Baller (Heritage Bay Series Book 5)

by M. A. Foster

  “Yo.” Dylan jerks his chin. “What’s your ex doing here with Noah Riley?”

  Turning my head, I see the hostess leading Vanessa and Noah to their table. “She has something to prove,” I tell him.

  “To who?”

  “To herself.”

  Dylan lets out a low whistle through his teeth. “She’s hot, bro. How do you sleep at night knowing you let that one get away?”

  I don’t.

  Vanessa is wearing an emerald green dress that clings to her flawless body. Her long, naturally wavy brown hair is straightened and hanging down her back. She’s so fucking gorgeous. My gaze moves to Noah, and my hand tightens around the glass tumbler when I notice his hand on the small of her back. The hostess stops and gestures to a booth directly in my line of sight. Perfect.

  “She’s still mine.”

  Dylan chuckles. “Does she know that?”

  “She knows.” I bring the tumbler to my lips. “She just needs to accept it and embrace it. Then all will be right in our beautiful, fucked-up little universe.”

  “Are you just gonna stand here and watch their entire date?”

  “Nope.”

  Cam appears on my other side and leans forward with his forearms on the railing. “Who are you two looking at?”

  Dylan tips his bottle of beer, gesturing to the table directly across the room from us. Just then, Noah slides from the booth and heads toward the bathroom.

  “Aw hell.” Cam sighs. “Liam, please don’t do anything stupid. Noah Riley gets paid to take hits from guys twice your size. I mean it. Your sister is weeks away from having the baby. I can’t afford to get into trouble.”

  “I’m not doing anything.” Straightening from the railing, I hold out my empty tumbler to Cam. “I need to take a piss.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Cam insists, handing off the tumbler to Dylan.

  “Suit yourself.” I turn and head in the direction of the bathrooms. “You plan on holding it for me, too? Just remember, if you shake it more than twice you’re playing with it.”

  “Asshole,” Cam murmurs as he follows me.

  The men’s room is surprisingly empty except for Noah standing over a urinal. At the sound of our footsteps, his head turns. His gaze flicks from me to Cam, and recognition registers on his face.

  “Liam,” Cam whispers harshly. “Do not—and I can’t stress this enough—confront that guy while he’s got his dick out.”

  My body jerks as I laugh through my nose. I turn to face Cam. “I just want to talk to him for a minute. I promise I won’t touch him.”

  Cam narrows his eyes. “You fucking better not, or so help me God, I will beat your ass myself.”

  I wave him off. Cam hits like a bitch. Moving down the long row of sinks, I stop beside the one where Noah is currently washing his hands.

  “Liam Mackenzie,” he croons, speaking to my reflection in the mirror. “I never pegged you as the type of guy to follow another guy into the bathroom for an autograph.” He grins proudly at his little quip. I’ll let him have it. I didn’t come in here to play battle of wits.

  “You’re wasting your time with her,” I tell him, getting straight to the point.

  “Vanessa?” He raises his brows in question. “Are you sure about that? She was very adamant that you two are not together.” That stings, but I’ll let it go for now.

  “Because she’s mad at me.” His brows draw inward, a clear sign I’ve got his attention. Shoving my hands into the front pockets of my slacks, I continue. “Our story is messy and one I’m not going to bother breaking down for you because it’s between Vanessa and me.”

  Noah turns to face me and rests his backside against the counter, a smirk on his face. His gaze flicks to Cam leaning against the far wall near the door. “What, are we back in high school?”

  I let out a soft chuckle because he’s starting to get on my nerves. “Ignore him. He doesn’t trust me to be alone with you.” Noah’s eyes widen, and that makes me chuckle again. “I’m not here to threaten you, man.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  “Haven’t you ever loved someone so much you’d stoop to doing some shady shit, like following their date to the bathroom?”

  He seems to mull it over briefly before saying, “Actually, yeah I have.” He laughs once. “Listen, I feel you, man, and if Vanessa would’ve been straight up about you, I wouldn’t have asked her out. But we’re on a date, and she’s probably wondering if I’m in here with a bad case of the shits.”

  I snort. Okay, he’s kinda funny.

  He holds his hands out at his sides. “I don’t know what you want me to do.”

  “I want you to leave.”

  He scoffs. “I can’t just leave. I brought her here. She’ll think I’m the biggest asshole in the world.”

  “Trust me, I’m currently carrying that title. It’s going to take more than you dipping out on your date to claim it from me. She’ll be fine.”

  Noah just stares at me, his nostrils flaring slightly. “What if I—”

  “Leave and I’ll owe you one. Anything you want.”

  His shoulders sag in defeat, and I almost feel bad for the guy. Almost. “Fine.” He points to me. “But you owe me big-time, and you better tell her the truth or I will.”

  I nod. “I’ll tell her. Trust me, I’ll still hold the title of biggest asshole in the world.”

  Shaking his head, Noah pushes off the counter and makes his way to the door. “Good luck,” he calls over his shoulder before stepping out.

  I turn and head for the door, my gaze moving to Cam, who’s shaking his head. “How are we even friends?” He sighs.

  “You’re stuck with me, so get over it.” I hold out my hand. “Can I borrow your keys?”

  “Why?” he asks, even though he’s already fishing them from his pocket.

  “How else am I supposed to get my date home?” I smirk.

  “You’re insane, bro.” He slaps his keys in my palm. “I can’t wait to tell your sister about this.”

  I shoot him an incredulous look. “Did you or did you not tell me to go get my woman?”

  “Fine.” He waves me off. “I’ll be across the way with my popcorn watching your shitshow.”

  There’s a woman who sells fresh roses from a little alcove outside the restrooms. It’s a clever marketing strategy if I say so myself. The last time I gave Vanessa flowers, she wasn’t a fan of roses. I hope that’s changed.

  “I’ll take a dozen,” I tell the woman as I reach into my back pocket to retrieve my wallet.

  Her face lights up with a big smile as if I just made her entire night. “Which color would you like?”

  I shrug. “What color says ‘I’m sorry I hijacked your date’?”

  The woman’s smile falters slightly as she tries to gauge whether or not I’m being serious. I raise my brows, telling her I’m dead serious.

  Her smile is now completely gone, replaced by a frown. She turns her back to me and begins pulling roses from their pots. A few minutes later, she’s back at the counter holding a dozen roses wrapped in green tissue paper with a lavender ribbon tied around it. “I’m not sure flowers are the answer, but I’m sure the gesture will be appreciated,” she offers with a hopeful grin. “Maybe an apology, too.”

  I nod, tossing a few bills on the counter before shoving my wallet in my back pocket and taking the bouquet. “Thanks.”

  “Good luck,” she calls out as I’m walking away, and I chuckle because I’m sure as hell going to need it. I can’t believe I actually persuaded Noah into ditching Vanessa. I really am the biggest asshole on the planet.

  The top of Vanessa’s head comes into view, and I slow my steps to take her in. She’s studying the menu while sipping from her martini glass.

  Taking the last few steps, I slide into the booth beside her, setting the flowers on the bench next me. Vanessa doesn’t notice the flowers—she’s too busy panicking.

  “What are you doing?” she hisses. “I’m on
a date.”

  “I know. With me.”

  Just as the words leave my mouth, her phone pings with an incoming text. If I had to guess, it’s from Noah. His timing couldn’t be more perfect.

  “Cell phones aren’t allowed in here,” I tell her.

  Vanessa gasps and whips her face to the side. “What did you do to Noah?” she practically screeches, earning a few glances from passing waiters.

  “Calm down. I didn’t do anything to him.”

  She purses her lips. “Then where is he?”

  Shifting in the booth, I angle my body to face her. “He left.”

  “Why?”

  I consider telling her the lie I’d concocted in my head on the way over about how Noah came down with a case of the shits and asked me to take care of her before slipping out the back door. But he did me a solid, and I can’t in good conscience throw the man under the bus, so I tell her the truth. “Because I asked him to.”

  She sucks in a breath, eyes wide in shock. “You hijacked my date,” she says through gritted teeth. “Are you out of your mind?”

  I give a noncommittal shrug. “When it comes to you, yes.”

  A deep growl leaves her as she reaches for her phone.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “I’m ordering an Uber.”

  I snatch the phone from her hands and hold it out of her reach.

  She pins me with a murderous glare before taking a deep, calming breath. In an even tone, she says, “Give me back my phone.”

  “Hear me out first.”

  “No.”

  “Vanessa,” I plead. “Please.”

  Sinking back against the booth, she crosses her arms over her chest and directs her gaze anywhere but on me.

  A server stops in front of our table. He’s a good-looking kid, early twenties.

  “Would you like another?” He points to Vanessa’s empty martini glass.

  “Yes, please.” She smiles politely.

  The server nods before shifting his attention to me. He furrows his brows, clearly confused that I’ve taken over Noah’s seat. Surely he’s seen stranger things in this place. He quickly recovers by offering me a tight smile.

  “I’ll just have a water.” I push the untouched glass of water with half-melted ice meant for Noah toward him.

  “Sure thing. Would you like me to go over the specials”—his eyes flick to Vanessa, then back to me—“again?”

  Vanessa snorts, and I shake my head. “We’re good.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right back with your drinks.” Grabbing the untouched water, he hurries off.

  Once the server is out of earshot, I turn to Vanessa. “Look at me,” I command.

  She shakes her head. “I’m too pissed to look at you. I can hear you just fine.”

  “First of all, you’re not supposed to have your phone out. It’s against the club’s policy, and you could be asked to leave.”

  She gives a careless shrug and continues to stare in the other direction.

  “I’m sorry for hijacking your date, but someone told me once that making a grand gesture shows a woman you love her.”

  “This isn’t a grand gesture, jackass. This is you acting like a crazy stalker.”

  “You know as well as I do that you only kept your date with Noah to lash out at me.”

  She scoffs, turning her head to glare at me once again. “I told you I agreed to the date before I even knew you were back. I’m not lashing out at you.”

  “If you really want to leave, I’ll take you home right now. I’ll call Noah and set up another date. Hell, I’ll even pay for it. But if you meant what you said about us working things out, then let me have this date.”

  Her face softens and her eyes glitter with unshed tears as they flick back and forth over mine. “Fine,” she clips. Her pink lips pursed, she picks up her menu. “But I’m ordering the most expensive steak they have.”

  VANESSA

  “I got these for you,” Liam says.

  Lowering my menu, I look over to see him holding a dozen roses in assorted colors.

  Gag.

  I fight the urge to curl my lip as I reach for the flowers. I can’t believe he forgot how much I hate them.

  “Thank you, Liam. They’re very pretty.” I bring them to my nose. They smell so good. I wish I didn’t hate them so much.

  Liam barks out a laugh, and I turn to look at him. “I’m sorry, babe. That’s all she had. I remembered you weren’t a fan of the roses I gave you on prom night, but that was seven years ago. I was hoping that changed. I guess not. The look on your face was priceless, though.”

  I wave him off. “It’s fine.”

  “I’ve never met a woman who doesn’t like roses.”

  Shifting in my seat so I’m facing him, I say, “My mother’s name was Rose.”

  He dips his head. “I know, which is weird that you hate the flower she was named after.”

  I shake my head. “I didn’t always hate them.” I suck in a deep breath. “I remember being at my mother’s funeral. There were roses everywhere. It didn’t bother me. My mother loved roses, and I was happy she was surrounded by them. White roses were her favorite.” I take another deep breath and blow it out.

  “Vanessa, you’re flushed and getting yourself worked up. We can talk about this later.”

  “No.” I shake my head again. “I want you to know, so you’ll understand.”

  He reaches for my hand. “I’m listening.”

  “About a week after the funeral, I started having nightmares. Really bad ones. Some were just images of white roses on a casket. Another was of a white rose falling into an endless dark hole. But the worst were the ones of me lying in a dirt hole surrounded by roses, screaming for someone to get me out. There were people standing above me, but their faces were blurry. I was crying, and I couldn’t breathe. Then one of the blurry images began shoveling dirt on top of me, and when the dirt came flying at my face, I would wake up screaming. The nightmares went on for months. Dad even took me to a therapist, but trying to explain my nightmares to her was frightening. I was stressed out, and I missed a lot of school. I ended up having to repeat third grade.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Liam says, squeezing my hand. “I wish you’d told me this before. I feel like such an asshole.”

  Just then a waiter walks by, and Liam calls out to him. “Please get rid of these.” He passes him the bouquet. “Thanks.”

  “Sure.” The waiter nods and walks off.

  Liam returns his attention to me. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, actually. Not many people know about that, because obviously it was hard to talk about. I should’ve told you that night.”

  “I understand why you didn’t.”

  The server returns with our drinks, and we place our orders. Keeping my word, I order a filet with a side of asparagus, and Liam orders a Caesar salad.

  The server collects our menus and walks off.

  “You’re not hungry?” I ask.

  “I ate before you got here.”

  I quirk a brow. “Oh? So you didn’t follow me here?”

  “No. I was already here.” He nods and I follow his gaze to the opposite side of the restaurant where Cam and Dylan are currently watching us. Cam nods, and Dylan raises his beer. “We’d just finished dinner when you got here.”

  “What did you say to Noah?”

  “I told him I was in love with you and I wasn’t going to stop fighting for you, even if it meant following your dates into the bathroom, so he was wasting his time.”

  I choke down a giggle. “I can’t believe you did that. Poor Noah. He’d been asking me out for months. He was probably really excited for our date.”

  “Don’t be mad at Noah for leaving you. He didn’t want to, and it took a lot of begging on my part.”

  “You’re so full of shit,” I say with a laugh.

  He raises his brows. “Have I ever lied to you?”

  I tilt my head and peg him with a loo
k that says “Are you kidding me?”

  He at least has the decency to look sheepish. “Shit. Don’t answer that.”

  “How do you like working at the medical center?” Liam asks once our food arrives.

  “I love it. I love the hours. I love working with Dr. Parker, and Mia is—” I wince.

  Liam lowers the fork from his mouth and sets it down in the salad bowl.

  “Is it weird that I’m friends with your ex?” I ask.

  “You’re an ex. Mia is a woman I used to fuck. End of story.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Don’t be crude.”

  “You brought it up,” he argues. “I was just clarifying.”

  We keep the rest of our conversation light as we finish dinner. Liam mostly talks about his family, and I learn Willow is actually Cole’s daughter. Her mother was a nursing student who was killed in a car accident while she was pregnant with Willow. And Harper, the pretty redhead I met at dinner, is actually Willow’s aunt. Both Willow’s mom and Harper were very close to Mia as well. It’s a very sad story and one that hits too close to home.

  The server returns to collect our empty plates. I pass on dessert and finish my second drink while Liam settles the bill.

  “Where are we going?” I ask as he leads me in the opposite direction of the exit.

  “I’m parked in the garage.”

  “I thought it was valet only.”

  “It is, but I know the owner.” He winks before pushing through a door that says “Private Affair Employees Only” and we step out into a parking garage.

  “Liam Mackenzie,” a man calls out, and I freeze, eyes wide.

  Liam lets out a low growl, curling his arm around my shoulder and tugging me to his side as we cross the short distance to an SUV parked directly across from the exit.

  “Who’s the babe?” a man calls out.

  “Ignore them,” he tells me as he opens the passenger door.

  “What do they want?” I ask.

  “They’re not here for me. They’re not even supposed to be inside the garage. Someone super important must be inside.”