23. Emerson

With Mason's return, the game was a gimme, and I'd had a blast announcing him. Hannah had asked for a big idea this morning, and Bosco and I had come up with the perfect song. Even Chris and Coach had joined in, because no one could deny having our center back was season changing.

I spent the entire day smiling, though it had little to do with winning and everything to do with waking up with Gi in my arms this morning. The happiness was bordering on euphoria, knowing she was up in the box with Avery. I'd never really understood the idea of having a girl who was special to me watch me play until today.

The way she bopped along with my dance and jumped out of her seat cheering when I stole second was intoxicating. I was on a freaking high, and damn if I didn't want another hit of that feeling.

She'd even appeared in the team room with Avery after the game. Probably to see her brother. I knew that. Even so, I couldn't let go of the possibility that she was there for me too.

When I walked into the team room and saw her in her black Revs cropped shirt and leggings, my stupid heart surged. Last night, I had played off the idea of us being anything more than a night. Mostly because I wanted to give her time to come around to the idea, but also because I was terrified that she'd be like What the fuck dude? One night means just that. Yet I wanted so much more.

As of this moment, I had no idea where we stood, but I planned to talk to her tonight. And that moment couldn't come fast enough. All day, she had been the only thought in my head besides baseball.

"Who wants to hit the bar before we fly out?" Bosco dropped into the seat between Mason and me. Most of the team had headed home with their families, and I was working on my exit since I had a plan for the night.

"I'm out," Mason said, hardly looking up from his phone.

"Out?" Bosco practically shouted, his brows pulled low.

"No drinking, no flashing lights, no noise for another few days." Mason shrugged. He was all about the bar on a normal day, but staying on the field meant taking care of himself. I understood that.

Bosco huffed. "Dragon has dinner plans with Avery and her dad. And Price and Martinez will want family time. Guess it's just me and you, Bambi."

"Out," I said quickly.

He crossed his arms. "Dude, what the hell? You haven't gone out with us in like a month."

I actually hadn't been out with any regularity since before Christmas. I'd buckled down and dedicated all my excess energy to baseball. I wanted to be on my game and get a new contract. Once I did, I could mess around again.

"I gotta do some shopping. Pick up new sheets."

Both guys blinked at me, looking like a pair of owls.

"What?" Mason cocked a brow. "What happened to yours?"

Shit. Should have worked out an answer before spewing that bullshit. Because they were perfectly fine.

"You know me. I thrash around and always trip on them getting out of bed. I go through them pretty quickly." That was a convenient truth, even if I hadn't technically damaged my current set.

Mason shook his head. "I'd call you a liar, but I've seen you do it so many times."

Kyle frowned. "I don't get how you make diving catches up the third baseline like it's easy, yet simple things like not falling out of bed are so damn hard."

"He can fucking dance too."

"I know." The smirk that crept up Bosco's face was a little evil. "You should have seen him dancing with Gianna last night."

Mason's eyes widened, and he pocketed his phone, suddenly very interested. "Dragon's sister?"

I held up a hand. "Don't start shit." Forcing a chuckle, because if I got mad, Bosco would think something was up, I sat up straighter. "I took her to the zoo thing last night as a favor because her ex is an asshole."

Bosco nodded. "Yeah, total tool bag. But that doesn't change how damn real that kiss looked."

Mason jerked up in his chair and spun to me. "You kissed her?"

Multiple times. All over her body. Not that I'd tell them that. Those details were best kept between her and me. But I hated having to lie. So I just shrugged. "Gentlemen don't kiss and tell."

"And you're a gentleman since when?" Bosco chuckled.

"Probably since it's his best friend's sister." Mason shook his head. "Dragon's weird about that shit."

I was very aware of that. "Anyway," I said, ready to end this conversation. "I'm out. Got shopping to do. See ya on the flight." Without giving them a chance to comment, I stood and headed out of the team room.

I used the car service the Revs had given players access to so I could do a quick run for sheets and a few other supplies so I could make dinner for Gi and me. We needed to talk.

But when I opened the door of our apartment, I was hit with the scent of sauteed onion.

"Gi?" I called as I headed for the kitchen.

She stood barefoot, still in her game outfit, at the stove, stirring while her head bounced slightly to music I couldn't hear. The messy bun she'd tossed her hair up into since I'd last seen her wobbled precariously with every tilt of her chin. She looked so damn cute. I stuck the food I'd brought home into the fridge, then snuck up behind her and gave her ass a quick pat.

Jumping about a foot in the air, she shrieked and stumbled into me. "Holy shit."

I steadied her, savoring the feel of her in my arms for a heartbeat or two. When she yanked her AirPods out, I released her and held my hands up. "Sorry."

"No." She took a breath and placed her hand on her chest. "I just didn't hear you come in."

I tipped to one side and peered into the pan full of chicken and vegetables. "Whatcha making?"

She shifted on her feet, nervously lifting a hand before dropping it again. "Well." With an audible swallow, she looked from me to the pan, dipping her chin just a fraction. "I thought you might like dinner, and I wasn't sure about your diet restriction during the season. Chris has always had a lot. So I stuck with sautéed chicken and veggies with brown rice."

"It smells great," I assured her. I kept my tone easy and my reaction tempered, but my stomach flipped at the idea that she'd done this for me.

She'd made dinner for me. That realization rocked through me. And I tried not to be weird about it.

"Oh, good. Since Pop worked full time teaching and then coaching both football and baseball, he wasn't home a lot, so I did most of the cooking growing up." Gianna rushed the words out, but her eyes grew wary. "What's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing." The urge to hold her was so strong, and I was overwhelmed by her gesture, so I gave in and pulled her into my chest for a hug.

She didn't fight me like I thought she might. In fact, just like the night before, she melted into me.

"Thank you." I closed my eyes and inhaled, loving the feel of her in my arms, inhaling her scent and letting it bring with it a sense of peace I'd never known before. "No one but my mom and aunt has ever made dinner for me before."

Her head snapped up and she glared at me. "No one?"

It hit me then, though I should have recognized it sooner, that her glares, although directed my way, weren't always meant for me. Like right at this moment, she seemed upset on my behalf rather than angry at me.

"You know better than to think your brother has ever cooked." I didn't want to knock Chris, but I wouldn't lie to her either. "You know he'd rather be alone, but he agreed to live with me when he discovered that I liked to cook and clean. And I was lonely. He was the first person who treated me like more than an annoyance. I would have done any amount of cooking to ensure someone would pick me as their friend."

My gut clenched as those last words left me. It sounded pathetic, but it was true.

Gi's eyes softened, but not with pity. No, they were filled with a tenderness and understanding I couldn't understand. "I would pick you," she whispered.

I squeezed her tighter and pressed my lips to the top of her head. "I would pick you too."

The chicken on the stove popped, startling her, and she pulled away slightly, so I released her and let her deal with the food. Though I did it begrudgingly, because honestly, I hated letting her go. She scooped the food onto two plates, and I took them from her hands.

"Want to grab drinks?" I suggested.

"Sure, what do you want?" she asked, opening the fridge as I moved around the bar to the table.

"Water," I called over my shoulder.

A second later, she appeared with a bottle of water and one glass of white wine.

"Did you have a plan for dinner? I see you got food," she asked, worrying her bottom lip as she dropped into her seat.

"My only firm plan was to eat with you." I reached across the table to place my hand over hers. I couldn't care less what we ate. The important part was that we got to talk.

My eyes landed on the Revs logo on her chest.

"What?" she asked.

I couldn't explain it. Like it somehow marked her as mine, even though she wasn't wearing my Revs jersey. Although I'd really like my name on her back. It was an idea that had been making my brain itch since I'd seen her standing next to Avery, who was sporting Chris's 35. I wanted to see 21 resting above her breast and blasted across her back.

I shook my head. "I just like seeing you in Revs blue."

She flushed slightly, the corner of her mouth pulling up, and my heart pinched. I loved making her smile.

"You should eat before it gets cold." She nodded at my plate and pulled her hand away to pick up her fork, but she didn't take a bite. I picked up my own and dug in. For something that aligned with a strict MLB meal plan, it sure tasted good.

I swallowed and reached for my water. "This is excellent."

With a shrug, she ducked her head. "I learned to do a lot with veggies and chicken because it's all Chris ate in high school."

Understanding worked its way through me. She and I had both shouldered a lot of the responsibility for our siblings and homes when we were in high school.

Now that I'd had that first bite, it hit me how hungry I was, so I scooped another bite onto my fork.

"Emerson."

I paused with the fork halfway to my mouth. "Yes, Mariposa?"

"Can we talk about last night?"

I set my fork down. The food could wait. "I definitely want to."

Her eyes snapped up to meet mine. "You do?"

I nodded, swallowing back the nerves threatening to silence me. "I know we said one night, but I'd really like to change that."

"Really?" Her eyes went wide. "I was thinking the same thing." She wet her lips and let out a relieved breath.

I nodded, not fighting the smile that overtook my face. It felt so fucking good to know we were on the same page.

She cleared her throat, her lips trembling as she gave me a small smile. "And I understand your reasons for not wanting anything serious…"

I had meant those things when I said them yesterday. But today? Shit, I wasn't sure I did anymore.

"I understand that if Chris finds out, that will mess things up for you, so he never needs to know."

Holding my breath, I assessed her. Was she serious? I didn't see how that would be the case. There was no way I wanted to hide a relationship from her father or her brother. Or my friends or family. Secret relationships did not serve to create solid foundations. I forced myself to breathe again, but before I could tell her that, she continued.

"I mean." She swallowed, her breaths coming out a little shaky. "I figured that if we extended the fling until I move back to New York…"

It was like a physical blow. That sentence. Wow. So we weren't at all on the same page. Turning my attention to the windows that overlooked the Boston Harbor, I blinked back my disappointment and hurt. Fuck, I had to get it together, even if a painful fissure had formed in the middle of my chest. For the first time ever, I wanted to dive into something real, but the woman I wanted to do that with didn't see me that way.

"Unless you just meant one more night," she rushed out.

I sighed and reached across the table for her hand again. "I'd take all the time you'd give me." It was the truth. I squeezed her hand. "But?—"

My words were cut off by the annoyingly high-pitched ping of her phone.

"That's Avery's ringtone." She pulled away and darted for the counter. She glanced down at the screen and winced. "The pufflings are hatching."

"That's great." Really. All week, my best friend had been stressing that we'd be on the road when the moment came. Chris had planned this perfect proposal for his girl, and I sure as shit wanted it to go off without a hitch. Not to mention most of the city of Boston was on puffling watch at this point.

"My dad's not going to want to miss it."

"Me either," I agreed.

"So we should get him?" she asked, a line forming between her brows.

This was important. But so was the conversation we were having. "Yeah, we can pick him up, but Gi." I stepped up next to her. "If we need to skip this because you feel like we have to talk first, I'm okay with that."

Her eyes popped wide. "No," she said quickly. "Chris is getting engaged, and Puff's having babies. We can't miss that."

I didn't disagree, but one thing needed to be clear. "You matter too. I want you to know that. And if you feel like this conversation can't wait. Then we miss what we miss."

She shook her head and glanced at her phone once more. Then she peered up at me through thick lashes. "We're on the same page, though, right? We keep this going while I'm here, but I'm not putting any pressure on a future. This can just be fun?"

No, we weren't on the same page. We weren't even reading from the same book. But the hope in her eyes yanked hard at my heart. She needed this. And it turned out that what mattered most to me was that she was happy. So I nodded.

"I want you to have so much joy and fun in life."

The smile she gave me squeezed my chest. Although my heart hurt at the idea that for her, I was just a for now, her smile made it worth it. So we picked up Pop and made our way over to watch my best friend get his girl. And that had an entirely new meaning to me now.

"We didn't miss it, did we?" I asked as I practically danced into the puffin exhibit.

"No."

"For as excited as you are, you'd think one of them was your kid," Gianna muttered next to me.

Okay, maybe I was being extra. But I was trying to be happy.

"I'd rather be home with you," I whispered, leaning in close. "Either talking or naked. At this point, I'd be perfectly happy with either."

She flushed and stepped away, and since we were with her family, I turned away too, giving her space.

By the way the eggs were rocking, this wasn't a false alarm. Excitement coursed through me, because my best friend had been desperate for this moment for over a week. I couldn't fault him either. Not when he was about to ask the one to marry him. Chris was ready, and he and Avery would go the distance. I had no doubts.

As we waited, I couldn't help but watch Gi where she stood next to her dad. If only I were anywhere close to being that confident about what was happening between the two of us. Because I had no doubt that she had the potential to be the one for me. But I wasn't sure how to convince her to feel the same way about me.