“Yeah,” she said. “But Anna woke up and she’s crying for her stuffy. Do you have it?”
Crap. When Anna had gotten a little fussy earlier, I’d ran out and grabbed her a stuffed hawk from one of the gift shops. She’d cuddled up with it for hours, and I thought she’d taken it with her. “We must have left it up in the box. I’ll see if I can go up and grab it.”
“Is Anna alright?” Hadley asked when I had hung up.
“Yup, just a lost stuffed animal. I’m going to see if someone will let me back in to look for it.”
“You want me to come with you?”
“No, stay here.” I squeezed her hand in thanks. “Let Jace know if he comes out that I’ll be right back?”
I dashed toward the elevators, finding one of the guest relations team members to let me back into the booth. With a flash of my friends and family badge, he reluctantly agreed, but he warned I had to be fast. We rushed back to the upper levels of the stadium; after he opened the door, I quickly spotted the stuffed hawk hiding out under the couch.
“Thank God,” I groaned as I leaned down to grab it, stuffing it back into my purse. With a relieved sigh, I headed back out of the booth, looking for the attendant, but he was nowhere to be found. Oh well. I’d done my part, and the door locked behind me. But as I walked back to the elevator, someone stepped up to my side, and my entire body stiffened at his proximity.
Tate Lyons.
The man was a legend on the baseball field, known for his impressive batting average and his numerous championship rings. To me, though, he would always just be Jace’s father—the one who had filled his head with doubts and insecurities.
I took a step around him to press the down button, but before I could reach it, he blocked the path, sneering down at me. My jaw tightened, almost unable to stomach the disgust in his eyes. “Can I help you?”
He smiled, and his white teeth were blinding in the fluorescent overhead lights. Tate held out his hand. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Ms. Woods. No wonder my son is so taken with you.”
His voice was honeyed—almost too smooth, the kind of confidence that made people seem untouchable. Between that and his broad frame, my knees almost buckled, wishing I’d never come up here alone. But I kept all that off my face, trying to keep up my air of indifference. I reached out and shook his hand, hoping the simple introduction was all he wanted from me. “Thank you, Mr. Lyons. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
“Please, call me Tate.” His dark eyes flickered, so much like his son’s that my defenses dipped at the sight, but his answering grin broke me out of my stupor. “After all, I think we’re both working toward the same goal: giving Jace the best future possible.”
“What do you mean?”
Tate shook his head. “My son’s made a lot of mistakes in his life, stubborn to a damn fault. Gets that from his mother. But my job is to make sure his mistakes don’t come at the cost of his future—his career. He’s worked too hard to throw it away now.”
“And how exactly is he throwing it away?” I asked, searching for the attendant. There had to be cameras, something around to capture our conversation, but being alone with Tate Lyonsmade my skin crawl. The way he spoke about Jace—more like a commodity than his son—made my fists tighten. I already hated the man because of how he spoke to Jace, and now, I understood even more. “Jace played well today, and he’s having a great season.”
“And yet, he’s still not at the top of the pack. Jace was not meant to be great, Ms. Woods. He was born to be extraordinary.”
Jace’s words from weeks earlier flashed back to me.You’re fucking extraordinary, Kinsley. No one else could ever compare.I felt the same way about him. But unlike his father, Jace’s strength came from more than his talent on the field; it was in the way he loved so deeply, how he cared for me and our daughter. How much he supported his friends and gave every part of himself to his team. Stats or numbers could never measure those things.
“Jace is that and more, and if you can’t see that, I almost feel sorry for you.”
Tate chuckled, the sound light, but it made my spine stiffen. He shook his head and then stared back at me, his hands finding his hips. “I tried to do this the polite way, Ms. Woods, but you seem determined to force my hand. “
“What does that mean?”
“You are a distraction.” His voice lowered, and I took a step back from him. He followed, lowering his chin to glare at me. “One my son cannot afford to have. You’ve had your fun, but he’s meant for much more than this city, this team.”
I narrowed my eyes to match the intensity of his stare. “And if I don’t want to walk away?”
“Oh, I think you will, Ms. Woods. I am prepared to make a generous offer to help you see reason.”
“Excuse me?”
He chuckled as the color drained from my face. “Tell me, Kinsley: how much would it take for you to walk away from my son for good?”
FORTY-ONE
“What the hell was that, Mel?”
My voice was a harsh whisper as I pulled our communications director to the side. Despite our win on the field, I was still on edge, the same as any other time my dad came around. Although I never saw him during the game, he still had to be lurking around somewhere. No way he’d leave without the last word.
