Page 49 of Sweet Spot

“Not the other suite?”

“No. The plan is to hire someone to help us out. Someone who can be here for Rosie when we’re on the road and keep the house running smoothly. Besides, when they’re here Mom likes to be close to Rosie.”

I stood in the middle of the room while Kate poked around. “It’s a very lovely home, Isaac.” She stopped in front of the windows and looked out at the water.

“Would you like something to drink?” I didn’t need anything. Not with the way I was buzzing.

“No. I’m good.” She set her purse on my dresser and picked up a picture of Rosie holding up a conch shell. “She was so proud of you today.”

“She liked hearing the crowd cheer for her.” My girl was sweet, but she was also human.

“Maybe. But she was still very proud of you. I saw the way she looked at you.”

I took the picture and set it back on the dresser, then took Kate’s face in my hands. “Did you see the way I looked at you?”

She melted all over again. “Yes. It was very hot and Eli noticed.”

“Good. I want everyone to notice.” I didn’t sound like myself.

“Isaac.”

“I don’t know what you do to me, but I like it.”

“Agreed.”

I pulled back, studying the dreamy look on her face. “Is this new for you too?”

“The head spinning giddy excitement or the fact that I feel like I was supposed to meet you?”

I swallowed hard hearing her repeat everything I had been thinking since the night we met. “Both.”

“Oh,” she whispered. “I think you better kiss me again.”

“Or?”

“Or I might disappear.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew I needed to kiss her, so I did as she asked and got so lost in the kiss I didn’t know what I was doing anymore. I wasn’t Isaac and she wasn’t Kate. We were two starved humans who needed each other.

“Isaac, I—I haven’t done this in a long time.”

“Done what?”

“This.” Her fingers tightened on my neck. “A relationship. The last few years have been a disaster. Nothing has lasted more than a couple of weeks.”

“You’ve been waiting for me to turn into a pumpkin like all the rest?”

“Yes! But then you didn’t. I just keep liking you more and now we’re past the point where I remember what to do.”

Her confession gave me confidence. I hooked my hands behind her back and gazed down at her. “That’s okay. You want to know why?” She nodded quickly. It wasn’t often I had all the answers, or even the perfect line, but I did now. “None of those dates worked out for a reason. They weren’t right. They weren’t me. So it doesn’t matter how long it’s been or who you’ve dated in the past. None of it matters to us. We’re walking a brand-new path and it will be unlike anything you’ve ever known. I promise you that.”

17

Everett

My pitching arm felt good. So did my soul. I always wondered what it would feel like stepping onto the field—finally standing on the mound in front of a packed stadium, throwing heat to the very best ballplayers in the world. And now I knew.

I was fucking awesome!