It truly sucked being the good guy.
As he was leaving Doc’s, Coach Andres waved for him to come talk to him at the other end of the hallway by the locker room. “I have a favor to ask.”
Something inside of Brayden blossomed with hope. “Anything.”
“My daughter is pregnant, and the pregnancy is … delicate. I want to be here in case something happens. Coach Warner will take my place in the bullpen, but I need someone with him. You know the guys as well as I do—maybe better, because you’ve been with them off the field too. Can you go to Atlanta with the team?”
Not only was this an excellent opportunity for his career; it would give him some space from Tilly. After their nearly friendly conversation this morning, he could use some space. “Yes.”
“You’d better get packed.”
“Yeah.” Brayden scowled. He usually liked road trips. It was time with just the guys. They hung out together, played video games in the hotel. Chilled. He could use some chill, because every time he thought about Tilly and Rowdy, he got hot under the collar.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tilly
The Redrocks won the game and spirits around the park were high. Tilly had enjoyed the night game under the lights as she cared for the crowd behind home plate. They didn’t need sunscreen tonight, but the air was warm enough for bare shoulders—from the women. Thankfully she didn’t have to see any guys with their shirts off and their shoulder hair on display. She shuddered, thinking of the guy who had asked her to rub lotion on him. Ew! At least she’d had a story to tell Clover and Elise when they’d met for lunch the next day. No matter how things ended up with her and Brayden, she would always be friends with those two.
After clocking out, Tilly made her way back into the stadium to meet Rowdy. There were a few fans in the seats, chatting. The atmosphere was fun, and she could see how people would linger.
The janitorial staff was out in force with large black garbage bags and grabbers. They wore gloves but rarely had to pick anything up with their hands. She smiled at an older gentleman hauling filled bags up to the trailer hooked to a sport-utility vehicle with the Redrocks logo on the side. Her stomach was empty and growled at her. She hadn’t been able to eat anything before the game thanks to her conversation with Brayden. Hopefully she’d be able to put on a passable show for Rowdy. If she could get a few bites down, she’d feel much better.
She was waiting for her date—which still felt weird to think about—when Gunner jogged out of the dugout and made a beeline for her. She smiled easily. At least if he asked her out tonight, she’d have an excuse to say no.
“Hey.” He sidled up to the cement divider. On the visitor side, there wasn’t a net, so they didn’t have anything between them. He had showered, his hair still dripping onto his shoulders.
“Hi.”
He glanced behind him. “I need to warn you about Rowdy.”
“Warn me?” She too glanced behind him. Having Rowdy show up in the middle of this conversation would be awkward at best. But it wasn’t Rowdy she was looking for; it was Brayden. “Did Brayden put you up to this?”
“What?” His attempt at innocence was pathetic.
She folded her arms. “Listen. If Brayden has an issue with me going out with another guy, then he should tell me himself.”
Gunner’s eyebrows swooped down. “I’m not his messenger boy.”
That rang true to her ears. “Sorry. I’m a little … I don’t know what I am.” She waved off her comments.
He considered her for a moment as if he knew exactly what she was. He could tell her. It would be nice if someone clarified things. “Here’s the deal. I knew this guy in the minors. He was a huge flirt, a girl-in-every-town kind of guy.”
“He sleeps around?”
“I don’t think so. It’s more like he likes being adored.”
“Ah—well, that’s not uncommon around here.” She smirked, teasing him. He gave her a smolder, and she laughed in his face. “Lady-killer.”
“Are you talking about me?” Rowdy appeared from the visiting dugout. He wore an Atlanta hat and a polo shirt without a logo and a pair of jeans that no man should look that good in. If she had to spend the evening with a man who was not Brayden, this was a pretty nice option.
Gunner glanced at Tilly. “I think I’ll head out. Have a nice time, you two.”
Tilly smiled. “We will.”
Rowdy hooked his arm around her, his hand settling on her hip. It didn’t mold to her curves like Brayden’s, and his arm was stiff behind her back. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” She’d given her keys to Clover and asked her to drive her Jeep back tonight. Dustin would follow her to Tilly’s house and give her a ride home. “I’m starving.”
“You and me both.” He rubbed his flat belly. They started up the stairs. “So, Tilly, tell me about yourself.”
Tilly took a deep breath. This date felt like a new beginning. How could it not? They were starting from scratch. Rowdy had no idea that she’d once biked from Logan to St. George or that she ran the Ragnar every year with the other employees from the climbing company. She was mysterious and could create the person she wanted Rowdy to know. There was a sense of freedom that came with the power. There was also a huge sense of loss. She didn’t want to date again, to have to learn someone’s quirks or pet peeves, to tiptoe around the big topics. She didn’t like the vulnerability of putting herself out there for rejection.
Dinner was exhausting. Not because Rowdy wasn’t holding up his end of the conversation—he was—but she was bored talking about herself. He had some fun stories, but he continued to pepper her with questions. He was probably being a wonderful date; he just wasn’t … Brayden.
For the love of Pete.
They were in the car, on the way to her place, when Rowdy asked, “How do you feel about kisses on the first date?”
“I’m not opposed to them as a general rule.”
“Good to know.” He grinned and took her hand as he drove.
She’d kissed Brayden within the first twenty minutes of their first date. Well, he’d kissed her. Her mind drifted back to that day. They’d headed up to the Emerald Pools Trail and hiked to the first set of waterfalls. There were two, and they were stunning. She’d stopped to look up at them, the breezing lifting the spray though the air and cooling her skin. Brayden had watched her. She could feel his eyes sliding over every inch of her face, and her breath hitched.
“You’re really quite beautiful, do you know that?” Brayden’s voice was husky, intimate.
She’d ducked her head. His compliment had been so sincere, so unscripted, that it sprang right to her heart, opening up feelings she didn’t know she was capable of—especially with a man she’d just met. But there they were, in the mist of a waterfall, and his hands cupped her cheeks, his eyes telling her that he felt the enormousness of the moment as much as she did. When their lips met, she’d forgotten where she was; there was only Brayden and his kiss. From that point on, they’d both seemed to know that there was no point being apart, because they were born to be one.
Her fingers brushed to her lips. She missed kissing. Kissing Brayden most, and kissing in general. It was fun, and she liked the surge of feel-good hormones rushing through her body. She was caught up in memories of her and Brayden, entangled and lip-locked, when Rowdy pulled up to her house.
They made it to the doorstep, and she turned to face him. “Thank you for dinner.” She’d been able to eat more than she’d thought she would—mostly because a mouthful of food kept her from having to talk.
Rowdy leaned over, and she realized he was going to kiss her. She wasn’t mentally ready and ended up fumbling the beginning. Rowdy gave her a moment to catch up and then expertly maneuvered his way around her mouth. She was aware of all the right motions, but the kiss was hollow—like an echo of a kiss instead of the real thing.
When they broke apart, her gaze went right to Brayden’s front window. His porch light was of
f. Had he made it home yet? Coaches didn’t have to stick around for postgame cooldowns and clubhouse dinners. She refocused on Rowdy. “You’re headed out in the morning?”
“Yep. But I wouldn’t mind connecting with you again.”
The team was scheduled to leave for Atlanta in the morning. It was unlikely that Rowdy would be in St. George anytime soon, so she felt comfortable smiling and saying, “That would be great.”
He left with her cell phone number in his contacts list and a jaunty swagger to his steps. He must have had a better kiss than she had.
Not that it was bad. He was seriously talented in that area—probably from all the practice he had with women on the road. She shook her head at herself. There was no telling if that was the truth or if Gunner had made it up. If it was true, she wouldn’t mind spending time with him; he could become a friend. If it wasn’t, she might try kissing him again to see if time made a difference in her butterflies’ ability to respond to a handsome man’s kiss.
And she still wasn’t sure that Brayden hadn’t sent Gunner out to interfere with her evening.
She went inside to get ready for bed. Her phone rang. She fumbled getting it out, wondering if she had enough battery for a phone call. The caller ID said it came from the Redrocks’ organization. She answered quickly. “Hello?”
“Hi, Tilly. This is Adam Gomez. How are you?”
Tilly pulled her phone away and looked at it. The Senior Travel Coordinator was calling her at midnight? She yanked the receiver back to her ear. “Fine. Thanks for asking.” Her fingers probed her eye. It had healed completely. To look at her now, you’d never know she’d had the world’s biggest shiner.
“That’s great to hear.” There was a slight pause, and then Adam continued. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Oh?” She thought ahead to the coming week. The team was headed out of town, and she only had one tour scheduled. Since she’d been working the games and doing tours for the past two weeks, she had some comp time coming and planned to use it to get back on her bike.
“Liz, who usually travels with the team to oversee logistics, came down with some flu—she’s puking her guts out.”
“Oh no.”
“It’s horrible. So I need someone who can handle hotel reservations and talk to food vendors, and Mrs. Wolfe recommended you. Are you up for a road trip?”
She ran her hand through her hair. Getting away from Brayden and all this drama might be really good for her. Plus, Harper had put her name out there; that was a huge recommendation. “Sure.”
“Fantastic! Get packed—the bus leaves for Vegas at seven in the morning.”
Tilly nodded. “I’ll be on time. Don’t worry.”
Harper Wolfe had a private jet for the Redrocks, and they flew out of the Las Vegas airport. Tilly had driven Brayden into Vegas a couple of times just so they could spend another hour together before he left for a couple days. She’d hated saying goodbye to him, but it made saying hello all the sweeter. Besides, sometimes it was nice to have some space to herself. She always scheduled an expert climb during his time away. It kept her brain busy and worked her body hard enough that it didn’t yearn for him. Okay, it always yearned for him. Heck, she yearned right now. That would eventually go away, right?
Adam gave her a few more instructions and promised to send all the information she would need to her cell phone. When they hung up, she fell into bed, exhausted. She’d pack in the morning. As she was drifting off, her mind peeled back to the memories of kissing Brayden goodbye. They were always slow kisses full of I love yous and I’ll miss yous and then more kissing. She used to think that no one could kiss like they could. Hours would pass and she’d have no idea. She drifted off, the memory of Brayden’s lips on hers carrying her off to a place where she didn’t have to yearn, because she was there in her dreams.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brayden
Brayden pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. He hadn’t driven himself to the bus for a road trip since he’d met Tilly. She’d always brought him here. They’d leave early enough that they could take their time saying goodbye. He’d make her park in the back of the lot so they wouldn’t be interrupted.
He smiled. Those were good times. Leaving her sucked. He jerked himself off that train of thought. Leaving today sucked. He’d never had to wonder if Tilly was out with some other guy—or kissing some other guy. Yeah, he’d seen the kiss. He’d been in the kitchen, heating up the plate Dad left for him in the fridge, when headlights swept through his living room. He’d known it was her and Rowdy and he’d bolted for the window, hiding like some jealous boyfriend. Then he’d slammed around his house like a bull, so angry he didn’t care if he knocked a hole in the wall. He hadn’t. His walls were safe. But he’d wanted to.
The kiss itself had been chaste. He could easily say that he and Tilly had had better.
What was killing him was wondering if she would say the same thing.
There were a couple reporters in the lot. The Redrocks were on a three-game winning streak, and for them, that was newsworthy. One of the reporters, probably the kid from the college paper, saw him coming and trotted over, his phone held out like a tape recorder. “Brayden Birks, how’s it going?”
“Better than I expected,” he said, giving his standard response.
The guy smiled. “I hear you’re doing some coaching—how’s that?”
“It’s good.” He was surprised to feel like the answer was true. Gunner fought him every step of the way, and Brayden had still refined his curveball. They continued arguing over the dumb cutter, but there was measurable progress and Brayden could take all the credit for that.
Tilly’s Jeep pulled into the parking lot, and his stomach flipped. How did she know he was leaving? Had she tried out Mr. Sweetheart and found him lacking? Man, he hoped Fuentes was seriously lacking. “Excuse me.” He left the reporter and made his way across the lot and pulled her door open. “What are you doing here?” he asked with a smile. His whole body tingled in anticipation of holding her close.
She scowled. “What are you doing here?”
He paused, realizing she was surprised to see him. “I’m going with the team.”
She dropped her head back. “You’re kidding me right now. I’m going as a travel assistant. Can you stay here?”
He rubbed his lips together, feeling the need to explain that he wasn’t following her around. “Coach Andres is staying behind. They asked me to fill in as assistant coach.”
Her face lit up. “You’ll be in uniform?”
He nodded. The idea of putting on the jersey was exciting, and the fact that Tilly understood just how exciting lifted his heavy heart. “I didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance again.”
She bolted from the car and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on just like she’d used to. If anyone but a doctor came close to his neck, he cringed away. But with Tilly, the trust ran so deep that he didn’t wonder if she’d be gentle. She was. Always. “I’m so happy for you.”
He dropped his duffel bag on the ground and gathered her close, burying his face in her neck. She smelled of cactus flowers and wind. He pressed his lips to her skin, the spot that made her melt and breathed in her nearness. Time stopped, and the air grew thick with desire. The love he felt for Tilly, his reason for breathing, burst out of him. “Tilly,” he whispered against her.
She whimpered, her body trembling next to his. For a moment, he forgot why they’d been apart. It was just him and her and their never-ending need for one another. Like a beautiful song written by the breeze, their notes danced in and around one another, building higher and higher still.
“Excuse me?” asked the reporter, almost on top of the two of them he stood so close.
Time caught up with them. Tilly scrambled out of Brayden’s arms just as quickly as she’d jumped into them. She scowled at the blacktop, though Brayden wasn’t sure if she was mad at him or mad at herself. Maybe a little of both, considering the w
ay she shook her hands out and glared at him.
Brayden smiled at the college reporter. “Yes?”
“I had one more question.” His eyes darted to Tilly, who was unloading her bag from the back seat. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No worries,” Brayden replied. His eyes followed Tilly’s movements.
“I just wanted to know if you had any regrets about leaving baseball.”
Tilly’s head came up, and their eyes locked.
“Just one,” he answered. Coming to himself, he shoved the selfish needs aside. “But that’s a story for another day.” He clapped the guy on the back, took Tilly’s bag over his shoulder, and made his way to the bus. It wasn’t lost on him that he could carry both their bags now. His strength was returning, slowly.
For the first time since the breakup, he wished what he’d done to get stronger would be enough. That he could be enough for Tilly even in his broken state. She’d still love him—he was pretty sure of that. But it wasn’t fair to ask her to settle for less of a life. Had they already been married when the accident happened, he’d have fought tooth and nail for her—vows meant something. But they didn’t have those vows to bind them together, so the right thing to do was set her free.
He tossed their bags into the growing pile near the storage, climbed on the bus, and took a seat next to Dustin.
“You don’t look so good.”
“Just tired.” Brayden folded his arms, leaned his head back. “Wake me up when we get to Vegas.”
“Sure thing.” Dustin went back to the game on his phone.
Even with his eyes closed, Brayden knew when Tilly got on the bus. His body lifted partially out of the seat as if it needed to go to her. She sat down near the front of the bus. They took seats just as far apart on the plane and managed to avoid one another for the rest of the day.
Intentional Walk: Dating Mr. Baseball Book 3 Page 16
