Torres grounds out but gets Decker to second. Decker steals third since the pitcher is off. Hayes, having one of his best seasons, nails a ball deep left and Decker comes home. Hayes gets to third on his hit. Ian gets Hayes home but then is out when he tries to steal second. We’re up by one going into the ninth.
Foster comes back out on the mound when the next inning starts. We need to keep them down so this will be over, and we’ll win.
He throws some warm-up pitches to Hayes.
“You got this,” Callie says more to herself than anything.
The first batter comes to the plate, and Foster throws it right at the batter, so it hits his shoulder.
“Oh boy,” Callie says.
The batter says something to Foster, but he only shrugs and gets back into position. If only he could keep his smirk off his lips.
He looks at Decker and points, then nods.
“At least it was for brotherly love. Big step for the Davis brothers.” Callie looks at me, and I nod because it is. Usually, it would be one of them hitting the other. “I’m really proud of him.”
It only reconfirms that I’d be messing it all up if I allowed anything to happen between Foster and me.
Foster still strikes out two, and Hayes throws out the runner at third, ending the inning with a Colts win.
“Let’s go to Peeper’s. There’s no game tomorrow,” Leighton says.
“Sorry, Mom and Dad are taking Ellis for the night, and I plan on showing how impressed I am with my fiance’s emotional progress.” Callie grins.
“In hitting a batter because Decker got hit?” Leighton asks.
“And I have to go to Decker’s to go over the seating arrangements for the VIP Night.” I cringe.
“Oh, I’ll take Hazel then.” Leighton waggles her eyebrows.
“No… I’ll keep my little buffer, thank you.”
Leighton shakes her head. “I think I want in on the bet you have with Foster, Callie. Sooner or later, one of you is going to break.”
I stand, and we file out of the seats to go meet the guys. “You both underestimate my willpower.”
Leighton and Callie laugh. “Hey, Pen, look at the billboard again.”
I glance over and see that it’s displaying Decker’s ad for Noir Cologne again.
“How’s that willpower now?” Callie asks, laughing as she goes to her mom to take Ellis.
“That ad campaign is something else.” Leighton shakes her head. “Although if it was Hayes, I’d probably become a keyboard warrior, making sure everyone knew he was mine.”
We laugh and wait for Hazel and Monroe so we can walk them down to the family room.
At the top of the stairs, I take one last look before trying to push the ad out of my mind. All the while, Leighton is laughing.
Chapter
Thirty
Penelope
* * *
I prepare myself to be one of the last people to leave since my dad is always in the media room after the players.
