by L. Wilder
“They were what?”
“Spasms of the esophagus. They occur when acid reflux causes irritation in the esophagus. In turn, these spasms can create severe pain in your throat and the upper area of your chest. I’m certain this is what your father’s discomfort was the other night, especially after he described the foods he'd eaten earlier that day,” the doctor explained.
I turned to Dad and asked, “What foods had you eaten?”
“Just the usual stuff. Sausage and eggs and maybe some orange juice for breakfast, then I ate me a handful of those chocolate nuggets that your mom always liked. For lunch, I had a bologna sandwich with a glass of tomato juice … and then I had spaghetti with you boys.”
“And you drank a few beers, too,” I added.
“I did. What of it?”
“Have you ever heard of a TUMS?” I mocked. “If you’re gonna eat that kind of shit, your stomach is going be like a ticking time-bomb, Dad.”
The doctor shook his head. “At your father’s age, he really needs to be more careful about what he eats, and it wouldn’t hurt for him to get a little physical activity now and then.”
“We’ll see that he does,” I assured him. “Can he go home now?”
“Yes. I’ll get his discharge papers, and once they’re signed, he’s free to go.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
He reached into his pocket and offered me a card. “Here’s the name of a gastroenterologist. If your father has any more trouble, give him a call.”
Once he was gone, Dad looked at us and said, “Never seen so much fuss over a little indigestion.”
“You scared us, Dad,” I told him.
“Guess I shouldn’t have had that third beer, huh?” he teased.
“Probably not.”
Once we got him home and settled, Colton and Seth made a run to the grocery store to grab Dad some healthier meal options, while I cleaned out the fridge. It didn’t take us long to get everything sorted, and we all agreed to try to work together to get him back on track. Between Dad, ball practice, and rehab, the next week was a complete blur. My pitching coach had called for an update, so I knew he was eager for my return—I just didn’t realize how eager. Right after that conversation, I was called up to the Atlanta Skyhawks, our local Minor League team, and I had eight days to get my leg ready and in optimum shape for practice. My doctor would sign off to validate that my right quad was healthy enough only after I passed his final evaluation, so there was no time to waste. I had to make sure I was ready, or a minor injury might end up costing me everything.
By the time Friday rolled around I was completely fried, and I barely made it to the last practice before our first big game. As I hobbled through the gate, Colton informed me, “Our uniforms came in.”
I grimaced as I sat down on the bench. “Okay.”
“You all right?”
“Yep.” I rested my head against the fence and closed my eyes. “What are we doing about the uniforms?”
“We’ll give them to the parents when they come to pick up the kids after practice.”
“Alright.”
“I asked Bill to bring his team over for a quick scrimmage. Just want to make sure the kids are ready for the game on Monday.”
With my eyes still closed, I mumbled, “Umm-hmm.”
“His team won the league last year, so it’ll be interesting to see how our boys do against them.”
“They’ll do fine.”
“I don’t know. His kid is only nine, but he looks like he’s at least sixteen.”
“Umm-hmm.”
“I’m serious. You should see this kid. I bet he’s already 5’8” or 5’9” and weighs at least 220, if not 240.”
I opened one eye. “Bullshit.”
“I’m not fucking around, Tucker. The kid is a giant. Just wait and see.”
Sure enough, when the other team arrived at the field, they had several kids who looked big enough to be in high school. I was worried that they’d demolish our poor boys, but they held their own; in the end, they only lost by a couple of runs. I thought they’d done pretty fucking well for their first real practice game. I was thrilled for all of them, especially Kaden, who knocked a three-run homer outta the park.
When the scrimmage was over, I spotted him talking to Kaci by the fence. I wanted to congratulate him, so I headed over to them. “Awesome hit, Kaden.”
“Thanks, Coach Michaels.”
“You’re getting better every day, kid. Before it’s over, you’re gonna end up on the All-Star Team.”
His whole face lit up. “You think so?”
“If you keep practicing, you might just make it.”
I looked over at Kaci, and she wouldn’t make eye contact with me. I hadn’t seen her since the day her friend had invited me to meet them at the bar. With everything that had happened with Dad that night, there was no way I would have been able to make it. After our last conversation, I didn’t want her to have another reason to be aggravated with me, so I said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t meet up with you guys the other night.”
Her brows furrowed when she asked, “What do you mean?”
“Saturday night at Mulligans. Your friend invited me, and I’d planned to go, but—”
“Oh, that. It’s not a big deal. Things happen,” she interrupted with a coy attitude. “You did miss out on a great time though.”
“Oh, well. Maybe some other time, then.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “You ready to go, Kaden?”
“Yeah. Let me grab my things.”
He took off for the dugout, and we were left standing there alone. She looked up at me with those dark brown eyes, and in all my life I’d never been so mesmerized by a woman. She had no idea the effect she was having on me, mainly because I kept fucking things up with her. Every word out of my mouth came out wrong, and I ended up sounding like a complete asshole. It wasn’t all my fault. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen, and my brain short circuited every time I was around her. Hell, it was all I could do to keep myself from reaching for her. I wanted to wrap my arms around her waist, pull her close as I claimed her with my mouth, and feel her body next to mine. As I stood there looking at her, I knew I had to try something. With her eyes locked on mine, I took a step towards her. “Kaci.”
“Yes?”
“I need to—”
“I’m ready,” Kaden announced as he stepped between us with a big smile on his face.
Maybe it was just me, but her voice sounded like it was filled with disappointment as she replied, “Oh … Okay. Let’s go then.”
And just like that, she was gone.
Damn. I was fucked—totally and royally fucked.
As I stood there watching her walk to her car, Colton came up next to me with one of his looks and said, “Seems like you could use a drink.”
“You have no idea.”
“Good, because we’re going out tonight.”
“We are?”
“Hell, yeah,” he answered excitedly. “Did you see Bill’s face when Kaden hit that home run? It was priceless. We’re going out to celebrate. I’ve already sent Seth a message. He’s meeting us at seven. That gives us both enough time to get home and take a shower.”
“You’re serious?”
“Oh, yeah. Get your ass in the car, Tucker. It’s time for the Michaels brothers to have a night out on the town.”
Kaci
I was in a horrible, dreadful mood. Everything was getting on my nerves. Everything. As I drove home from class, I found myself cussing at the sun because it was too damn bright. Then, I yelled at the radio because all the songs kept repeating the same irritating melody over and over again. And just when I was about to go completely over the edge, everyone around me suddenly forgot how to drive. They kept slamming on their damn brakes and honking their horns, so I laid my hand on my horn, blaring it as I screamed out a stream of profanities that would make my mother blush. I was out of control. Deep down, I knew my drive h
ome wasn’t the problem. Everything was bearing down on me. Deadlines at school. Extra hours at work. Kaden. Mom. Dad. And Tucker Michaels.
There were so many times when I’d heard girls describe their feelings of attraction for a man, and quite honestly, I’d always thought they were just exaggerating. I had never looked at anyone and felt an electric spark or a burning desire—well, not until … Tucker. With just one single look, a rush of heat had surged throughout my body, and my heart pounded in my chest like a round of ignited fireworks. I clearly had a thing for Tucker Michaels because I’d never felt like this before; I was just too afraid to admit it.
I walked into our apartment and yelled, “Jess!”
“I’m in here!”
“Let’s go out tonight.”
She came flying out of her room with a surprised look. “Really? Why? What’s going on?”
“It’s been one of those days, and a movie night isn’t going to cut it. I need to get my drink on, so call the crew and tell them to meet us over at Mulligans.”
“Woo-hoo! Kaci’s getting her drink on! This is going to be awesome!” She cheered as she clapped her hands like an excited child. “Do you want to borrow something of mine to wear?”
“Oh, yeah, and I want you to fix my hair, too.”
“You got it!”
We were the first ones to make it to the bar, so Jess and I grabbed us a table down front and ordered a couple of drinks. In no time, I could feel the stress melting away, and I was even considering singing karaoke with Jess and Allison. The alcohol was already affecting my inhibitions, but I didn’t care. I needed a break from uptight, straight-laced Kaci. I leaned over to Jess and slurred, “I need another drink.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Kaci. Maybe you should wait a little bit.”
“Why?”
“You know you’re a lightweight, and you’ve already had two. Maybe you should eat a little something before you have another one,” she suggested.
While shaking my head in drunken disagreement, I stood up and turned towards the direction of the bar; like a petulant child, I declared, “I’m not hungry.”
I almost made it to the bar, but before I could make it to the counter, I tripped and ended up falling backwards, landing haphazardly in some guy’s lap. While I had no idea who he was, there was something very familiar about him. I sat there, half-dazed in the crook of his arms, studying his handsome face and muscular build, trying to figure out how I knew him. Then, his lips curled into a sexy smile. “Well, hello there, darlin’.”
It wasn’t until that moment when I realized I was still sitting on the guy’s lap. I pulled myself to my feet and said, “I … um ... I’m sorry about that.”
“That’s okay. Accidents happen.”
I was so busy adjusting my skirt and trying to maintain my balance that I never even realized there were others sitting at the table with him until I heard, “Hey, Kaci.”
The sultry sound of his voice made my entire body hum as I peered over at the other end of the table and found Tucker smiling back at me. His green eyes danced with delight as he leaned back in his chair and stared at me. He was wearing a dark blue button-down shirt with jeans, and his hair was tousled in perfect disarray, making me want to run my fingers through it. Damn. The man was too hot for his own good. I glanced to his side and noticed that he was sitting next to his brother, Coach Michaels. They both seemed quite amused by my little misstep with their friend. “Oh. Hi, Tucker.”
“You know her?” the man asked.
“Oh, yeah. He definitely knows her.” Coach Michaels snickered. “This is Kaci, the girl from the park. The one Tucker’s been going on and on about for the past couple of weeks.”
“You were talking about me?” I asked Tucker.
Not giving him a chance to answer, the guy next to him said, “It makes sense now. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Tucker’s brother, Seth.”
“Oh, wow. There’s three of you. Your poor mother!” I teased. I glanced down at the other end of the table and noticed that Tucker’s sexy, little smirk had been replaced with one of complete embarrassment. I had to admit—I kind of liked the look on him. “How ya doing down there, sport?”
I swayed a bit and lost my footing, stumbling next to Seth’s chair. He reached out and grabbed my arm, helping me regain my balance. Tucker growled when he answered, “It looks like I’m doing better than you.”
By the disapproving look in his eyes, it was clear that Tucker wasn’t happy about my intoxicated state, but I was having too much fun to care. “I’m doing just fine, thank you.”
“Oh, I like her,” Seth replied and pulled out the chair between him and Tucker. “Why don’t you sit down and join us for a bit?”
“I don’t mind if I do,” I told him and plopped down next to him.
“Would you like a drink?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tucker told him.
Contradicting Tucker, I replied, “I think it’s a great idea. Thank you, Seth. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“You got it.” He nodded and motioned for the waitress.
Coach Michaels was practically beaming when he said, “Your brother made a great hit today.”
I smiled proudly. “So I’ve heard. Kaden told me all about it. I can’t ever remember him being more excited.”
“I could say the same about Colton.” Seth teased. “He seems to think the team is going to do really great this year, and your brother might just be his star player.”
“I guess you have Tucker to thank for that. Apparently, I’m not all that great when it comes to baseball. Isn’t that right, Tucker?”
“Your words, not mine.” The waitress returned, and as she placed the drinks on the table, he leaned over to me and whispered, “You might want to take it easy. Those are pretty strong.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be just fine.”
“I’m sure you will.” He picked up his beer and took a quick sip. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Consider me warned.” I probably should’ve listened to him, but I was being stubborn—another side effect of the alcohol. With an eye roll, I picked up the drink and took a nice, long slug.
“So, Kaci … Are you here alone tonight?” Coach Michaels asked.
“No. I’m with my roommate and some other friends. I think they’re over there somewhere,” I told him as I continued to sip on my drink.
“Do you make a habit of this?” Tucker asked with a condescending tone.
I looked over to him with confusion. “A habit of what?”
“Going out partying with your friends? I remember you mentioning that you had a great time last Saturday, and I was just wondering if this was something you did often.”
“Umm, actually … No. I don’t. Call me boring, but I’m usually too busy to party or whatever you want to call it.” I blamed my honesty totally on the alcohol, otherwise I never would’ve said, “And I wouldn’t have bothered going out at all last weekend if I’d known you weren’t coming.”
His eyes grew wide at my confession. “About that. I really was planning to be there, but my dad got sick.”
“What?”
“Yeah. We were at the hospital until the next morning.”
“Oh, Tucker. I’m so sorry.” I felt terrible. I’d been holding a grudge against him for days with absolutely no reason. I shouldn’t have assumed the worst and just given him a chance to explain. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine now.”
“I had no idea.”
“No way you could know, especially since you wouldn’t give me a chance to explain.” My cheeks blushed with embarrassment, and when he noticed my reaction, he said, “It’s really not a big deal. I just wanted you to know.”
“I really am sorry.”
He smiled. “Don’t be. It was just a misunderstanding, and like you said, things happen.”
I took another long sip of my drink, trying to drown my embarrassment. The
citrus flavor reminded me of a Long Island Iced Tea, which was equally as strong as this concoction. I really liked it and was disappointed to see that I’d finished it. “This was really good. I think I’ll go get another one.”
“Oh, no you don’t.” Just as a slow song was coming on, Tucker stood up and reached for my hand. “Let’s dance.”
“Dance?”
Without any further explanation he gave me a slight tug, and as soon as I was on my feet, he led me out onto the dance floor. Once we were in the middle of the crowd, I considered resisting him—but the way he was looking at me, it was like no one else was in the room—like someone had flipped a switch and the music suddenly faded and the people around us simply disappeared. It was just him and me. He pulled me in close and placed his arms around my waist, and when our bodies touched, a jolt surged through me like I’d just been struck by lightning. Afraid I might lose my balance, I wound my arms around his neck and tried to steady myself. I’d never felt like this with any man, and I began to wonder what the hell was in that drink.
Tucker didn’t seem to notice the affect he was having on me as he continued to sway to the rhythm of the music. Lost in my own world, I rested my head on his shoulder as my entire body melted into his arms. He smelled so good and felt so right that I found myself wondering what it would be like to kiss him. My mind was instantly swimming with a million inappropriate thoughts that I had no business dreaming up. Realizing that my raging hormones were screwing with my head, I pulled away from him and said, “I’ve got to … um … go to the bathroom.”
Leaving him standing there, I plowed through the crowd; as I passed Jess, I reached for her arm and pulled her along with me to the restroom. “Hey! What’s wrong?”
I waited until we were behind closed doors. “Tucker Michaels. That’s what’s wrong!”
“What do you mean?” A knowing smile crossed her face. “I just saw you two dancing, and from the looks of it, you both seemed to be having a pret-ty good time.”
“That’s just it. I was having a good time … a really good time. I do not need to have a good time with him, Jess. He’ll just end up doing something to make me mad … or worse. He’ll end up breaking my heart.”
