“Jesus, Gina. I didn’t ask for any of it. It isn’t like I can fight back.”
I turn around because seeing him makes it hard for me to say what I have to say next.
“And this is why I can’t be your girlfriend. I have trust issues. I’m not built for relationships.”
“I guess not. You couldn’t bother to tell me the truth.”
Whirling around, I say, “I didn’t think it was a good idea to dump my problems on you before your game. Excuse me for being considerate.”
“Yeah, and how long have you known about your long-lost mother?”
Pursing my lips, I say nothing because he has me there.
“And, I see you brought Mark with you. He knows more about your life than I do. Maybe you should be dating him.”
His hurled words sting like a slap.
“Mark doesn’t have a job and could travel with me. I didn’t exactly ask him to come. He insisted.”
I brush back my hair, feeling uncomfortable with the way the conversation is going. My bluster breaks because it fucking kills me knowing that this will end with him walking away.
“And you can’t see he’s still in love with you.”
I snap my attention in his direction and narrow my eyes at him. “You are so wrong. I think he’s got a thing for your sister.” After saying it, I clamp my hand over my mouth, knowing I’ve blown a secret that wasn’t mine to share. “Don’t you dare open your filthy mouth and tell her.”
He licks his lips. “And what will you do for me to keep my filthy mouth shut?”
RYDER
The challenge has been tossed, but what will she do? Will this play into my hands, like I hope it will? Or will Gina turn and run, as she’s used to doing?
Her breathing changes, and her eyes go wicked with all the possibilities. “What’s it gonna take, Cowboy?”
Half-smiling, I shrug. “Oh, I don’t know. Why don’t you come up with something?” My parents used to do this to me as a kid. They would make me come up with my own punishment when I did something wrong. Since I’m scared shitless she’s ready to take a hike, I decide to use their tactic.
Her fingers pick up a chunk of hair and twirl it as she thinks. Her bottom lip pulls in, the same one I want to suck, or she can use that mouth to suck on me. Then those gorgeous eyes squint at me. Still soft from sleeping, all I want to do is pull her against me and run my hands over her silky skin. Only wearing a cami and tiny boxers, she’s a wet dream with her bed hair and heavy lidded eyes.
Pounding on the door interrupts us. “Gina, we have to go. We are on a schedule, as there isn’t a lot of time left.” It’s that damn man who tried to bar me from entering.
“I have to go. As my text message said, my birth mother is on her deathbed. That’s why I had to fly here. It could be any time now.”
“Gina, I—”
“Please, can we talk about this later? I need to get ready.”
“Yeah, sure.” I glance at the door. Mark and the lawyer asshole are out there talking, so I opt to stay where I am.
She pulls off her cami, heading to the bedroom, and I consider tossing her on the bed and fucking both of us senseless.
“If you stay in here, Cowboy, I fear neither one of us will leave this room.” She closes the door so she can get dressed. I know she’s right, even if I don’t like it. Another knock sounds on the door.
I let the asshole in the suite, and Mark follows.
“Hey, what gives?” I ask the snake that wants my girl. “I’m tired of his ridiculous attitude toward me.”
“Ms. Ferraro has a lot to attend to and doesn’t need any distractions today,” he says.
“I get that. You don’t have to worry. We keep our distractions behind closed doors.” Mark snickers, the ass grimaces, and I manage not to smile. “I’ll go with her so I can be of assistance.”
“That won’t be necessary. I am her mother’s attorney and can assist her in every way.”
What the fuck does that mean?
“Is that right?”
He acts more arrogant than anyone I’ve ever met. “Yes, that’s right. In fact, you should leave. Ms. Ferraro has no need for you here at all.”
“Wait,” Mark says with a raised hand. “I think Gina needs to be the judge of that.”
“What do I need to be the judge of?” Gina asks as she comes out of the bedroom.
“Mr. Fancy Pants here just told me to leave and that you have no need for me. That he will be the one assisting you in every way.” My fists clench at my sides. I wait for Gina’s response. Her mouth opens and closes, and I know she doesn’t know what to say, which is unusual for her.
She finally asks me, “When do you have to be back?”
“I’m off for three days.”
Then she holds out her hand and says, “Will you come with me? I really want you to.” I place my calloused hand in her soft one, and she grips it with a strength that surprises me.
What’s even better is when she turns to Mr. Fancy Pants and says, “Let me be clear. You work for my mother. And I’m not a child. I decide who will assist me in every way. Are we clear?”
I watch him back down and swallow whatever he might have said. “Yes, Ms. Ferraro, but I work for you, too.”
Then Gina looks at Mark and says, “Come on, too. We might as well make this a party. I’ll need all the support I can get to muddle through this.” He falls in line behind us as we make our way to the fancy limo that awaits us.
On the ride there, Gina never releases her hold of my hand. I’m happy to be her rock, her support, her I-beam—whatever the hell she needs. Damn, I’ll carry the woman on my back if I have to.
Her mother’s house is a sprawling estate by the water, but the only people around are the help. It’s weird because there is no family here to support her in her final days. I don’t ask, and I’m not even sure if Gina would know. My role is to be here for my girl, and I am. But Gina’s sadness, though we don’t talk about it, is I think that she never knew the woman who lies dying. It’s the oddest thing, too. My family is tight. It’s unimaginable for me to think of not knowing my mother, so seeing Gina with this near stranger really tugs at my heartstrings. Everything tumbles into place now—why she keeps pushing me away, why she doesn’t want a relationship, why she’s afraid. It seems to me her fears are grounded. If her mother never had the time to get to know her, to discover what a beautiful person she is, then why would anyone else?
When the crowd around her bed finally disperses, the woman motions to Gina to come closer. I figure she’d want to go alone, but she doesn’t release my hand, so I tag along.
Her mother lifts up her oxygen mask and wheezes, “Ryder Wilde, I presume?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say.
“Manners.” She coughs into a cloth.
It’s very awkward standing here, and I’m not sure if I should say anything. Nice to meet you seems a bit lame.
But then she almost scolds Gina by saying, “Introduce us.”
“Oh, M-mother, this is Ryder. Ryder, this is Ms. Vecchio.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She sucks in a deep breath and manages to wheeze out a long string of words.
“It is not. You look like you’re about ready to squirm, standing there. There’s nothing nice about meeting a dying woman for the first time. But I am glad you came here with my Gina. Now, please tell her to go with my attorney and sign the damn papers before I die.” She plunks her oxygen mask back down over her face.
Pulling Gina’s hand, she faces me. “Papers?”
“Yeah, she wants to sign everything over to me.”
Ms. Vecchio pulls off her mask again. “She’s getting it whether or not she wants it, now or after I die. If she signs now, it’ll avoid probate.”
I turn back to her and take her hands in mine.
“Trust me, Gina. Sign the damn papers. You do not want the probate headache.”
Her eyes search mine. Clearly, she’s lost.
“Hang on a sec.” I leave the room and get Mark. He’s quite a strong influence on her, and knowing Gina, she’s not shared any of this with him. I locate him downstairs, lying on a couch in one of the many rooms.
“Hey, I need you.” I explain the situation.
“She never said a word about this.” Mark runs a hand through his already bedhead.
“I figured as much.”
“Christ, she doesn’t have a clue what a damn mess this would be. Let’s go.”
Gina stands by the bed as we both enter the room. It’s clear the two had words, and Gina appears shaken while the woman in the bed looks like she aged a decade in the few minutes I’ve been gone. Mark drags her to the side, and we all have a serious conversation about this.
“I don’t want her company,” she declares adamantly.
“You’re getting it whether you want it or not. Trust me on this. What you don’t want is probate. Sign the fucking papers. I doubt she ran everything. There will be people to do that for you.” Mark’s hand is on her arm, and he’s not letting her get out of this.
“Listen to him, Gina. If you think it’s bad now, let this slide and you’ll be in a fucking wasp’s nest.”
Her sigh is heavy, but I can tell our double teaming worked. “Okay, okay. Where are they?”
I walk into the hall to hunt down Mr. Fancy Pants. When I find him, I put him to work.
Within a matter of thirty minutes, everything is signed and sealed. Gina is now a very wealthy woman, I surmise.
Gina and her mom spend more time together alone. Mark and I are treated like kings by the wait staff. We catch Fletcher and Cassie up on the latest, and they promise to fly into town as soon as they can.
Before I have to head back to report to practice and to get ready for my next game, her mother passes. Gina tries to hide her distress, but it’s plain on her face. Clearly, the woman had been waiting to meet her daughter and take care of things so she could leave this world. But at least they had a few days to hash things out.
When we get back to the hotel, Mark brings up a bottle of vodka and some wine from the bar downstairs, along with some mixers. We make some drinks, and I want to know how Gina is feeling.
“It’s so odd, but I’m much sadder than I thought I would be,” she says.
“You just lost your mother,” Mark says.
She rubs her face and answers, “But I only met her for the first time a few days ago. It’s not like I knew her.”
Grabbing her arm, I pull her onto my lap, and the resistance I expect never comes. “It’s probably because you saw what could’ve been, and that’s what’s making you sad.”
“Yeah, maybe. My dad had that whole parade of women going and I never had a mom, so I guess it’s regret and sadness all tied up with a pretty bow. Then all these images I had of her were blown away because she was nothing like I’d imagined. I wish I had met her earlier. And worse, she left me journals and pictures.”
Both our phones start buzzing. When we check them, we laugh. Hers is Cassie, and mine is Fletcher calling.
After we update them, they want to know if they should fly out. Gina assures them she’s fine, and the funeral is going to be held in two days. It will be private, so there’s no need.
That night, Gina pulls me into bed, but before I can even put my lips on hers, she’s softly snoring next to me. As I curl my body around hers, I wonder what’s in store for our future. Will she want to stay here and live in her mother’s home? Will she want to take the reins of her mom’s empire? Now that she’s the head of it, her mind may change. All this can spell a significant alteration for our relationship. Long distances don’t bode well for them, and with her trust issues, I can see how this could work against us. It kills because I don’t think I want to live without this woman in my life, but it may be that I don’t have a choice.
GINA
Waking up back at home, I feel safe in Ryder’s arms. He’s like a comfortable blanket wrapped all around me, and I hate I have to leave his safety. It’s still dark when I creep out of the bed, his breathing soft and steady. Before leaving my room, I unzip the small overnight bag I took and pull out the leather bound portfolio.
Sitting on my couch, I curl up in the corner as I undo the ties that hold everything together. Once open, I think about everything my mother told me in the short time we shared before she passed on.
The first picture to tumble free is me on my first day of school. I remember being so scared. I didn’t remember the picture or that I’d been missing a tooth. But as my mother explained, it was part of a side agreement for my grandparents to send her pictures of me. Something her father was unaware of, as he’d been the reason she had to give me up or be disowned.
But that isn’t the most shocking thing she told me over the course of a few days. Over the last several years, even when I was still in high school, she’d reached out to my father. Her parents had passed on by then, and she was free to make her own decisions without consequences.
My parents, who shared one summer together, became confidants of each other at some point. And recently, when she told him of her illness, he admitted truths she hadn’t known. Not surprisingly, he was put out when she showed up and announced he was a father. He hadn’t wanted his life to change. In the end, though, he told her he regretted not being the father I needed. I look at a picture taken of me at one of my softball games. She told me Dad secretly came to my games, but kept to the shadows, not feeling he deserved seeing me play, but unable to stay away.
I wipe hateful tears that spill from my cheeks as I think of the biggest revelation. Dad had told her how proud he was of me to be the woman I am despite the lack of parental guidance in my life.
My world is shaken and stirred. Everything I thought isn’t as it seemed. Dad isn’t the uncaring father that I thought he was. My mother did love me just not enough. And Ryder…
Warm hands slide down my arms.
“Hey, fairy princess. Why are you up?” His words fan across my neck.
I lean my head back, exposing myself in a way I never have before. His hands leave my arms and begin to wipe the tears from my face. Then he plants a kiss movie-worthy style on my lips.
“Don’t cry,” he says, which only makes me cry harder.
Then he frees my hands of my bundle. He sets it on the coffee table before lifting me onto his lap after he takes a seat. I bury my face in his chest as he rubs circles on my back, and I ugly cry until no more tears will come.
“Ryder,” I croak, pulling free somewhat of his embrace.
“Yes.” His word is soft and full of something more than like that I’d always been afraid of; that other four letter L word.
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“Yes… Yes, I do. I’ve been so selfish. You’ve done so many things for me. I don’t know why you put up with me. It would have been so easy for you to walk away, yet you didn’t.”
He touches my nose, then my check, then brushes his fingers over my lips.
“I don’t give up so easily when I see a good thing.”
“A good thing,” I repeat, not feeling worthy of that title.
“Yes, a good thing. Whether you want to believe it or not, I see you. And I’ve seen you through Fletcher. I’ve seen you with Cassie, and even Mark. What guy wants to be friends with his ex?” His brow lifts, daring me to contradict that statement. “Exactly. No guy unless said girl is so very worth it. I just wanted to show you how worth it you are.”
“It’s not just the sex?” I ask, my self-esteem on the floor for him to walk all over.
“The sex?” He chuckles. “If anything, sex with you should have had me running for the hills.”
Playfully, I slap him, but a part of me is stung by his words. I thought we’d crossed that barrier. He’d given me his hard limit, and I’d agreed. And more and more, I found just being with him was enough. I hadn’t even made any requests I’ve made of other lovers. Now
worry fills me.
He flinches from my love tap, but laughs. “No, seriously. Sex with you is an adventure.”
I eye him, waiting for the other shoe to fall.
“In a good way. Can’t you feel exactly how much I want you? I’m trying to be a gentleman here and talk to you, but I can show you just how much I’ve missed being inside you these last few days.”
He hadn’t pressed for it the nights we’d come back from me seeing her, me emotionally drained knowing her end was near. There are so many reasons I should kiss him and get to the good part. However, there are things that need to be said.
“This thing with my mom and her business,” I move my head slowly side to side, “I don’t know where that leads me.”
“You haven’t told me. What kind of business did you inherit?”
The lawyer refused to explain all of that in front of the guys. Confidentiality and all of that. But I’m in charge now.
“It’s a conglomerate whose headquarters are currently run out of Italy.” Though my mother lived in the States, so I don’t think I have to move. “They own mines of gold and gems, companies that make fine jewelry and fashion houses of some well-known designer brands. All of which is completely out of my element.”
Ryder, ever my champion, makes me feel smart by his sheer confidence in me.
“You have a head for business. I see how you manage the bar when Sam is in the back taking care of other things.”
“That’s the bar. And I’m not sure I can be Cassie or a future mom. I love her to death, but I feel restless. A part of me wants to run. I want to see the world and find myself.”
He stares at me with the most beautiful eyes, and I begin to waver on my resolve.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, trust doesn’t come easy to me, and neither does love. I don’t know how to be a girlfriend. And you’ve seen how I’ve messed that up epically. I’m not sure what I want to do with my life now. There are so many possibilities.”
“You don’t know how you feel about me?” he asks, sounding confused and maybe a little hurt.
Fastball (Wilde Players Dirty Romance) Page 12
