She nods. “So what’s next?”
“Well, I have games for pretty much every night until September with a few short breaks here and there.” My stomach clenches into knots as I blurt out the next question. “Would you possibly be willing to move in with me here in Vegas to give this a try in the real world?” It just makes sense. If she gets her own place somewhere else, that’s commuting time that we could be spending together. We’ll stay in the same bed every night anyway, so why not just jump right in?
Her eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
I nod just slightly. “The time we’ve spent apart has been the worst in my life. This is what I want.Youare what I want.”
She seems to contemplate that. “So just…pick up and move across the country to a new place where I know nobody?”
I raise my brows. “Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Except, according to Cooper, you and his wife are pretty tight already.”
She purses her lips. “I don’t know about that. We just met yesterday when they picked me up at the airport and took me to dinner. But there’s potential there.”
I chuckle. “If it’s too fast, you have the power to say no. We’ll figure it out. I just can’t move from Vegas right now since I’m in season.”
“What will I do for work? I can’t just quit Renegade’s. Chip needs me. And Jackie—”
“Ah, yes. The sex bucket list authors.” I smirk. “Look, Chip was fine for the month you were in the Bahamas, and your friendship with Jackie doesn’t end just because you’re here. You can go visit her any time.”
She nods as I watch her eyes. She’s contemplating it. There’s actually a real chance she might say yes.
“I love you, Millie Monroe. I think we have a lot to learn about each other, and I think it’s not always going to be easy. I want to share in the joys with you and to navigate a new reality together, whatever that looks like, whatever it means. We’ll figure it out as we go. And if it means flying you to see your friends back in Chicago when I’m out of town, that’s what we’ll do. If it means flying them here, I’ll take care of it. It’s you and me now. Okay?”
“Thank God,” she whispers, and she pulls my head down for a quick kiss. “I was terrified you were going to tell me to take a hike.”
I look at her tenderly. “I’m sorry I behaved in a way that would cause you to think that. I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean down and kiss her.
She pulls back. “And by the way, I would love to move here and give this a try with you, but I don’t know what that’ll look like or what the hell I’ll do all day if I’m not working besides freak out that I’m all alone.”
I chuckle. “The offer is still on the table to head up my foundation, you know.”
Her eyes light up, and she sits up a little straighter. “Seriously?”
“Of course. I wasn’t lying when I said that I think you have a great eye for not just business but also for marketing and the social aspect that I have no clue about, and I think you’d be incredible at running it.”
“I keep thinking about how it feels like the perfect position, because I can still blog and write about my travels and tips and tricks and review the places I visit, but the whole idea behind it was to help people, and this gives me a completely new outlet that will allow me to help more people in another way. All I want is to have an impact.”
“Well, you’ve certainly had an impact on me,” I say, and I can’t help but lighten the moment by shifting my hips up against her ass.
“Something’s trying to impact my butt,” she says.
We both break out into laughter, which is then swallowed up when my mouth finds hers.
CHAPTER 50: Millie Monroe
It’s Home
We spend the morning together holed up in my hotel room talking. Yes, actually talking. We order in breakfast.
He fills me in on what it’ll be like to be the girlfriend of a pro baseball player, and he tells me about some of the other players’ girlfriends and wives.
We talk about what life might look like here in Vegas for me. He puts in some calls to some different people to get me set up to take on his foundation. There’s a lot of work to be done, but he has people in place who will be available to help me.
He has to be at the stadium by two o’clock for tonight’s game, and it’s a little after ten when I emerge from the shower dressed for the day.
“I need to go home and shower. Want to come with me so I can give you the tour of your new home?” he asks.
