“I hope you don’t mind us taking them to their first baseball game.
He laughed. “I told you, it’s fine. I’m not a fan. I’ve already taken them to dozens of hockey games. Some baseball might make sure they don’t grow up into crazy people wearing masks and beating people with sticks. ”
She laughed. “I just want to be sure.” Does the whole Wolfe family hate baseball or is it just these two?
“It’s fine. I hope they have a good time. Call me when you get back, so I can come pick them up.”
Nicole nodded. It was the first time that Adam didn’t ask for the boys back by six, which she realized could’ve been the problem with Sharon and why they were late. Adam had admitted when Nicole first purposed the outing that he had no idea how long a baseball game was, so he’d just wait for Nicole or Danny to call him.
Adam left much easier than he had months ago when the couple first started taking the boys on their own. Nicole turned to see Luke and Thomas were now playing tug of war with the dog. Danny just watched, as Haydn pulled the boys little by little.
“Are we ready to go?” Nicole asked.
“Is Haydn coming, too?” Luke grunted as the dog yanked him and his brother a little more.
“There’s no place for puppies to sit at the stadium. You can play with Haydn when we come back.”
The boys charged out to the car with Nicole behind them. Danny put Haydn in the den, and they set off for the stadium. On the way, Danny put on some alternative rock for the boys. They played pretend instruments for the entire ride.
“Nikki, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it.” Raymond greeted the group at the front gate. There weren’t a lot of people there, which led Nicole to believe that the game might’ve started already.
“Miss seeing my new favorite player? No way.” Nicole greeted her father with a hug.
“And do we have three burgeoning baseball fans?” Raymond asked the others, even though he was more than aware of Danny’s feelings toward the sport.
“It’s gonna be fun! Nick said so,” Luke declared with a grin.
“Yeah, she said baseball’s great!” Thomas chimed in.
“She’s right. Baseball is great, and I hear this is everybody’s first game. So, let’s make sure it’s really fun,” Raymond shouted with a grin that infected the boys with his enthusiasm immediately. They cheered and followed Raymond into the stadium as if he had lollipops in his back pockets.
Nicole took her girlfriend’s hand and smiled at her. “Try to have fun, baby.”
Danny shrugged. “I’ll try, but honestly, being here with you and the boys is good enough for me.”
“Smooth talker.” Nicole leaned in and gave her partner a kiss on the cheek. Danny grinned widely at the small show of affection.
***
The first inning was barely over before Dane was ready to hang herself to escape the boredom of pre-season baseball. It’s worse than regular season baseball. She didn’t understand the dynamics of the game and didn’t bother to try. Despite the number of games she had watched with Nicole, she didn’t know the rules or the player positions or anything that was relevant. It just bored her so much. Why couldn’t Nick like football like the rest of her family?! I can get with football.
She noted Raymond and Nicole seemed to be enjoying themselves, explaining the game to the boys. Nicole had already exerted a lot of precious energy explaining things to Dane when they were at home, but Dane didn’t retain the information—ever. Luke and Thomas hung on their every word. She was certain the boys would like baseball just because Nicole did. They respected Nicole and valued her opinion enough to take her word on a sport being great. God, that means more baseball games in my future. She groaned mentally.
“Danny, not enjoying yourself?” Raymond teased, popping her in the shoulder and breaking her out of her thoughts. He was dressed casually, which she’d only seen a few times since she met him. He wore jeans and a shirt with the team logo.
“Don’t get why you two like this. It’s so boring,” she replied bluntly.
“Your nephews like it.” He nodded over at them, and as if on cue, the boys cheered.
The crack of a bat on a ball echoed through the stadium, and a ball sailed out of sight. Dane glanced down to see who rounded the bases and she chuckled. The rest of the stadium groaned.
“Yeah, they like it so much that they don’t even know what team they’re supposed to be cheering,” she pointed out with a smile.
Raymond waved it off, while Nicole calmed the boys down. Dane laughed again. Two pairs of emerald eyes rolled, and Dane was left to be bored to tears for the time being. Her mind wandered over nothing in particular. Has Haydn figured out how to unlock his new cage? He got the best of his last one pretty easily. But, the guys at the pet store were pretty certain he wouldn’t break this one. Wonder what Crow’s doing? Think she works today.
Again, a hand on her shoulder interrupted Dane’s pointless musings. Turning, she saw that hand belonged to Nicole, who offered her a sweet, if not apologetic smile.
“The boys are hungry for overpriced stadium dogs, and I thought you could go for some nachos if you’re willing to wait in line with me.”
Dane smiled. “You know I am. Nachos sound good.”
The couple left Raymond with Luke and Thomas, who were talking Raymond’s ear off. Dane couldn’t help noticing how happy Raymond looked, as the boys pointed things out to him. They’re such little know-it-alls. Is that a trait from their dad? She doubted she’d ever know. Raymond seems like a good dad, though. I bet Nick had a blast growing up with him.
“Baby, I’m sorry you’re not enjoying yourself,” Nicole said as they waited on the concessions line.
“It’s fine, Chem. It’s not that I’m not enjoying myself, but baseball just isn’t my thing. I’m happy to be here with you and the boys and your father, but that’s not going to make baseball unboring to me.” Dane shrugged.
Nicole smiled and squeezed her hand. “That’s sweet. So, you’re okay?”
“I’m fine and I want to come to any future games with you.”
Nicole’s smile brightened. Dane meant her words, too. Baseball would never be her favorite sport, but Nicole and her nephews would always be some of her favorite people. She’d sit through a million games with them.
“Your dad’s cool, too.” Dane wasn’t sure if she had ever told Nicole that.
Nicole nodded. “I’m glad you think so.”
“The boys like him.”
Nicole nodded. “You know my dad likes you, too.”
Dane was silent for a bit. “Yeah, I know.” She smiled and Nicole smiled back.
Snacks were retrieved, and the couple returned to their group with goodies for all. For a moment, the couple examined their charges and the food they bought for the children. It was doubtful they could make it through chilidogs without spilling something on their crisp, clean, brand new baseball jerseys. Nicole straightened the boys out with napkins in their laps as well as tucking napkins in the jerseys. The napkins on their shirts were held in place by hair clips that Nicole had in her purse.
Dane laughed. “You’re the MacGyver for messy kids.” She handed the boys their food.
Nicole chuckled. “The purpose of a purse is to be prepared for any number of situations.”
“Hell, might need to start traveling with one of those if that’s the case.”
“Don’t worry, baby. You know I got you.”
Dane laughed. She noticed Raymond watching them, but he thankfully kept his opinions to himself. Dane tried not to think of what might be going through his mind, but she noted he was very interested in seeing them handle the kids. For some reason that she didn’t want to contemplate, his scrutiny made her gulp. She got his attention away from them by handing him a cup of lemonade and a hotdog.
“Thanks,” Raymond said, before taking a long drink.
“No problem,” Dane sighed.
With the boys set up, Dane handed Nicol
e her lemonade. Nicole had a sweet tooth, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat stadium food, especially chilidogs. She had no problem picking at Dane’s nachos, which Dane didn’t mind since she stole sips from Nicole’s lemonade. The game pressed on.
“Is it over yet?” Thomas was done with his food, still perfectly clean, and sitting on Nicole’s lap. He apparently didn’t have the stamina for a full baseball game, eyes drooping from exhaustion. He curled into Nicole’s chest, and she cuddled him close to her.
“Soon,” Nicole whispered to him. There were a couple more innings to go.
Raymond’s eyes drifted to Nicole while she comforted the little boy. Dane found herself breathing harder. I’m sure it’s nothing.
“Whoa,” Luke called out excitedly, as a loud crack echoed through stadium.
The ball screamed through air and actually came in their direction. Plenty of people in the area rose from their chairs, Raymond and Luke included. Dane glanced at Nicole, the only one amongst them that could probably catch the ball if it came their way.
“Baby, it’s headed right for you! Give it a try,” Nicole cheered, making sure to be careful of Thomas, who was now asleep in her lap.
Dane frowned, but she didn’t really think about it as she got up. Truthfully, she couldn’t catch for beans. She typically fumbled with stuff before dropping it. She didn’t want to do that here and look like a chump in front of her girlfriend, her nephews, and her girlfriend’s father. That was practically the whole world to her.
Dane just put her hand up and hoped for the best. She managed to keep from panicking and actually caught the homerun ball. The sting from the impact caused her to hiss. She held on tight, knowing if she dropped it, the people in front of them would scoop the ball up.
“Way to go,” Raymond cheered, and he patted Dane on the shoulder roughly.
Dane laughed awkwardly to cover up a wince. She handed the ball over to her nephew, who looked like she had given him diamonds. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair. Luke wasted no time hugging her as tightly as he could for several long seconds. Nicole gifted her with a kiss on the cheek after she sat back down. That held Dane for the rest of the game.
“Oh, my God! Did you see the way Dane just caught that ball? It sounded like it hurt, but she got it anyway.” Luke was talking Raymond’s ear off again, as they walked out of the stadium. Clearly, there was another baseball fan amongst them. “And the way the catcher tagged that guy out to make sure we won the game, it was flipping awesome.”
Raymond laughed. “Yes, it was.”
Luke was still trying to talk to Raymond as he walked them to the car. Thomas was still asleep, carried in Nicole’s arms. Dane strapped him in after Nicole placed him in the back seat. Raymond hugged Nicole farewell and shook hands with both Dane and Luke. He smirked at Dane…or she could’ve imagined it. She wasn’t sure which, and she didn’t know what to make of it if he had smirked at her.
“When do we get to go to another game?” Luke bounced in his seat.
“I’ll try to set it up. We’ll have to make sure your parents are okay with it, too,” Nicole replied.
Luke pouted and settled in the back. “Mom might not let us.”
“Why do you say that? She let you come this time,” Dane said.
Luke scrunched his face up as he looked out the window. “Not really. She screamed at Dad and called you a lot of bad names. Called Nick some bad names, too. Dad took us out while she was still yelling. He went back in and didn’t come back for a long time.”
“Oh.” Dane glanced at Nicole.
“Luke, you’re old enough to know that sometimes people yell at each other when they’re angry, but they’re fine with each other later on,” Nicole said.
“Mom’s never fine with Dane,” he muttered with a frown.
“That’s okay because I don’t hang out with your mom. I hang out with you and we like each other just fine, right?” Dane gave him a wide grin to lift his spirits.
Luke nodded. “I like hanging out with you and Nick. I don’t wanna stop.”
“We like hanging out, too, so we won’t stop,” Dane promised.
He smiled. Her word was enough for him. His level of trust amazed her, and she smiled over that. She reached over to Nicole and took her free hand. Nicole gripped her hand and smiled back.
***
Danny played with her nephews and Haydn, while Nicole fixed a light, healthy snack for them. She knew they were already wearing themselves out playing with the dog, which she was happy about. Luke seemed to have forgotten all about the trouble in the car, and Thomas was now wide awake.
“Apples and grapes,” Nicole announced as she came out with three bowls of fruit. While the boys typically got along very well, they did not like sharing with each other, so they each had their own bowl. She’d share with Danny.
“Oh, food,” Thomas cheered as if he had never had a meal before.
“Go wash your hands before you eat,” Danny ordered the pair.
The boys ran off for the bathroom. Nicole smiled and eased down next to her lover. Danny reached for an apple slice, but Nicole popped her hand.
“Ow! What was that for?” Danny pouted.
“Did you wash your hands?” Nicole inquired with a playful smile.
“I’ll have you know I never touched the dog.” She laughed.
“I wish I could believe that. But, we both know you’ve never, never touched the dog.’”
Danny snorted. “You can’t prove that.”
Nicole smiled as they ate their snack. The brothers returned for their individual bowls. They ate quietly while watching a baseball game at the boys’ request. It was a rebroadcast on an all-baseball channel, but it was all new to Luke and Thomas. All too soon, Adam was there for them.
“Dad! Dad! Dane caught me a ball!” Luke announced as soon as he saw his father. He waved the ball in his father’s face.
“And Mr. Raymond taught us baseball stuff with Nick,” Thomas added.
“Mr. Raymond?” Adam echoed with a craned eyebrow.
“My dad,” Nicole replied.
“Your dad went to?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, he’s the one who suggested the game in the first place. The boys really enjoyed themselves.”
Adam smiled. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem.”
They got the boys ready to go and exchanged farewell hugs. They watched Adam put them in the car and drive away, returned to the sofa, and watched a movie until the movie was watching Danny. Nicole kissed her sleeping girlfriend’s head.
“You’re so great with kids. It’d be a shame for you not to be a mom. You’d show your parents how it’s done,” Nicole whispered.
Wet Sage
“YOU’RE GOING ON ANOTHER business trip? Can you smuggle me with you again?” Danny asked with a naughty grin from her place on the sofa. She rubbed her hands together at the thought of going on another trip with Nicole.
Nicole scoffed as she flopped down on the couch next to her partner. “I wasn’t supposed to bring you on the last trip, and I honestly don’t think it would be good for either of us for you to come on this trip.”
Dane’s mouth dropped open. “What? Why would you say that? We had a great time, and I was able to help you relax after that tense meeting. Why would this be different?”
“For one, it’s not located in some boring town.”
An interested ebony eyebrow arched. “Uh…where is this one?” She probably didn’t mean to sound as intrigued as she did, but she was definitely eager to know.
Nicole sighed and glanced away. “Vegas.”
And there Danny’s mouth went again. “You’re going to Vegas and you don’t wanna take me? Why?” Her pout was enough to break Nicole’s heart.
“Because it’s a business trip. If you come with me to Vegas, my mind will be on everything but business!”
Danny laughed. “We can behave.” That word and its volume caused Haydn to poke his head up from his chew toy. Hi
s large brown eyes said he was behaving, which earned him reassuring ear rub from Danny. He went back to his toy.
Nicole scoffed. “In Vegas?” She rolled her eyes, fairly certain that was impossible for a couple to do.
“We can behave to Vegas standards,” Dane amended.
Nicole snorted now. “Vegas standards? Vegas has standards? Since when?” They’d be lucky to make it back by that logic.
Sighing, Danny threw her hands up a little. “Look, we can consider it a victory if we don’t get arrested or come back married with no memory of why we did it or when it happened.”
That probably would be a victory, which is why I can’t take her. “No, no, no. I have work to do while I’m there. I know if you come along work will be the last thing I think of.”
“Come on, angel. I’ll leave you be while you work. I can find something to do…unless that’s what you’re worried about. You think I’ll go to Vegas and lose my mind?” Danny scrunched up her face.
“No! Baby, I know you have plenty of self-control. But, this is a business trip and I’m not going there for fun.”
“And bringing me would mean you’d have fun? You’re not going to be in business meetings the whole time. Have some fun, Chem. It’ll be cool. We could catch a show, hit a few casinos, and do crazy things in a hotel room,” Danny hit her with a huge grin.
“Baby, it is a business trip. By definition and name, a trip for business, not fun.”
Grey eyes rolled and Danny scoffed. “Nick, did you handle the last business trip with the same level of professionalism that you always do, even though I tagged along?”
Nicole frowned. “Yes, but I don’t want this to become a habit. If it does, I know, eventually, my professionalism will slip, and I’ll just want to spend time with you. You’ll end up being the only thing on my mind.”
Danny nodded. “You’re right. Okay, let’s make this my last business trip for the next six months?”
Nicole sighed and gazed at the floor. She’d love for Danny to join her, but she needed to be able to focus on work. She definitely wouldn’t be able to focus on work with Danny there, especially if they made plans. She’d just want to be with Danny like they were on vacation. But, Danny’s presence helped relax her and that helped her stay focused during meetings.
Bandages Page 26
