Home Run

by Bernadette Marie

“That would be giving me too much credit.”

  He’d noticed that her hand was no longer on his shoulder, but instead her arm was draped behind his neck. He pulled their clasped hands in closer until they were rested between them.

  How was it that in a matter of minutes he had her pressed so close to him, swaying to a song that was so close to ending.

  It was a sign, right? She had to miss him as desperately as he missed her. There was no other reason to be able to hold her so close.

  One song melted into another slow dance and she stayed in his arms. In a bold move, he slid his hand from hers and laced it around her waist forcing her to take her other arm around his neck too. Now they were completely pressed together. Their cheeks rested against each other’s and he was sure he could feel her fingertips massaging the nape of his neck.

  He closed his eyes and breathed in her perfume. Chanel No. 5. He’d bought her a bottle at Christmas last year and she’d sworn she’d only wear it for special occasions. He couldn’t think of a more special occasion than this one—and he didn’t mean his brother’s wedding.

  Tori’s breath was laboring, meaning she was feeling something between them. He could feel her heart racing since she was pressed so close to him.

  Suddenly, the numerous Jack and Cokes and two glasses of champagne swam in his head.

  “I think this going around in circles on the dance floor is making me more drunk than I already was. Take a walk through the atrium with me.”

  She pulled back enough that he could see her face. Her lips parted. Her eyes closed and opened again in a slow, sexy blink.

  “Okay, and then I need to go home.”

  He nodded in agreement, but he had no plans on letting her leave his side for at least a few hours. Maybe a nice long walk would help sober him up so he didn’t say or promise anything stupid. Right now he just wanted her close. He needed her. He’d missed her.

  Chapter Seven

  It seemed that Christian had sobered quite a bit before he quickly escorted her out of the room, but not before he’d grabbed two more glasses of champagne.

  Victoria was sure she was making a mistake being alone with him. But for some reason, she didn’t care. Perhaps it was the champagne.

  This was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? She’d wanted to be with him and now she was.

  He handed her a glass and tapped his against it. “To Ed and Darcy.”

  Victoria smiled. “To Ed and Darcy.” She took a sip and blew out a breath. “I am getting just a little light headed with all this champagne.”

  Christian gave her a crooked grin that had one side of his mouth turning up. “I can’t even see you clearly.” He laughed. “But I know how you look and I know it’s a picture of beauty.”

  Those butterflies were back in her stomach. She took another big sip of champagne to try and drown them.

  “Are you sure you want to walk? I mean we can just stand here and talk. Or not,” she offered. “We could just go sit.”

  “I’m just afraid you’ll run out if I don’t keep you occupied by dancing or walking.”

  “I don’t do either one very well,” she said with her voice dripping.

  Christian blinked hard and then furrowed his brows. “How is your leg?”

  She shrugged. “Horrible.” Why lie to him? He knew pain. “They think I might need a few more surgeries. As it is, I’m just a walking scar statue.”

  “Can I see?”

  She narrowed her eyes on him.

  “Your leg. The scars.”

  There was a seriousness to him that made her know he wasn’t making a play on her. She bit down on her lip and handed him her glass. Then she took a step back from him and slowly lifted the skirt on her dress to expose her leg.

  His face showed concern. “And they want to do more?”

  She nodded. “It’s no big deal.”

  He shot his look up to her. “No big deal? It’s a huge deal. How do you take care of the kids when…” he stopped and she knew he’d finally stumbled over his tongue.

  “I have friends,” she said dropping her skirt into place. “I’m not all alone.” She took the glass from his hand and drank down the rest of it.

  “I’m still your friend,” he said, but his words slurred. Though, she wasn’t sure if his words slurred or her hearing did.

  “Friends don’t just forget the other person when they need them the most.”

  She saw the fire light behind his eyes. “I didn’t forget you.”

  “Really? I haven’t heard from you in eight months. Not until I bumped into you at lunch.” Her head was swimming, but at this point she didn’t care. She finished off the drink.

  “And you think it was because I didn’t care?”

  “I think it’s because Christian Keller can’t think of anyone but himself.”

  His mouth dropped open, but he didn’t say anything.

  Victoria decided that she needed to call Sonia and beg for a ride. As she started for the banquet room—now limping and swaying—Christian caught her hand.

  “You promised me a walk.”

  “All about you.” She pulled her hand back. “See what I mean?”

  “Damn it! I don’t want you to hate me for the rest of my life.”

  “I don’t hate you.” She spun and her head kept going long after she was sure her body had stilled. “My whole problem has been that I don’t hate you quite enough.”

  Christian raised his hand to her cheek and she wanted to wince and pull away, but her body was no longer following the rules her brain was sending out.

  “Let’s just walk.” He held out his hand to her.

  Victoria contemplated his offer for a moment, but considering it was getting harder to stand still she accepted his hand.

  He interlaced his fingers with hers and they began to walk toward the stairs that would descend down to the atrium.

  While he had drank away his afternoon and danced with the woman by his side, day had given to night.

  “What do you say we walk outside?”

  He could see her trepidation. “I don’t know…”

  “Please.” He was going with the fact that fate must have stepped in and given him this night. After all, how perfect was it that someone took the kids and that man who’d pawed and kissed her all day was called away, too. Yeah, fate was giving him one shot to show her how much he’d missed her.

  They walked through the front door of the hotel and he kept her hand in his. As of yet, she hadn’t shaken hers loose.

  Desperately he hoped that the booze, now sloshing in his stomach and swimming through his head, didn’t make him do anything stupid. God forbid it made him sick to his stomach or make him say things that would make her run.

  “Clare said Sonia picked up the kids.”

  Tori nodded nervously. “They’ll stay with her tonight. She was giving me the evening to have some adult fun.”

  She’d said the words and he felt her tense. Her lips tightened, but she didn’t retract any part of her statement.

  Christian was extremely happy that Scott had left, now for more than one reason.

  “The kids looked cute today. I had no idea they would be in the wedding.”

  She’d smiled when he mentioned the kids. “Darcy didn’t call until late yesterday. They were thrilled to do it.”

  “You’re doing a good job with them.”

  The smile on her lips disappeared. “It’s gotten a little easier now that we have a routine, but I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t had Sonia. The kids needed a lot of adjustment after the accident and there I was always in a cast or something.” A tear rolled from her eye. “Sam doesn’t remember his parents much, or isn’t old enough to really ask, but Ali…” she sucked in a sob that must have stolen her breath, “she misses them.”

  The tear had become a full on cry and Christian stopped walking and turned to her. “I’m so sorry.”

  Tori wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I’ve taken
her to counselors and they say it’s normal, but it’s so unfair. I don’t know how to make it better when I miss my sister so much I can’t sleep at night.”

  Christian had never been one who could offer comfort in a desperate situation. He clearly remembered when his mother had cancer, he had sulked around as if he were a victim while his father and older brother kept the family together. And, since he was admitting things to himself, probably because he was more than a little inebriated, the past two years with his injuries and then the accident, he’d been playing the victim again. And again, he was being taken care of all the time.

  “Let’s keep walking,” he offered trying to think of a different conversation that wouldn’t steer them back to the accident, though that seemed to be the common ground they now had.

  He didn’t take her hand, though he wanted to. She had crossed her arms over her chest and walked guarded next to him.

  “So, Ed has me overseeing the building of a baseball stadium.”

  “Really, that’s great.”

  “Not anything like major league, but a small community one.”

  “See, you can use your talents off the field.”

  He nodded. He hated it, but she was right. “What about you? How’s the team?”

  Tori stopped walking and he turned to her. “Do you even talk to anyone from the team anymore?”

  He shook his head. He’d had to bury that dream, the one of now managing or coaching, when he buried his best friend and her sister.

  “I’ve been working at a dental office answering phones part time for almost a year.”

  “You’re not doing the physical therapy?”

  She turned her arms over, noting the many scars that covered them. Though it was dark he knew what she was looking at.

  “How much strength do you have after the accident? Can you do what you trained your whole life for?”

  He shook his head.

  “Did you forget how many lives changed that night or are you still focused on what you lost?”

  She turned to walk back toward the hotel. Christian caught up with her quickly. The buzz he’d had was starting to diminish.

  When he caught up to her he reached for her arm and stopped her. “Listen. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been an ass. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about everything I did to push you away and…”

  “You shoved me away, Chris. You told me you couldn’t marry me and be a father right now so it was over. Don’t take away how eloquently you said it.” She set her jaw.

  He closed his eyes and tried to grasp for the last of the decency he must have as a person. He shook his head and let out a long regretful breath. “I’m sorry.”

  Tori clasped her hands in front of her and held them there. “I need to go in and get my things. I’ll get a cab, but I should go home.”

  “Please don’t. Just stay for a bit and I’ll see that you get home safe. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you since I learned you’d be here. And in my true fashion I seem to have messed up all my opportunities to show you that I can be a decent person.”

  He waited for her to give him some reaction, but she didn’t, so he continued. “Just one night? One night to at least try to mend our friendship?”

  Tori’s eyes shifted up as if she were looking toward the sky for guidance. Eventually she nodded and he was grateful for that, because he seriously had thought perhaps she’d throw one of her shoes at his head first.

  A moment later he felt the unmistakable rumbling in his stomach and realized he’d never eaten anything at the wedding reception.

  “What do you say we go back in for some food? Compliments of my brother.”

  She actually chuckled and he took it as a positive sign. Perhaps he wouldn’t walk away from this evening as big a loser as he’d thought he would when he saw her kissing Scott in the parking lot earlier.

  “I could really use some grown up food. Currently Sam will only eat chicken nuggets and Ali wants peanut butter and jelly cut into butterfly shapes.”

  He narrowed his eyes in the dark. “How do you do that?”

  “I have a cutter. I’ve acquired many interesting things since I became their guardian.”

  He imagined she had.

  As they climbed the stairs toward the reception—each of them slowly with limps and creaking body parts—they noticed the guests passing by them heading out of the hotel.

  When they reached the top of the stairs they caught a glimpse of Ed carrying Darcy toward the elevator bank, no doubt heading to the honeymoon suite.

  Clara met them near the entrance to the room. “Where have you been? Warner gave the toast. You missed the cake and…” She stopped as if she’d only then noticed he was standing next to Tori. “Sorry. I see that you were being social.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help clean up?” Tori offered.

  “The best reason to have one of these things at a hotel like this. We get to walk away when it’s all over. The staff is getting a luggage cart right now for all the gifts and Ed and Darcy just headed upstairs.”

  “What about food? Is there any food left?” Christian was looking around his sister trying to see.

  His mother walked through the door. “Go make you each a plate and then find somewhere to eat it. There is plenty of food left and they’re just going to throw it all away.”

  Christian nodded, took Tori’s hand, and headed into the room as his mother and sister watched.

  The guests had eaten much more than his mother must have thought because there wasn’t much left at all.

  Tyler walked up next to him with a bottle of champagne and two empty flutes. “Here this one is open so you might as well drink it. They’re charging it to them anyway.”

  Christian managed the bottle, glasses, and his plate.

  “Oh, and one more thing.” Tyler took a card out of his pocket and placed it into the front pocket of Christian’s tux pants. “Room 430. I’m going to head out again and you shouldn’t be driving anywhere tonight so you take my room.”

  Tyler rested his hand on Christian’s shoulder as though it were in lieu of a hug, then he turned and left the room.

  Christian turned to see Tori walking toward him with a full plate. “You didn’t eat either?”

  “Like I said I need a real meal. What’s with the champagne?”

  “Left overs I guess. What else do we have to do tonight but to finish getting drunk and eat free food?”

  She laughed and they walked toward a dark corner where there was a smaller table. He figured no one would see them there or worry that they were in the way of cleaning up. They only needed enough time to eat their food and drink their champagne before Tori loaded herself into a cab and drove away from him, again.

  It surprised Victoria very much that she was enjoying her evening. Those kisses shared with Scott had almost—almost—been erased from her memory.

  Christian, though growing drunker with every glass of champagne they toasted with—as she was as well—had become much funnier as they talked and shoved thick slices of ham in their mouths.

  “I really suck at this construction stuff,” he said slurring his words and leaning in toward her.

  “Nah. I’ll bet you’re great.” She tried to focus on him.

  He shook his head. “I don’t understand it. Really. I’m going to have to find something else to do.” He rubbed his hand over his face, which made hers itch. “I’m not good at anything.”

  Suddenly she could think of many things he’d been good at. And though she didn’t want to share them with him, nor did she think they’d earn him a living, they did make her body heat rise. She licked her lips trying to restore moisture to her mouth.

  Christian picked up the bottle to refill their glasses to only manage a few drops into each of their glasses. “Ooops. I think we drank the whole thing.”

  “I see that.” They clinked their glasses together and then she was sure she could hear her cell phone chiming.

  The noise c
aused them to both look up and look around the room. It was empty. His family hadn’t even said goodbye. They’d left them alone to have their little party in the corner. But where had she put her stuff?

  They both stood, slowly and wobbly, and followed the sound of her cell phone alerting her that she had a slew of text messages.

  By the main door they found a chair with his tux jacket draped over it, her purse, another bottle of champagne, and a fifty dollar bill with a torn piece of paper attached that read Don’t let her drive. Get a cab. Dad.

  She watched Chris tuck it into his pocket as she pulled her cell phone from her purse.

  She scrolled through the messages.

  “Is everything okay?” Christian asked moving closer to her.

  “Uh-huh.” She was able to mumble as she looked at the many messages from Scott.

  He wanted her to call him, but she didn’t want to. Doing that would alter the moment. It would take her out of this tiny little fantasy she was having and force her back to reality—where Christian wasn’t a willing participant.

  She simply texted back WILL CALL TOMORROW. GOOD NIGHT. Then she slid the phone back into her purse.

  She’d nearly had a moment of clarity to ask for the fifty dollars so she could go ask for a cab when Christian was before her, his mouth on hers, his hands pulling her to him, and her spinning head pushing aside all common sense.

  One of his hands slid over her bottom and the other skimmed her back until it was at the base of her neck. Fighting the whirling sensation buzzing through her, she wrapped her arms around Christian’s neck and tucked her fingers into his hair.

  She wasn’t sure how long they’d kissed—how long his hands had roamed her body—how long she’d gone without breathing properly. All she knew was nothing, sober or drunk, ever made her feel as alive as Christian Keller’s touches and kisses.

  “I need to get a cab,” she mumbled against his lips.

  “Stay. Stay with me.”

  She shook her head as he brushed kisses over her temple. “I can’t go home with you. I…”

  He produced a card key from his pocket. “Here.” He pulled back just far enough to look her in the eyes. “One night. Just one night with me. Please.”