Page 13 of Curveball

Now here we were, face to face, nowhere to hide. And unfortunately for me, the first thing that popped into my head was how fucking beautiful she looked. There had never been another girl who compared to her.

Pulling me from my inner turmoil, Farrah cleared her throat to break the awkward silence. "Uh, hey, Walker. It's good to see you." She tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear, a nervous habit she’d always had.

I looked at my mom and then back at Farrah with a tight nod. "Yeah, hey Farrah," was all I could manage, feeling completely unprepared for this interaction. I’d always imagined that by the time we were around each other again in person, I would be completely unaffected by her.

Unfortunately, not the case.

Instead, I stood in the doorway, barely able to form a sentence while my eyes swept over her. She wore a light blue sundress, thin straps stretched over her tan shoulders. The top clung to her, accentuating her perfect fucking tits before falling away at her hips. The hem hit just above her knees, showing off her long, toned legs. And those heels? They only made it worse. I forced myself to look away.

Farrah turned toward my mom. "Well, I think I’ve got everything I need to submit the orders and get the process started. I'll call you if I need anything, but I think we’re good to go."

My mom smiled warmly at Farrah. She’d always loved her; sometimes I think more than she loved me.

"Okay, great. Thanks again, Farrah. I'm really excited."

Farrah hugged my mom goodbye and quickly slipped past me to make her exit, flooding my senses with lemon and jasmine. It took all the willpower I had not to inhale deeply, to breathe her in.

"I'm going to pretend you weren't just a complete asshole to her. I don't care what happened between you two. I didn't raise any son of mine to act that way, so I'll pretend it's because of your injury." My mom shook her head as she walked past me, making her way to her office. I followed closely behind, tail tucked between my legs. I hated disappointing her.

She sat behind her desk, eyes narrowed in my direction. I took the chair across from her. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm just not in a good headspace, and seeing Farrah kind of threw me. It's been a long time since I've seen her in person."

My mom's eyes softened. "I understand that, Walk, but you can still be polite." She turned her attention to her laptop. "And you’re going to have to get used to seeing her around here often, because she’s renovating the tasting room for us."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, frustrated. "Seriously? You couldn't use literally anyone else?"

She glanced up at me. "No. She’s like family, and I trust her. You need to grow up and have a conversation with her, or figure out how to be around her. Y'all broke up a long time ago, and a lot of life has been lived since then. It's time you move past it and be able to be in the same room."

Easier said than done.

Between my injury and having to be around Farrah now, I was at my limit. It was all too much. Since arguing with my mom was not an option, I nodded and told her I had to meet Dad for lunch.

As I was making my way out to my truck, I shot my dad a text.

Me: Hey Dad, sorry something came up. Can't make lunch. Raincheck?

Dad: Yeah, no problem. See you later

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and made my way to the only place I wanted to be.

On a trail with my horse.

Chapter 7

Walker

8 Years Ago

I’d been playing for the Austin Aviators for a year now, and it had been both the best and worst year of my life.

I loved my coaches and my teammates, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like I truly fit in with the guys. Baseball was everything I had hoped it would be at the professional level. But none of that changed the fact that I missed Farrah. It felt as if she had ripped my heart out and taken it with her, leaving behind a hollow ache that never fully went away.

For some fucked-up reason, every home game I found myself searching the crowd for her face. When I was out in Austin, I caught myself scanning sidewalks, restaurants, and bars, hoping for even a glimpse of her. My sister Addison still talked to her fairly often, since they had always been close, but she never offered up any details about how Farrah was doing. The silence drove me crazy.

Still, I wasn’t about to ask.

Tonight, my youngest sister, Ava, was in town with her best friend, Aria, to catch one of my home games. They had graduated from high school just a couple of months earlier and were trying to spend as much time together as possible before college pulled them in opposite directions. Ava was heading west to USC, while Aria would be going to Auburn in Alabama. Aria also happened to be Farrah’s younger sister, which made the whole situation even more complicated than it needed to be.

After the game, the plan was to meet them back at the penthouse I had recently purchased, order pizza, and keep things low-key. Ava wanted to see the new place, and I wanted a quiet night at home.