Home Run

by Heidi McLaughlin

  “Please do.” She stays on her side, moving her leg to give me access. I enter her, relishing in the feeling of being this close to her and knowing that when the sun comes up, I’m asking her to marry me.

  The Renegades have returned home from their road trip. Unfortunately this one didn’t go as planned. After being gone for six days, the BoRes went two and four, getting shut out in the last game of the month by the Rays. The Renegades fell to the Rays 13–3, making that the biggest loss of the season to date.

  The bats were strong from Bailey, Singleton, Mackenzie, and Davenport, but they weren’t enough overcome an early deficit.

  Renegades have a much-needed day off before the Angels and Rangers come to town.

  Don’t forget to keep voting for your favorite player on the All-Star ballot. This is one election where your vote does matter.

  The BoRes are 42–36 right now. They need to get smart, or what has started off as a good season will end before the wild card race.

  GOSSIP WIRE

  Hadley Carter was photographed buying baby items. Her bump is just adorable. When asked, Ryan Stone stated, “I’m scared shitless but happy that we’re starting a family.”

  The divorce between Steve and Lisa Bainbridge is final. No word yet on whether she’ll stay in Boston or head home to Indiana. Sources tell me that Bainbridge was given full custody of their minor children. I’m sure the applications to be their nanny are coming in fast!

  Branch Singleton has been seen out and about with someone new. No word on her identity, but they seem happy. Once we find out who the lucky lady is, we’ll let you know!

  And our favorite rookie may have a love connection on the horizon. It’s rumored that his fling from Fort Myers is in town, but staff has been unable to verify.

  The BoRe Blogger

  Chapter 34

  Ainsley

  Waking up in Cooper’s arms felt like a dream. I pinched myself a few times to make sure that I wasn’t imagining everything. After watching his game, I called Stella, asking her what I could do to show him that I’m happy to be here, that I’m happy that I’m in his home. She laughed and told me to get sexy. It’s hard to be or feel sexy when you’re gaining weight and your stomach sticks out like beacon, but I tried, and thankfully he liked it.

  He disappeared on me in the middle of the night. I woke, startled and scared, but when I went to look for him, I found the note he had left. I want to question where he went, but I figure I’m the one intruding on his life, and maybe he had to run to the store for something.

  I lay on my side with one arm under my head and the other caressing my belly while I stare at a sleeping Cooper. The baby is moving around, kicking like a little soccer player. I still don’t know where he stands about the baby, and it’s killing me not to know. I don’t want to pass up this moment, so I take his hand and place it on my belly. The baby kicks—it’s soft but you can feel it—and Cooper’s eyes flash open.

  “What the hell is that?”

  I swallow the fear that is building inside of me. “That’s the baby.”

  “Holy shit. Does that hurt?”

  Shaking my head, I fight back some tears. “No. It will when the baby is bigger, but not yet.”

  Cooper moves closer, keeping his hand on my stomach. Before I realize what he’s doing, he’s moved the comforter off of us and is eye level with my stomach.

  “Can he hear me?”

  “He?”

  He looks at me with a devilish smirk. “Of course.”

  “What if he turns out to be a she?”

  His smirk morphs into fear, and it sort of matches what I’m feeling. I don’t want to get my hopes up that he’s into this baby thing. That he wants us to be a family because that is what I want. When Daisy asked if I was staying in Boston and I told her no, I didn’t like how I felt not having Cooper in our child’s life. I grew up without a dad and he without a mom. Why would I do that to this baby?

  “Honestly, Ainsley, I don’t mind if it’s a boy or girl. Obviously I’m partial to boys because of baseball, but if we had a little girl that looked just like you, I have no doubt she’d have me wrapped around her little finger like her mother does.” As he’s saying this, he’s slowly moving up my body. He kisses me softly, locking our fingers together.

  “I have to ask if this is real. Do you really want this?”

  Placing his other hand on my hip, his thumb moves back and forth slowly along my skin. “I’ve thought about this a lot and what it means. This isn’t something that either of us can walk away from. We both have to be responsible for the life we created, but it’s more than that for me. I’ve told you how I felt about you, and that hasn’t changed. Shit, up until two months ago, I was calling your office phone every day so I could hear your voice. And that day you called me, I didn’t even hesitate to come meet you.

  “But when I saw you pregnant, I thought I had lost any chance at being with you. I was shocked and scared when you told me the baby was mine. I don’t know how to be dad or a husband. Hell, I’m probably not very good at being a boyfriend, but I’m going to fucking try until I get it right.”

  “Husband?” I squeak out.

  “Yeah, husband.” He gets off the bed and pulls me to the edge, helping me sit up, even though I can do it myself. When he gets down on his knee, tears well in my eyes.

  “Ainsley, I’m going to make a lot of mistakes. I’m going to be gone a lot and you’ll feel like you’re doing it all, but when I’m here…when I’m lying next to you at night, you’re going to know that you own me. You’re going to know that I’m in love with you. I don’t have a ring, but I don’t want to wait. Will you marry me?”

  I nod frantically and blurt out a blubbering “Yes.” Cooper pulls me into his arms, kissing me with abandon. We scoot back onto the bed, and once again, I’m cradled in his arms. Cooper makes me feel safe. Feel loved.

  “I asked Wes for permission to marry you last night.”

  “You did?” I don’t think I could hide the shock on my face if I tried.

  He nods. “I know he just found out, but I thought it would be important to both of us to have his blessing. We talked, and he’s not going to tell anyone that he’s your father.”

  “And that will make things easier for you?” I know he’s worried about his career, and if we’re going to be a family, I should worry as well.

  “Yeah, I think this is how it has to be. I’m not saying you can’t have a relationship with him: you can. And I want him in our child’s life. I just don’t want to broadcast it that he’s your father.”

  “I can live with that.”

  * * *

  After we shower and dress, I tell Cooper about my doctor's appointment and ask him if he wants to come. He agrees, even though I can see the fear in his eyes as we sit in the office waiting to be called back.

  Today, he looks nothing like the Cooper Bailey I’m used to. Instead of his usual Renegades gear, he’s opted for track pants and a hoodie, doing everything he can to hide who he is. I get it—he doesn’t want our news spread all over the tabloids—but people are bound to find out sooner or later.

  When my name is called, I grab his hand and drag him behind me. The nurse is laughing and says that she sees this all the time. The big macho men can’t handle baby stuff and usually end up in the corner, away from everything.

  In the room, the nurse goes over everything in my medical history from my doctor in Florida and asks Cooper some questions. When he brings up his mom, he pauses and shakes his head.

  “I’ll have to ask my father,” he replies to the question about the type of cancer she had. When our eyes meet, we both see the same thing: worry. We’ve both lost parents to cancer. What does that mean for us, for our baby? Cooper kisses me on the tip of my nose, trying to ease my mind, but it doesn’t work.

  The nurse leaves, instructing me to change into the robe.

  “I can see your ass,” Cooper says, grabbing my cheek.

  “Stop it.”


  I climb up onto the table and Cooper stands in front of me, playing with the stirrup. “Cooper, sit down before the doctor comes in.”

  He laughs and grabs my hips. “Look at this, it’s perfect height. Maybe we need one for our house.”

  I slap him in the chest and grit my teeth. “Go sit down.” He continues to laugh but does as he’s told. I ignore his comment about “our house” because I don’t want to go there yet. One step at a time, and besides, he just asked me to marry him today. We have time before we need to move.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Burke.”

  “Hi,” I say as the doctor comes in. He’s young and very handsome, and Cooper is by my side in a flash.

  “So I understand you’ll be transferring your prenatal care to Boston from Fort Myers?”

  “Yeah, it’s a sudden move.”

  “Let’s go ahead and take a look. Lie back for me.” I do and place my feet in the stirrups. When his hand disappears between my legs, I hear Cooper growl. I look at him, but he’s focused on the doctor. I reach for Cooper’s hand, squeezing tight, hoping to convey that I’m not enjoying any of this.

  “Everything feels fine, but I want to get some images of the baby for our records and to make sure we agree about your due date.”

  “Wait, you mean an ultrasound?” I ask excitedly.

  “Yes, haven’t you had one yet?”

  I shake my head rapidly. “No.”

  He smiles. “Well, then, I guess you’re about to see your baby for the first time.”

  I look up at Cooper, who is somehow beaming and glaring at the same time. As soon as the doctor leaves the room, I pull Cooper to me.

  “Are you jealous?”

  “What, no,” he scoffs, but he is unable to look me in the eyes. He sighs. “He was touching you.”

  “He’s a doctor. He doesn’t enjoy it like you do.”

  “You don’t know that,” he balks. I don’t have time to counter his comment because the nurse and tech are back with the ultrasound machine. In a flash, my gown is opened, and blue gel is squirted onto my stomach.

  And just like that the wand is pressed down and the whooshing sound of the baby’s heartbeat fills the room.

  “Your baby has a very strong heartbeat.”

  “That’s because he’s a boy,” Cooper boasts.

  The nurse presses a few buttons while moving the wand over my stomach. She turns the monitor to face us so we can see the baby. It looks like an alien life form growing inside of me.

  “Do you want to know what you’re having?”

  Cooper and I both yell out yes, earning a chuckle from the nurse.

  “Right here”—she points to the screen—“is your son and over here is your daughter.”

  “Wh…what?”

  “You didn’t know you were having twins?”

  I shake my head and try to swallow the lump in my throat. “No…are you sure there are two?”

  “Positive.” The nurse moves away while the lab tech continues to take pictures. She’s thumbing through my chart, making notes and shaking her head. “The doctor will monitor you throughout your pregnancy, and you should expect to deliver earlier than late November.” She closes the file, coming to stand next to me. “Congratulations. I know you’re in shock, but you’re in good hands here. The babies look healthy, and I’ve updated your chart. When you check out, the receptionist will have your next appointment scheduled for you.”

  The lab tech hands us a few of the pictures before following the nurse out of the room, leaving Cooper and me to the news that we’re not having one but two babies. When I look at him, he’s white as a ghost.

  “Cooper?” I reach for his hand as I sit up, but he doesn’t move. “Hey.”

  “Uh?”

  “We’re done. I can get dressed now.”

  He helps me off the table and holds me in front of him. He lifts my gown, inspecting my belly.

  “How the fuck are there two babies in there?”

  “Um…well, you see what happens—”

  He shakes his head. “No, I know what happens. I remember sex ed and all that shit. You’re fucking tiny, Ainsley. We have to fatten you up.”

  “No, I think I’m fine.” I sigh and move past him, grabbing my clothes so I can change.

  “Babe, I don’t mean it badly. I’m just saying that…fuck, I don’t know, but we’re having twins—well, you are—I just put them there, and we don’t have any space. So get dressed because we need to go to the jewelers, get you your ring, plus we need to house hunt.”

  “House hunt?”

  Cooper steps to me, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. “We need a house for our family or a really nice condo that has a yard like Ethan and Daisy’s. And I’m not buying it without you, so hurry your sweet ass up because we have a lot of shit to do today.” He swats my rear and claps his hands together. I change as quickly as possible and follow him out of the room, stopping to check out. The whole way back to the car he has me pulled as close to him as possible, kissing me every few steps.

  “You know what?” he says, leaning me up against his car.

  “What?”

  “This morning, when I was asking you to marry me, I forgot one very important thing.”

  “What’s that, Mr. Bailey?”

  He pushes my hair behind my ear and kisses along my neck, my cheek, and finally my lips. “I love you, Ainsley,” he tells me while looking into my eyes. “I love you, and these two babies that you’re giving me.”

  Chapter 35

  Cooper

  As soon as I step off of the shuttle bus, the blazing heat causes sweat to pebble everywhere. It’s fucking hotter than Hades in San Diego, and we have to play in this shit. I look at the other guys, Davenport, Singleton, and Sinclair, as they step out behind me, and their faces morph into this “what the fuck are we doing here” look, in obvious agreement with my assessment. Once I have my luggage in my hands, I haul ass into the lobby where the air conditioner feels like I’ve just stepped into the beer cooler at the local grocery store.

  Pulling my phone out, I text Ainsley to make sure she’s at the hotel. She and Daisy, along with Davenport’s family, flew in early. Wes Wilson is here as well, even though he’s not the coach of the American League All-Star team. He’s actually here to be a dad to Ainsley, since their time in Boston is somewhat limited. Wes is a regular at our place for dinner when we’re not playing, and he’s been helping us look at houses, threatening us that he might live next door if there are two for sale in the same neighborhood.

  When he saw Ainsley’s ring, he was confused until I reminded him of my late-night—or early-morning, depending on how you look at things—visit when I asked him for his permission. He said he remembered, but he thought he had been dreaming or that I was drunk, so he didn’t take me seriously.

  I am dead serious about marrying her, and it’s not because she’s pregnant with my children, it’s because I love her and can’t imagine my life making any kind of sense without her. It doesn’t matter that I only knew her for a few weeks. In the time we were apart, nothing else made sense except for baseball. Having her and baseball completes my world. The twins are just an added bonus.

  I found out I made the All-Star team after we found out about the twins. I was still on this euphoric high of hearing their heartbeats and mesmerized by the ultrasound when Wilson called me into his office. He told me he had news, and I won’t lie, I set the picture of the twins down on his desk to soften the blow. He smiled and said that he couldn’t wait to be a grandfather and asked if I had manned up yet. I just shrugged and asked him what he needed me for, and that’s when he said I was heading to San Diego. Of course, I was elated, but deep down, I had hoped that I’d have those four days off to spend with Ainsley. Thankfully, Daisy offered to fly with her and keep her company while I worked.

  Ainsley tells me she’s here, but out at the pool with the Davenports, and sends me a picture of Ethan’s niece touching her belly. A slight pang of jealously h
its me because Shea is spending time with her when I can’t. I shake off the thoughts that I’m jealous of a toddler. If that’s the case, I can’t imagine what I’m going to be like when the twins get here.

  After we’re checked in, I change and head down to the pool. There seems to be a lively party going on with a few of the players from the other teams. We all shake hands and put aside any animosity that we have toward one another. Wives and girlfriends are introduced, and a rousing game of water volleyball gets underway. As the night wears on, things get rowdy. Some of the guys start drinking, but I refrain. I need a clear head for tomorrow’s festivities, and I know that jetlag eventually is going to kick my ass.

  “Are you ready to head up?” I ask Ainsley, who looks exhausted. I know she’s only stayed down here because I was, which meant we got to spend more time together. She nods and curls into my side as much as she can since the chaise lounges aren’t that accommodating.

  “Hey, Davenport, we’re heading up.” He nods, and Daisy signals that they’re coming, too. With Ainsley’s hand in mine, and the Davenports next to us, we make the trek back up to the rooms. Unfortunately, because the team is paying for my hotel, Ainsley can’t stay with me, but she’ll be with Daisy. Maybe Ethan and I can cuddle instead.

  As soon as we step off the elevator, we come face-to-face with my dad. Everything inside of me turns to stone as my hand tightens around Ainsley’s. I haven’t really spoken to my dad since the day Ainsley told me she was pregnant, because I had nothing to say to him.

  “What’s this?”

  My tongue is thick, and there’s a lump in my throat that makes it hard to swallow. I follow his gaze down to Ainsley’s hand, which is resting on my bicep, the hand that I placed a diamond solitaire on weeks ago.

  “Didn’t know you’d be here.”

  “Clearly, but do you honestly think that I’d miss your first time at the All-Star Game?”

  The answer is no, and I should’ve thought about that beforehand, except I have nothing to hide. If he doesn’t like Ainsley, so what? He’ll figure out a way to coexist with her or he won’t exist in my life at all.