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I followed her gaze to see my niece approaching while my sister sat on the bottom row of the bleachers holding Graham’s leash. That dog was as much a part of the family as I was.

A few other girls arrived, and I had them go out to the field to start stretching, then I saw her.

Maggie.

She was adorable in her black athletic shorts and a matching crop top that showed a small strip of her bare midriff. Fuck, did that sliver of stomach do something to me. I wanted to pull that top up and see her beautiful chest, pull her shorts aside and fill her the way I’ve been wanting to do since I heard she was coming back to town.

But I kept my cool, and when she got closer to me, I whispered, “That hangover feeling better?”

She eyed me over the top of her sunglasses. “I’mneverdrinking again.”

I laughed. “That’s what we all say.”

“Keep teasing me and that video I have of you is getting posted on the internet.”

My jaw dropped. “You took a video?”

“How could I not?” She smirked. “I’ve watched it three times already.”

“You’re devious, Maggie Ray.”

She shrugged and then scanned the field of our girls, who had abandoned stretching and started playing tag. She used her fingers to count them off and said, “Gang’s all here.”

I called out for them, and we started a batting drill, beginning with Esther and her brand-new bat. It was practically glowing in the dark with how bright it was.

At the end of practice, we went through the familiar motions of cleaning everything up, and Maggie lingered by my truck. Her standing there reminded me of the last practice, when I’d taken her out to the country and “punished” her. The way she screamed my name still played over and over in my mind.

But I needed to keep my head on straight because I had a question for her, a big one.

“Hey,” I said.

She smiled over at me. “Hey.”

My stomach turned over with something like butterflies. What was the manly version of that? A beehive? Those killer wasps everyone was talking about a few years ago? Whatever it was, Mags did it to me. But I needed to set aside my distracting thoughts and just ask her already.

“Mags, I was wondering if you’d come to my family’s farm for Wednesday night dinner tomorrow. Dad’s grilling, as usual, and everyone brings a side dish, and there’s always a bunch of kids running around playing. It’s a good time, but I know it would be better with you.”

She smiled softly, but there was a reservation behind that smile. I could see it in the tightness of her eyes. “It’s so nice of you to invite me.”

“But?”

She rubbed her arm. “But would it send your family the wrong message?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, those butterflies/bees/wasps quickly turning to lead.

“I mean, they might think we’re a couple.”

Forget lead; now her words were like a punch to the gut. “You don’t want them to think we’re together?”

Her mouth opened and closed, then she spoke carefully. “I only mean that we’re still figuring out what we are. We haven’t discussed labels or anything.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Labels? I’m a grown adult. I don’t need to call you my girlfriend to know what you are to me.” I shook my head. “Mags, I know what I want.” I put my hand to my chest. “I think you’re the only one who doesn’t know.”

She reached for my hand, but I felt stiff under her touch. “Rhett, we’re having so much fun together. Isn’t that enough?”

I stepped back, pacing the ground in the dim dirt parking lot. “I don’t want to ‘have fun’ with you, Mags. I told you I was done fucking around with girls just for the hell of it, and I meant it.”

Her eyes studied me, looking darker than usual under the dusky light. “I don’t know if I can give you a relationship, Rhett.”