Chapter 17

This game is a joke.

Standing in the back of the dugout, I try to make myself the invisible wallflower I am because the boys, especially Cody, are stinking up the place. After going down four to nothing after the second inning, Coach pulled Cody from the mound, and he's been sulking on the bench since. His bad attitude has leached into the rest of the team, and no one can get their bats working.

Now at the bottom of the eighth, the Eagles are down seven to one with no sign that a comeback is going to happen.

The energy in the dugout is toxic. I've never seen Coach Weber so frustrated with the team. Granted, I've never seen the team play this badly before, and I'm lucky enough to get a front-row seat at the chaos. Hudson won't even look at Cody, let alone talk to him, and I have a sinking suspicion that the gossip on campus was correct. Cody was at the Eagle's Nest last night and got obliterated.

And I can't help but feel that it's my fault.

To be completely honest, I was shocked that he came over last night. After two years of avoiding each other, the day after he caught me with my hands down my pants—literally—he wanted to make nice. Years of not mattering, of feeling like a spot on the wall, now he wanted to apologize.

And to find out he ghosted me because his dad was sick, and he figured we'd never see each other again. Like who does that? Even if we never would've seen each other again, doesn't common courtesy say you should at least text back and let the other person know you are, in fact, still alive?

The sound of a ball connecting with a bat interrupts my thoughts as I watch the other team land another hit to left centerfield.

Hudson and Luke Danners take off after the ball, but Hudson beats him to it. Scooping it up, he throws the ball to Ty at third base who is able to catch it and save a run from scoring. It's too little, too late, but at least it's not another scoring play.

Reaching into my cross-body—this is where I curse myself for not liking pants because I always have to carry my phone in a purse—I pull out my phone and quickly type out a message to Brynn.

Me: Are you still at the game?

Brynn: Unfortunately…I was just thinking about bailing.

Me: Can I bail with you?

Brynn: See you out front in five.

Closing the message and locking my phone, I place it back in my bag before turning to head toward the door that leads inside the stadium. My feet falter as I realize I'm going to have to walk past a pissed-off Cody in the process. Keeping my head down, I rip the band-aid off and go for it. I'm about to pass him when my subconscious decides it's a good time to look up.

Our eyes meet, and I give a tight-lipped smile as I head out.

"Giving up?" Cody asks, causing me to pause.

My eyes find the scoreboard before I turn back to him. With a shrug, I let that be my answer and continue out the door.

So much for things not being awkward this season.

Walking through the underground tunnel, I make my way to the hallway that leads to the stairs to climb to the main level. My feet hitting the metal stairs are the only sound in the space, and I enjoy the few minutes to myself.

Emerging from the stairwell, I find Brynn and Quinton waiting for me. Brynn's dressed in a pair of ripped jeans, a baseball jersey, and a powder blue CTU hat. I'm surprised Q let her wear a jersey that wasn't his. They both have this alpha-possessive vibe, but it works for them.

"Dugout that bad?" Brynn asks as she steps into place beside me.

I stare at her with wide eyes and nod my head. "So bad. I'm supposed to meet with Ty to work on a project, but I'm going to rain check. I need a night in."

Brynn and I follow Quinton through the crowd of fans exiting the stadium. It looks like we aren't the only CTU fans ready to get out of this stadium and erase this disastrous night from our memories. Q's body has a way of cutting through the masses like Moses parting the Red Sea which makes it easy for us to exit the stadium in no time. He leads us up through the parking lot to his Tesla, waiting in a reserved spot.

"So all we need to do is win a national championship, and we'll end up with a reserved spot?" I muse as he unlocks the car and opens the passenger door for us.

"Nah, you just gotta be the hottest guy on campus." Brynn responds for him as she presses her body against him. These two and their PDA. If I didn't love other people's love, I would be constantly nauseous around them.

Maybe someday I'll have something like that.

You could have something like that if you would forgive Cody and hear him out.

Where did that thought come from?

Shaking my head, I lean it against the window and let Quinton drive us home. Only he doesn't take us straight home, instead he pulls into a Shake Shack. Brynn and Q share a knowing look, and I know that tonight Brynn is going to enjoy her special stash.

She turns in her seat, her bubbly personality radiating off her. "Wanna get high and watch Friday with us?"

I laugh and shake my head. I'm not much of a pot smoker. I'm barely a get-drunk kind of girl. "No, that's okay. I think I'm just going to have a self-care night and try to check in with my dad."

"Ohhh, one of your ‘self-care' nights," Brynn says with a wink and air quotes. My cheeks heat, and my eyes dart to Quinton where the two of us make eye contact in the mirror.

"Brynn!"

She cracks up laughing. "Oh please we all know when you are having one of your moments. You aren't the quietest."

My eyes widen at her comment. I thought the noise-canceling headphones were my problem last time, but apparently, I'm louder than I thought. Placing my face in my hands, I mumble, "Oh god," before sinking in my seat. I really did mean that I wanted a night in to pamper myself with a face mask and manicure.

Clearing his throat, Q drives us forward until we are in front of the speaker. "What do you guys want?"

"Strawberry milkshake, double shack burger, fries with cheese and bacon," Brynn answers as she leans over the center console to look at the menu.

"Chlo?"

"Vanilla milkshake, chicken shack sandwich, bacon and cheddar fries, please?"

Quinton repeats our order while tacking on his order—two double shack burgers—but instead of individual fries, he orders a box of cheddar and bacon fries. Brynn eyes him, and he just shrugs his shoulders. These two will clean out the house when they're high. It's quite comical to watch because the next morning they feel like shit from all the junk food, so they spend hours at the gym working it off.

Once our order is placed, I pull out my phone and find the blue money-sharing app. I thumb out a quick payment to Q, even though he's going to object to the idea of me buying my own meal.

There's a notification from the university's Twitter account.

Central Texas Eagles baseball suffered a frustrating 9-1 home loss to Lafayette. Eagles are back in action tomorrow at 1:00.

Yikes. The team managed to give up two more runs after we left.

I let my eyes drift shut as I rest my head against the window. The drive home isn't long, but I'm not in the mood to listen to Brynn Quinton's verbal foreplay. So I let my mind drift away to a summer sunset on the beach and a cute boy's arms wrapped around me.

"Thatta baby!" I hear Ty cheer from beside me as Hudson smacks a hit resulting in a triple. We are halfway through Saturday's day game, and the boys look so much better than they did last night.

The energy inside the dirt-floored dugout is vibrating. I can't keep the smile off my face from the guys whooping and cheering each other on. Coach Weber is even dancing. I'm so glad I didn't talk myself into skipping today's game.

The Eagles are up five to one in the fifth inning. Even though Cody won't be pitching today, Coach is punishing him for yesterday's shitty game, his vibe is motivating the team to be better than yesterday.

My eyes keep drifting from the turf and dirt field in front of me to the dugout where a boyish grin keeps calling to me. He's light and vibrant, joking around with his teammates.

And damn, does his baseball cap do things to my insides. Not to mention the way those baseball pants mold around his muscular legs.

Today the guys are wearing my favorite uniform color combination: powder blue pants with a red belt, a matching powder blue shirt with Eagles in red script writing, and a red flat bill baseball cap with CTU across the front. The red hat makes the green and gold flecks of Cody's hazel eyes pop, and I keep finding myself in a trance watching him high-five his teammates.

Maybe I can find it inside to forgive him.

Luke Danners steps up to the plate, and after the third pitch, he nails a line drive blooper in between Lafayette's second baseman and center fielder. The hit results in Hudson scoring, putting us up by another run. I watch as Hudson practically skips down the stairs as he enters the dugout doling out high fives. There's been tension between Hudson and Cody, I could feel it all day yesterday, but as Hud tries to bypass Cody, Cody slaps him on the ass causing both of them to crack up. A huge smile breaks free as I watch the two go through the same celebratory handshake I've been watching them do since the summer before we started college.

I can't help the laugh that escapes my lips. I try to keep quiet so I'm not a distraction to the team, but I fail because Cody's eyes seek me out immediately. Chills break through my body, and a pit settles in my stomach.

As we stare at each other, I watch his lips curve at the ends. My lips mirror his, and I feel a blush rise in my cheeks.

Cheering from the crowd interrupts our stare down, and both of our heads snap to the field as Nolan, who is the team's catcher, launches a bomb out over the left fielder's head. The ball continues to sail until it lands over the fence resulting in a three-run homer.

The dugout clears as the guys rush out to home plate to wait for Nolan to round the bases. While the guys are all out on the field, I climb the steps and position myself with my camera to capture the celebration.

Arms fly and cheers erupt as Nolan steps on home plate. I click away at the camera as I capture the celly dances, high fives, and rowdy energy the team exudes. Heads turn my way as the guys start their journey back to the dugout. I don't stop clicking the camera, wanting to catch it all.

Bringing the camera down from my face, I let it hang around my neck when some of the guys start coming toward me. With their hands in the air, they wait for me to slap them. Another smile breaks free as the overwhelming feeling of belonging warms my soul. I feel like a part of the team.

"Yeah, boys!" I yell as my body breaks out in a little shimmy.

"Chloe!" Coach Weber calls from behind me as dread pools in my stomach. Turning on my toes, I find Coach standing at the top of the stairs high-fiving the guys as they come back in. "Did you just do a little dance?"

Making my way over to him, a laugh breaks free. "Yeah, I did."

He points his finger at me. "Every out-of-the-park home run, you do a little dance!"

"You hear that boys?" Ty yells. "Chlo's going to dance for every out-of-the-park homer."

Cheers and claps fill the air as embarrassment paints my skin pink.

"I'm glad you're a part of the team," Weber says as I hop down the stairs.

I return to my spot at the end of the dugout when Ty sidles up next to me. He runs a finger down my arm where my skin is exposed thanks to the sundress I'm wearing today. "Sorry if I embarrassed you."

"It's all good, Ty. Just remember, payback is a bitch." I bump my shoulder with his as his eyes widen.

"Do you have any plans after the game?"

"I have a hot date with a leather-clad biker who runs an MC." I fight to keep the cackle from escaping as I watch Ty's eyes widen as bewilderment takes over his expression. I really did try, but I can't help the loud outburst that garners everyone's attention. I look past Ty and give the guys a quick apology. "I'm kidding, Ty. I need to type up my notes recapping today's game, and I need to do the reading we have for Mass Media. What's up?"

"Oh my god, Chloe. I'm not one to yuck someone's yum, because believe me I'm for all the kinky shit, but you had me going for a second."

My eyes bulge at Ty's comments about kinky shit. I'm no virgin, but I'm extremely inexperienced in the bedroom department. I've read about plenty of kinks in my books, but I can't imagine ever acting on them.

"You wanna come over, and we can work on the reading and assignment together?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I didn't bring anything with me so I'll need to rideshare home and to your place. My car is in the shop."

The dugout breaks out in chaos as guys rush around grabbing their gloves and heading back out to the field.

"You can ride with me." Before I have a chance to object, Ty is grabbing his glove and marching out onto the field to take his position at third base.

The game ends with us winning ten to one in a much-needed redemption battle. Coach Weber was quick with his post-game speech telling the guys how proud he was of how hard they worked, and while he knows there will be some celebrating, no one better show up hungover tomorrow. His eyes glared daggers into Cody.

Ty drove Niko and me to my townhouse where I quickly ran in, changed out of my dress into a lounge set, and grabbed my backpack before we took off to the guys' house. Once we got to their house, all the guys took off to their rooms to shower. Which means I was left alone to wander.

As much as I wanted to snoop, I made my way into their kitchen in search of something to drink. Opening the fridge, I dug around glass containers full of food and found a hard seltzer in the back. Reading the label, I smiled to myself that the only seltzer was my favorite flavor: blackberry.

Popping the top, I make my way over to the brown leather sectional. I'm grateful that the couch is leather because I'm not sure if I'd sit on it if it was cloth. I've been witness to way too many things happening on this couch at parties. Getting comfortable, I settle into the cushions while pulling up my Kindle app on my phone.

Never would I have imagined that I would be chilling on the couch inside the Baseball House. Not after my past with Cody.

As frustrated as I was with not getting the feature beat for the campus newspaper, I'm quickly learning things happen for a reason. Over the last few months, I've had to step way outside my comfort zone. I've actually had to live and not live vicariously through my romance novels.

"Chlo, what kind of pizza do you like?" Ty asks from where he's making his way down the stairs, dressed in navy sweatpants, a long-sleeve with his high school written across the chest, and his hair still damp from his shower.

"Pepperoni and pineapple."

He comes to a complete standstill as he eyes me warily.

"Bro, don't even try to argue with her that pineapple doesn't go on pizza. It's a lost cause." Cody appears from the stairs, typing away on his phone. He doesn't even glance up, just adds his two cents and moves on.

Ty walks around the sectional and plops down on the opposite end. His long legs land on the coffee table as he grabs the remote from where it's sitting on the couch. Turning on the TV, he thumbs through the channels before landing on ESPN.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Just finishing this chapter about the hottie in a MC."

"Ah, the hot date."

Nodding, I go back to the words on my phone while a hockey game plays in the background.

"Running to grab the pizza," Cody shouts as he heads out of the house.

"That was quick."

"He had it ordered before I even asked you what you liked."

Noted that Cody Jacobs still remembers how I like my pizza, and he knew there was no chance I'd be changing my order up.

Hudson and Niko emerge from their upstairs bedrooms—both in comfy clothes and damp hair. Seriously, these guys could all be models in a sports magazine. I imagine they might get their chance someday if they keep playing the way they are and make it to the big leagues.

Placing my phone on the coffee table, I grab my seltzer and follow the guys into the kitchen. Ty is right behind me, and the four of us start getting things ready for dinner.

"I see you're making yourself at home, Mariano." Hudson's eyes land on the skinny can I'm holding.

"I didn't take you for a hard seltzer kind of guy, Larsen." I quirk my eyebrow at him.

"Touché." Hudson reaches up into the cabinet and grabs a stack of paper plates while Niko sits on a barstool. I sidle up beside him and watch as Ty grabs ingredients for a salad out of the fridge.

"Let me help." I start to rise out of my chair as Ty's eyes lock on mine.

"Not a chance, Chlo. You cook for us all the time." Over the last couple of years, Brynn, Macy, and I would host "family dinners" for our group of friends on Sunday nights. It was our way of having a home-cooked meal and seeing our friends. With baseball season taking up so much of our time, we haven't had a chance to host a dinner this season. Popping the top off a few containers, I watch as Ty dumps the contents of the first container into a larger bowl. "Besides, most of the vegetables are already cut up."

"You guys are so domesticated."

Niko lets out a snort laugh from beside me, and my head whips in his direction. "Fuckers are showing off because you're here."

"Is that so?"

Hudson and Ty both look at me with boyish grins on their faces. Rolling my eyes, I lean back in my seat and bring my seltzer to my lips. Taking a long pull, I bring the can away and shake the liquid to gauge how much is left.

The guys all share some kind of look like they're in on something, and I immediately wonder if there's something on my face.

"Have you started the reading yet?" Ty asks as he chops up some fresh tomatoes. Only the lettuce, peppers, and carrots were cut up for the salad.

I shake my head as I watch his lack of knife skills which has me sitting on my hands in order to keep them busy before I jump up and take over. Ty says he has it handled, and I really hope so because I don't want to deal with a severed finger tonight.

"Do you mind grabbing my baseball bag for me? It's the one sitting by the front door."

I slide off my barstool and make my way over to the front door where I spot a black and white baseball backpack. Picking up the heavy bag, I carry it back into the kitchen and set it down on the barstool I was just occupying.

"Inside is my textbook where I've worked on highlighting a few items that I think will help us with the study guide. Do you mind taking a second look while I finish here?"

"Okay, random," I chuckle as the room around me falls silent as I unzip the large part of the bag. Even Ty's chopping has stopped.

Sliding the zipper open, I open the large compartment and my breath catches in my throat as a small gasp escapes my lips.

Hands trembling, I bring a hand up to my mouth while I reach inside the bag with the other. Letting my fingers trail the lilac ribbon that's secured with a safety pin.

As shocked as I am to see the ribbon secured to the bag, I'm even more shocked to see the paper that it's clipped to. If I were to open it up all the way, I'd see a receipt from Marnie's Diner for a cup of coffee, a southwest omelet, wheat toast, a side of fruit, a side of bacon, and a cinnamon roll.

"What the hell is this?" My tear-brimmed eyes snap up as I find all three guys watching me. "H-how did you get this, Ty?"

"Dude, that's not your bag, it's Cody's." I bring my attention to Hudson as he watches me with a small smirk on his face. He knew this was Cody's bag. My eyes go from guy to guy and realize this was part of their plan. These meddling jackasses.

I can't keep the tremble out of my hands as I go back to tracing the ribbon.

The summer we spent together, Cody loved to tug out my ribbons. He would run them through his fingers and play with the ends before tugging them out.

Clearly, he kept one.

And clearly, he never forgot about that summer.

As I try to wrap my mind around my latest discovery, I hear Cody come into the kitchen. He starts to say something, but his words trail off. Turning toward him, I watch his eyes move down to the bag that's sitting in front of me. He sets the food on the table and puts his hands up like one would defend against a wild animal.

"Wildflower, I can explain."

I don't give him the chance.

In three strides, I'm erasing the space between us, not stopping until I'm standing in front of him. My hands fly around his neck as I bring his head closer to me while pressing up on my tip toes.

My smooth lips find his soft ones. He doesn't react right away, and I instantly feel rejected. Before I have a chance to step away, his arms wrap around my back in a tight grip as he presses his lips harder into mine.

A small gasp escapes my lips, and he takes that as an invitation to slip his tongue inside my mouth. The boys cheer in the background, and as our tongues brush each other, a small moan escapes my lips as reality comes crashing down.

I'm kissing Cody Jacobs.

And it's even better than I remember.