But what was worse was finding out that even after all the years they’d been together, and the promises that they’d made to each other, she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him the truth.
Years had passed. He shouldn’t care, but damn it, he did. And although he meant what he’d said, and didn’t blame her for the loss of their baby, her decision not to divulge her pregnancy sooner had changed the course of their lives as surely as the actions of their parents had.
But what really pissed him off was that Katie was the only person he’d ever confided in about his parents’ divorce. To this day he remembered the huge argument that followed his father’s discovery that his mother had been pregnant and, without saying a word to him, ended the pregnancy. For six months, he and Sheila had witnessed the slow unraveling of their parents’ marriage, hiding in their respective bedrooms to escape the ever-present tension permeating the house.
Sometimes, late at night, Tom woke to the sound of their heated words. At age eleven, he didn’t understand much of what he’d heard, but a few years later, when he was in high school, he asked his father about the divorce. All his dad would say was that in a marriage, important life-changing decisions should be made together and not unilaterally. And that while he understood the reasons why Tom’s mother had not wanted another child, what he’d never been able to accept or forgive was her decision not to tell him about the baby, or to let him help her through that difficult choice.
A sharp knock on the door startled him. He turned and ran a hand through his hair. “Come on in,” he called out, then took a deep breath to gather himself.
The door opened and Seth stuck his head inside. “We’re waiting for you in the conference room.”
Shit. The coaches meeting. He’d forgotten all about it.
“I’ll be there in a minute. I need to change.”
Seth’s brows knitted together. “You all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m just running late this morning.”
“I heard the news about Trey.” Seth grinned. “I’ll bet Widow McCandless is shitting a brick right now, wondering if they’re going to go after her for filing a false police report.”
Tom managed a tight smile. “More’n likely.” He lifted his coat from his desk. “I’ll be in the conference room in a few minutes,” he said, then headed for his bathroom.
“Hey, Tom.”
Tom stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
Seth cocked his head, concern evident in his eyes. “You sure you’re all right? You seem…distracted.”
Tom waved him off. “I’m fine. I just have a lot going on right now. This series with the Reds is critical for us.”
“Okay, but if something’s bothering you, I’m around if you want to talk. After all, you listened to me plenty of times when I was going through my divorce.”
“I remember.” Tom gave him a wry smile. “And thanks, I appreciate the offer.”
After Seth left his office, Tom changed into a pair of sweats and a Blaze T-shirt. The coaches meeting wouldn’t take more than an hour, and would leave him with enough time to get a workout in before the players started arriving to prepare for the game. Since his sobriety, exercise had become his stress reliever of choice. A brutal workout in the Blaze’s state-of-the-art gym was exactly what he needed to forget the bomb that had been dropped on him this morning.
An hour and a half later, he slowed the treadmill from a fast run to a brisk walk and started his cool down. Grabbing a small towel from the handrail in front of him, he mopped his sweaty brow. Unfortunately, his workout wasn’t having the desired effect. In the space of a week he’d learned that his mother had conspired against him, and that he and Katie had conceived a child. All the running in the world couldn’t make him forget what he’d lost.
Once his heart rate returned to normal, he decreased the speed of the treadmill until he came to a stop, then pulled his water bottle from the holder on the console and took a long drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Trey sitting on the leg extension machine in the adjoining weight room. A few players had entered the gym while he’d been working out, but he’d been so absorbed in his thoughts, he hadn’t paid much attention to them. Now he saw first baseman and avid gym rat Nico Donovan working out with a medicine ball at the back of the room, while third baseman Zack Jamison watched the sports channel on the large screen mounted on the wall as he sat on one of the stationary bikes, pedaling furiously. In comparison, Trey sat unmoving on the leg extension machine, his expression grim. He didn’t look like a man who’d been cleared of a crime he didn’t commit.
Stepping off the treadmill, Tom nodded at Nico and made his way to the weight room.
“Getting some legwork in?” he asked Trey, and slapped his towel over his shoulder.
Trey looked up at him. “Trying to. I can’t seem to focus.” He shifted on the padded seat. “I got a call from Human Resources yesterday afternoon. They want to talk to me about the sexual harassment claim on Monday.”
“That’s standard. They’ll probably talk to me too.”
“Man, I just want to forget about it. All of it.” Trey shook his head, and a grimace twisted his face. “I shut down my social media sites last night. Even though I’ve been cleared, a lot of people still think I’m guilty, and that I got off because I’m a professional athlete and have money.”
Tom wasn’t surprised. The rise of social media meant anyone who had an opinion could voice it with impunity. The trick was realizing that opinions were just that, and shouldn’t be taken personally.
“The people who matter—your family, your friends and the team—know differently,” he said. “Don’t worry about what anyone else is saying. Most of those people have nothing better to do than to try to get a reaction out of you. Don’t give it to them.”
“That’s why I deleted my accounts. I almost responded to a couple of those idiots, and then realized it would have made everything worse.”
Tom studied Trey and it occurred to him that—for different reasons—Trey’s life had also been turned upside down in the space of a week. And it showed. The young man whose easy smile and devil-may-care attitude had charmed an entire city seemed to have disappeared, and Tom wasn’t sure if that version of Trey would ever resurface.
Less than an hour later, Tom had showered and changed into his uniform. Game time was set for 4:10. At two, he’d head out to the field and take a look at batting practice, but now he was hunched over his desk, trying to concentrate on the scouting reports the team’s advance scout and the statistical analysis team had put together for him. But after reading the same piece of data several times, he gave up and leaned back in his chair.
This morning he’d woken up in Katie’s bed and for the first time in years felt truly alive. But now all he could think about was that she’d kept something monumentally important from him.
Just like his mother had done to his father.
* * *
Katherine stood at the window in her office and gazed down at Blaze Field. The visiting Cincinnati Reds players were on the field taking batting practice. Once the Reds were finished, the Blaze players would take the field and do the same. As she watched the Reds players take their swings, she wondered why she’d thought coming into the office today was a good idea. No matter how hard she tried, work wasn’t taking her mind off of Tom or the argument they’d had at her condo earlier. And while a part of her understood his shock at finding out she was pregnant seventeen years ago, another part of her was angry that he’d stormed out without letting her explain her state of mind at that time.
“Did you hear the latest?”
Recognizing Kelly’s husky voice immediately, Katherine turned from the window. Kelly stood in the doorway with a pleased smirk on her face.
“No.” Katherine leaned against the windowsill and braced her palms on its cool surface. “But I bet you’re going to tell me,” she said with a smile.
“The commissioner has publicly reprimanded A
va for her false allegations against Trey. He’s waiting until a final determination comes from the district attorney’s office in Denver before deciding on a suspension or a fine.”
“I don’t think Ava cares about a suspension or a fine since she’s made it clear she’s selling the team, but I’m glad the commissioner reprimanded her, and I hope the DA’s office presses charges. Filing a false police report is a serious offense. Not only did she put Trey through hell, she wasted the Denver Police Department’s time.”
“Time they could have spent investigating actual crimes.” Another smile curved Kelly’s lips. “Changing the subject, do you have plans for Christmas?”
“No. Not yet.” Katherine tilted her head. “Why do you ask?”
“Because Matt and I have decided on a wedding date. We’re getting married the week of Christmas, and we’d like for you to be there.”
Katherine smiled. “Just tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”
“There’s a slight problem.” Kelly bit her lower lip and grimaced. “It’s in Kauai.”
“Hawaii?” Katherine’s stomach lurched.
“Yes. I know how much you hate to fly, and it’s a four-hour flight so I swear I’ll understand if you change your mind.”
Katherine swallowed hard. She’d endured several long flights in her life, but only on team business and each time she was a nervous wreck when she’d gotten off the plane. As much as the thought of flying over the Pacific Ocean terrified her, she didn’t want to miss Kelly and Matt’s wedding. Maybe she could ask her doctor to prescribe a sleeping pill she could take right before she got on the airplane. That way she could sleep through the flight.
“I won’t change my mind. There’s no way I’m missing your wedding, and I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii.” She threw Kelly a grin. “I guess I’ll have to buy a swimsuit and a ton of sunscreen. I haven’t been to a beach in years.”
Kelly laughed, then after giving Katherine an update on the current crop of media requests, she left Katherine’s office to return to her own.
Alone again, Katherine sat at her desk and tried to focus on work, but no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept returning to Tom. He was angry, and considering how her father had blindsided him with the news of the baby, she couldn’t blame him. She needed to talk to him, to explain the emotions and thoughts she’d been dealing with during that stressful period. Removing her glasses, she set them on the desk and pushed up from her chair. Tom was undoubtedly in his office right now. It wasn’t the best place to talk, but at the moment it seemed to be her only option.
After entering the clubhouse, she passed by the players’ lounge and noticed Trey sitting at one of the round tables near the vending machines. Across from him sat Matt, and judging by their sober expressions, their conversation looked serious in nature. If anyone could help Trey get past the nightmare that Ava put him through, it was Matt. All the players looked up to him, and he took his role as team captain seriously. According to Kelly, Matt had recently expressed interest in coaching after he retired, and Katherine had no doubt he’d excel at the job. Like Tom, he was a born leader.
Moving through the clubhouse, she nodded at several of the players who were waiting to go out to the field for batting practice, then made her way to Tom’s office, her heels clicking on the linoleum as she walked down the hallway. At his closed door, her heart pounded, but before she could change her mind, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he called out.
She opened the door and slipped into the office, and he sat up straight in his chair but remained silent as she closed the door behind her.
“I don’t like how we left things,” she said, moving to stand in front of his desk. “You stormed out of my place without letting me say much of anything.”
“Fine,” he said in a hard tone. “Let’s talk. Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?”
“I was scared.”
“Of what? That I’d freak out and tell you it was your problem, not mine?”
“Yes.”
Tom pushed up from his chair and fixed her with a cold stare. “So after four years together, you assumed I would leave you to raise our baby alone? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“I’m trying to explain to you what I was feeling,” she said, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. “Can you at least do me the courtesy of listening?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw as he fixed her with a hard stare. “Go ahead.”
“Our housekeeper found the home pregnancy test in the trash and told my father. He made me go to the doctor to confirm it. My father was so angry. He said it was more proof that our relationship was going to ruin my life. He said you would never be able to afford to support me and a baby, and that the best thing for both of us was for me to break up with you and let him take care of everything.” The steel in his eyes unnerved her; she wrapped her arms around her midriff. “I was confused.”
“Confused enough to forget how much I loved you?” He moved around his desk and stood next to her. Her heart ached. Last night he’d looked at her with such tenderness, but there was no trace of that emotion in his eyes right now. “Let me ask you this. When we were together, did I ever once let you down? Or say something I didn’t mean?”
“No,” she said softly. “But—”
“Then why did you think I would desert you? I would never do that to you, or our child. You should have told me as soon as you found out. I deserved that, at least.”
Stunned by his insensitivity, Katherine couldn’t control the wave of fury that washed over her. “Oh, right. Because it’s so easy for a teenage girl to discover she’s pregnant. At that moment I knew my life had changed forever, and I was scared to death. Scared about what you would say. Scared about my future.” She pointed at him. “And for the record, it’s my body, and I had the right to choose when and where I wanted to tell you about the baby I was carrying. You weren’t the one who was going to have to juggle a pregnancy and school. Would you really have given up your shot at being in the majors to take care of me and our child?”
Tom’s eyes turned to ice. “Obviously, you thought I wouldn’t have. That you doubted me for even one second proves you questioned my commitment to you. It’s bad enough you didn’t tell me about it as soon as you found out, but that you couldn’t bother to mention it to me in Phoenix, or since we got back to San Francisco, makes me wonder if I ever knew you at all.” He glanced at the door. “You should leave,” he said, his voice stony. “I have a game to get ready for.”
Chapter Twenty
Standing at the back of the packed and noisy Blaze media room, waiting for the press conference to begin that would introduce the prospective new owners of the team, Katherine kept her eyes trained on the podium—even though she was acutely aware of Tom’s presence on the other side of the aisle.
It had been two weeks since he’d dismissed her from his office, and she no longer believed the distance between them was a temporary thing. While a part of her understood his initial anger—he’d been devastated when his parents split up and, understandably, trust was a big issue for him—another part of her was furious. Furious that he couldn’t seem to grasp how scared and confused she’d been, or that he actually believed any eighteen-year-old girl would rush to tell her boyfriend she was pregnant.
She had called him twice since their argument, hoping he’d cooled off and they could talk through their issues, but he hadn’t returned either call and, in addition, he had successfully avoided her at the ballpark.
A gentle nudge against her side pulled her from her thoughts. She turned and, as Kelly was over six feet tall in heels, Katherine tilted her head to meet her gaze.
“Simon would be happy about this.”
Katherine nodded. “I think so too. At the end of the day, baseball was his passion. If he’d known Ava couldn’t be bothered with the team, he never would have made her a partner.”
“I hope the sal
e is approved.”
“It will be,” Katherine said, not at all worried about the outcome of the owners meeting at the end of the month. Even before Ava’s false accusations toward Trey, the other franchise owners had had little or no respect for her. The vote would be unanimous, she’d bet her Jimmy Choo patent leather slingbacks on it.
The door that led directly into the room from the clubhouse opened, and the chatter died down as Doug and the four men buying the Blaze entered the room.
Katherine’s gaze landed squarely on her father. Although he was smiling, she knew him well enough to know his jovial expression was manufactured, probably because he was worried she was going to cut him out of her life permanently.
She hadn’t talked to him since the morning he’d shown up at her condo. He’d called her once since then and left her an earnest message. All he’d said was he understood why she was angry, that he was sorry, and that he’d wait for however long it took for her to forgive him.
He might be waiting awhile. She wasn’t even close to forgiving him for his actions.
“Where’s Ava?” Kelly whispered to her as Doug approached the podium.
“She’s probably too ashamed to show her face,” Katherine whispered back. “And she should be.”
Ever since the Denver Police Department’s investigation had cleared Trey of any wrongdoing, Ava had kept a low profile. Rumor had it she was holed up in the expensive home Simon had purchased for them in San Francisco’s exclusive Sea Cliff neighborhood.
As Doug, in his usual low-key manner, kicked off the press conference, Katherine’s skin prickled, and even before she turned her head, she knew Tom was watching her. Their gazes collided across the room, and his hard and inscrutable eyes extinguished any lingering doubt she might have had that he’d let go of his anger.
His message was clear, and the next time she talked to him, hers would be too.
* * *
Stealing Second Page 25
