Captain Hotness: A Single Father Bad Boy Novel

by Weston Parker

  Message after message of her growing more frantic.

  My stomach turned upside down and it was all I could do to make it to the nearest trashcan to lose my lunch. I wiped my mouth and got dressed as fast as I could. Baseball was my whole world for so many years, but nothing was more important than my family, though I'd almost let it become that way.

  I jogged down the long stairs to the parking lot and stopped short at the sound of Terra crying. Fuck. I needed to tell her that I was sorry and that I loved her.

  "Hey. He's an asshole. Lots of players are assholes." Paul.

  What the fuck was Paul doing on our side of the field? In our tunnel?

  "No. He's a good man. He's just going through a lot. I don't need your help, Paul. Please. Seriously."

  "I know you don't, kitten, but I'm not going anywhere."

  Kitten?!? Rage filled my insides. No fucking way this dude was on my side of the field and now calling my woman kitten. Oh hell no.

  "I'm good. Seriously." Terra screamed as I jogged down the hall and crashed into Paul again.

  "You sorry mother fucker." I punched him several times before head butting him. He held his own for a little while, but finally curled onto his side and spit blood across the floor.

  Terra was frantic. "Stop it! For God sakes, Danny. Stop!"

  I got up as she knelt beside him, talking softly to him. Almost lovingly from what I could tell.

  "I'm leaving. Make sure he knows that I was your first." I turned and spit blood behind me before walking out into the cool night air. The minute it slammed into me, I knew I'd made a grave mistake. Tears blurred my vision, but I choked them back down.

  It wasn't my fault that the world was caving in. I was holding on as best as I could, and doing a rather shitty job of it.

  A million regrets raced through my head as I drove like a bat out of hell to the hospital. I parked the bike on the side and jogged into the ER to find my mom teary-eyed and sitting alone in a corner of the waiting room.

  "Daniel!" She jumped up and ran over to me, wrapping her arms around me and crying softly.

  "How is he? What's going on?" I gripped her tightly and glanced around.

  She moved back and whipped her eyes. "It's okay. He's stabilized, but I'm pretty sure he had a mini-heart attack."

  I let out a painful sigh. "We told him to come up here and get checked out. What was so damn hard about that?"

  "What happened to your face?" She reached up and touch my lip where it was busted.

  "Ouch!" I jerked back. "Damn, Mom."

  "Don't you talk to me like that." She put her hands on her hips and tried to be hard, but she quickly crumbled into tears again.

  "I'm sorry. I got in a fight." I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. I held her until my phone buzzed in my pocket.

  Terra.

  "How is your dad?"

  I sent a one-word reply and turned my phone off. Okay.

  I'd fucked things up, but tonight wasn't the night to figure them out. My mom and dad needed me too much to remain selfishly focused on anything but them.

  And knowing me... Ter would always come first.

  26

  Terra

  "Paul. Are you okay?" I glanced up to watch Danny storm off. What the hell was going on with him? It was almost like he'd become a different man than the one I'd fallen in love with.

  "Yeah. That guy is an animal." He pulled himself up and coughed, spraying blood on the floor in front of us. "You need to stay away from him, Terra."

  "Okay. Let's get you some help." I reached for him, but he pulled away.

  "No. I'm fine. Take care of yourself. Seriously." He turned and walked back down the long tunnel that leads to the stadium.

  "I will." I pressed my back to the wall and lifted my hands to cover my face. A long sob left me as I slid to the ground. My father would have been so disappointed in me for letting my personal life interfere with his team. It was the one thing I knew he would have wanted from me as the new owner. To be strong and not fall in the face of trial, tribulation or Danny McAdams.

  "Terra?" Joe's voice surprised me.

  "Yeah. Sorry." I pushed up from the floor and wiped at my eyes. "Pretend I'm not crying?"

  My father's oldest friend walked over and reached for me. His hands were strong and warm as he held my shoulders. "I was going to check on Daniel seeing that he's been a loose cannon lately, but the locker room was empty."

  "He's gone." I shrugged, feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. "You should have taken the team from Daddy."

  He chuckled. "Not a chance kiddo." He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. "Your father has loved this place since we were kids. We used to come out here and pay them to let us mow." He laughed, but the sound fell flat. "I miss him so goddamn much. You might be the only one who knows how big the hole in my life is now that he's gone."

  I held him tightly and nodded. "I do. I just wish I could make better decisions."

  "We all want to do that, kiddo. Hindsight is truly twenty-twenty. If we were given the end from the beginning then we can make the right choices all the time and live purely tranquil lives, you know?"

  I glanced up and smiled through my tears. "But then we would be gods."

  "And what fun is there in that?" He smiled and moved back to wipe the tears off my cheek. "McAdams loved your dad too, Terra. He's gone through a lot lately, and I think that's the only reason I haven't kicked his ass off the team. He's close to Jeremy Denning, so the kid getting popped for steroids hit Daniel harder than he'd want anyone to know." He released me fully. "He was almost a mentor to the kid."

  "I know." I wiped away my tears. "I'm sure we have a lawsuit of some sort coming from Oakland, or at least Paul Thompson. Danny just beat him to a bloody pulp down here a few minutes ago. You just missed the show."

  Joe glanced at the ceiling and let out a long sigh. "Fucking guy is going to have to pull himself together."

  "I wish I could help with that, but I don't know what to do." I crossed my arms over my chest.

  He tilted his head back down as his face filled with sorrow. "Maybe just talk to him about everything. He's not going to bring anything up to you or anyone else. Guys don't do that." He smiled sadly. "Ask me about the night your father died."

  The tension in the air grew so thick that I almost couldn't catch my breath.

  "What happened the night my dad died, Joe?" I reached out and took one of his hands in mine. I could remember a time when his hand dwarfed mine when he would toss me to my dad in the air, and my dad would toss me back.

  "He wanted to go home, but Danny pushed him to come to Ruska's and hang out with the team."

  "Oh, no." I lifted my free hand and pressed it to my lips. The pressure and pain Danny had to be carrying around left me feeling ill.

  "Yeah." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I told Martin it would be good to see the guys outside of the field. He needed to reconnect with them. So, he finally agreed thanks to Danny's request and my prodding."

  "Joe. You know it's not your fault that my father died. That's ridiculous."

  "I know that’s what you believe, but I can't shake that it is partly my fault."

  "No." I squeezed his hand and stepped closer. "Someone hit you guys going fifty miles per hour. We're lucky you both didn't die when the car rolled."

  "I sometimes wish I would have." He glanced up and locked eyes with me. "I'm not taking up for Danny, Terra because he's being an idiot, but I am telling you that there's a lot going on inside that kid. Step up and help him out, or move back and let someone else do it."

  He pulled me into a tight hug as I took quick breaths through my nose. It felt almost like the world was closing in around me, and the only person I wanted to comfort me was the one that kept striking out to hurt me.

  It was because he was hurting, but it didn't matter. I was defenseless against him.

  "Come on. We got a ballgame to win." He moved back and offer
ed me his arm. "Let's go pull this one out of the shitter for your father."

  "You know he could care less if we win or not." I slipped my arm into Joe's. "He used to say that as long as we were all-"

  "Having fun?" He finished my sentence and laughed. "Try again. That was a cute thing to say to a sweet little girl. Your father was a tiger, a fighter, a winner. Much like the pitcher you've given your heart too."

  I smiled and released him. "Thanks for everything. I don't look at you with an ounce of blame, nor does my dad, Joe. We both love you, and I'm grateful that you're here to be the glue during this transition."

  "Me too, kiddo." He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Now, get upstairs where you belong unless you plan on picking up a bat or a glove and helping an old fella out?"

  I laughed. "Not a chance."

  He walked away, and a part of my heart healed. Maybe Danny was hurting too much to be the man I needed or even wanted him to be right now. He had so much going on in his life. I just needed to figure out what part I was supposed to play, or if the season for us to be together was officially over. The thought of living without him caused my heart to shrink in my chest.

  So maybe just backing off a little to let him heal was the answer. It sounded like a good idea in my head, but I knew myself far too well. There was no way I could let the idea of us go and still remain owner of the team. Having him in my face all the time would do me in.

  "Stop it," I mumbled and made my way to get a hot dog. I didn't have to make any decisions right then, and it was probably best that I didn't.

  I pulled out my phone and texted Danny, asking about his Dad. We were friends before we were lovers, and if nothing else, I was his boss. I could ask how his dad was doing seeing that I was genuinely interested.

  I got a one word answer back and my heart dropped.

  "Okay."

  It was good to hear that his father was okay, but I knew one thing for sure... we weren't.

  27

  Daniel

  I paced the floor in the cafeteria until my feet hurt. Dropping down at a table, I pulled out my phone and called the only person I wanted to talk to - Lance. We'd been friends my whole life, and he was the only guy that shot straight with me. Without a sibling in my life, I needed him. Especially now.

  "Danny?" His voice was thick with sleep.

  "Hey man." I pressed my forehead against my hand and closed my eyes. "I'm at the ER with my dad. I just needed to hear a friendly voice."

  "Fuck, dude. What happened?" He seemed to wake up fast.

  "I don't know. He's been having some chest pains lately and refused to have it checked out." I sat up and glanced around to find a scattered handful of people that looked about like I felt. "He had a mild or minor heart attack tonight."

  "Did you find out on the field?"

  "No. I'd come down into the locker room after getting in a fight on the mound."

  "Oh shit. You played Oakland tonight, didn't you?" He yawned loudly. If it were anyone but him, I'd have felt like shit for calling so late in the night.

  "Yeah, man. That bastard that used to date your sister charged me because I accidentally hit him in the hip with a fastball." I smiled, feeling a bit of warmth for the first time that night.

  "Accidentally? Something tells me that's a fucking lie." He chuckled. "He deserved it. He badgered Terra a million times to get into her pants. I should have gone down there and beat his ass myself."

  Guilt swam through me. I'd taken Terra's virginity and turned into an asshole shortly thereafter. She probably hated me for it.

  "You doing okay up there in the big apple?" I walked to the small cafeteria at the end of the room. Coffee would be helpful for my long night ahead.

  "Yeah. I miss you guys and the rain, but it's a good life." He cleared his throat. "We just got this new surgeon in that's a total prick. I'm thinking about dragging his ass out behind the hospital and putting a hurting on him."

  I laughed and fixed myself a cup of coffee. Light brown. Like dessert. It was the way Terra drank it, and somehow, she talked me into loving the girly ass drink myself when we were younger. Pressing my hand to my heart, I took a shallow breath.

  "Hey. I fucked things up with Terra pretty bad. I just wanted you to hear it from me."

  "Oh yeah? Sounds like the good old days. Give me the juicy deals, but leave out the juicy parts."

  I smiled. He's been saying the same thing most of our lives. "I don't know, Lance. I love her with everything inside of me, but everything feels so fucked up right now. With losing Martin and having to raise Lyndsay to my dad having chest pains and the guys in the club getting popped for HGH. Just feels like nothing is going right."

  "So why can't what you have with Terra be that one thing, Danny? She's a rock that you could lean on."

  "That's not fair, and you know it." I paid for the coffee and walked back to my seat amid a million empty ones. "She's trying to figure out who she is in this new ownership position and deal with me, and let's not forget how badly she is hurting from losing your dad."

  "She's much stronger than you're giving her credit for. Just don't hurt her or make her feel unprotected and you'll be fine."

  The image of her glancing up at me from the floor in the hallway brushed by my mind's eye. The horror on her beautiful face as she screamed for me to leave Paul alone was enough to scar me for life. Maybe she still had feelings for the guy?

  "You think she still wants something between her and Paul?" I could ask Lance. He was my best friend and the closest thing I had to a brother.

  "Not in the slightest. I think you're looking for something to come in between you guys."

  I snorted. "No way. That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard."

  "Is it? You've spent so many years running from love and now it's right in front of you? That's a scary feeling, Danny."

  "No shit." I reached up and ran my hands through my hair as a nurse walked into the cafeteria, her eyes wide as if she were freaking out. "Let me call you right back."

  "Alright. Just real quick."

  I stood as she headed my way. "Make it fast."

  "Do you think I need to fly down and take care of Terra? Does she need me there? Did I leave too much for her to deal with?"

  "No, and I'm here if you did. Later man." I dropped the call and slipped my phone in my back pocket as the nurse stopped in front of me.

  "Daniel McAdams?"

  "Yeah. What's up?" My pulse spiked. Something was wrong by the look on her face and the fact that she was breathing hard. Had she come running down to the cafeteria to find me?

  "Your father has had a massive heart attack and a possible stroke. You need to come help us with your mother. She's not taking the situation very well." She turned and motioned for me to follow her.

  "Wait. What? I thought it was a minor heart attack." I jogged after her, and she picked up her walk to a jog.

  I turned the corner as my mother flailed in one of the large male nurse’s arms, screaming as she lost her shit completely. "I want to see him. Let me see him. Please."

  "Mom?" I ran over to her and took her from the nurse as she wrapped her arms around me and sagged into my arms.

  "Please Danny? Please. Tell them to let us see him one more time. Please." She moved back and hit my chest with her fists as tears poured from her eyes.

  "One more time?" My heart almost stopped in my chest as I turned to watch one of the doctors hit my dad with an electronic bolt to the chest. His limp body convulsed and dropped to the bed below, motionless.

  "Oh shit." I pulled my mom in again and cupped the back of her head as I held her tightly, not letting her see what they were up to. I watched in horror as they tried a few more times.

  The young doctor trying to help glanced up and locked eyes with me through the glass, and I knew.

  He didn't make it.

  "We need to go home okay, mom? We'll come back-"

  "No!" She screamed and pulled back to turn around.

  I grabbed
her arms and manhandled her to the front door as my voice broke. "We'll come in tomorrow morning and see dad, okay?"

  "Mr. McAdams?" The doctor walked out with a needle in his hand as my mom lost her shit again. "You need some help?"

  "What is that?" I held onto her as my world crumbled around me. I searched in my mind for the last thing my father and I had talked about. Terra. He'd given his blessing on my girl. Or was it something else?

  "Just something to calm her down. I'll get a wheelchair and help you get her into the car."

  "No! No!" My mom reached behind her and knocked the needle from the doctor’s hand, sending it flying. "Don't take him away from me. I'm nothing without him." She turned and grabbed me by the shoulders hard. "He's everything to me, Daniel. Don't let them take him."

  I choked on a sob and held onto her. "They're not taking him anywhere, momma."

  "Here, Mrs. McAdams. It's going to be okay." The doctor got the needle into her arm and she slumped against me as I cried in the hallway.

  "It's alright mom. I'm right here." I helped her down into the chair and stepped back as my insides melted. "Fuck." I turned and walked down the hallway, gripping my head and trying to make sense of what was happening.

  I stopped by the window to watch them pull a blanket over my dad's limp body.

  "Mr. McAdams. Can I-"

  "No! Leave me the fuck alone for a minute." I pressed my fist to my mouth as another sob ripped my heart open. How the hell were we going to survive without my dad? Why me? Why us?

  I glanced over at my mom as she laid slumped over, her eyes closed but her crying could be heard down the hallway.

  Why her?

  28

  Terra