41. Riggs

FORTY-ONE

RIGGS

"What's your deal today?" I ask Ace as he moves his gaze from the stands to me. He's had a silly smile on his face for the entire game, and I swear I've had to snap him out of several daydreams so he could focus on doing his job. Last inning, he threw up two hand signals that I had never even seen before because he wasn't paying attention.

"Huh?" he asks, looking back to whatever he was distracted by moments ago. I try to follow his line of vision, but with a packed stadium, it's hard to see exactly who's caught his eye.

"I know that look," I say. " I've had that look. That's the I'm getting good pussy stare. Details, Mathers. Give me all of them." I put my hand out, wiggling my fingers as though I'm expecting him to drop something into my palm. My catcher is always down to hang out with women, but I rarely see him actually leave with any of them. He has no issue sucking face with them on the dance floor, but at the end of every night, it seems as though he goes home alone. So, if he's got a new girl in his life, I'm intrigued.

"What?" he chokes out. "No. I'm not—" His eyes are wide, and he looks like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, making me laugh loudly.

"Oh, wowwwww," I say, drawing out the word. "You got a secret girlfriend? It's about time, Acey boy!"

He scoffs as if it's a crazy idea, but I don't miss the way he wrings his hands together in his lap as a silly grin breaks back through. I decide to leave it alone, because when he wants to tell me about it, I know he will. He isn't private by any means, but I suspect there are things about him that would probably surprise me. I've gotten to know the rookie pretty well throughout the season, and he's a great kid. I hope whoever this girl is doesn't break his heart.

"How about you?" he asks. "It seems like things are going well with Monroe."

Now it's my turn to smile like a fool. I turn my head, spotting her in her usual seat immediately. She's wearing a sequined jersey dress with my name and number on it, which my sister surprised her with before we left today. Her long, chocolate hair is pulled up into a bun, showcasing her beautiful neck that I can't wait to bite into later tonight. Grace sits on her left, laughing and cheering like the proud sister she's always been. Jenna is on her other side, taking in the sights and sounds around her as if she's seeing the entire world for the first time.

"She's amazing," I reply. "I've never met anyone like her before. She's been through so many things that were designed to make her jaded and closed off, but she isn't. She's loving and strong. I know I don't deserve her, but fuck, I'm glad she chose me."

"Don't sell yourself short, Val. You deserve more than you think." He gives me a boyish grin before grabbing his bat and standing up. "Time to give the people what they want."

Taking off toward the dugout entrance, he goes up the stairs, stopping at the top and waiting for the intro to his walk-up song to ring throughout the stadium. The crowd goes wild as he swings his bat, doing his signature choreography while making his way to the plate. The first time I saw him do this, I rolled my eyes at the show tune he chose, but it's become quite the gimmick for the kid, and the fans love him. I'd feel differently about it if his game didn't back it up, but as long as he keeps playing the way he does, he can sing and dance all he wants.

The music stops and he readies himself for the pitch, choking up on his bat and focusing on his surroundings. As soon as the ball leaves the pitcher's hand, I hold my breath, awaiting the sweet crack of a connection. He lets the first one sail into the catcher's mitt, unaffected by the now o-and-one count.

He's locked in when the next one comes his way. It's a low slider, and it's exactly the kind of pitch Ace lives for. He pulls his front foot up, bringing the bat around and connecting at the perfect angle. The ball flies up in the air, shoots past the outfield, and drops down just beyond the wall. Fireworks are launched into the sky as he leisurely rounds the bases, all the while making a heart with his hands and holding it in the direction of where he was staring into the stands before. I look again, watching as a beautiful blonde, maybe in her early thirties, shakes her head in indignation. At first, she looks pissed, but a smile breaks through as she covers her red cheeks with her hands. Squinting even more, I recognize her familiar face and make a mental note to grill him like crazy for the info.

This is going to be good.

We end the game with a win and I make my way over to my girl because I can't wait another second to see her. I run toward the wall, giving no warning before I jump up, grabbing hold of the railing and waiting for Monroe to reward me for my great game. She pushes her way to the end of the row before descending the two wide steps that separate us.

"Not bad, Val," she says playfully, grabbing my face and pressing her mouth to mine. As much as I want to part her soft lips with my tongue and remind this whole place who she belongs to, I know I need to be a good boy. Just because I'm out of the woods with the team doesn't mean that can't all be flushed down the shitter if I do what I'm thinking and drag her back into the bullpen for a repeat of our date night.

"You better watch that smart mouth, Mayhem. I can think of several ways to stop it from running when I finally get you alone," I growl so only she can hear.

"Mmmm," she hums. "Well, you're in luck because my mom is going back to the hotel, and your sister is catching a red-eye back to Boston tonight because she misses Tanner."

"Thank fuck," I say on a relieved exhale, leaning in to steal one more kiss before lowering myself to the field and running toward the locker rooms. All I can think about is getting home and worshipping her body until the sun comes up .

Because as fake as we pretended this thing was when she came here, I don't think it ever really was for me. I've been blessed beyond my wildest dreams with the love of the most amazing woman I've ever met, and I can't wait to spend forever making sure she knows how grateful I am. Monroe Decker is finally free to live the life she's always imagined, and I'm the lucky motherfucker that gets to stand beside her as she makes her mark on the world.