Page 59

All the other family members in our section were jumping as much as I was, and I hugged Carter. “Did you see that? He did it!”

Carter squeezed me back. “It was a great hit, on a tough pitch. He’s been working hard in batting practice. It’s really paying off.”

He kept one arm slung around my shoulder as we both turned back to the action. The warmth and weight of his arm was comfortable, and I inched nearer to him, enjoying the closeness.

The next Red Rock hitter drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, and Ethan was able to advance to third on the same play. Then, with two out, Calgary’s pitcher walked another batter and hit a second one with another pitch to load the bases. Red Rock’s number eight hitter was up to bat, and the crowd went quiet.

I was buzzing—from excitement or anxiety, I wasn’t sure. I wanted this win so much for Ethan and his team. It was only the first inning, yet somehow this at bat had taken on the importance of a ninth inning walk-off. Any good hit would score two, and taking a four-run lead in the first inning would give Red Rock control of the game.

The infield was playing in, ready to make the force play at the plate, if necessary. The one thing the Red Rock batter was known for was his speed; he had more infield hits than anyone else in the league. And while Ethan had some speed, Calgary had better odds of throwing him out at the plate than catching the batter at first.

I tried to keep one eye on Ethan as he took a long lead off third base, while also watching the pitcher as he reared back and began his motion. With a mighty swing, the batter connected with the pitch, and the ball sailed over the shortstop’s head, landing in shallow center field. All the runners took off as soon as the bat connected. Ethan scored easily, and I waved wildly at him as he came back to the dugout. I could feel myself grinning like a fool.

The runner on second charged for the plate, sliding home safe in a cloud of dust. Making a truly smart play, the center fielder threw the ball to third, and the runner coming from first was tagged out, ending the inning.

“Four! They got four runs in the first!” I was ridiculously excited. Everyone had written off the small-town team from Red Rock, and here they were taking on the defending champions, with a commanding lead.

Carter hugged my shoulders again. “They’re playing well. It’s only the first inning, though. There’s a lot of baseball left to play.”

We sat back down, waiting for the second inning to start. Carter leaned in close. “I wanted to ask you: How hard would it be for you to take a few days off in July during the mid-season break?”

During the week of the NABL All-Star Game, minor league games were also suspended, and everyone got almost a week off to rest and recharge for the second half. The middle of July was wedding season, but I could probably make it work. “I could maybe take a few days at the beginning of the week?”

“How does a midweek getaway sound to you? Just you and me?”

Honestly, it sounded like heaven. Even with Chad out of the house, my life felt like a tornado. My business was my passion, and it looked like I would actually turn a profit this year, but I was running myself ragged doing it. Brooke and Ethan were pretty self-sufficient, but Ethan especially still needed my attention regularly. He was spending most of July at an elite baseball camp, so leaving him alone wouldn’t be a problem.

“I’m in.”

Chapter 33

Carter

It was the fourth inning when I heard the unmistakable sound of Chad’s voice raised in anger. He was arguing with one of the ushers about seating. I tensed, waiting to see if he would confront Jane and me about being kicked out of the house, or our relationship. I didn’t care if he outed us, but I did care if he hurt Jane or Ethan in the process.

Beside me, Jane froze. She didn’t turn to look at him, didn’t even acknowledge that he had arrived, but I sensed his presence put her on edge.

“Do you want to move?” There were open seats left in other sections of the ballpark. If she wanted some distance, we would move.

“No way. I don’t want Ethan to look for me and not be here. As long as he behaves himself, it’s fine.”

She nudged my shoulder with hers, telling me without words that she appreciated the idea. I sat back to watch the game. Maybe Chad wouldn’t cause problems and ruin Jane or Ethan’s night.

When Chad’s voice got fainter, I relaxed enough to refocus on the game. Ethan was playing well. All the work he’d put in was paying off. After the double in the first, he’d made two great plays in center field to deny Calgary’s team both hits and runs. Red Rock had scored two more in the third before Calgary had finally answered back with a solo home run in the fourth. If this kept up, Red Rock would take the division.

I’d already spotted four different scouts in the crowd, and there were probably more. Canada didn’t produce a huge number of top-tier ballplayers, but division winning games like this provided the best opportunity for scouts to find talent other teams might miss. Ethan and I had already talked about what he wanted for his future, but in the end, I was a friend, nothing more. Jane and Chad were his parents.

As the fifth inning came to an end, Jane stood and stretched beside me, groaning in pain. “My shoulder is killing me.”

“Would it help if we walked around the concourse for a bit?” I suspected that sitting hunched over in these seats wasn’t good for her pulled muscle.

“Maybe. I can’t take more painkillers for a couple hours, so stretching it out a bit might help.”

I stood and let her pass me, then followed her up the stairs to the concourse. We still had a good view of the game from up here, and she could move around a little. She bent over one of the high-top tables that lined the concourse and groaned as her shoulder stretched.

I swallowed as her T-shirt rode up, exposing a pale stripe of her lower back. Her jeans were hugging every curve of her ass, and I wanted nothing more than to stand behind her and help her work out all the kinks. I shifted, trying to get my hardening cock under control. Not the time, and not the place.

“Do you want me to get you an ice pack from the first aid station?” Walking away from temptation sounded like an excellent idea right now.