by Stella
“Um…because you have impeccable timing?”
“Okay, I’ll give you that since I do admit to having a lot of impeccable things, but can you answer this…why am I once again coming home to an empty fridge?”
“I went to the store, I swear. Actually, I went…” She lifted her eyes to stare at the ceiling, and while muttering to herself, she used her fingers to count. “Five out of the six days you were gone.”
“Oh yeah? Did you buy much?”
“No. You see…what had happened was…all the spaces near the front were either taken, or the cars next to them were parked funny. I didn’t want to get my doors dented, so I decided to leave and go back when there was more parking available.”
“And you couldn’t park toward the back?”
“I’ve started to get a bit of a waddle. It’s unsettling, really.”
“I can imagine. So, tell me, Waddlegate, what have you been eating since I left?”
“Coby and Ellie have had me over a few times.”
“And what about the other nights?”
“Oh, Corinne invited me to eat with her.”
I blinked slowly and looked her up and down, hoping she could read the disgust and betrayal on my face. “I don’t even know you anymore. It’s like you’ve become a stranger. I’m tempted to call the cops and report an intruder in my home. It was one thing when I found out you wear skirts and shorts to cozy up with Richard, Dick of the Garage, while I can’t seem to get you out of sweatpants. Now…I’m not so sure how to take this new information.”
“I like to feel the buttery-soft leather against my legs. That’s not a crime. And what new information? I didn’t think you’d care if I had dinner at the Kylers’.”
“No, that doesn’t bother me—it’s how you’re going behind my back to steal my best friend. Find your own Corinne. Take Dick to the park; I’m sure you can meet lots of three-year-olds there.” I leaned forward to make sure I had her attention. “But whatever you do, don’t offer them candy. Their parents don’t like that too much.”
She pinched her lips together, fighting off a smile, and seeing it almost made me lose my composure, too. As time had passed, I’d started to see her lighten up more and more. It was such a drastic difference to the version of her I’d first moved in with. Before, she used to find me irritating and refused to entertain my dramatic flair. And once she’d calmed down enough to enjoy a laugh, it’d felt like I’d won the lottery. However, nothing compared to the utter contentment I’d felt when she had finally decided to stop fighting it. Watching her give in and surrender to the moment made me want to beat on my chest and declare a victory. I didn’t think anything could’ve gotten better than that.
And then she pulled a Gage.
It had taken everything in me to keep the banter going after she walked inside. Normally, she’d let me carry on, laughing at my immaturity or stupidity without making fun of me like she had in the past. Yet tonight, she not only came to play…she came to win.
It was a proud moment.
“Good point,” she said with a slight nod, as if fighting to regain her composure. “Should I ask them if they want to go out to the parking lot and see my Dick?”
I lost it. It was rare that someone could beat me at my own game, but I had to hand it to her. She took the trophy home with that one. “I’d totally say yes, except I don’t think there are too many long-term studies done on children born in prisons,” I said through hearty laughter, giving up on keeping a straight face.
“Seriously, though…” Katie took a deep breath, and it quickly stole the humor from the room. “I did go to the store. I had that thing stocked and ready for you to come home. It’s quite sad how excited I was to surprise you with enough food to survive the apocalypse. And then the damn thing died.”
“What died? The refrigerator?”
“Yeah. I was over at Ellie’s with the kids a few days ago—the day you called, but I couldn’t really talk. She had a doctor’s appointment and asked if I could watch Corinne, and when I found out they were planning to take the boys with them, I offered to watch all three of them. I was there all day, because after they came back, they invited me to stay for dinner. Needless to say, I didn’t touch the fridge until the next day. I had to toss everything.”
“Did you get a new one?”
She waved me off. “Gage, you just bought that one less than a year ago. It was still under warranty. All I had to do was call, and someone came out to fix it. Luckily, it was only a part that needed to be replaced. The guy on the phone said there was a chance it could be something else, and if it were, they’d have to send us a new one. Regardless, I did go shopping. I just don’t have any food to prove it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because that was the day I convinced you to do that thing for me.”
Ah, yes. I remembered that call vividly. I’d just gotten out of the shower when I tapped on Katie’s name to initiate a FaceTime session. As soon as she saw my bare chest, water still clinging to my skin, she got that look in her eye. After seven weeks of practically nothing between us, she was like a starved kitten. She’d begged me to stroke myself—which I did, following her instructions. She’d walked me through the entire thing, telling me when to slow down, when to pump harder, and when to tighten my grip on the head.
It had to have been the hottest thing we’d ever done; although, what had made it so hot was how the fantasy she played out wasn’t the two of us fucking, but rather her sucking my cock. For some reason, her hormones must’ve been out of whack, because she’d had this overwhelming, uncontrollable need to blow me. And as it turned out, no matter how many times she’d made me choke my chicken on FaceTime, it hadn’t quenched her thirst. As soon as I came home last night, she’d dropped my shorts, fell to her knees, and took control like she needed to suck me off in order to live another day.
“As far as excuses go, I guess that’s an acceptable one.” I nodded, giving in.
Lust filled her voice when she asked, “You were just thinking about it, weren’t you?”
“Maybe…”
“And you’re turned on again, aren’t you?” There was no mistaking the fire in her eyes.
“It’s quite possible, yes.”
Katie slid to the floor between my parted legs and took hold of the waistband of my shorts. She licked her lips and met my gaze, and there was no sweeter sight in the entire world.
“Wait, baby…wait.” I grabbed her wrists to hold her off for a moment. There was nothing I enjoyed more than pleasing Katie—not even baseball—and since I’d been banned from doing so, it felt selfish when I couldn’t return the favor. “What’s gotten into you? I’m not complaining or anything, but I don’t want you to think you have to do this.”
“Trust me, Gage…I know I don’t have to do anything. I want to. And as soon as the doctor gives me the all clear, I’ll happily let you have your way with me until neither one of us can move or breathe. But for now, stop arguing and just let me have fun.”
After finding out just how amazing she was with her mouth, there was no way I’d stop her.
“If you hadn’t been kicked off the team for being a pathological liar, do you think you would’ve eventually left on your own terms?” So far, I’d spent my first two days off at Coby’s house helping him build a fence for Sherbet. Apparently, per Coby, this was my responsibility for giving a toddler a pony for her birthday.
“First of all,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow, “I wasn’t dropped from the roster for being a pathological liar. That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”
“Not at all. I mean, you were injured and then lied about it. Then went to a possibly questionable doctor who may or may not have worked on the black market, and you lied about it. I’m no brain surgeon, but I think not telling the truth more than once qualifies as pathological. No?”
“You’ve invested your money well, right?”
I cocked my head, unsure of how that
had anything to do with his exit from baseball, but that was Coby. He was nothing if not random. “Of course. Why?”
“Just checking on the future of your kid, that’s all.”
“Anyway…you never answered my question. Do you think you would’ve given up baseball had you been given a chance to make that decision for yourself?”
“I don’t know, to be honest with you. It’s hard to say. I’m definitely happier now, though I had no idea back then that I’d even be here. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d have Ellie and the kids, so it all worked out for the best. Why? What are you thinking about?”
I shrugged, not really sure what I was thinking about other than it was hotter than Hades and with as much money as this fool made, he should’ve hired someone to put up this damn fence. Yet I wouldn’t say that to him—it didn’t work out so well for me the last time I mentioned it, which was about an hour ago.
“I don’t know, man. I mean, I love the game. I’ve lived and breathed baseball my entire life. It’s who I am. Part of me questions if I’d even have an identity without the sport. But ever since Katie got pregnant…” I shook my head, unsure of how to word this. “I don’t enjoy it like I used to. I’ve missed every single one of her doctor’s appointments, and if it weren’t for the pictures she sends me after her ultrasounds, I’d be completely left out of the loop. And the worst part is, this pregnancy has been hard on her, and I haven’t been here for support like I should be. Like I want to be.”
“Yeah…you picked a shit time to knock her up, didn’t you? She’s literally pregnant from the beginning of the season until the end. But look on the bright side—the season will be over by the time the baby gets here, so at least you’ll be around for that.”
He wasn’t getting it. Or maybe I wasn’t. I couldn’t be sure. “Would you have been able to hit the road again when Corinne was a baby? Or now…would you be willing to pack a bag and head out for a week or more at a time and only see the boys a handful of days each month?”
“Hell no.”
“Okay then. That’s where I’m at. It’s been in the back of my mind all season. Every month when I miss an appointment, I have to talk myself out of getting on a plane and never returning to the diamond. And the bigger she gets, the more I think about it—which has been a lot lately, because, between you and me, she’s gettin’ big.”
“Yeah…you should never say that to her. Or any woman. Ever. For any reason. Ever.”
“No worries.” I waved him off. “I think she’s sexy as hell, and the rounder she gets, the sexier she becomes. But the last time I tried to tell that to her, she stared at me, then walked out of the room backward, and when she came back, she repeated the same thing she’d said before she left. She did that two more times before explaining she was rewinding time to give me a chance to shut my mouth and live another day.”
Coby dropped his chin and laughed, his shoulders jumping with the humor rolling through him. Finally, he shook it off and brought us back to the topic at hand. Thank God for him, or I would’ve forgotten all about it. “Don’t you still have a couple more years left on your contract?”
“Yeah, but I don’t care about that. I’ll buy myself out of it if I have to.”
“Don’t do that. Finish it out and take your money. Don’t be stupid and give up that kind of security. I know two years feels like a lifetime, but your kid won’t ever remember you being gone.”
“It’s not about whether or not he’ll know. I will.”
“Then talk to them and see about renegotiating the terms.”
“Or…you could take out my knee, Tonya Harding style.” I wagged my brows. “Retirement is much easier than buying out the remainder of my contract or going through renegotiations. It’s quicker, too.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“Why not?” I stopped working to face him—oh, who am I kidding…I’d barely done anything all day. “If you asked me to break your arms or legs I totally would. That’s what friends do for each other.”
“This might explain why you don’t have many friends.”
“I have lots of friends.”
“Then get one of them to break your kneecap.”
“Good thinking.” I dropped my gloves to the ground and turned toward the house. “Hey, Rinny! I need a favor!”
“You are not asking my toddler to do that.”
“Why not? You won’t. So somebody has to.”
Coby bent over and grabbed a post off the ground. “Fine. Turn around and stand still.”
“Wait wait wait.” I held up my hands and took a step back. Then another. And another. “You’re probably right. You might not be the best person to do this. I mean, the only way your batting average could’ve been worse is if you’d held the bat with your feet. You might miss and put me into a completely different kind of retirement.”
He shrugged and tossed the post back to the pile behind him. “Looks like you need to talk to the manager and figure something out then, huh?”
“Not so fast. There are still options on the table.”
“Like what?”
“Witness protection program.”
If he stared any longer, I’d have no choice but to question all the times we’d changed in the locker room together, especially with the way he slowly blinked. Luckily, he rolled his eyes and figured out how to speak. “The government only puts people in there if they’ve witnessed a crime and coming forward could put their lives in danger.”
I flicked my wrist to wave off his idiotic explanation. “How do you know I haven’t seen something? Clearly, if I had, I wouldn’t have told you. What about my life being in danger do you not get?”
“Yeah…good luck with that.”
“See if I give you my new identity. I could be right in front of you, and you’d never know.”
“Wow, you seem to have everything figured out.” He couldn’t keep the humor out of his voice, and soon, his smile had taken over his face. “Tell me, Gage…how’d you get so smart?”
“It’s one of life’s mysteries, man.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
I sat next to the half-chair, half-bed and held Katie’s hand. Her stomach was covered in what appeared to be slime, and an image of my son was on the screen on the other side of Katie. His heartbeat was strong and played through speakers like music to my ears. I’d promised Katie that I would keep it together, which I did…for about two seconds. I might’ve been able to man up and keep the tears from filling my eyes had it only been the whoosh of his heartbeat or his image—acting cool when I finally got to experience both at the same time was far too much to ask.
“Well, as always, Ms. Crisp,” the doctor began, making me hate her last name for the first time, “you’re progressing as expected. Baby looks good, head down which is perfect. As for the partial previa that we’ve been keeping an eye on…”
My heart pounded, every beat taking up even more space in my chest.
“As of the last scan, it hadn’t moved enough to clear you. With as slowly as your uterus has expanded, honestly, I had expected this scan to show the placenta sitting right on the line of the cervix, but that’s not the case.”
Katie’s body practically deflated, her hand going limp in mine, and I was about to jump over her to knock this quack out. Then he spoke again.
“Surprisingly, it’s moved more than I thought it would and has completely cleared the cervix. It looks like we’re ready to start planning a natural birth.”
“Wait,” I called out before he had a chance to run off. “So the sticker isn’t on the mouthpiece anymore?”
The doctor gave me a puzzled glance, and then Katie spoke. “Yes, Gage. That’s correct.”
“So we can have sex again?”
Katie grumbled and covered her face while the doctor and nurse found my question humorous. I didn’t find anything funny about it. It was a serious concern. But thankfully, the doctor said, “Yes, you may resume normal sexual activity.
”
“No we can’t, Doc. Trust me. She’s too big for the normal stuff.”
Katie swatted my stomach, and the other two shook their heads on their way out of the room. “Oh my God…I started to think I’d never hear him say the placenta had moved.”
“See? I just needed to be here. Maybe if he hadn’t played hooky two months ago and changed the appointment to after I left, we wouldn’t have gone through all this.” I practically yanked her off the table. “Come on. What are you waiting for? You promised we could fornicate until neither of us could breathe or move. We’re running out of daylight.”
We barely stopped at the front desk to schedule another appointment before we both ran out of there like a bat out of hell. And there was a large chance I broke every speed limit from the office to the house. Katie thought it was funny, although there was no doubt in my mind she wanted this as much as I did—especially when she had her clothes off before the garage door was down.
I chased her up the stairs and into our room—although, “chase” was such a strong word since she wasn’t moving at a very fast pace these days. And with the coordination of two teenage virgins, we collapsed onto the bed, all arms and legs…and belly.
“Gage…” She fought to catch her breath, even though I hadn’t even gotten it in yet. “We can’t do it like that. You’re pressing against my stomach.”
I stood back and tried to create a plan, using my imagination as a playbook. However, before anything came to me, she flipped over onto her hands and knees. Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d line up, take one or two practice swings, and then knock it out of the park. But not this time.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked, peering at me from over her shoulder.
“I want to see your face.”
She turned and dropped to the mattress in one very ungraceful move. “We’ve spent the last two months doing nothing other than seeing each other’s faces. Now’s not the time to be picky about what position we do it in.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want this to be cheap. Just give me a second to figure it out.” I grabbed her from behind her knees and pulled until she was on her back with her ass on the edge of the mattress. Although yet again, when I settled between her legs, she complained about being uncomfortable. “How is it that you’re telling me I can’t be picky, yet all you’ve done is complain?”
