For the Win: A Standalone Baseball Romance

by Raine Thomas

  It was a tragic story all around. While it gave Jasmine some empathy toward Carol Ann, it wasn’t enough to forgive her for approaching Will and asking for money to buy her off, making it clear money was more important to her than anything else. Whether or not she initially loved Katie and wanted to keep her, that sentiment had changed long ago.

  They all knew Carol Ann was manipulative. Some of what she reported to Ordinem—maybe even most of it—was true, but it would be impossible to find out how much she fabricated just to garner more attention and sympathy since there wasn’t a shred of proof either way.

  In any case, she was now prohibited by law from ever getting near Katie again.

  Thank God Katie was proving so resilient after that horrible day. Jasmine felt dance had a lot to do with that. Katie was an exceptional student who excelled at expressing herself without words. That infused her dancing, often bringing grown adults to tears. Indeed, her solo was bound to be the show-stealer of the recital.

  With that thought, Jasmine got back to making sure everyone was ready for the rehearsal to begin. She wanted the crowd to enjoy every minute.

  In the end, it went off with only a few minor hitches that she and her staff worked through in quick time. She couldn’t have been more pleased and was sure to praise all of her students afterward.

  As she stood with them in the wings, the sound of the microphone turning back on drew her attention to the stage. Alima stood in front of the microphone.

  “I know you’re all eager to collect your precious little ones and depart,” she told the crowd of parents still waiting in their seats, “but I’d like to ask Jasmine to come back onstage and take a bow. Don’t you think she deserves the spotlight for all of her work on this recital?”

  The loud round of applause and cheering had Jasmine’s eyes going wide. Alima hadn’t done this at their last recital around Christmas. She couldn’t imagine why she was doing it now.

  Still, the crowd had made its opinion known.

  She took a deep breath and planted a smile on her face, stepping out from behind the curtain and walking onto the stage. The applause got even louder, making her grin and take the bow Alima mentioned. A rush went through her not unlike what she used to feel when she took a bow after a performance as a dancer.

  Maybe even more of one, she admitted, since it was her vision and orchestration that had brought all of this together.

  The applause faded. Jasmine was about to lift her hand for a final wave when Will and Katie walked onto the stage. Will had a microphone in his hand.

  What in the world?

  “Hi, folks,” he said, addressing the crowd. “This is unusual, I know. I didn’t want to take the spotlight away from the kids during the big recital tomorrow, but Katie and I cooked up a little performance of our own. I thought you might want to see it.”

  The resulting cheer resounded through the auditorium.

  Will grinned and took a bow. Alima hurried forward and took the mic from him, alerting Jasmine to the fact that her friend knew about whatever was happening.

  When Will approached Jasmine, she wanted to ask him what he was up to. He lifted a finger in a shushing gesture before bending to place a brief kiss on her lips. That kept her from arguing as he guided her over to a spot on the left side of the stage.

  “Now stay put,” he told her in a voice that carried.

  The crowd laughed. Jasmine saw cameras in nearly everyone’s hands. It had her heart jumping into overdrive.

  Across the stage, Will and Katie moved into what were obviously well-practiced positions. A few seconds later, a song started playing. When Jasmine recognized the song as Bruno Mars’ “Marry You,” she brought her hands to her face.

  She watched with tears in her eyes as Will and Katie danced a surprisingly well-coordinated routine that she assumed Alima helped them learn together. Tears spilled down her cheeks when the routine ended with Will and Katie each going to one knee in front of her. They grabbed two pieces of poster board she hadn’t noticed on the ground and held them up for her and the audience to read.

  Will’s read, Will you be my wife?

  Katie’s read, Will you be my mommy?

  Overwhelmed with emotion, Jasmine said, “Yes,” to both of them.

  The noise from the crowd was deafening.

  Smiling wide, Will got to his feet. He placed a ring on her finger, sealing it with a kiss. When he stepped back, Katie moved forward. Seeing she had a gift, as well, Jasmine lowered so they were eye-to-eye. Katie opened a jewelry case to reveal a mother’s necklace styled like Will’s necklace, but in platinum. She and Will helped secure it around Jasmine’s neck.

  She silently vowed to never take it off.

  As she returned to her feet with Will holding one hand and Katie the other, she realized that the happiness she felt earlier while taking a bow was nothing compared to this…and she couldn’t wait for the three of them to officially become a family.

  # # #

  Thanks so much for reading For the Win! If you enjoyed Will and Jasmine’s story, don’t miss my other standalone baseball romances where you can read about the Happily Ever Afters of some of the unforgettable characters you met in this book.

  For Everly

  When Major League All-Star pitcher Cole Parker needs under-the-table treatment for a shoulder injury, he recruits the help of talented physical therapy student Everly Wallace. Things soon get complicated as he finds himself irresistibly attracted to his secretive and innocent savior.

  GET THE BOOK ON AMAZON

  Meant for Her

  Spirited photographer Sierra Stratton is determined to help Atlanta’s brooding third baseman Evan Dorsey recover from a painful loss. If he’s not careful, she just might convince him that he’s meant for her.

  GET THE BOOK ON AMAZON

  If you were intrigued by Archer, Lily, and The Void, be sure to check out my House of Archer rocker romance series too! The first book is Imperfect Harmony. I’m including the first chapter below to give you a sneak peek into the series. You can read the entire series for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

  GET IMPERFECT HARMONY ON AMAZON

  My Contemporary Romances

  Imperfect Harmony (House of Archer #1)

  Unsteady Rhythm (House of Archer #2)

  Driving Tempo (House of Archer #3)

  Beautiful Finale (House of Archer #4)

  My Sci-Fi Romances

  Return of the Ascendant (Ascendant Series #1)

  Rout of the Dem-Shyr (Ascendant Series #2)

  Rise of the Faire-Amanti (Ascendant Series #3)

  My Young Adult Fantasy Books

  Becoming (Daughters of Saraqael #1)

  Central (Daughters of Saraqael #2)

  Foretold (Daughters of Saraqael #3)

  Defy (Firstborn #1)

  Shift (Firstborn #2)

  Elder (Firstborn #3)

  Deceive (an Estilorian Novel)

  Once again, thanks for reading Will and Jasmine’s story! I’d be ever so grateful if you’d drop a little ‘ol review here and let other fine readers like yourself know what you thought about the book. :)

  As promised, here’s the first chapter of Imperfect Harmony!

  Imperfect Harmony

  Chapter One

  Archer wanted blood. Hot temper burned in his chest as he stormed down the tunnels of the venue where he and the rest of Suddenly Something had just wrapped up another concert.

  He’d absolutely had it.

  Catching up with the band’s lead singer, Brandon Evans, Archer grabbed his shoulder, spun him around, and got right in his face. “I’m so sick of your shit, Brandon!” When Brandon snorted and tried to shrug him off, Archer tightened his hold. “No way. You’re not walking away this time, you prick.”

  “Archer, now isn’t the time for this,” came a female voice from behind them.

  Archer whipped his head around to pin Regina Greene, Suddenly Something’s manager, with a dangerous glare. “It’s never the right time,
Regina. Back the hell off.”

  Brandon smirked and nodded dismissively at Regina. She gave them each warning looks before clipping away on her ice pick heels in the direction of the security guards manning the end of the long tunnel. Archer figured she was telling the guards to keep anyone from entering the tunnel while his “conversation” with Brandon took place. God forbid word got out to the public about the band members arguing.

  “What are you whining about now, Archie?” Brandon asked in a bored voice, leaning negligently against the tunnel wall.

  Archer’s already seething temper threatened to ignite over Brandon’s use of the hated nickname. “You know why I’m pissed, Brandon. You stepped all over my vocals tonight. You’ve been doing it more and more and I’m sick of it.”

  Brandon rolled his eyes. “Who the hell cares? No one comes to hear you sing. You’re the backup vocalist, Archie. I’m the lead singer. It’s time you got that through your huge head.”

  “My huge head?” Archer echoed. “You’re the one who seems to think this group revolves around you.”

  “That’s because it does,” Brandon retorted. “I’m the face of Suddenly Something. You’re nothing.”

  The barbed comment hit a bull’s eye, but Archer wasn’t about to let Brandon know it. “That’s bullshit. I’ve played a big part in our success. Hell, I’m more talented than you and you know it. That’s why you keep trying to step all over me.”

  Brandon’s blue eyes frosted. His nostrils flared. Archer knew how to get his digs in just as well as Brandon did.

  “You’re joking, right?” Brandon said, pushing away from the wall. “You seriously think you’re more talented than I am?”

  “Damn right.”

  “Then why don’t you go out on your own and prove it?”

  Anxiety crept along Archer’s spine. “Don’t tempt me.”

  Brandon laughed, loudly and heartily. The harsh sound resonated off the tunnel walls, slapping against Archer’s pride. His hands curled into fists.

  Making an exaggerated show of wiping his eyes, Brandon said, “Archie, you’re a talentless, dickless, completely expendable son of a bitch. We’ve had backup singers and guitarists before you and we’ll have others when we finally get rid of you. I dare you to break your contract and try to hack it on your own. Hell, I’ll even convince the rest of the band to sign off on your departure so you don’t get penalized with breach of contract. That’s how sure I am that you mean nothing to us.”

  Archer refused to show any of the concern he felt over Brandon’s conviction. “Fine. Maybe I will.”

  “Yeah,” Brandon said, shaking his head and laughing again. “Good luck with that. I’m sure it’ll go so much better than the last time you cut a solo album.”

  Still chuckling, Brandon turned and headed towards the band’s green room, touching two fingers to his forehead and lifting them in a mocking farewell salute. Regina looked up from her phone as Brandon neared her at the end of the tunnel. She glanced from him to Archer. After a brief pause, she followed Brandon around the corner and out of sight.

  Guess it was clear where her loyalty stood.

  When he was alone, Archer opened and closed his fists as the argument with Brandon ran through his mind. His anger warred against a heavy onslaught of uncertainty. Why had he gone and mouthed off like that? He’d known it would never go his way. Now he had all but gotten himself kicked out of a band that was making its way up the charts.

  Unvented frustration stormed through him. With no one there to shout at, he turned and gave a nearby metal door a swift kick.

  “Hey!” yelled a feminine voice from the other side of the door.

  “What the hell?” Archer eyed the door. “Who’s in there?”

  “My name’s Lily Montgomery. I’m locked in here. Can you open the door?”

  He grabbed the door’s handle and attempted to turn it. “No. The lock looks messed up. I think someone tried to use something other than a key to open it.”

  “Oh, great. Maybe that’s why the door was propped open earlier.”

  Archer looked in the direction of the green room. Although it grated, he needed to go back and make amends with Brandon. Who had he been trying to kid with all of that talk about going out on his own?

  “I’ll send someone to get you out of there,” he said absently, turning to head down the tunnel.

  “No!” the voice—Lily, he recalled—exclaimed. “Please don’t leave me. It’s dark and cramped in here and I’ve been trapped for hours.”

  “I can’t get the door open unless I go get someone.”

  “Do you have a phone?”

  “Who the hell am I supposed to call?”

  “My Uncle Ray. He’s a security guard here.”

  Sighing, Archer pulled out his phone. “Fine. What’s his number?”

  She rattled off the digits. He entered the number and listened as it rolled to voicemail. Sensing that the trapped Lily wouldn’t be happy with that outcome, he disconnected the call and issued a sharp whistle to catch the attention of the security guards at the end of the tunnel. When they glanced at him, he waved one of them over.

  “What’s wrong?” the guard asked as he approached.

  “There’s someone locked in here,” Archer told him. “Do you have a key?”

  The guard’s brow furrowed. “No, but I’ll find out who does.”

  “Thanks.” As the guard headed back to his companion at a jog, Archer said, “They know you’re in there now, Lily. Someone will come and get you out soon.”

  “Don’t leave me. Please.”

  “But I have to go and—”

  “You were right, you know,” she interrupted.

  “What?”

  “You’re a much better singer than Brandon Evans.”

  He blinked. “You’re a fan?”

  “Not really,” she admitted, bringing an unexpected smile to his face. “I grew up listening to classic rock. But I just spent the past hour or two listening to you guys perform. You get some interesting nuances in the acoustics down here.”

  Tilting his head, he repeated, “Nuances?”

  “Yeah. It was easy to pick out the different vocalists. You’re Archer, right? I did some research on you guys before I came to the show with my uncle.”

  Deciding that he’d rather spend the next few minutes in the tunnel with a stranger than placating Brandon, Archer moved over and slid to the ground with his back pressed against the door. “You can call me Dane,” he found himself saying.

  “The articles I read all said you preferred to go by Archer.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t feel like being Archer right now.”

  “Fair enough,” she said with an equable shrug in her voice. “So why are you sticking with this group when the lead singer is such a dill-hole, Dane?”

  His lips curved up again. “Because we’re gaining fans every day. We’re on the path to huge success.”

  “Largely because of you,” Lily pointed out, mirroring his earlier comment to Brandon. “My research indicated that Suddenly Something has sold more records since you joined them than before. I also pulled up a lot more photos of you than Brandon when I did my searches. You have more followers on social media and a larger fan club. That has to chap Brandon’s ass.”

  Archer’s smile widened. He decided he liked Lily Montgomery. His smile faded, though, as he remembered what Brandon had said.

  “You may be right,” he said, “but those things won’t necessarily translate into a successful solo career.”

  “You cut a solo album a few years ago, right?”

  A flush heated the back of his neck, prompting him to reach up and rub it away. “Yeah. It didn’t do too well.”

  “It flopped major. The label dumped you like a flaming turd.”

  Insult leaped up to join embarrassment. “Gee, thanks.”

  “Well, it’s true,” she said pragmatically. “But for goodness’ sake…you were a geeky thirteen-year-old whose voice was still t
ransitioning and it was your first attempt at a music career after years of acting. The press was bound to be brutal with you. You can hardly expect that you’d have the same experience now, especially after the success you’ve achieved with Suddenly Something. Besides, no one said you have to go solo. Just start over with band mates you actually like.”

  He considered that. Coming from someone who sounded objective, the words held more power. He wanted to believe her. Part of him, he was surprised to discover, actually did.

  “Why did you do so much research if you’re not a fan?” he wondered.

  “I’ve been researching an article for my school’s newspaper. My uncle invited me along tonight so I could try and get an interview or two to beef up the piece. I was going to enter it into the school’s journalism contest. Then I got stuck in this supply closet thanks to a couple of your bitchy fans who thought I was backstage to jump you or someone else in the band. Guess they were eliminating possible competition.”

  “You’re an aspiring journalist?”

  “An aspiring writer,” she clarified. “Not sure if journalism’s the way I want to go, but I’m giving it a shot.”

  “Ah. Do you attend a local college?”

  “High school. I’m only sixteen.”

  His eyebrows lifted. She was nearly the same age as him. “You sure sound older. You speak like…I don’t know. Like a snooty grown-up.”

  She huffed at that. “It’s called maturity.”

  “I was going to say nerdiness.”

  “Well that’s certainly true.”

  Her response made him laugh. It was refreshing to meet someone who didn’t take herself too seriously. His attention turned as the security guard strode down the tunnel with a member of the maintenance staff. It didn’t take long for the maintenance worker to confirm the lock wouldn’t open with a key. He hurried off to find the right tools to remove the handle.