The Winning Season

by Alison Packard

  “That would be great. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Once she was back in her seat, and with the outcome of Lily’s surgery no longer weighing on her mind, Kelly thought she might be able to enjoy the game, but no such luck. Besides being a nail-biter with the score still tied, now all she could think about was getting a message to Matt. Yes, she was still angry at him, but he and Lily had forged a strong bond and he deserved to know she’d made it through the surgery.

  At the top of the seventh inning she got the bright idea to go down to the clubhouse. Maybe Matt would use the extra time during the seventh inning stretch to use the restroom. It was a long shot, but usually the guys who weren’t up at bat took a quick break to relieve themselves. She leaned toward her father and told him she’d return shortly and then left her seat and headed to the clubhouse.

  After using her badge to enter, she bypassed the lounge and made her way to the locker room. It was empty save for the assistant equipment manager who gave her a nod and a smile and then hit the steps for the dugout.

  As she waited, she paced the room. When she got tired of pacing, she sat on one of the benches and played with a loose thread on the cuff of her blazer. She heard the roar of the crowd, which probably meant one of the Dodgers had struck out. Her assumption was correct when about a minute later Marquis Lopes bounded down the stairs from the dugout. He stopped short, surprised to see her, and then gave her a friendly wave and continued on toward the restroom.

  Tired of sitting, she got up and started pacing again. Maybe Matt wasn’t coming down. That was okay, she’d ask Lopes to tell him about Lily. At least he would know and wouldn’t worry anymore.

  “Kelly?”

  Startled, she spun around to find Matt standing at the base of the stairs. Although still wearing his knee and shin guards, he’d taken off his catcher’s mask and chest protector. He moved toward her, and by the apprehensive expression on his face he probably thought she had bad news for him. “Is it Lily?” he asked, halting in front of her.

  “She’s okay,” Kelly said. Relief flickered in his eyes. “The surgery is over and Dorie said the doctor is optimistic.”

  “Thank God.” He ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair, then wiped his palm on his thigh. “And thank you...for letting me know.”

  “You’re welcome.” Rattled by his masculine presence, she took a step back as Lopes returned from the restroom and took the steps up to the dugout. “I should get back—”

  “Did you get my messages?”

  “I haven’t checked my voice mails yet. My battery died.”

  “We need to talk.” His voice was as intense as his eyes; a tingle raced along her spine. She wasn’t as immune to him as she’d like to be.

  “Not now. You’re in the middle of a game.”

  “I’m not due up this inning so we have at least ten minutes.” He looked around as two utility players came down from the dugout. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as he led her out of the locker room, past the restroom and opened the door to the large shower enclosure that had eight tiled bays—four to a side—each partitioned off for privacy. “Seriously? The shower?” she said as he shut the door behind them.

  “It’s the only place where we won’t be disturbed.” Matt let go of her hand and moved to the far end of the tiled room. He turned and put his hands on his hips. She tried not to stare at his powerful physique but it was hard not to. His uniform did nothing to disguise the muscles that shaped his rock-hard thighs. “It was Stacia. She’s the one who contacted the tabloid and gave them the information about Joey.”

  “Stacia?” Kelly tilted her head and frowned. “That can’t be right.”

  “Trust me. It’s true. I saw her at Kamu’s after you and I talked the other night. She offered her condolences, and in the course of the conversation she made a remark about Joey being buried in my Dodgers jersey. Only that fact wasn’t mentioned in any of the television news reports or in the print articles. She was home the night I brought you dinner and she overheard us talking. I finally figured it out last night and went to your place to talk to you. Only you weren’t there and she was.”

  “Did she admit it?” she asked, still having a hard time believing Stacia could be that cruel. While it was true that Stacia wasn’t the most caring person in the world, she wouldn’t stoop to something this low, would she?

  “Not exactly. But when I told her I could get the tabloid to give me their source’s name in exchange for an interview, it rattled her. She did it, Kelly. And she did it because she’s pissed that I never hooked up with her. By the end of our conversation she was practically gloating that there wasn’t a thing I could do about what she did.”

  “But...”

  Matt raised his hand. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time here, so I’m gonna cut right to the chase. I fucked up.” He moved toward her. “I fucked up big-time, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I accused you of leaking the story and even sorrier that I left bruises on your arms. Can you forgive me?”

  Taken aback, Kelly wasn’t sure how to respond to this turn of events. “I don’t know,” she finally said.

  “What do you mean?” Matt asked with a slight trace of panic in his eyes. “Are you telling me there’s no chance?”

  “I’m not sure what I’m telling you.” She brushed back a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail. “All I know is you believed I could betray you. It was the first thought in your mind, and when I tried to talk to you, you wouldn’t listen and you wouldn’t return my calls.”

  “I was angry.”

  She scowled. “That’s a lame excuse.”

  “It’s the truth,” he said, searching her face. “And the thought that you could betray me like that hurt far more than I ever could have imagined.”

  “That’s still no excuse for what you did, Matt.”

  “You’re right. What I did was inexcusable. And I know I’ve got a lot of nerve asking for your forgiveness, but I’m asking anyway. I made a mistake, Kelly. Please...don’t walk away from me. I need you.”

  The desperation in his voice was almost her undoing. That and the fear she saw in his eyes. But her emotions were still raw from his actions. Could she ever forgive him? She wasn’t sure. What she was sure of was she had a lot to think about, and she couldn’t do it with him standing a foot away from her. No matter what he’d done, he still affected her as no other man ever had.

  “I think we should table this discussion for now.” Kelly turned and reached for the door handle but Matt moved to stand behind her and braced his hand on the door, preventing her from opening it.

  “Do you know why it hurt?” The cadence of his low rough voice sent a jolt to the pit of her stomach. She felt his warm breath on her ear; a thrill raced up her spine.

  “No.” She fought the urge to lean back against him. He was so close she could feel the heat of him. She inhaled the combined scent of leather and his earthy maleness; it invaded her senses and brought back erotic memories of every single time he’d made love to her.

  “Turn around,” he commanded. Slowly, she turned to face him. Their bodies were almost touching. Her gaze was drawn to his; the raw need shimmering in their depths caused her heart to pound an erratic rhythm.

  “It hurt because I’m in love with you.” His husky words were so unexpected that her breath caught in her throat. “I love you, Kelly, but I didn’t realize it until the thought of you betraying me almost killed me.”

  “That’s a hell of way to figure it out,” she whispered, blinking back sudden tears.

  “Tell me about it.” A wry smile quirked his lips. “This isn’t how I imagined telling you how I feel, but I couldn’t let you walk out of here without you knowing that I love you, and that I’ll do whatever I have to do to earn your forgiveness. Do you think you can do that? Can you forgive me?”

  “Matt...” she began and then shook her head as sanity prevailed. “We don’t have time for this. The inni
ng might be over. The team needs you.”

  He groaned. “Damn it. You’re right. But I need to know one thing.”

  “What?”

  His dark eyes roamed over her face as if committing it to memory. “Could you possibly love me too?”

  “Scanlon. One out left. Get your ass back to the dugout,” a deep male voice boomed from the locker room, startling them both.

  “Shit.” Matt lowered his hand from the door. “I’ve gotta go, but I want an answer to that question after the game. I need to know how you feel, and if you can forgive me.”

  “We’ll talk after the game. I promise,” she said, anxious for him to get back to the dugout.

  Relief shone in his eyes. “Oh. There is one more thing,” he said with a slow sexy grin.

  “What now?”

  “This.” He slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her roughly against him and claimed her mouth. Without any protest whatsoever, she melted against him and instinctively parted her lips. Matt moaned and all but consumed her with a wet drugging kiss that shook her to her soul. She clutched at his broad shoulders and gave in to the passion only he’d been able to evoke in her. Time slowed to a stop as he slid his hands down to cup her ass and pull her even closer to his hard body. Hot desire pooled between her legs and threatened to erase the last bit of rational thought she possessed.

  One of them finally remembered there was a really big game going on outside, but it wasn’t her.

  When Matt pulled back, his eyes gleamed with passion. “I dare you to forget that kiss,” he said in a low husky voice and then relinquished his hold on her.

  After he’d left the room, she sagged against the door to catch her breath. How was she supposed to stay mad at him after a kiss like that? And to top it all off he’d had the nerve to go and tell her he was in love with her. That was so not fair.

  Damn him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The atmosphere in the ballpark crackled with electricity. Even in her confused state of mind Kelly couldn’t help but feel it. From the moment she’d left her seat to go to the clubhouse to when she’d returned to sit next to her father only twenty minutes had elapsed, but what had happened in those twenty minutes was something she’d never forget.

  Matt was in love with her. And after the game he was expecting her to tell him if she loved him too.

  No pressure there, right?

  It was the bottom of the eighth inning and the score was still tied. There were two outs and Rizzo, who was pitching a magnificent game, was up at bat. Kelly watched him take a couple of practice swings but her mind wasn’t on the game. All she could think about was what she was going to say to Matt. She loved him, but could she trust him not to believe the worst of her again? His accusations had hurt her more than words could say and while his apology had been sincere, she might be taking a big risk if she forgave him.

  Good Lord. She made difficult decisions just about every day at work, why couldn’t she make one now?

  Probably because this wasn’t about media requests, personal appearance approvals or any of the other decisions she had to make on a daily basis. This was personal. This was about her heart.

  “What’s going on?” Her father’s concerned voice penetrated her thoughts. “Ever since you came back from wherever you went you’ve been very quiet.” He paused. “Where did you go anyway?”

  “To the clubhouse,” she said, then broke the bad news. “I’m probably going to be moving out of the condo.”

  “Why? You and Stacia have a sweet deal there.”

  “I found out something about her that really disturbs me.”

  Her father’s brow furrowed. “Disturbing enough to give up living in a million-dollar condo right next to the ballpark?”

  She leaned closer to him and said in a low voice, “Stacia’s the one who leaked the story of Matt’s son to the press.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “Because she’s jealous of Matt and me.”

  “Whoa,” he said, with genuine surprise on his face. “Back up there, Peanut. You and Matt?”

  “We’ve been seeing each other,” she said and wondered why he didn’t already know. “Didn’t Mom tell you?”

  “No.”

  Wow. This was a surprise. She’d always assumed her mom told her dad everything. Evidently not.

  Kelly lifted her feet and rested them on the rail in front of her. “You didn’t know that I didn’t come back to Kayla’s house after the party until the next morning? That I was with Matt all night?”

  “No. Sean and I played an early round of golf.” He scratched his forehead and shot her a confused glance. “Is it serious between you and Matt?”

  “He just told me he’s in love with me. Is that serious?”

  “That depends,” he said as the crowd bellowed with disappointment. They both looked to the field to see Rizzo walking away from the batter’s box, disgust evident on his face. He’d struck out and the Dodgers were running off the field toward their dugout. The ninth inning was about to begin. “Are you in love with him?” her father asked.

  She turned to find him studying her solemnly. “Yes. I love him.”

  “Then why the long face?”

  “He thought it was me, Dad.” Remembering Matt’s vicious accusations, she took a deep breath. “That I was the one who leaked the story. He said some awful things to me.”

  “I see.” Her father looked to the field where Matt was now on the pitcher’s mound conversing with Rizzo and Lopes. “Did he apologize?” he asked and swung his gaze back to hers. She nodded. “Do you feel the apology was sincere?” She nodded again. “Then as I see it you have two options. You can either tell him it’s over, or you can accept his apology and give him another chance.”

  Kelly sighed, and glanced up at the crystal clear blue sky. That sky, combined with the warm temperature, made for a perfect day for baseball. “You make it sound so simple.”

  “Oh, it’s not simple.” Her father put his arm around her shoulders and gave her an affectionate hug. “Relationships aren’t easy. Trust me, your mother and I have had our ups and downs over the years. It can be a challenge living with someone, and even more difficult to compromise, which is what relationships are all about.”

  “How did you make it work? Why aren’t you and Mom another divorce statistic?”

  “Because we never gave up when it got hard.” He squeezed her shoulders gently. “Kelly, you’ve never given up on anything in your life. Even when you lost your way, you fought back and you recovered.”

  “Are you saying I shouldn’t give up on Matt?”

  “Only you can answer that. But if you give up the first time you hit a roadblock you’ll never know if what you two have can stand the test of time.”

  She thought about that for a few seconds and then smiled. “I love you, Dad,” she whispered and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime, Peanut.” He tugged at her ponytail and then looked at the scoreboard. “The heart of their batting order is up,” he said. “Rizzo’s got his work cut out for him. I hope he has enough gas left.”

  As Matt left the pitcher’s mound and jogged back to home plate, Kelly watched him and thought about her father’s words. There was one thing he was right about for sure, she’d never given up on anything in her life. Whether it was playing softball, going to college, chasing after her dream job or recovering from her eating disorder, she’d never given up. Giving up had never even been an option.

  And it wasn’t an option now. Anything worth having was never easy. She knew that better than anyone.

  * * *

  From his position behind home plate, Matt could see Rizzo was thinking way too much. Not that he blamed the guy. It was the top of the ninth inning, the Dodgers had the bases loaded, and one of their most feared hitters was striding toward the plate.

  The upside was there were two outs.

  There was only one thing to do, and that was to calm Rizzo down any
way he could. After signaling to the umpire, he pushed up his catcher’s mask and trotted toward Rizzo. Seeing that Lopes had also started toward the mound, Matt waved him off. This particular convo would be between pitcher and catcher only.

  When he got to the mound, he did a quick scan of the ballpark. The fans were on their feet chanting “Beat L.A.” over and over again. The tension, already high, was now off the charts. Every single Blaze fan was saying a prayer right now, whether they believed in God or not. It didn’t get much better, or more nerve-racking, than this.

  Facing Rizzo, he lifted his glove to shield his mouth so no one watching on television monitors could read his lips.

  “Look, I know this guy, he always swings at the first pitch and when he’s in a pressure situation he’ll start swinging at anything. Just keep it low and inside and you’ll own his ass,” he said, noting the grim line of Rizzo’s mouth and the beads of sweat glistening on his temples and brow.

  “He might try to bunt. Squeeze in a run that way.” Rizzo took off his cap, dried the sweat with his forearm and then slipped the cap back on his head.

  “Let me worry about home plate. If he does bunt and it comes your way, just do what you do best and fire it at me.” He handed Rizzo the ball and grinned. “You got this. And by the way, the last time he was up he told me he screwed your wife before you were married.”

  Rizzo’s eyes narrowed and a vein popped out and began to throb at his temple. “That little shit. Like Chantal would ever look twice at him.” Rizzo slapped the ball into his glove, hard. “Let’s rock and roll. I’m gonna strike this motherfucker out.”

  Matt pulled his mask down and jogged back to home plate with a huge-ass grin on his face. So maybe the guy didn’t actually say he’d fucked Chantal, but did it really matter? Now Rizzo had something else to think about and a score to settle.

  God, he loved his job.

  Ten minutes later, Matt took a long swig of his sports drink and leaned against the fence that protected the dugout. The Blaze centerfielder was at bat and Lopes was in the on-deck circle. He was up after Lopes and could possibly be the last batter in regular innings. Thanks to Rizzo’s strikeout, the score was still tied and would go into extra innings if the Blaze couldn’t put any runs on the board.