Earning a Ring (More Than a Game Series Book 4)

by Kristina Mathews

  Sure. Denying Bryce her body wasn’t going to protect her heart. She’d already learned that the hard way.

  She got up, brushed her teeth, and threw a robe on, then went to see what her husband was up to.

  Packing her kitchen. He had somehow come up with cardboard boxes and a stack of newspapers, and was pulling dishes out of her cupboards and wrapping them in newsprint.

  “Good morning.” He glanced up at her with a grin, and resumed his task. “Your dishes are a lot nicer than mine. They match.”

  “Yes. They do.”

  “Your glasses all match too.”

  “My coffee cups, too.” Oh, what she wouldn’t give for a big steaming cup of coffee. “Do I smell toast?”

  “I’ll make more.” Bryce stopped what he was doing to put two slices of bread in the toaster. “What would you like on it? Butter? Jam?”

  “I can make my own toast.” It was easier to do it herself since she wasn’t sure what she wanted. She’d start with buttered toast and if that didn’t quite satisfy, she’d add jam or peanut butter. But she wouldn’t know until she started eating what she could handle.

  “It’s no trouble, really.” He flashed that irresistible grin of his. “I’ve been making toast about as long as I’ve been playing baseball. I’m practically an expert.”

  “I’ll start with just butter.” She sat down, figuring she could get up if she decided she wanted something else.

  “What about something to drink? A glass of milk?”

  “That sounds good, actually.” She decided to give in and let him wait on her while she could. He would be leaving in two days for a long road trip. Her stomach churned just thinking about him being on the road, with temptation thrown at him.

  Bryce presented her with two slices of buttered toast and a large glass of ice-cold milk.

  “Thank you.” She nibbled on her toast, sipped her milk, and waited for the yea or nay from her tummy. So far, so good. She grabbed a hard-boiled egg from the supply she kept on hand and managed to keep that down, too.

  “You’re welcome.” He returned to his packing. “I’d like to take a load or two to my place today, if that works for you. I figure I can take the heavy stuff, like the dishes. Then you can pack up the small stuff you want to bring over.”

  “Sure.” She still wasn’t convinced that this move was going to be permanent.

  “Have you talked to your landlord about getting out of your lease?”

  “No. Not yet.”

  “I can do it, if you want.” He offered. “I can be convincing, sometimes.”

  “Yes, you can.” She patted her belly. “I still haven’t decided what I want to do about the apartment. I’ve got five months left on the current lease. Maybe I should wait and see.”

  “Wait and see what?” He set the plate he was wrapping in the box, and pushed away from the counter. “Do you want to start looking for a house? I was thinking we could get by in my apartment for a few months after the baby comes. I’m not going to have much time to house hunt until after the season ends. Then, it might take a while to find what we really want, and once we do, it can take a couple of months for everything to be finalized.”

  “I’m not ready to look for a house.” She wasn’t ready to give up on her apartment, either, but as she looked around at the tiny space, she couldn’t imagine trying to fit a baby and all the things she’d need in here. “But I’ll need to figure out what to do with my furniture.”

  “We could rent a storage unit for whatever you don’t want to bring to my place,” Bryce suggested. “Do you know what you want to bring over? I’ll see if Juan Javier will let me borrow his truck.”

  “I’m sure your manager would be thrilled with the idea of you moving heavy furniture.” She smirked at the idea of Bryce and his buddies carrying her couch out to the street. “He’d kill me if you hurt your back or something.”

  “I guess we’ll have to hire someone, then.” He started wrapping more dishes. “I can handle whatever we take to my apartment, but when we get a storage locker, we can call a moving service for the big stuff.”

  “Fine. Sounds like a good plan.” She resigned herself to the idea that she wasn’t going to be able to keep her apartment, not without hurting Bryce’s feelings. Besides, it really wasn’t big enough for more than one person. “I’ll give notice to my landlord and look for a storage unit.”

  “If he gives you any trouble, let me know. I can get tickets, signed bats, whatever.”

  “I can get tickets, too.” Her job did have its perks, besides the fact that her office was the ballpark. “I don’t need you to get me out of my lease. I can handle things myself.”

  “Of course you can. I was just trying to help.” He looked a little hurt by her refusal to let him act like a big shot and bribe her landlord.

  “Thank you.” Rachel realized she didn’t need to be so hard on him. He was trying to make this easier on her. And he didn’t even realize just how difficult change was for her. Especially the kind of change that she didn’t plan for, and couldn’t control. “And thank you for the toast. It seems to be just what the doctor ordered.”

  “Why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll clean up in here and finish packing.”

  She resisted the urge to get defensive about his telling her what to do.

  Rachel got out of the shower feeling pretty good. Better than she’d felt in weeks. Surprising since she still felt like her whole world was out of control. As she toweled off, she glanced down at the ring on her left hand. It was beautiful. A little larger than she would have picked, but that was Bryce. He didn’t do anything small. At least since she’d known him, he gave his all in anything he tried. On the field, he worked harder than anyone else, Marco Santiago included. He sometimes failed spectacularly, but it was never from lack of effort.

  Maybe he’d do the same with their marriage. She knew the odds were against them. But the odds had been against the Goliaths to win the World Series last year. They’d managed to pull it off. Bryce had been a huge factor in winning the division and the series. And oh how they’d celebrated. Longing filled her. She could step into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel, and she was pretty sure Bryce would make love to her.

  But then her mind wandered to the other women he’d celebrated with in the last year. She knew there were others. How many? She didn’t know and she didn’t want to know.

  A tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away, along with the idea of seducing her husband. This marriage was about the baby. That’s who she had to think about. As much as she wanted Bryce in her bed, she needed him in her child’s life more.

  * * * *

  “Seriously, Bryce, it will be a lot faster if I help you carry some of these boxes.” Rachel stood with her hands on her hips while he unloaded the back of her car. “I’d hate for you to strain something and get put on the DL.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything to put me out of commission.” He wasn’t stupid. “Although, the way I’ve been hitting, or rather not hitting, I’m surprised they haven’t been putting banana peels in front of my locker.”

  “You’re coming out of it.” She didn’t say the s-word. Slump. “You’ve hit the ball hard the last couple of at-bats. It’s only a matter of time before they start falling in, instead of getting caught.”

  “Thanks.” He appreciated her support. It was exactly the kind of bullshit anyone would tell a player in his position, only she said it like she believed it. “I hope you’re right.”

  “No. The correct answer is ‘Yes, dear. You’re right. You’re always right.’” She flashed a playful grin and it was just one of the many things he loved about her.

  Whoa. No. Not love. He liked her. A lot. Respected her, sure. And he really did care about her. But love? Not something he was even capable of.

  “Yes, dear. You’re right. You’re always right.” He played along. “But you’re still not carrying anything heavy.”

  She just rolled her eyes an
d grabbed a small duffel bag from the back seat. She followed him into the lobby and waited for the elevator to take them up to his penthouse apartment.

  “You can get the mail. That would be helpful.” He appreciated the fact that she really did want to do her share. She wasn’t the kind of woman who expected to be waited on or pampered or treated like a princess, which was exactly why he wanted to wait on her, pamper her, and treat her like a queen. “The keys are in my front pocket.”

  She reached into his jeans’ pocket and pulled out the keys. She made sure to rub up against him just enough to turn him on, but not enough for him to drop the box of dishes and take her right there in the lobby. But there was a stairwell that no one used.

  “It’s the little key, right?” She dangled the key ring in front of him, the way she used to dangle her sweet assets. “Am I going to find a lot of lipstick-covered fan mail?”

  “No. My fan mail goes to the ballpark.” Or it used to. “I mostly get junk mail and bank statements in my personal mailbox. Have you changed your mailing address yet? You can do it online, don’t even have to wait in line.”

  At the mention of changing her address, she paled. He wondered if she was having late morning sickness or was still fighting the idea that they were in fact married.

  “Look, I understand why you don’t want to change your name.” It stung a little, but he did understand she’d made a name for herself in her career. “But you should have all your mail delivered here. No reason for you to travel across the bridge just to pick up your mail.”

  “I’ll get to all of that.” She sighed. “When you go back on the road, I’ll have a few days to take care of giving notice at my apartment, changing my address, and updating my relationship status on Facebook.”

  “You haven’t…” He realized she was kidding about that last part. “I mean, are you sure you don’t want to come on the road with me? We haven’t had a honeymoon, you know.”

  “I really should use the time to get some things done.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “I have a doctor’s appointment coming up, too.”

  She must have seen the disappointment on his face, because she added, “Maybe when you head down to San Diego later next month. We could go to the beach or something. If I’m not the size of a whale by then.”

  He tried to picture her expanding waistline. Her engorged breasts. He’d never considered pregnant women sexy, but just the thought of Rachel rubbing cocoa butter on her rounded belly got him hot. Too hot, as the box started to slip from his hands. He recovered just in time, as Rachel slid the key into the mailbox lock.

  “Do you want me to just toss the junk mail?” She pointed to the trash can inside the lobby door.

  “No, I have a shredder upstairs.”

  “A shredder?”

  “You’d be surprised what people will steal and try to put up on eBay.” He’d had a bad experience back in Pittsburgh with a too-enthusiastic fan who’d found his apartment from digging through the trash. He’d learned to be more cautious since then. “This is a secure building, but you can never be too careful these days.”

  The elevator doors opened. Rachel shouldered her duffel bag, and carried the stack of mail into the car. He followed with the box of her matching dishes. Once inside the apartment, he set the box on the counter and she tossed the mail on the end of table before taking her clothes back to his bedroom. Their bedroom.

  He stretched his back and picked up the mail. Sure enough, most of it was junk, but there were a couple of statements from his bank, his stockbroker, and an envelope from his doctor’s office.

  He tore open the envelope with shaky hands. He’d gone in to get tested after Rachel had asked him to wear a condom even though she was already pregnant. He unfolded the paper containing the lab results and scanned the page, looking for anything that came back abnormal or positive.

  He was in the clear. He’d tested negative for any sexually transmitted diseases and his cholesterol levels were in the healthy range. Bryce breathed a huge sigh of relief. He’d been careful ever since his encounter with his ex-wife. But, nothing was a hundred percent guaranteed.

  “So let’s get the next load, and then I’ll start unpacking.” Rachel brushed her hair back off her forehead and sighed. “Is everything okay?”

  “Oh, yeah. Great.” He pushed off the counter where he’d been leaning. “Good news, actually.”

  He handed the lab results to Rachel.

  “What’s this?” She scanned the page but didn’t seem to understand what she was reading.

  “Well, I went ahead and got tested.” He felt the shame of needing proof. “And everything’s good. I’m clean as a whistle.”

  “Oh. Great.” She looked down at the paper in her hands, but she couldn’t hold it steady. “Your cholesterol levels are good. That’s just great.”

  He’d expected her to be happy. Or at least relieved. But the tone of her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

  “Oh, Bryce.” Not on the verge, but fully in the middle of crying. “I’m so sorry I questioned you.”

  “I’m sorry I gave you reason to.” He couldn’t help it, he pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. It was so soft, so silky. And so damn sexy.

  He lowered his mouth to hers. Kissing her cautiously, tenderly, he wanted her, wanted her more than ever. But she had to want him back.

  Rachel took control of the kiss, tangling her fingers through his hair and pressing her body against his. Oh yeah, she wanted him, too.

  “Bryce.” She came up for air. Hopefully to suggest they take this to the next level. The bedroom. “We still have five more boxes in the car.”

  “Right.” He took a step back. Nothing like reality to cool a man off. “I’ll bring those up. You can start unpacking.”

  “It would be faster if I helped, make it three trips instead of five.” She smoothed her auburn hair back off her face. She was one of those work first kind of people. Playtime would have to wait.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll carry the boxes, you just worry about carrying the baby.” He had to focus on that, not ripping her clothes off and saying to hell with the moving in.

  “I’m pregnant. I’m not an invalid.” She sounded a little pissed off. “Women in my condition have run marathons, you know.”

  “Not my woman.” Now he was pissed off. Any other woman would have been perfectly happy to sit back and watch him do all the work. Would have used her condition as an excuse to quit her job, and take advantage of his fortune. But Rachel was different. Sometimes he appreciated that about her, and sometimes it frustrated the hell out of him.

  “Your woman?” She inched closer, so they were chest to chest. She had a fire in her eyes. Maybe half of it was anger, the other half lust. “You think I’m your woman?”

  “Yes. Yes, you are.” He kissed her again. Not gentle this time, oh no, this kiss was pure possession. He gripped her hips and held her tight against him. “You’re mine, Rachel Parker. All mine.”

  “Bryce.” She pulled away again. “It’s ten o’clock in the morning.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “So, we can’t just…” She looked away, blushing. “In the middle of the morning.”

  “Why not?”

  * * * *

  Good question. She looked at him, all hot and sweaty, with that lustful look in his eyes. He wanted her. Bryce Baxter wanted her. He could have any woman in the world, and right now, at this moment, he wanted her.

  A dozen excuses flitted through her mind. The car was full of boxes. She needed to unpack and find a way to fit her dishes in his kitchen. She was worried it wouldn’t be the same now that they were husband and wife. The excitement would wear off. And then they’d still have to face the day of unpacking, changing her address, and all the other details she’d have to take care of while merging households.

  “What are you afraid of?” Bryce had somehow picked up on her insecurity. “Are you afraid having sex will hurt the baby?”
<
br />   “No. I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I mean, it didn’t exactly come up at the first visit. At the time, I was just another single mom. Sex was the last thing on my mind.”

  “Okay. We’ll wait then. If you need to check with your doctor, I get that.” He wasn’t happy. Especially since they both knew she was being ridiculous. She was scared, but not about hurting the baby. She knew that unless things got really wild, the baby would be perfectly safe. No, she was afraid of hurting herself. She knew that every time she’d fallen into bed with Bryce, she’d also fallen a little harder, a little deeper in love with him.

  And that wasn’t good for anyone.

  “It’s not that,” she protested. “It’s just that there’s so much to do. Change of address, getting out of my lease, and then there’s stuff like insurance. Can you put me on your plan or should I add you to mine?”

  “Not to mention bank accounts.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I guess we should take care of adding you to all my accounts before I take off after tomorrow’s game.”

  “You don’t have—”

  “Rachel.” He cut her off. “You’re my wife. You need access to my money. Maybe you want to hire a decorator. Get a spa treatment.”

  “I don’t need to hire a decorator or get a spa treatment.”

  “Okay, but maybe you’ll need to buy some maternity clothes.”

  “I’m sure I’m not going to need maternity clothes in the next ten days.” She sighed. This had to be the world’s dumbest argument. “And even if I did, I have my own money.”

  “Sure, but I was planning on spending that on room service and pay-per-view movies at the hotel.” He grinned, knowing damn well how adorable he was.

  “Don’t you get a per diem for that?” She wasn’t going to be swayed by his charm. Not this time.

  “Babe. Come on.” He moved closer, just inches from touching her. “Don’t fight it. You’re my wife. What’s mine is yours. We’re a team, now.”

  “A team?” She knew she was beat. “Then why won’t you let me carry any of the boxes?”