Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances

by Lyssa Layne

  “Where’s my Amelia headed?”

  With my back to him as I open the door and throw in my bag, I roll my eyes, knowing he can’t see me. Then I turn to him with a smile. “To the beach and I’m late.” Asher holds my car door open for me as I wait to get in, wondering why he’s here.

  His eyes roam up and down my body and I shift uncomfortably. Stepping around the door, he positions himself directly in front of me. His hand possessively moves to my head and he pulls softly on my ponytail. “I’ve missed you, Amelia.”

  Not moving, knowing I’ll wake the beast inside of him if I push him away, I sigh. “You see me every day at the office.”

  His eyes narrow in on mine. “You know what I mean, sweetheart. It’s been a few months since we’ve had a date night.”

  “Date nights” was another one of Asher’s stipulations for the divorce. We were supposed to go on a date night once a month to try and “rekindle” our relationship. The first few months after the divorce, Asher was so sweet and romantic, carefully taking the time to plan them out each month. When we picnicked at a waterfall and he fed me strawberries, I started to second guess ending our marriage. Then the date nights stopped as he found more women to sleep with and the dates only occurred when it was convenient for him.

  “There’s a reason those ended,” I say boldly.

  His grip on my hair gets tighter and my head is pulled back slightly. “I don’t know what you’re trying to imply. I’ve been busy with work.”

  Time to play nice or buck up. I don’t have time for a fight right now, especially not with Tate’s family waiting for me. So I nod and agree with him. “I know you’ve been working really hard, Ash. I appreciate that; everyone at the office does.”

  It’s a total lie though. Asher was a workaholic when we started this business and he still brings in the clients, but the rest of our staff and I have to do all the follow-through and hard work. He leans on me to pull us through financially and only shows clients houses when it’s someone he wants to meet. If only I could just control my own funds. Our business doesn’t need him and I sure as hell don’t either.

  “Clear your schedule and let’s do dinner Wednesday,” he says in a sickeningly sweet voice but I know it’s a demand, not an option.

  Thinking fast, I shake my head. “I can’t. I’m showing new clients around and they need to put a contract in before they leave town.”

  He sighs and steps to me, pinning me to the car. “Fine, I’m traveling for a couple weeks, but let me know when you’re available…sooner rather than later.”

  I nod and he pulls my hair again. His other hand moves up the back of my thigh and rises to my swimsuit. His finger runs inside the suit and he grins at me. “I need my Amelia fix.”

  My stomach sinks. I can’t sleep with Asher, but that’s what he’s expecting. Our date nights always ended with one of us staying over at the other’s. Asher was always on his best behavior and I rewarded him for that. But now there’s Tate and I cannot tell Asher about him. My mind races as I wonder how am I going to get out of this.

  Tate

  Is it possible to wear a hole through granite? Because that’s exactly what Mia’s about to do. Her arm moves quickly back and forth as she scrubs the kitchen counter with a sponge. My hand covers hers as I move behind her and press my hips against her body. My lips graze over her neck and that mesmerizing scent of hers fills my nose.

  “Mia…stop. The counter is clean, you’ve scrubbed it four times now.”

  She sighs and her body relaxes against mine. “I just want to make sure everything is clean before they get here.”

  I playfully bite her ear. “It’s more than clean. You’re just doing this now to calm your nerves.” I spin her around to face me and grin as my hands find their way under her sexy swimsuit cover. I love that she’s trying to be conservative, but it doesn’t matter, I can’t keep my hands off her. “I can help you relax some other way if you’d like.”

  She glances at the clock and I smile as she considers my offer. With a quick peck, she pushes me away. “Your parents will be here any minute.”

  I shrug and grab the sponge away from her. “Fine, but no more of this. Got it?”

  She laughs and I take her hand, leading us to the deck. I grab us each a beer and sit beside Mia who has her feet dangling in the pool. I move my arm around her shoulders. “Babe, please relax. Everything will be fine.”

  She nods and starts to open her mouth like she’s going to say something. At the same time, I hear the doorbell ring. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, I stand up and walk to the front door.

  I can already hear Toby chattering away on the other side of the door. He’s been begging to come to the beach ever since I moved out here. Swinging open the door, my spiky-haired four-year-old looks up at me with his big blue eyes and squeals, “DAAAAAADDDD!!!”

  Laughing, I bend down and scoop him up in my arms, holding him tightly against my chest. He wraps his arms around my neck and does the same thing. The familiar smell of Pop-Tarts hit me and I pull him back to see his face. “Pop-Tarts on the plane?”

  Toby grins proudly while my mom nods. “You know that boy is addicted to them, just like you were at his age. And of course, it has to be strawberry, no frosting.”

  I look at Toby and smile. I ball my hand into a fist and hold it up to him. “Good choice. Pound it, buddy.”

  Toby makes a fist and hits it against mine. When our hands touch, we both open our palms wide and make an explosion noise while I tickle him and he laughs hysterically. God, I’ve missed this kid!

  Moving out of the way, I let my parents walk through the door, shaking my dad’s hand and giving my mom a kiss on the cheek. I nod toward the back deck. “Mia’s here and she’s really nervous.” I catch my parents as they exchange a look, a smile on both of their faces. “What?”

  I set Toby down in the kitchen and my dad squeezes my shoulder as he laughs. “You’ve never introduced us to a girl before so we’re very interested to meet her.”

  My mom nods. “Yes, honey, we want to know why she’s different than all the other women.”

  Toby beelines for the fridge. I open the door and his grin widens at the sight of Gogurts and Capri Suns. I’ll have to thank Mia for that later. He hands me a juice and I open it for him. He pats my leg in appreciation as I shake my head. “Geez, Mom, you make it sound like there’s been so many.”

  My dad shrugs. “Well, son, there have been a few… ”

  Dragging my hands down my face as my cheeks heat up, I beg, “Please don’t say shit like that in front of Mia.”

  “Tate James, watch your language in front of your son!” my mother scolds me.

  Toby takes a break from his juice and looks at me. “Yeah Dad, you’re not supposed to say shit and other bad words.”

  I stifle my laughter and nod. “Got it, son. I won’t say it if you won’t. Now, why don’t you and Pop go put on your swimsuits?”

  Toby’s face lights up and he squeezes the Capri Sun, juice flying everywhere but he doesn’t notice. I smile, thinking about all the cleaning Mia did and grab a towel as he races out of the room.

  “So, she’s the one?” my mother asks as she stares out the kitchen window onto the deck. There’s a bit of melancholy in her voice as she speaks.

  I toss the dishtowel on the counter and walk to my mother. She’s almost a foot shorter than me as I drape my arms around her shoulders. On the deck, Mia is fidgeting again, which makes me smile. My mother and I watch her fold and re-fold all of the beach towels at least three times.

  “I don’t know yet, Mom, but she’s the only woman I’ve ever thought there was potential. She loves baseball, but couldn’t care less who I am. She’s independent and strong willed, yet loyal and kind at the same time. She makes me want to be a better man.”

  My mom doesn’t say anything at first. The silence is killing me. Finally, she looks up at me and a smile creeps to her lips. “I like her already.”

  Facing my mom, I pu
ll her into a hug as Toby comes running into the room wearing his Ninja Turtles swim trunks. As he gets close to me, he skids to a stop, running into my legs. He tugs on my own navy striped swim trunks, which aren’t nearly as fun as his.

  “Dad, can we go to the beach now? I want to build a sandcastle!”

  Well, shit, I didn’t even think about buying sand toys. He takes my hand and pulls us toward the deck. My heart begins to pick up speed as I slide the door open. Mia turns to us and, despite how nervous I know she is, a smile comes over her face as she walks our direction. Toby grips my hand tighter and Mia senses his apprehensiveness. She stops at one of the lounge chairs a few feet away from us and takes a seat.

  She gives a wave, wiggling her fingers. “Hi, you must be Toby.”

  Toby moves behind me, acting bashful and hides his face in my legs. I look at Mia, worried she’s upset, but instead she gives me a sympathetic smile and stands. She grabs her beach bag and I frown. Throwing it over her shoulder, she walks to me and I shake my head.

  “No, Mia, don’t—”

  She places her hand on my chest and interrupts me as she sets her bag down. “I’m going to the beach to build a sandcastle.”

  Toby peers out from behind my legs. He peeks into her bag and seems to approve. “Do you know how to build one with water going around it?”

  Mia nods slowly as she purses her lips and taps her finger to her chin as though she’s deep in thought. “I think I do…but I’ll need some help.”

  Toby’s eyes get big and he looks from Mia to me and back. He puffs out his chest and announces, “I can help.”

  Mia holds out her hand and Toby immediately takes it. “Great. Now, how high should we build it?”

  The two walk toward the ocean hand in hand discussing their approach for their sandcastle. As they step onto the sand, Toby says, “You must be Mia, the lady who my dad keeps talking to Gram about. My Pop says he needs to focus more on baseball and not—”

  Toby, what are you saying! I hop over the deck and land in the sand behind them. Mia is laughing at Toby’s comment, thank goodness. I take the beach bag from her and slide my arm around her waist. Things are off to a good start.

  CHAPTER 21

  Mia

  The water is freezing and I have goosebumps all over my body. I surface and give a little yelp as my body is shocked by the temperature. Toby giggles as he hangs on to my neck, the cold water not bothering him.

  Tate joins his son’s laughter and nods in my direction. “You’re a good sport.”

  Shivering, I smile and talk through chattering teeth. “Other than when someone tossed me in the ocean the other morning, it’s been years since I’ve been in this ocean. It’s always cold, no matter what time of year, but especially in May.”

  Tate shoves water out of his way, fighting the current of the water as he takes long steps toward me. He plucks Toby off my back and balances him on his own. Tate pulls me to him, his arms around my waist, holding me securely against him. He rubs his hands up and down my sides in an effort to try to warm me up, but it has an entirely different effect on me. Our eyes meet and by his raised eyebrow, I can tell what he’s thinking. Tate swings Toby around and holds him on his hip as he takes my hand.

  “Come on, buddy. I think it’s about time I start grilling dinner.”

  “Okay, I’m starving!” Toby announces.

  “Mia got you hot dogs,” Tate says as he squeezes my hand.

  Toby stops and spins to face me. “Ballpark franks?”

  I laugh. “Yeah, I think so.”

  The water is now just over our feet. Toby hugs my legs and looks at his dad. “I don’t care what Pop says. She’s awesome!”

  Tate and I both laugh at his statement while my stomach flutters at his words. Toby runs ahead of us back to the house where Tate’s mom is waiting for him on the stairs. Tate keeps walking but I pull on his hand stopping him.

  Trying to hide my frown, I ask, “What did Toby mean?”

  Tate slips his arms around my waist and pulls me to him, his lips lightly kiss my shoulder, sparking some unwanted attention at the moment.

  “Tate, I haven’t even talked to your dad yet other than hello. Why doesn’t he like me?” I can’t hide the worry in my voice. They’ve only been here for three hours and I haven’t said more than a friendly salutation to either of his parents. As soon as they arrived, Toby pulled both of us to the beachfront and we’ve been playing in the sand while his parents relaxed by the pool. “Do you think they think I’m rude for not talking to them yet, I mean, I was just—”

  Tate leans back with a grin on his face. “You’re cute when you’re all worked up like this.”

  I narrow my eyes and frown. “I’m serious, Tate.”

  His lips get wider and he kisses my forehead. “It’s nice to know that you care so much about what they think about us.”

  My stomach flip flops again. Now his parents don’t like me and he knows how vested I am in this relationship. His strong hands grip my forearms.

  “Mia, they don’t care you didn’t have a long, drawn-out conversation with them. They were just giving us some space. This trip out here was for Toby, not them, and I think it’s pretty obvious that my son is head over heels for you, just like I am.”

  The afternoon has been perfect, Arctic water temperatures and all. Toby and I worked together as a team and built the biggest sandcastle I’ve ever seen by a duo that consisted of a four-year-old and a woman who last built a sandcastle when she was his age. Whenever Tate would try to help, Toby would insist that he had things “under control,” a phrase that he used repeatedly and was completely adorable. After about an hour, Toby got tired and insisted on sitting on my lap while we took a break. Holding him in my arms as his head nodded back and forth, fighting sleep, and Tate sitting on the beach towel beside me, his arm around me protectively felt perfect. It was comfortable, like this is where I’ve always meant to be. The James’ boys aren’t the only ones that are head over heels about someone. Still, I want the approval of the patriarch in their family.

  Tate pushes a loose hair out of my face and smiles. “My dad has always thought baseball came first in my life. When he found out about Toby, he was the one that decided he and my mom would raise him so I could focus on my career. I might be twenty-seven but my dad still treats me like I’m a high school ball player.” He sighs and then kisses me lightly. “Please don’t stress about it. Until I get a World Series ring, he’ll always find a reason why I’m not the best.”

  His words don’t calm my nerves any as we walk onto the deck of Tate’s house. With a quick kiss on the cheek, he finds his way to the grill to start dinner. I pull on my cover up from earlier and head into the kitchen where I find Connie, Tate’s mom. She’s opening cabinets, obviously looking for something but stops when she sees me standing at the breakfast bar.

  Connie laughs and shrugs. “I can never find what I’m looking for. Don’t you hate that? I wish the measuring cup would just appear.”

  I smile and without thinking twice, walk across the kitchen and pull it out of a drawer. It isn’t until Connie raises her eyebrow that I realize what I just silently admitted. She doesn’t say a word as she continues mixing flour and cocoa powder, making her homemade brownies. Finally, as she pours the batter in the pan, she comments without looking up, “I was surprised the fridge was full… with Tate having four games in a row this week.”

  My heart thumps loudly as I try to decide how to respond. Connie closes the oven door and leans against the counter directly across from me. “I take it you stay here often.”

  I nod slowly and swallow, wondering what will come next. I say a silent prayer that Toby will burst through the door, ready for round two on the beach. Without warning, Connie closes the space between us and wraps me up in a bear hug. I stand there awkwardly for a few seconds until I return the gesture. When Connie pulls away, tears trickle down her cheeks and I try to hide the confusion on my face.

  Laughing, she wipes a
t the tears. “When my son first told me about you, I was shocked. He’s never talked to me about women before. When he told Toby about you, I knew you were someone special. I was probably just as nervous as you were about meeting. I know we haven’t even talked, but watching you with my grandson today…” Connie looks away, tears coming to her eyes again.

  I take her hand and squeeze it. “Your son and grandson are very special to me too, Mrs. James,” I say softly.

  She laughs and shakes her head. “Oh, call me Connie…or Gram, that’s what the boys do.”

  As if on cue, the door slides open and Tate calls, “Gram, bring the hot dogs out, please!”

  We look at each other and laugh. I carry the meat out to the men at the grill. I thought Tate was big, as in muscular and tall, but he’s got nothing on his dad who is at least four inches taller and double his size. My heart races again as I hand him the plate.

  Tate’s lips press against mine, but I’m too nervous to kiss him back. “Thanks, babe,” he says, not even noticing my lack of reaction.

  I start to walk off but Tate grabs my hand, keeping me in place. He and his father discuss baseball stats until Toby yells for his dad to come inside. Leaving me alone with his father, I shift my weight back and forth uncomfortably. Mr. James takes a long pull from his beer then wipes his mouth.

  “So, Mia, tell me about yourself,” he says casually.

  I take a deep breath before I answer. “Not much to tell. My family is from the Midwest. I stayed here in California after I graduated college. Now I run a real estate business.”

  He takes another long drink before continuing the interrogation. “No kids?”

  I shake my head no, and while normally I feel like my situation is too much information to share, I feel like it might put Tate’s father at ease. “I can’t have kids so… you don’t…have to worry about that,” I stammer out.