We’re seated right away, and Colby holds my chair for me. I’m dirty from the game and I’m sure I smell like sweat, yet he’s treating me as if we are in a five-star restaurant and I’m in an evening gown.
It’s nice.
Mom tells Colby about the menu, as if he can’t read, and recommends several items. Instantly, I smile when Alizeh walks in with Duke and Lil D on her hip. I’m glad they went and got him
“Colby,” I take Lil D from Alizeh. “Let me introduce you to my favorite family member, because he can’t talk yet and embarrass me.” I cut a mean look to my family. “This is Lil D.” I turn him around in my arms and show Colby. I’m not sure what his reaction will be, but I shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Hey, Lil D.” He takes his gigantic hand and holds it out to Lil D. “He’s cute.”
“He gets it from me.” Mom speaks up and reaches for her grandson. “Does your sister have any children, Colby?”
“Yeah, she has three kids, all girls.”
“I didn’t know that.” I feel dumb for not asking him before. “It must be sad not to see them grow up.” I can’t imagine how he’s able to stay so far from his family all the time.
He laughs. “I see it; I’m just not there in person. My sister has a monthly newsletter on their family that she sends to my parents and me since we’re not there. It’s full of stories and pictures, so I sort of get to watch them grow up.”
“Monthly newsletter?” Alizeh seems shocked. “She must be very organized, because I can barely remember to do laundry.”
“She’s insanely organized.” Colby sips the water in front of him.
“So is Allison.” Dad speaks for the first time. “She raised our girls, worked, and kept our house so clean we could eat on the floor. I was always amazed on how much she took on.” He leans over and kisses Mom on her cheek.
“Was?” Mom leans back, and I know what is coming. “I’m still working.”
“I told you to retire.” Dad growls at her, but it doesn’t work on Mom.
“Told me? Suddenly I’m an animal who’s trying to be trained.” She crosses her arms and stares him down.
“Mom. Dad. Could we please not get into mom quitting work?” I beg.
“Not quit. Retire,” Dad corrects.
I can’t be more thankful when the waiter comes over to take our food order. I’m hoping it’ll give time for Mom to cool down and Dad to come to his senses and not discuss this right now.
“Colby, you’ll retire young. What do you plan to do? Because I didn’t read it in your background check.” Dad stares him down.
“I don’t know if I’ll stay here, go home to Michigan, or to Maryland to be close to my sister. Work-wise, I’ll probably take some time off, and then depending on where I end up, either go into management with a team or coach.”
“I figured you’d have a plan,” Dad mumbles with a disgusted look.
“Dad, you didn’t have a plan when you retired.” Alizeh jumps into rescue before I can.
“Yes I did. I was going to sleep in. Simple and easy.” Dad tries not to smirk at her.
“That’s not a plan.” I call him out. “Mom what are you going to do?”
“Bake for my grandchildren, because I’m hoping to have more than one.” Mom raises one eyebrow.
“Better get busy Duke.” I quickly move the attention away from me.
“Me? You’re no spring chicken. I think you should be the next one.” Of course, it’s Duke who points out my age.
I’m about to yell at him, but the food comes, and there’s one thing I know about my family, we don’t talk much when food is around. Especially, good food.
When we finish, Colby tries to pay the bill, and Dad damn near bites off his hand. I don’t want an argument so I quickly change the subject, “Colby, you said you have stuff in the car right, for the family?”
“Yeah, there’s some signed stuff and tickets to an upcoming game.”
“Tickets?” Duke stands up straight with Lil D in his arms. “Good tickets?”
“I think you’ll be happy with them.” Colby grins at him.
“I’m very happy to have you in the family.” Duke fake cries, making me roll my eyes. “This is the happiest day of my life.”
“Excuse me. I’m not sure if you remember me. I’m your wife and the mother of your child.” Alizeh waves her hand.
“Can you give me amazing tickets to the Angels?” he counters.
“I birthed a human for you.” Alizeh points at Lil D.
Duke nods and turns to Colby. “Sorry, Colby, she trumps you there,” he smirks.
Colby laughs. “I’d have to agree.”
We all walk out to our cars and Colby gives us all signed stuff and dugout tickets for a home game in a couple weeks. Everyone, including me, is pleased and surprised by his generosity. Mom and Alizeh both hug him, and I try not to jump up and down at my signed Blake Foster jersey or the one Colby signed, either.
When we finally get on the road, I’m not sure what to say. He’s done much more for my family and me than I did for him. “I’m glad you had a good day, Colby. Sorry we monopolized your whole day off.”
“Don’t be. I had fun, and it was better than hanging at home. I’m glad you invited me.”
“Me too. I’m sorry I was all girly and such earlier. I have an amazing day.”
“You apologize too much, Ariella. We’ll have to do something again soon.”
“I really hope so Colby. I would enjoy going out with you again.”
He smiles. “I’ll let you decide when so it’s not too soon.”
We fall back into small talk of nothing more than the weather and he directs me to his house. When I pull into the driveway, I gather my last nerve to ask him the one question I’ve been thinking about the most. “When’s your next day off?”
“It’ll be a few days. We’re about to go on a road trip.”
“How about when you come back into town, text me, and I can cook you dinner? Nothing fancy, I can promise you. However, you’ve met my family, and I’d like you to meet my dog.” I don’t cook for just anyone and I surely don’t invite them into my home, but Colby is different and I like different.
“That sounds like a plan.”
He leans over and kisses me. His lips fit perfectly with mine. I could do this all day, but I need to remember I’m in my car and in his driveway.
“Talk to you soon.” He gives me a quick peck, and he’s gone.
The moon is bright at two in the morning, and it’s making the blood on the sidewalk almost gleam. You never get used to seeing dead bodies, especially kids. Right now, I’m staring at a sixteen-year-old boy who, as far as we can tell, is the victim of a stray bullet.
“What do you think?” Duke stands next to me.
“The bullet had to come from there.” I point to my right, which is a building. “Maybe a ricochet?”
“I don’t know.” He furrows his brow, looking from the building back to the body of the kid. “Doesn’t something seem off to you?”
“The angle seems all wrong, but I’m not sure. The bullet could have come from the left, but that means he must have walked a bit, but there’s no blood trail.”
Duke bends down and inspects the body a bit more. “We’ll wait for forensics to come back. They’ll tell us where the bullet came from.”
I nod and head off toward the crowd to see if any witnesses will come forward. Normally, they don’t, but occasionally we can gather some information.
Tonight isn’t one of those nights and, as the sun begins to rise, I realize I still have a lot more to do.
WHY COULDN’T I have chosen to play hockey? Sure, they still sweat a lot, but it has to help that they play indoors and on ice. It’s fucking sweltering today. We’re all drinking more than usual to stay hydrated, and I’m wishing I played an indoor sport. I wipe my hand on my pants for probably the millionth time just this inning.
The batter cracks one to the outfield, sending Roman
running to try to bring it in before he can get home. He throws it to Jordan just as the runner passes him. He quickly throws it to me, but the runner is safe on third. The home crowd is having tons of fun today, probably because their team has been able to stay ahead of us the entire game. It’s still a close game, though.
The next guy strikes out, earning the third and sending us back to the dugout. I grab some water and down it because my mouth is parched. Trent is up to bat first. I almost wish he wasn’t because he gets a home run. It would’ve been sweeter had we had a runner or two out on the field to bring home as well.
There’s no need to sweat it because I’m on second base after earning a double and Hector is on first when Tanner hits one into the outfield. We’re all able to run in, Tanner having to slide to earn his run. They get their three outs next though. We have a lead, and hopefully, we’ll keep it.
My biggest priority is actually not passing out from the damn heat. Winning is the second priority. My hat is wet from sweat, which is oddly sort of helping to keep me cool. We jog back onto the field, and I begin counting down the minutes until this game is over.
Later, at the team dinner, Trent sits down next to me. It’s been good to see him smiling more often than not.
“How’s it going?” he asks.
“Good. You? How are things with Scarlett?”
His smile widens. “Good. She’ll officially meet Kaelyn as my girlfriend when I get back.” His lips drop a little. “Well, that is as long as I can figure out how to explain it to her.”
My experience with kids is limited to my interactions with my nieces. I’m not going to be much help. “You’ll figure out it. I’m glad things are working out for you two. Y’all deserve it.”
“Thanks. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve made it so far. What about you, Sugar Daddy? I hear you finally found a woman.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Out of all the people, I figured Trent would be least likely to jump onto the nickname bandwagon. “I just started seeing her,” I simply say.
“But you’ve already met her family?”
“Yep.”
Jordan clears his throat from the other side of me and rises from his seat, gaining the attention of everyone. His expression is a mixture of excitement and looking as if he wants to throw up. “I need to say something.” With their focus on him, he sits back down, looking a little more comfortable. “My wife is pregnant.”
My eyebrows shoot upward and as the guys begin to congratulate him, he holds up his hand to cut them off. Then it hits me what he’s about to tell them. Jordan swallows hard and I pat his shoulder in encouragement.
“This is her second pregnancy.” If possible, the silence gets louder because they’re probably wondering where his first child is. “Our first, Eden, was stillborn. We were holding off as long as possible before letting anyone know she’s pregnant, but I um, wanted to let y’all know. It’s not as if I can keep her home 24/7 and I figured it would be better if I told you before you saw her and figured it out. She’s terrified, so she’s trying not to get too excited. But, um, yeah. That’s all I wanted to say.”
The table is quiet, still, but a movement catches my attention. Sofia looks pale, even though I know she knows what happened to Eden. The movement is Blake pulling her over to kiss her temple. Her eyes are locked on Jordan though.
“Congratulations, Jordan,” she says from across the table. “I have a feeling everything will be just fine.”
“Thanks, Sofia.” He gives her an appreciative smile.
A chorus of congratulations sound and Jordan slowly begins to relax as conversation picks up around the table. I give him my own heartfelt congrats, truly happy for them. Dinner settles into normalcy. Hector cracks jokes and uses those godawful nicknames. Tanner halfheartedly gripes when someone teases him about his age, and Blake scowls every now and then. It’s been a good road trip so far. It’s been so long that it’s a little odd how I’m more excited about seeing Ariella than my usual readiness to sleep in my own bed.
I stand outside Ariella’s door. As promised, I texted her when I returned to town and she invited me over for dinner. I wasn’t able to talk to her too much while on the road between our schedules and occasional time differences. The door opens before I can knock. The grin on her face nearly sends me to my knees.
“I was starting to worry you were going to stand out here all day. Buster let me know you were here by the time you parked the car. He doesn’t miss much.” Her head drops, and I follow her gaze to see her petting the dog’s head.
“So it’s unlikely that I’ll ever be able to surprise you?” I ask as she steps aside to let me in. Buster sticks close to Ariella, eyeing me like he might lunge to attack at any second.
“Yep, I hope you’re hungry.” She takes a step toward the kitchen, but I grab her wrist and tug her toward me. Now that she’s here and I’m here, the urge to kiss her is out of control. “Colby.” Her voice is soft, her breathing hitches, but she’s waiting for me.
I tilt my head down and press my lips to hers. She melts against me, my tongue delving into her mouth to deepen the kiss. I swear, this woman. She seems a little guarded, like she’s holding back, and I can’t wait for the day when I make her bare herself to me completely. Buster nudges his nose between our legs, but I ignore him, kissing her harder to ensure she’s focused on me and not the dog.
Then, the dog pushes his way to stand between our legs, causing Ariella to break the kiss with a laugh.
“Damn dog,” she mutters with a smile.
I give her another quick kiss. “I didn’t want to wait until later,” I explain myself, allowing my lips to run over hers as I speak.
“Glad you didn’t. Let’s eat.” Ariella takes my hand to lead me into the kitchen.
“Nice place,” I tell her.
“Thanks. It’s a bit larger than I need, but maybe one day it’ll be the perfect fit. Spaghetti is okay, right?”
“Sounds perfect.”
We fix our plates and then sit at the table. Ariella realizes Buster needs his bowl refilled, so she gets up to do that before sitting down again. She asks about my trip and I fill her in on most of it, the things she wouldn’t know. We make small talk, not talking about anything important, while seeming to do so anyway. I get to hear more about her job and her family, all the things that are important to her.
We clean up the kitchen together before going into the living room. I put an arm around her shoulders and tuck her into my side while Buster jumps onto the couch on the other side of her to lie down. The TV makes for subtle background noise, but I’m not paying any attention to it.
“Tell me what you want from life, Ariella.”
She could answer a million different ways. She could tell me what she wants from her job. Or she could tell me what she wants for herself. Or she could tell me what she wants for her family. However she answers will say a lot. It’ll tell me what she wants the most, what’s most important to her right now.
“I want the fairy tale happily ever after,” she finally says. And there we go. Ariella wants to fall in love and find the person she’s going to spend the rest of her life with. She lifts her head. She looks a little surprised as if she wasn’t expecting to tell me the truth. “How about you just kiss me now?”
I grin because I think she’s a little embarrassed and because I can most definitely do what she’s asked of me. I grab her hips, pulling her into my lap so she straddles me. A grin quirks her lips as she rests her hands on my shoulders. “You want to kiss me, Ariella?” She nods. “Then what are you waiting for?”
Her smile grows before she leans down slowly. Having her straddle me was both my best and worst idea. Worst because she’s straddling me and I won’t be able to hide anything. Best because it’ll allow Ariella to set the pace, and that’s what I want today. Her mouth grazes over mine, and I decide this was definitely a terribly good idea.
Ariella takes her sweet time acquainting herself with my mouth as if she’s never ki
ssed me before, and she has to explore. All I can do is follow along, my hands planted firmly on her hips. She breaks the kiss with a soft laugh.
“What?” I murmur, allowing myself to kiss along her jaw.
“I just feel like...like I’m a teenager making out with my first boyfriend.”
“That bad, huh?” I tease, kissing below her ear and smiling when she laughs again.
“That good, Colby,” she corrects. A low, short sigh escapes her when I trail the tip of my tongue over her collarbone. “We should probably talk about...something, I don’t know.” She cups my face and makes me look at her.
“Unless you have a specific topic, you should just kiss me again.” I give her five seconds to say something, but I already know she doesn’t have anything on her mind to talk about. I’d bet that for a brief moment she had one of her This-Is-Moving-Too-Fast thoughts and that’s why she said it. Kissing isn’t moving fast, especially not at the rate we’re currently going. It’s as if that thought stirs something within me, and I kiss her hard.
Before, our kiss was slow and content. Now, it’s frenzied. Ariella lets her hands roam, my muscles tensing beneath her touch. A loud ringing disturbs us just as her hands splay over my abs. She pulls away with a muttered curse.
“Just when I was getting to the best part.” She puts a little pressure on my abs before reaching for her phone on the coffee table. “Craft,” she answers. Her smile turns into frown as she listens. “Okay. I’ll be right there.” She hangs up and sighs. “Work. I have to go; I’m sorry, Colby.” Ariella is already removing herself from my lap.
“It’s all right.” I stand. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow and we’ll see each other soon.”
She nods. “Sounds good. I’m sorry our night was cut short.”
“Don’t worry about that.” I kiss her softly before leaving. Who knew there would ever be a day where I was thankful for online dating? So, thank you, dating website, for bringing me Ariella Craft.
THE GIRL ACROSS from me can’t be a day over nineteen. Even though she has a long-sleeve shirt and sweatpants she’s still shaking. It’s almost eighty degrees out, and I know she’s nervous and probably coming down from something.
Colby (Season Two: The Ninth Inning #6) Page 6
