22. Lark

Chapter twenty-two

Lark

“Why am I nervous?” Dan mumbles under his breath as he takes my hand. I lean into his side reassuringly and we walk to the front of Ronan and Willow’s house.

“Good question. If you figure it out, let me know.”

He lets out a strained laugh, but his shoulders drop a little bit.

Tonight is the team’s holiday dinner. It’ll be just the players and their significant others. I’ve never been to it before, but I’ve heard the stories. The gifts the players get each other, the elaborate feasts, and the drinking that invariably leads to shenanigans.

Dan arranged an Uber for us so we don’t have to worry about driving home, but even so, I don’t plan on having too much to drink. I’m too anxious about our first time being together in front of his teammates.

They might all know how he’s always felt about me, but how do they feel? Are any of them mad that I was so oblivious? Do they think I strung him along? Do they think we’re moving too fast?

I can’t voice any of this to Dan. I’m sure he’d tell me I’m being silly, but on the off chance that he doesn’t, the last thing I need to do is add to his own nervousness. Nor do I want to know what he’s nervous about.

We reach the front door of a house I’ve been to many times. Subtle sounds of voices and laughter float out. The party is already underway, and we would have been here sooner, except when I opened the door and Dan saw me in this dress, I suddenly found myself against the wall, engaged in a very intense make out session that surprised even me.

For all that he claims to be awkward and nervous, and needing to take things slow, Dan also very much enjoys kissing. Lots and lots of kissing.

By the time we broke apart, I needed a few minutes to fix my hair and makeup. All of which made our Uber driver leave without us, so then we had to request another one and wait for it to arrive.

Dan looks at me one more time, a slightly shaky smile on his face, then he pushes the front door open. The volume rises considerably as we enter the house. I know my way better than he does, so I take over, leading him into the large, open space near the back of the house.

Sure enough, most of the team is already here. Rhett and Kai are in the corner talking with one of the outfielders, Ronan’s in the kitchen doing something, and I can see Willow chatting with Mav’s girlfriend Sadie. A few of the other guys are outside on the heated patio, and some more of the wives and girlfriends are with them.

My nightmare does not come true, and all conversation does not stop the second we walk into the room. In fact, no one seems to even notice us arriving together until Willow glances over .

“You’re here!” she cries out, walking over quickly and pulling me in for a hug, forcing me to drop Dan’s hand. “Hi Monty.” She releases me and moves to hug him and I take a step to the side, against the wall of the living room. Her exuberant greeting has drawn some attention, and a few of the other players move over to say hi. I hang back and watch Dan greet everyone, smiling and hugging his teammates.

“Monty, my brother!” Kai booms, pulling Dan in and slapping his back as they hug. It’s true that a pitcher and a catcher often develop a unique bond. And I’ve watched Dan and Kai grow their connection over the last year. But hearing Kai greet him, I suddenly realize I’ve never once asked Dan in all the time I’ve known him if he would rather I call him Monty like everyone else on the team.

Why my brain chooses this exact moment to fixate on that, I don’t know, but now I can’t seem to let it go, my eyes going to him as if I might find the answer somewhere on his face.

Of course, I don’t. All I see is him smiling, having a good time, completely unaware my brain has hijacked my logical self, and I’m semi-spiraling over something as random as his nickname.

Then again, maybe it’s not so random. When Rhett walks over to me, his big arms wide open, I realize with a start that focusing on the name I call Dan has distracted me from my worries over how the team will react to my being here with him.

“Lark! Happy holidays, it’s great to see you, darlin’.”

I hug him back, hoping his reaction is a sign that my nerves are unfounded. “Thanks, Rhett. How was your Christmas?”

He shrugs, looking a little disappointed. “Not the best, if I’m bein’ honest. I was goin’ to head home to see my mama, but shegot a last-minute deal for some trip to the coast to visit my aunt. Turkey and mashed potatoes ain’t the same when you’re by yourself.”

He sounds so morose, my heart breaks for the big guy. “I’m sorry, Rhett. You should have let one of us know.”

He shakes his head, glancing from me to Dan. “Nah, don’t worry about me. I knew Monty wanted to take ya to meet his folks. No way was I gonna get in the middle of that.”

Kai joins us then, draping his arm across my shoulders. “Lark, Lark, Lark. You finally saw the light and put our boy out of his misery.”

My cheeks heat. But before I can say anything, Kai is shoved to the side, and Dan takes his place, pulling me into his arms, my back to his front. “What did I say, Yami? Don’t be a dumbass.”

“I wasn’t!” Kai protests, and I feel Dan’s lips land on my bare shoulder, making me shiver.

“Aww, look at you two. Freaking finally.”

That comes from Willow, who walks over with Sadie, Maverick, and Ronan. I feel Dan inhale, and his arms tighten around me.

“Okay, let’s get this over with. Lark and I are together. Yes, finally. Yes, it’s real, and amazing, and everything I’ve ever wanted. No, you cannot give her a hard time about taking so long to realize Baron was a fucking douche canoe. No, you cannot give me a hard time about being too chicken to tell her how I felt. Yes, you can be happy for both of us. Got it?”

Mav starts a slow clap, a rare smile just barely crossing his lips. Pretty soon, the others join in. While I can tell my face is flaming with embarrassment, it also feels pretty great, finally having everything out in the open. Knowing the team is aware of our change in relationship status and are seemingly on board with it is a relief.

And hearing Dan sound so calm, confident, and most of all, happy when he made that declaration to everyone?

Well, that might be the best feeling of all.