12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

Grady

“So, what do you guys think?” Dallas asks from the other side of the bar as Penn, Parker, and I all try the new burger he’s thinking about putting on the menu. It’s a classic beef patty with a potato cake on top that’s a cross between a jalapeno popper and a hash brown. The outside is fried in a flaky batter, and the inside has mashed potatoes mixed with diced jalapenos and gooey, cheddar cheese. It’s making me wish I was alone so I could properly appreciate it without judgment.

The moan of approval I let out is borderline embarrassing. “Fucking delicious,” I say around a mouthful of food.

“You’ve got a winner here, brother.” Penn echoes my sentiment.

“I would give up sex if I could eat this every day,” Parker adds, drawing all our attention his way.

Penn wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Uh, I don’t know about that.”

Dallas stares at his youngest brother with confusion as well. “Yeah. There’s no food I would choose over sex with Willow.”

Parker glares at both of his brothers while I keep my mouth shut. I’m not having regular sex, that’s for sure. But if I had the opportunity to fuck Scottie anytime she wanted, I would give up all food for the rest of my life.

“Thanks for rubbing in the fact that you both are getting laid regularly.” Parker takes another bite, grumbling around his food.

“In a bit of a dry spell?” I ask, knowing how rough that can be. At one point, even your hand will start to think that you’re pathetic.

“You could say that.”

“You have that conference in New York coming up though, don’t you?” Penn interjects. “Maybe you’ll get lucky on your trip, turn that frown of yours upside down.” He pokes his brother in the cheek as Parker swats him away.

Dallas and I share a laugh before he clears his throat. “Uh, not to shift away from Parker’s lackluster love life, but I wanted to make sure you’re all going to be at Willow’s birthday party next Saturday. I’m trying to get a head count for the food.”

Penn and Parker nod in unison. “You know Astrid and I will be there,” Penn says. Astrid and Willow are best friends, so there’s no way they’d miss it.

“I’m leaving the office early that day so I can make it on time,” Parker adds.

Dallas turns his attention to me. “You coming?”

I take a sip of my Coke before replying. “Yup. I’ve had it on my calendar for months.”

“What about Scottie?” Dallas asks as he wipes down the bar. “Are you gonna bring her?”

“I mean, I hadn’t thought about it.”

Penn shoves my shoulder, grinning. “This is your opportunity to introduce her to everyone!” he teases .

“I don’t know if she can go, but I’ll ask her.” Hell, if I had it my way, she’d be going as my significant other, but I’m still working on changing our relationship status. One day at a time.

“How are things going with you two?” Dallas asks.

“They’re…going.” I blow out a sigh of frustration.

Penn winces. “That good, huh?”

I wipe my hands on my napkin and toss it onto my empty plate, the burger completely gone. “I don’t know, guys. If I had it my way, Scottie would have a ring on her finger and would already be moved into my house.”

Parker’s eyes bug out. “Fuck. Really? Marriage already?”

Penn gives his brother a pointed look. “Not everyone is against marriage, little brother.”

Dallas chuckles, but Parker glares back at Penn. “Well, get fucked over by your fiancée, and you’d be against it too.”

“Anyway,” I interject, steering the conversation back on track. “Like I said, I want that, but Scottie doesn’t.”

“That’s what she said?”

“More or less, but I know she has feelings for me too.”

Parker groans. “Oh god, are we gonna have to watch you two tiptoe around each other for years like Penn and Astrid did before they finally admitted their fucking feelings?”

Penn shoves his brother off his stool as Dallas shrugs. “Parker does have a point, Penn.”

“We fucking figured out our shit, okay? But our situation was much more complicated.” Penn turns to me now. “Did she give you a reason why she won’t give you a chance?”

“I mean, she doesn’t want to ruin our friendship, for one. But I feel like after we slept together, nothing was going to be the same again anyway. ”

“Valid point,” Dallas says.

“But I have a feeling a lot of it has to do with her ex-husband.”

Dallas winces. “Ex-husband drama can be complicated.”

“Is he in the picture still?” Penn asks.

“I honestly don’t know. I know he was a shitty father who let his son down a lot.” But there’s something else that she’s not telling me, and I haven’t been able to figure it out yet.

“How are things going with the kid?” Dallas asks.

“The kid has a chip on his shoulder, that’s for damn sure,” I reply. “But I don’t blame him. When he’s on the baseball field, though, he and I get along just fine. He’s fucking talented as hell.” The corner of my mouth lifts. “Reminds me a lot of myself at that age.”

“Nice,” Penn says.

“But at the garage, it’s a different story. He doesn’t want to listen and is clearly pissed about being there. I get it, but I was thinking maybe if I get him to help me fix up the car, he might not see it as a complete waste of time, and it could give us a chance to get to know each other better.”

Penn nods. “That’s a good idea, Grady. Especially because you’re still going to be in his life once your kid is born.”

“Exactly.”

“I remember trying to bond with Bentley after Brandon died. Granted, Bentley was a lot younger than Chase and already knew me, but it was still tough. One day when I corrected something he did, he got mad and told me that I wasn’t his dad.” Penn shakes his head. “It fucking killed me because I know how badly he wishes Brandon were still here, but since he isn’t, all I could do was explain that it’s okay to have other role models in your life.”

Penn’s words force me to swallow down the lump in my throat because I know that feeling well. Mr. Rogers was the man I looked up to in so many ways, and he taught me everything I know about cars. If it weren’t for him, I probably would have gotten in a lot more trouble as a kid and I wouldn’t have had something to keep me sane after losing baseball.

“So, you think the car thing could help?”

Penn nods firmly. “Yes. He’s going to push back, of course, but for every push he gives, you just push back harder. He’ll come around.”

Dallas chimes in. “We see it a lot with the boys we coach, Grady.” Dallas and Penn coach a soccer team each year in the fall. Most of the boys on the team have fathers in the service, so they aren’t around for large stretches of time. I can’t imagine having a dad who comes in and out of your life like that. It makes me grateful that at least mine left and never returned because suffering that whiplash could be even harder to fucking deal with.

“Okay. I’ll give it a shot.”

Parker, who’d been silent during this discussion, clears his throat dramatically. “Well, now that you three have a plan for how you’re going to save the world, one broken boy at a time, I gotta get back to work.” He starts to stand from his chair, but Penn grabs his shirt by the collar and yanks him to his chest. “What the—”

Seething, Penn grates out, “Just because you’ve written off having a family doesn’t mean you get to mock ours.”

Dallas and I stand, ready to break them up if need be.

Parker glares up at his brother. “Jesus, calm down.”

Penn shakes Parker slightly. “No, you need to watch your fucking mouth, Parker. Raising another man’s kid is fucking hard. Putting their needs before your own is a noble fucking thing. And maybe you should consider that you’re also one of those broken boys inside, too scared to let anyone in because you were hurt once.”

Parker clenches his jaw. “Fuck you, Penn. ”

“Right back at you, brother.”

“Okay.” Dallas rounds the bar and steps between the two of them, pulling Penn’s hands from Parker’s shirt. “That’s enough.”

Penn steps back, but his anger remains palpable. “He needs to watch his fucking mouth. Just because he’s unhappy with his life, doesn’t mean he gets to talk down to us about ours.”

After a few tension-filled moments, Parker pulls his wallet from his pocket, tosses down some cash, and glares at all three of us. “I don’t need this shit,” he says, turning and walking out of the restaurant.

“You know he isn’t going to be able to move past his shit until he’s ready to,” Dallas says to his brother.

“I don’t care. I said what I needed to say to him.” Penn throws a twenty-dollar bill on the bar and then drains the rest of his drink. “I need to get back to work.” Penn exits the restaurant just as quickly as his younger brother did.

“Well, that turned sour quickly.”

Dallas looks at me. “Parker has been in a fucking mood for months. Penn and I think it has a lot to do with how we’ve changed our lives for the women we love. He had that once, and…”

“Yeah, I know.”

Dallas runs a hand through his short, black hair. “I hate seeing him so jaded. He wasn’t like this before Sasha fucking betrayed him.”

“Something like that would change any person, Dallas.”

He looks me dead in the eye. “I know, and I’m afraid it will prevent him from ever trusting another woman.”

His words strike me right in the chest. “Fuck, that’s it.”

“What?”

I reach for my wallet, throw a few bills on the counter, and shove it back in my pocket. “Nothing. You just made me realize something I wasn’t seeing before.”

“Okay…”

“I’ve got to go,” I say as my mind starts spinning.

“Glad everyone was in a hurry to leave today,” he murmurs behind me as I exit the restaurant and head back to the garage, realizing that what Scottie needs is a reason to trust me, proof that she can count on me, and so does Chase. At least now I have a better idea of how to make them both see that I’m not here to hurt them.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

I want to give them each what they need and deserve—someone to trust if they fall, because falling in life is inevitable, and I refuse to let them feel like they’re alone anymore.

***

Sitting in my recliner, flipping through the pages of my third book about pregnancy and becoming a father, I listen to this week’s MLB highlights in the background, stifling a yawn. It’s crazy to think there was a time when I was on that television, my face plastered on the screen during these same highlights. Now, I’m coaching kids who have no idea how much work and determination it takes to get to that point and preparing to be a father, while the woman carrying my baby is pretending she doesn’t have feelings for me.

My, how things have changed.

The conversation at Catch & Release between me and the Sheppard boys keeps playing on repeat in my head. When Dallas said he feared his brother wouldn’t trust another woman again, it made me realize that I had been walking around feeling the same way—that is until Scottie walked back into my life. That’s how I know that fighting for her is worth it. She’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted to fight for, so I’ve spent the entire day thinking about how I can help her see that she doesn’t need to fear the future we could share. She just has to give us a shot.

My phone vibrates on the coffee table, and when I see who the text message is from, a lightning bolt of adrenaline races through me. I close the book, set it on the table, and pick up my phone to read the message.

Scottie : Does that offer to fulfill my cravings still stand?

I sit up in my chair eagerly, holding my phone between my knees as I type out my response.

Me : Absolutely. What do you need?

Scottie : An orange popsicle .

Me : That’s very specific.

Scottie: No commentary needed. Can you bring me a box or not?

Me : Your wish is my command, babe. Be there soon .

I launch from my chair, change into a pair of clean jeans, slap a ball cap on my head, grab my keys, and head for the grocery store. Scottie’s request tells me she’s letting me in, albeit in a small way, but still. I’ll take it.

I race through the store to the freezer section and grab the first box of orange popsicles I see—the classic Big Stick variety, a favorite I remember from the days of chasing down the ice cream truck in my neighborhood. I pay for the treats and then try not to speed as I cross town and pull into Scottie’s driveway.

The curtains on her mother’s front window move, drawing my attention over there as I get out of my truck. I’m sure her mom knows about our situation, but I’m curious what her thoughts are and wonder if maybe she can talk some sense into her daughter.

One obstacle at a time, Grady .

As I knock on Scottie’s door, the bag rustles in my hand, stirred by the breeze sweeping across the front porch. The door swings open, and there’s Scottie, stealing the breath from my lungs and making my dick ache, longing to show her just what she does to him.

She’s fresh from the shower, wearing an oversized gray t-shirt and navy sleep shorts, with her hair wrapped in a towel. Her skin is glowing, her feet are bare, her toenails painted a soft yellow, and I can see her small bump just underneath her shirt.

Mine .

“Special delivery for Scottie Daniels,” I announce, holding up the bag. She motions for me to come in while I simultaneously will my dick to calm down.

A heavy sigh of relief escapes her as she smiles. “Thank you, Grady. I can’t explain why these sounded so good, but when my brain locked onto these, I couldn’t think of anything else.” I follow her into the kitchen, and she takes the bag from me, setting it on the counter. “When I was pregnant with Chase I had the same craving. Maybe it means I’m having another boy.”

“That might be true, but all the books say every pregnancy is different.” She takes the box of popsicles out of the bag and her face falls. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

Her eyes stay locked on the box of Big Sticks for so long that I’m afraid she’s fallen asleep with her eyes open. But when they finally meet mine, they’re full of tears. I react immediately, closing the distance between us. “Shit, Scottie. Are you okay?”

She brushes a tear away. “Um, yeah. I just…”

“What?”

“These aren’t the ones I wanted,” she cries, sobbing into her hands, falling apart right in front of me .

I have no idea what to do in this moment except pull her into my chest. “Fuck. I’m—I’m sorry.”

Her words are muffled as she buries her head in my chest. “I wanted the ones with the two sticks, you know?” She pushes back from me, gesturing with her hands as if holding a popsicle with two sticks. Tears flow down her cheeks and snot drips from her nose.

“Why didn’t you say that?” I ask, bewildered by the intensity of her reaction.

“You should have just known!” she yells back at me, shocking me. “You’re supposed to know!”

I hold my hands up in surrender, not sure what else I’m supposed to do. Here I was thinking I was saving the day, being of use like I told her I wanted to be, but I wasn’t prepared for this reaction. “Scottie…”

She stands there, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I just…”

I pull her gently back into my arms. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I murmur. Before she can say anything else, I decide that maybe a distraction is what she needs. So that’s what I give her. I tip her chin up so I can look into her tear-filled eyes, and then I slant my mouth over hers, swallowing her gasp.

But then, without a moment’s hesitation, she wraps her arms around my neck and meets my tongue thrust for thrust, moaning and burying her hands in my hair, knocking my hat off my head in the process.

I back her up into the fridge, knocking something off the top of it, but it doesn’t faze us. My cock presses against my jeans, begging to be let free just as I reach down and pick up her leg, wrapping it around my waist. She pushes her pussy against my cock, rubbing herself along every inch of me she can reach as we grasp for one another, with so much tension and need in the kiss that it feels like we couldn’t have stopped this if we tried .

It’s magnetic, this pull between us. We’re two polar opposites that have no choice but to be drawn toward one another. But as soon as I run my hand up the inside of her thigh, wanting to feel her and make her come more than my next breath, she shoves me away, both of our chests heaving.

“Scottie…”

Her hand comes up to her mouth, covering it as her wide eyes stare up at me. “What the hell, Grady?” Her next words come out as a whisper, while my heart hammers so wildly that I can hear it in my ears. “Why did you do that?”

“I didn’t know how else to calm you down,” I admit, even though kissing her felt instinctual, just like taking care of her does.

Her voice is shaky. “You—you shouldn’t have done that.”

“It didn’t seem to bother you while you were kissing me back,” I counter, which was a very bad idea.

Her eyes narrow into slits, but before she can fire something back at me, Chase rounds the corner. His eyes dart between us, picking up on the intensity as we stand just a few feet apart.

“I heard a noise and came out here to see what was going on,” he says. “Is everything okay?”

I turn away from him, grabbing my hat from the floor while trying to hide the erection still pressing against my pants. Scottie rips the towel from her head, tossing it onto the counter before wiping under her eyes where tear streaks still glisten in the florescent lights.

“I’m fine,” she says, plastering a fake-as-shit smile on her face.

“Why are you crying, Mom?”

“I brought the wrong damn popsicles,” I grumble, looking over my shoulder at Chase, who is growing more concerned by the minute.

“Popsicles? ”

“Yeah,” Scottie manages to say, finding her voice again. “But it’s okay. The baby just wanted a specific kind…”

Chase rolls his eyes. “Another man making her cry. Doesn’t surprise me.”

“Hey!” Scottie snaps, chastising her son.

“You’re pregnant with his kid and he’s making you cry!” Chase points accusingly at me. “Not a good sign, Mom.”

“Chase Matthew!”

If I wasn’t so thrown off right now, I’d say something to defend myself. But ultimately, there’s only one way to fix this. I turn back around now that my dick has calmed down and grab my keys from my pocket. “I’ll be right back.”

“Grady!” Scottie calls out to me, but I’m already heading out the door, needing some space to clear my head.

“I’ll be back with the right popsicles, Scottie,” I say, closing the door behind me. I fix my ball cap as I walk back to my truck, wondering how the fuck one simple errand turned into attacking this woman with my mouth and wishing I could do it again.

By the time I return with the correct popsicles, it’s after nine. Scottie opens the door, her expression guarded as I step inside. She doesn’t even bother opening the bag I hand her.

We just stare at each other across the island, waiting for the other person to speak first. Luckily, she breaks first. “I’m sorry, Grady.”

“No, I am.” I blow out a breath, tossing my hat onto the counter beside the bag. “When the cashier noticed I was back again for more popsicles, she said next time I should send you a picture to make sure it’s exactly what you want. Apparently, it’s a very common first-time-dad mistake.”

A small smile graces her lips. “I’m sure. But my reaction was a little… ”

I raise my hand to stop her. “You’re fine, Scottie. I told you that I’d never let you down, and I did, so all I was trying to do was fix it.”

She bites her bottom lip, uncertainty in her eyes. “I don’t usually cry over popsicles, Grady. It’s just the hormones, and my heart was set on the ones with the two sticks.” She holds up two fingers like a peace sign. “It really wasn’t a big deal, but in the moment, it felt like it was.”

I slide the bag closer to her. “Then eat one, Scottie, so we’ll both feel better, and then I think we need to talk.”

She nods, pulling a popsicle out, discarding the plastic wrapper in the trash, and then sucking on the frozen treat, closing her eyes and moaning as she does.

My dick instantly gets excited again over the sound, but the last thing I should do is mark this woman with my mouth again.

“So good,” she moans as her lips stretch over the orange ice, and suddenly I’m transported back to the night when her lips were stretched around my dick.

Fuck . “I’m glad it’s what you wanted.”

“You’re really sweet for going back out and getting these, especially after how I reacted.”

“Anything to make you stop crying.”

Glaring at me, she takes a seat in a big, cushioned chair in her living room. I plop myself onto the couch. “I want you to know that I yelled at Chase after you left.”

“He’s not my biggest fan, and I’m sure now that he knows about the baby, it’s only going to take more time for him to come around.”

“He never should have said those things to you.” Her eyes drift toward the hallway. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“He doesn’t trust me yet. Neither of you do,” I say, echoing my thoughts from earlier today .

Scottie’s tongue freezes as she eats her popsicle. “What do you mean?”

Knowing that I have to push her, have to get her to open up to me, I ask the question that’s been on my mind. “What happened with your ex, Scottie?”

She swallows hard and lowers the popsicle, a trickle of juice sliding down her wrist. “I…”

“I need to know what I’m up against. I want to know about your past to avoid making the same mistakes—for you and Chase.”

Tears well in her eyes. “Why are you so concerned about that?”

Leaning forward, I reach for her hand, stroking the top of it with my thumb. “Because I’m not going anywhere, and the last thing I want is resentment in our family.”

She can deny it all she wants, but she and Chase are my family now—by blood, and hopefully one day, by choice. I know she’s not there yet, but hopefully she will be soon, especially if our kiss was any indication of the sexual tension lurking beneath the surface.

Her eyes fall to the melting popsicle in her hand before she stands from the couch and races to the sink, dropping the popsicle and washing her hands. I can see the tremble in her limbs as she returns, sitting back in her chair and nervously figuring out what to say.

“I told you Chase hasn’t had the best example of a man to look up to. His dad preferred strip clubs and other women over spending time with his own family. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when he took my son to the Gl-Ass Company, his favorite strip club, and left him in the car for two hours before he remembered he brought him.”

“Jesus Christ.” I run a hand through my hair.

“Yeah, he’s a piece of work, and the last person I want my son to be around. Chase saw me cry too many times, saw us yell at each other a lot, especially toward the end when I finally stood my ground.” She stares off to the side of the room. “I should have left sooner, and I hate myself for not.”

“You can’t blame yourself for someone else’s actions, Scottie. You did leave, which took courage, and that’s what matters.”

She brushes a tear from her cheek. “Yeah, but now my son…” She shakes her head. “He needs you, Grady.” Her admission shocks me.

So, I’m good enough to be a role model to her son, but not good enough to be her partner?

Remember what your sister said, Grady. She’s been hurt and is obviously placing a lot of blame on herself. Cut her some slack and keep pushing for what you want.

“I’m not a saint, Scottie.”

“No, and I never said you were. But you’re loyal, honest, and hardworking. That’s all I want Chase to aspire to be.”

“He has to get used to me being around. We’re going to be a family, whether you and I are together or not. I was thinking…what if he helped me fix up the Nova?”

The corner of her mouth lifts. “I think he’d like that.”

“I think so too, if he could dial back his attitude long enough to actually listen to me.” I shake my head, leaning back into the cushion. “I don’t know how you deal with that every day.”

“Being a parent is tough. There are days when I feel like I’m nailing it, and many more when I feel like I’m failing. Before I had Chase, my mistakes were my own, but as a mother, I constantly wonder how my choices are going to affect my son. It’s exhausting.”

“I don’t want to fail my kid,” I admit on a whisper, hoping she understands that she’s not the only one struggling. And fuck, I just want us to struggle together.

Does that make me a sap ?

No, that makes me a man who knows what he wants—to actually be vulnerable with a woman for the first time in my life.

“You won’t— because you care about that. The only thing you can do is keep trying, Grady.”

“Keep trying?” I ask, and then continue before I can think twice. “With Chase, or with you, Scottie?”

Her eyes widen and she slinks back, clearing her throat when she realizes my meaning. “You—you can’t kiss me again, Grady.”

I scoff. “If you think I’m done kissing you, you’ve got another thing coming, babe.”

“I’m serious.”

I lean forward so she can see straight into my eyes when I say, “So am I.” Her breathing grows shallow again, and all I can think about is our kiss from earlier. But when she remains silent, I hit her with another thought. “I think our moms should meet.”

“What?”

“I mean, I’m sure they know each other to some extent, but since this baby will join us all together, it would be nice for us all to sit down and share a meal, you know? Practice for the holidays and stuff.”

She closes her eyes and sighs. “Yeah, I guess that will be something to talk about moving forward, huh?”

I smirk in her direction before I stand. “Yeah, we have a lot of things to talk about, Scottie.”

She peers up at me, licking her lips. “Anything I should be prepared for?”

“Nothing you don’t already know but are too afraid to address.”

** *

Chase wipes the sweat from his forehead as I lead him into the garage Saturday afternoon. He’s just finished pulling weeds, which I could have very easily hired someone to do, but hopefully the blisters he has on his hands will make him think twice before letting some knuckleheads talk him into doing any more stupid shit. And now? It’s time to give this kid something that he can take from this lesson and use throughout his life.

“Are you gonna make me scrub engine parts again?”

I stop in front of the Nova and turn to face him. “Yes, but not just for the hell of it.” I gesture to the car behind me. “You broke this, so now you’re going to learn how to fix it.”

He eyes me wearily. “I don’t know anything about cars.”

“That’s why I’m going to teach you. You didn’t know how to pitch the first time you picked up a baseball, did you?”

“No.”

“Exactly. You have to learn. Plus, having someone help me repair this car means it will be on the road sooner.” I’m not gonna lie, the idea lights a fire of anticipation in me. This car has been sitting here neglected for years, and apparently all it took was a kid smashing in the hood and headlights for me to finally do something with it.

I meant what I said to Scottie the other night—I need to get this kid to let his guard down around me and I really think this is the key to making that happen.

“I’d rather just scrub engine parts,” he mutters, looking anywhere but at me.

“No, you wouldn’t. Trust me. Once you start taking this thing apart, you’re going to want to learn how to put it back together.”

“I don’t get how you went from pitching in the MLB to turning a wrench,” he says, his eyes still narrowed into slits .

“Actually, it was the same type of offer I’m giving you.” Gesturing to the garage around us, I say, “I used to work here during high school, keeping the yard clean and doing grunt jobs. But then one day, the owner, Mr. Rogers, offered to teach me about cars, and I’m glad he did. I loved baseball, Chase. Still do. But the game can be taken away from you in an instant.” I snap my fingers for emphasis.

“You seem to be speaking from experience,” he replies sarcastically.

“You think?” It comes out like a joke, and thankfully I see a small crack of a smile on his lips before it vanishes just as quickly.

He takes a step closer to the car, surveying the damage he did with the bat that night. “How do we fix the hood?”

“I found a guy in Kentucky that has a scrap yard. I’m going to pick up a new one in a few weeks.”

He clears his throat before darting his eyes to me. “I’m sorry.”

Two words. That’s all it takes for me to lower the last little bit of wall between us. I’m ready to move forward. I just hope he is too. “I appreciate that.”

A small nod is all I get in return, but I’ll take it. Popping the hood, I say, “You’re going to help me take the engine out today and then we’ll start tearing it apart while I wait for other parts to get here.”

Sighing, he follows me to the engine hoist and helps me roll it over to the car. It takes us a while to get the engine out of the body, but once we do, Chase stares at it like it’s an alien that just landed. “I have no idea what any of this is.”

“I didn’t either, but you’ll catch on. Pulling an engine apart and putting it back together is actually a bit like mastering baseball.”

His brows draw together. “How the hell do you figure that?”

Chuckling, I say, “Each component in an engine is critical to making it work, just like each player on the field. Everyone has their role, and they all need to work together to perform their best. Same with an engine. Once you understand all the parts and how they work together, you can make it run smoothly.”

Chase rolls his eyes. “You sound like some old man trying to impart wisdom.”

“I’m not that old,” I counter, but Chase doesn’t say anything else for a while. He watches me work as I begin draining the fluids from the engine, then take off the exhaust manifold. But when he finally speaks again, his question startles me and makes my pulse spike.

“Why didn’t you say anything to Jared and Trent when they were talking crap about you at the game last week?”

Spinning to face him, I notice a clench in his jaw. I’m not sure why he’s bringing this up now, but I oblige him. “Sometimes saying nothing is the best response.”

“But they made you look stupid.”

“No, they made themselves look stupid.”

He licks his lips. “They made you sound washed up, like you’re trying to turn me into you.”

“I don’t care what they think about me, Chase. I know who I am and reacting would only give them what they want. I’d rather just make them eat their words through my actions. Their shit-talking says more about their own insecurities than it does about me or you. And trust me, the sooner you realize that, the better you’ll be at shutting out the noise.”

“I don’t need your advice, Grady.”

I drop the wrench on the table and take a step toward him, hoping that closer proximity will help him really hear me. “Have you ever thought that maybe you do? That I might understand what you’re dealing with? ”

“No, you don’t!” His voice rises and the disdain is back, but if he wants a fight, I’m going to give him one. I haven’t tried that technique yet, so let’s see what happens.

“Yeah, I do, Chase! Shit, watching you play ball is like seeing myself at your age.” I pound a fist into my chest. “I can’t tell you how fucking proud I am of you each time I watch you take the mound, when you actually fucking listen to my coaching instead of arguing with me like you are now!”

“You’re not my dad!” His voice echoes in the garage, drawing the attention of the last two technicians who are preparing to leave for the day. “Stop trying to be!”

I close the gap between us and look right into his eyes. “I know that…because if I were your dad, I never would have let you move seven hours away from me!”

Tears form in his eyes as we stare each other down, both of our chests heaving. Sadness, hurt, and anger reflect in his eyes—emotions I’m all too familiar with myself.

When I speak again, I lower my voice, hoping to decrease the tension. “But. My kid is going to be your sibling, so I am going to be in your life, Chase—because I sure as hell won’t abandon them. We can figure out how to get along, or these next four years are going to be hell for both of us. Once you turn eighteen, you can make your own path, but until then, we need to make this work.”

His eyes drift to the side of the garage, but he doesn’t move as a tear trails down his cheek. When he speaks again, I can barely hear him, but the words are still powerful. “I didn’t want to come here, but my mom thought it would be best.”

“I know.” Reaching out, I place my hand on his shoulder, but he still doesn’t look at me. “And I know that me being in your life wasn’t in that plan, but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.”

As soon as I say that, his eyes return to mine. “Even you losing baseball?”

I inhale deeply before replying. “At first, I was so angry about it, and it’s taken me a long time to accept. But you know what’s helped?”

“What?”

“Having your mom back in my life. And coaching.”

He blinks. “My mom?”

“Yeah.” I sigh before reaching for a rag to wipe off my hands, grateful the tension from us yelling is dwindling. “She was a huge part of my life before I made it to the MLB, and seeing her again reminded me that there is a life beyond the game. And now that we’re having a kid, it’s like a new chapter of my life is about to begin, and for the first time in five fucking years, I’m excited about it, Chase.” The clench of his jaw softens. “And you’re a part of that new chapter.”

“Why aren’t you marrying my mom?” he asks, shocking me, quite frankly.

“Maybe you should ask her that question.” Probably not the most mature answer to give him, but if I had it my way, she and I would already be planning our future together.

I turn back to the engine, picking up where I left off. A few seconds later, I feel Chase come up beside me, leaning over my shoulder to see what I’m doing. “What do you need me to do?”

And just like that, instead of fighting our circumstances, we start working together on our project.

Now if only I could get his mom to come around.

** *

“You didn’t have to bring him home,” Scottie says as I set bags of food on her kitchen counter. “But selfishly, I’m glad you did since you brought dinner too.”

The smell of the burgers and onion rings I picked up from Catch and Release wafts through the air as Chase and I pull the boxes of food out of the bags. When I texted Scottie my offer, she said the craving for today was the same burger I brought before, so I couldn’t help but oblige her request.

“I’m starving,” Chase grumbles as he shoves three fries into his mouth from his container.

“Grady worked you hard today, huh?” Scottie asks.

He nods. “Yeah, but taking the engine for the Nova apart was actually kind of cool.”

Scottie shoots me a curious look. “Cool, huh?”

Chase shrugs as he grabs a cup of ranch, a handful of napkins, and his drink. “Yeah, Mom. Cool.” He heads down the hallway and calls out, “I’m gonna eat in my room and then shower.”

I wait for his door to close and then lean over the counter to whisper, “He looked like I was asking him to play Operation and every time he touched the engine, it was going to electrocute him.”

Scottie snorts. “Well, at least he was invested and not out to mess anything else up.”

I reach for my burger and bring it to my mouth, but before I take a bite, I say, “We had a good day, Scottie.”

Her smile is soft and there’s a hint of emotion in her eyes. “I’m happy to hear that.”

“Your son is actually pretty funny when he’s not being surly and acting like nothing I say matters.”

She smirks before popping an onion ring into her mouth. “I’d like to think he got that from me. ”

“Hopefully our kid will too.”

She clears her throat and grabs her box of food, walking over to the table. When she sits down, she rubs her belly. “This baby is super excited for this meal.”

I follow her over, taking my food and drink with me as well. “Are you feeling movement yet?”

“Yeah, but not from the outside.”

“Just the flutters, right?”

She stares at me while she chews. “It’s frightening how much you now know about pregnancy, Grady.”

“I don’t like not knowing things.” I shrug. “But I’m looking forward to being able to feel our kid kick.”

She rubs over her stomach again. “I already feel bigger than I should, but maybe that’s because I didn’t find out right away.”

I drop my eyes down her body before lifting back to her gaze. “You look fucking perfect to me, Scottie.” A tinge of pink graces her cheeks, but she doesn’t say anything. And before she can flip a switch on me and lecture me about us remaining friends, I move the conversation to another topic. “So, do you have plans next weekend?”

Scottie wipes her mouth with a napkin. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“Well, I was thinking we could have dinner with our families Friday night. Your mom and grandma can come over to my place, and I’ll invite my mom, Penn, Astrid, and the kids so everyone can meet, like we discussed the other night.”

Her eyes go wide for a second before she nods. “Jesus. No easing me into this, huh?”

I dip my eyes to her stomach. “We’re kind of on a time crunch, remember?”

She nods slowly. “Um. Okay. That should work. ”

“Good. And then on Saturday, Dallas is throwing a birthday party for his girlfriend, Willow, at their house on Bayshore Drive. It’s right on the beach and our whole friend and family group will be there.”

“I only met Willow once at Astrid’s bakery, Grady. I don’t really know her.”

“Doesn’t matter. Dallas insisted that you come, and I want you to meet my friends.” She winces, but I press on. “Your life is here now, Scottie, and I want to bring you into mine, to establish that you and I will be a package deal, especially once the baby comes.” I look her straight in the eyes, cover her hand with mine, and say, “Come with me.”

Her eyes dart down to our hands. “Just as friends, right?”

I swallow down the urge to argue. “Sure.” But little does this woman know that I plan on making it very clear to everyone that she’s carrying my baby.

She nods timidly, but then finds her confidence again. “Yeah, okay. No sense in hiding, I guess. Everyone’s going to know about us sooner or later.”

I wink at her. “I agree, although I’m sure most people around town have already heard rumors.” I take my hand back and pop an onion ring into my mouth. “Now, what about the weekend after that? Do you have plans then?”

She swings her head around the room before her gaze lands back on me, looking perplexed. “What the hell is going on right now?”

I stifle a laugh. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m sitting here talking with a man who actually wants to make plans.” She places a hand over the center of her chest, feigning shock. “My heart can’t handle this right now. I thought men like you were just a legend that some women talked about, but never truly existed. ”

Rolling my eyes, I lean forward and lower my voice so she has to lean in to hear what I’m about to say. “When are you going to learn that I want to spend as much time with you as possible, Scottie?”

Her tongue darts out as she licks her lips and speaks softly. “I’m just not used to this. I guess—I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

“Well, get used to it faster. Because the sooner you understand that I really want you in my life, the easier things will be for us down the road.”

“What happens down the road?” she whispers, and her eyes drop to my lips for just a second. But as soon as she realizes she’s unintentionally inching closer to me, she jolts back in her chair and looks away from me, breaking the moment.

“Scottie…”

“What did you have in mind for the following weekend, Grady?” Her response is curt as she picks up her burger and takes a huge bite of it, her cheeks bulging out as she chews, avoiding my gaze while I study her for a minute.

The woman is so damn stubborn that she can’t admit what’s right in front of her. And even though it’s only making the frustration in me build, it’s also a welcome reminder that it’s only a matter of time before she breaks—and I’ll be right there to catch her when she falls.

“There’s a man with a scrap yard in Kentucky who has a hood for the Nova.”

Her eyes meet mine almost instantly. “Oh! That’s great.”

“Yeah, I got lucky, but I have to drive to go pick it up.”

“Okay…”

“I want you to come with me.” When the idea sparked to life in my mind the other day, I knew it was the perfect way for us to spend time together, away from everyone else—to remind Scottie of the connection we share, to let her see what it would be like to be mine, to build the trust that I know she needs before she’ll let me in completely.

She nearly chokes on her burger. When she’s finished coughing, her eyes bounce back and forth between mine. “You mean like a…”

“Road trip,” I finish for her. “Yeah.”

“The last road trip I was on, I threw up on the side of the road.” I try to stifle my laughter, but it comes out. “It’s not funny, Grady!”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s not, I just…”

“It’s your fault I threw up that time, all right!” She points a finger at me. “You and your stupid, superhuman sperm.”

My laughter dies almost instantly and she stares at me, shocked. “Kinda makes you wonder if this was all meant to be, doesn’t it, Scottie?”

She freezes as we lock eyes. My heart is racing, waiting to see if she’ll make the first move, or if I should launch myself at her to kiss the shit out of her again.

Before either of us can move, Chase comes back into the kitchen freshly showered, burping obnoxiously loudly to signal his arrival. And I have to admit, I’m impressed. “Damn, that was good.”

Scottie blinks and the spell cast between us is broken. “Chase!” she admonishes.

“What?”

She stands from her chair, taking her food with her. “I taught you better manners than that.”

He rolls his eyes but listens to his mother. “Excuse me.”

“Thank you.”

After Chase washes his hands, he looks over at me. “Thanks for dinner, Grady. ”

“You’re welcome.” The tightness in my chest dissipates a bit knowing that today was a huge turning point for us. When he heads back down the hall, Scottie yawns loudly. “Did you have a tiring day too?”

“I just cleaned while Chase was gone. The floors were disgusting, but now I’m kind of regretting doing all that work. My feet are killing me.”

I stand from my chair, tossing my container in the trash. “I can help you with that.”

“How?”

I wiggle my fingers in the air. “Remember, I offered foot rubs anytime.”

She bites her bottom lip in contemplation. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Grady.”

“Your feet hurt, and I have healing hands. Don’t overthink it, Scottie,” I say, gesturing for her to follow me into the living room. I sit on one side of the couch and she sits on the opposite end. I yank her feet into my lap, rubbing under her arch.

The moan she lets out is music to my dick. “Oh God, that feels good.”

“See? And you didn’t want this.”

She leans her head back on the arm of the couch and closes her eyes. I watch her eyelashes flutter and study the curves of her changing body as my hands move over the tops of her feet. She lets out little mewls of pleasure as I work over her arches, kneading and rubbing the muscles that she’s using to keep herself standing all day. And all of those sounds just remind me of our night together—her head thrown back in pleasure, the curse words leaving her lips as my cock hit her perfectly deep in her pussy, the way her nails dug into my back as she climaxed over and over .

God, I want this woman more than I’ve wanted anything in my life—even the chance to play baseball again.

“Grady?”

“Huh?” I say, oblivious to the fact that she was talking since my mind was otherwise occupied.

“I said thank you for today—for dinner and for this.”

“I told you, I’m here if you need anything.” I trail my fingers up her calf, moving closer to the inside of her knee and then just barely grazing her thigh.

I’ve read the books, I know that her hormones are running rampant, that her libido is about to spike and she’s going to need a release, or twenty. And if this woman won’t let me in emotionally, perhaps relating to her physically again will remind her of the connection between us, the connection that has always been there and she can continue to deny, but it won’t change anything.

We’ve already shared another kiss. There’s so much more that I can do to drive her wild before our inevitable reconnection.

Her pupils dilate, her breathing starts to get heavier, and then I put the final nail in the board as I dart my eyes to the space between her legs and say, “And I mean anything, Scottie. Fucking anything.”