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I stand with the rest of our crew as Eli looks up at us. He’s watching me intently as I soothe Sophie, rubbing her head, trying to make sure she feels safe with all the loud noises. I wish I knew what he was thinking right now.
Eli reaches into his shirt and takes the gold chain out from under his collar. He brings it to his lips, kissing the charm, and my heart pounds erratically in my chest. The smile he undoubtedly sends in my direction creates a flood of memories.
Nothing feels better than being on the receiving end of an Eli Barton smile.
After Eli carries his team to a victory over the Texas Rangers, he waves all of us down to the first baseline where the other families are gathered around, speaking to their players.
A few of the wives and girlfriends I met at the beach barbecue have come over to say hi and meet the girls. They have all been super sweet and several of them offered to help any time I need an extra hand at the games.
When Eli makes it over to us, Addison reaches from John’s arm, wanting her daddy the minute she sees him. He lights up at the sight of his girl. He flips that damn hat around before pressing a kiss to Addy’s cheek, and my ovaries almost explode. Eli in a backwards hat… has and will always be my undoing.
Roger, the catcher who has been with Eli since his first day on the Bulls, spots me behind all the parents and makes his way over, kissing me on the cheek.
“It’s great seeing you around more, Quinn.” He rubs his hand gently over the top of Sophie’s head.
“Hi, Angel.”
I pick her tiny hand up and wave it back at Roger. “Hi, Uncle Roger. Heck of a game out there.”
He chuckles as Eli walks up, slapping him on the back.
“There’s my other two girls,” he says without hesitation as he admires me, softly caressing Sophie’s little hand.
His words take me back to the last time he called mehis girl. The night I made the decision to walk away from him… from us… from them. Looking back, there are so many things I wish I would have done differently. But I refuse to dwell on the past anymore… I did what was right for me at the time.
Twenty
It's been a week since everyone left, leaving just Quinn, me, and the girls. So far, everything is running smoothly. The girls are adapting to Florida very well and they’re loving having Quinn around, and I’m not going to lie, I am too. Her cheerful disposition brings an entirely new element into the house that was surely missing. The whole place just feels lighter, moods are elevated.
Practice ran late this evening, so it’s already dinnertime when I pull up to the house. Seeing Quinn’s rental parked in the garage amongst a shitload of baby gear puts a smile on my face after a long day. We’re still in the beach house I rented when all the family was here. I knew it would be the perfect place for us to stay during spring training. It has five bedrooms, three of which have their own bathrooms, and a guest house. A large media room, a playroom, and a massive screened-in deck overlooking the ocean. Not to mention how much my girls are loving playing on the beach every day.
Music and tiny giggles fill the air as I approach the kitchen. I pause just outside the doorway and watch as Quinn dances around the kitchen island, singing Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” into a baby spoon. The girls are loving every second of it, both clapping their hands at Quinn’s performance. If the spaghetti on the floor and the sauce-covered surfaces are any indication, they’ve both already eaten.
The song comes to an end, and I can't help but clap. Quinn jumps at the sound of my loud applause.
“Geez, you scared me. I didn’t hear the garage door,” she says, smiling. Both the girls are practically twisting out of their seats to see me, followed by incessant ‘Dada’ babbling.
Walking to get in front of their seats, I see just how covered in food they truly are. Addison’s tray, bib, and face are painted red, and Sophie has spaghetti and sauce in her hair.
“Well, look at you two,” I say, disregarding the mess and giving them each an Eskimo kiss. It’s something I’ve been trying to teach them for a while now, and they’re just starting to get the hang of it.
I look back at Quinn, who has an awed look on her face, and see she hasn’t gone unscathed either. She shakes her head once she realizes my gaze is on her and looks down at her stained clothes and shrugs. “What can I say… they really like spaghetti.”
“You cooked?” I question with a cocked brow. Unless this is a new skill she’s acquired over the past year of nannying, I already know the answer.
“Hell no, you want them to actually eat their dinner, don’t you? It’s SpaghettiOs” She laughs. “But I was thinking of maybe ordering one of those meal delivery systems. They give you all the ingredients already measured out and a recipe card to follow. I figured it’s worth a shot.”
“That sounds like a great idea. On nights when I’m home, I’ll help too. We could both benefit from learning how to cook.”
“You know both our moms would be devastated if they saw us learning how to cook from a recipe card.” She winces, making me laugh. It’s true, both of our moms are great cooks. I think it secretly breaks their hearts that the chef gene hasn’t been passed down. Lo and I certainly didn’t inherit it, and Maddie can cook slightly better than us two. Brayden cares more about eating than cooking, and Quinn falls pretty much under the same category as Lo and me.
“It can be our little secret, then maybe we can work up to them teaching us some of their tried-and-true family favorites.”
The genuinely happy look on Quinn's face has me entranced. The thought of anything involving us in the future always puts my mind in some sort of dream-like state.
That dream bubble quickly pops when a wet blob of what I'm assuming is spaghetti hits my arm. The giggle that erupts from Addison easily reveals who’s the culprit.
“Let’s go, you two, into the tub we go,” I say, releasing their trays.
