I’ll be back in the spring.”
“Awesome!”
“Maybe you just play for the wrong team,” the younger brother says. “I’m a Cardinals fan.”
“Nah,” Rhys replies with a good-natured laugh. “I think you just root for the wrong team.”
“No way!”
“Hey,” the older one says as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Can we get a picture? My friends won’t believe this!”
“Sure.”
“I’ll take it,” I offer, reaching for the phone. Rhys stands between the boys, one hand on each of their shoulders, and smiles widely for the picture.
“Thanks so much!”
“Yeah,” the younger brother adds, “you’re pretty cool. For a Cub.”
“You’re welcome.”
I’m quiet as we walk away. I’m so impressed with him! This is exactly why Sam and all of his fans love him so much. He’s approachable. He’s friendly.
“You’re quiet,” he murmurs beside me. “Talk to me.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I reply honestly. “You were great with those kids.”
He looks surprised for a moment, and then chuckles. “You surprise me.”
“Why?”
“I thought you’d decided that it was weird, and you were trying to figure out a way to tell me to get lost.”
“Nah, there would be other reasons to tell you to get lost. Being loved by teenage boys everywhere isn’t one of them.”
“Good to know.” He steers me around a group of people standing on the corner, talking and laughing. “I seriously love my job, Gabby.”
“I can tell. What do you love about it? I’m really interested..”
“It’s an honor. And I don’t mean that to sound as trite as it does. I’m a part of the all-American sport. There’s nothing more American than apple pie and baseball.”
“Do you like apple pie?” I ask.
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“Point taken.”
He takes my hand in his, links our fingers, and kisses my knuckles before continuing.
“I can’t describe what it feels like to stand on that mound, with sixty thousand fans in the stands, whether they’re rooting for our team, or the opposing team, to hear them cheer. It’s humbling. It’s amazing.”
“You’ve done it a long time. Not many people can say they’ve played professional baseball.”
“True.” He nods. “I think it’s why I’m so stubborn about this shoulder injury. I know that at thirty, I only have a few years left in me. Most pitchers don’t play past my age. It’s a physically demanding sport. But I’ll be damned if this shoulder is the reason I can’t play anymore. I want to end my career on my terms. I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to play until I’m crippled. But I want to say when it’s over. Does that make sense?”
“It does.” I kiss his bicep and then rub it with my free hand. “It makes perfect sense.”
“Do you like baseball?”
“Meh.” I purse my lips and shrug. “It’s okay. I really love MMA fighting.”
“MMA fighting?” He stares down at me like I’m crazy. “Why?”
“Are you kidding? Hot men, scantily clad, rolling around on the floor together. I mean, it’s really a no-brainer.” I chuckle inside, and give my inner flirt a high-five. I’m getting so good at this.
Suddenly, he’s pinned me against a brick wall, caging me in the way he does that makes my toes instantly curl, and he’s hunched over so his face is level with mine.
“You like looking at half-naked men, baby? I can get half-naked for you.”
“You are pretty remarkable half-naked,” I say thoughtfully. “Okay, you’ll do.”
He laughs and kisses my forehead, then takes my hand and leads me down the sidewalk. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I don’t know. What are you going to do with me?”
He winks down at me. “I’m not telling.”
***
“I had a wonderful time.” We’re standing at the trunk of the car as Rhys pulls our bags out and drops them on the ground before tugging me into his arms and planting his lips on mine, kissing me for all he’s worth.
And he’s worth a lot.
A lot.
“How do you feel?” he whispers as he pulls away.
“Happy.”
“Perfect.”
“You’re home!” Savannah waves from the porch. “Stop kissing and get in here. Not you, Rhys.”
“She’s not obvious at all,” I say as I wave at my sister and roll my eyes.
Rhys also waves and carries our bags around the back of the house. “I’ll take these in, then I’m going to work out in the barn for a while. Just yell if you need me.”
I nod and join Van, who takes my hand and quickly leads me inside the house. She glances around, as if someone could be listening in, despite the fact that guests haven’t started arriving yet for this evening, then begins the inquisition.
“How was it? How many condoms did you use? Was he sweet? Did he hurt you? Do I need to have the boys kick his ass?”
“Stop.” I hold my hand over Van’s mouth to shut her up.
“Mmmp mmmp brachd.”
“What?” I pull my hand away.
“Tell me everything.”
“No.” I smile as I set my purse on the desk I use to check guests in. “It’s all mine.”
“Come oooonnnnn.” She pouts. She knows I can’t resist the pout. “I want to know details!”
“Where are Kate and Charly?”
“They both went in to work. I stayed and handled things here. Now, spill.”
I sigh and push my hair behind my ear. “It was fun.”
Her face falls. “That’s it?”
“Fun is good.”
“You have fun at the movies, Gabby.”
“Okay, it was…nice.”
“Nice?” She shakes her head sadly. “We had such high hopes for him.”
“We did?”
“Sure. He’s hot. He’s nice.”
I nod. “Yeah. And he gave me the best night I’ve had since Sam was born.”
A slow smile slides over Van’s face. “That’s promising.”
I lean in and lower my voice. “It was amazing. He’s just…wow.”
“This is so much better than nice. So give me details.”
I shake my head. “No, those really are just mine. But you can sleep well tonight, knowing that he took very good care of me.”
“Good.” She hugs me close, clinging more tightly than she normally does, which makes me a little sad.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly.
“Yes.”
“Something isn’t right.”
She pulls back and her eyes are sad now. “Lance called.”
“That fucker isn’t supposed to call you!” The rage is hard and instant. Van’s ex-husband abused her, emotionally, physically and sexually. “Tell me you called the police!”
“I did,” she assures me. “And I told Beau and Eli too.”
“Good.” I nod. “You wouldn’t have done that before. Did you call Ben?”
She looks down. “No.”
“Why not?”
“He’s not my brother.”
No, he’s just been in love with you forever and a day.
But I don’t say that because she won’t believe it, and she doesn’t want to hear it.
“No, but he cares about you too. You know that.”
“One of the boys will tell him, I’m sure.”
“Van.”
She shakes her head adamantly. “Drop it, Gabs.”
“Okay, what did Lance say?”
She chews the inside of her lip, then simply drops her head into her hands with a resigned sigh.
“The usual. I’m a pain in the ass. All of his troubles are my fault. Blah blah blah.”
“I’m going to kick his ass.”