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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

RACHEL

“Again, you didn’t have to drive me all the way home,” I told Silas as he turned onto my block.

He frowned at me as he pulled into a spot right on the corner of my street. Silas was the first person I’d ever met who could find parking so damn fast in this neighborhood.

“So, I’m supposed to fuck you all night and hand you a MetroCard in the morning to get on the subway?”

“You’d give me my own MetroCard? That’s sweet, Silas.” I clasped my hands under my chin and fluttered my eyelashes, ignoring the heat pooling between my legs at his reference to fucking me all night.

I hoped I had a little time before Taylor came home to sit in a warm bath, as all night wasn’t really an exaggeration. It had been about four in the morning before we’d finally dozed off. I wished I could lounge in his bed for the whole morning, but I didn’t want to look like I’d been out all night long when my sister came home.

Our mother would sashay home midafternoon after one of her dates, too tired and distracted to bother with either of us as she’d sleep on the couch for the day.

I wouldn’t do that to my sister, no matter how tired I was, but I didn’t want to have to explain why a book signing in the late evening had me coming home the following morning in the same dress she’d helped me pick out.

Breakfast wasn’t sad this time, but it was fast. Silas had bought us bagels from the deli next to his building, and we’d hopped into his car after I’d stopped arguing with him over taking me home.

“Boyfriends don’t do that. I know you’re new to the concept, so just follow my lead,” he said, pecking my lips before climbing out of the driver’s seat.

I had to laugh. I guessed I didn’t know the right thing to do after a sleepover with a boyfriend since I’d never had too many with any men, period. And a repeat of last night wouldn’t be anytime soon. Sure, my sister loved staying over at her friends’ houses or visiting our cousins in New Jersey, but that was a once-a-month kind of thing, if that.

We’d need a very long talk before Silas stayed at our house. And while I felt good about us, we’d been going fast enough. I needed some time before I brought Silas into both our lives.

But at least I wasn’t afraid to bring him in. This wasn’t repeating bad family habits as I’d always feared if I ever met someone I really wanted to be with.

I was doing something for me. That was a good thing—and didn’t have to be relegated to only the random day off once every few months.

This was unexpected progress. But to make it stick, I needed to make it slow progress.

“You don’t have to walk me all the way inside. You have to be at the field later today.”

“I’m the manager. I don’t have to run any drills or stay in the batting cage. I direct. Manage .” He winked and took my hand. “I’ll walk you upstairs and go since you seem to be in such a rush to get rid of me.”

I craned my neck to him as I unlocked my door.

“That is not it.” I pushed the door open, stepping aside for him to come in and shut it behind us.

“You’re exhausted. I want you to go home and get some rest.”

“Which I will do when I get home.” Silas backed me against the inside of the door. “I like knowing you’re okay. Safe. Even putting you in a cab that morning bothered the hell out of me because I couldn’t even text you to check if you made it home.”

“But you could look up my author page and check later, right?”

He narrowed his eyes, boring them into mine as he shook his head.

“I want to take care of you. You don’t need it and you’ve done more than great on your own with your sister, but you deserve it.” He traced his knuckles along my jaw. “You’re beautiful in the morning.”

I chuckled as I grabbed on to his wrist.

“I have a head full of tangles and last night’s makeup shadowing my face. That does it for you?”

He ran his thumb along my bottom lip, his body almost flush to mine.

No harm in taking him upstairs for just a little while, right?

“ You do it for me. Give me that mouth.”

My knees melted as I fell against him, looping my arms around his neck as he crushed his lips to mine, pressing me into the door as he slid his hand up my bare thigh.

“Rach?”

My eyes popped open as my body froze. That couldn’t be my sister’s voice. She wasn’t due home until two. I’d just spoken to her last night around ten, and she’d said, “See you after two.”

“What are you…what are you doing home?”

“Did you check your phone this morning? One of the parents had an emergency, so we had to leave first thing in the morning. Like, before sunrise.”

Taylor gaped at both of us, her eyes darting back and forth between Silas and me as Mrs. Ruiz tried, and failed, to hide her smile.

My kid had texted me that she was coming home early, and I was too busy having sex to check my phone. Too many orgasms had cost me valuable brain cells. I wasn’t there for my kid because I was too distracted by my boyfriend.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“I’m so sorry, Tay. I should have checked, and I didn’t.”

“She’s fine,” Mrs. Ruiz said, patting Taylor on the shoulder. “She’s only been here for fifteen minutes. She didn’t have her key, so she stayed with me for a bit. Stop thinking what I know you’re thinking.” She pinched her gray brows at me.

“So, um,” Taylor said, making a slow approach to where I was still backed against the door. “You and Mr. Jones…” She pointed her finger back and forth between us.

“Yes,” I said. While I’d planned on bringing him around a lot later, I wouldn’t lie about who he was to me. I didn’t say the words, but Taylor was a smart kid. And what she’d caught us doing was obvious for anyone to figure out.

“Listen, why don’t we go upstairs and talk? Yes, talk,” I said, my words too fast and squeaky as I pushed past Silas and Taylor and jetted upstairs.

I didn’t turn to the stomp of footsteps behind me as I unlocked the door and threw my big purse by the coat rack. Silas’s jersey was sticking out, and I gave thanks that at least I hadn’t worn it home as he’d suggested.

“Did you have fun?” I asked my sister as I sat on my couch. I found Silas’s gaze as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall, jerking my head toward the cushion next to me to signal him to come sit down.

“Yeah,” she said, giving me a noncommittal shrug. “The hiking was good but hot. Two of us fell but didn’t get hurt. Did you have fun?”

She popped a brow as she crossed her arms.

“Have a seat, Tay,” I said, motioning to the recliner next to the couch.

“Did you start seeing him after you wrote the article?”

I shot a look at Silas. The last thing I wanted to do was lie to my sister, but I wasn’t sure if she needed to know all the truth and hear another story of her big sister coming home in the same clothes as the day before.

“We met before that,” Silas answered for me. “We had tacos in Williamsburg and didn’t plan to see each other after that.”

“But we kept running into each other,” I said, sneaking him a smile before I went back to my sister.

“Did he go to your book signing?” she asked, eyeing my dress.

“Yes, he surprised me. I like him, Tay. A lot. He’s a really good guy. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with this right away. I know it’s weird to see.”

“It’s not weird.” When she scrunched up her nose in disgust like that, she looked so much like me. “I think it’s really great.”

“Great?” I repeated.

“Yeah, you never see anyone. I want you to be happy. And do something besides take care of me.” Her gaze fell to the carpet.

“Hey,” I said, popping off the couch and crouching in front of her. “I love taking care of you. Our mother didn’t give us the greatest example. I never wanted you to feel like you came second to anyone.”

“Yeah, but I always made you miss out on stuff.”

“No.” I grabbed her hands. “You are the only good thing Mom ever gave me. The best thing. I haven’t missed out. Got it?”

“Got it. Like I said, I just want you to be happy.”

“So do I,” Silas said behind me. “And I’m on it, I promise.”

“There is just one little thing.”

Taylor studied me with a deep crease in her forehead.

Telling her about Silas and me had been much easier than I’d thought it would be, but this felt…gross to say out loud.

“While my agency is working for the Bats and they’re your team’s sponsor, Silas and I need to keep things a little quiet.”

“Why? Because you didn’t look quiet by the door just now.”

“We didn’t think anyone was—listen, I know. It’s…new to see me with someone. But just for now, don’t say anything to anyone until I tell you that it’s okay.”

“So, he has to, like, hide you?”

“No,” Silas answered again for me. “I’m definitely not hiding your sister. When the time comes, I’m taking her everywhere, so the world knows we’re together. It’s just a little complicated now.”

“Is this why the Bats sponsored our team?”

I swiveled my head to Silas, relieved not to be the only uncomfortable adult in the room.

“I knew about your team through your sister. The Bats wanted to sponsor Brooklyn youth sports teams, so I suggested your team’s name.”

Taylor nodded, not looking like she bought it all the way, but she dropped it.

“You like her too?” Taylor asked him.

“Yes, very much. Your sister is amazing, and I promise to make sure she never forgets it.”

Taylor’s eyes danced when she met my gaze. I finally exhaled as my shoulders sagged with relief.

Silas stood from the couch and came over to us. “I’ll let you guys talk. I need to head home and try to get some sleep before heading to the field.”

“Thanks for the ride,” I said as I straightened off the floor.

He leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Talk later?”

“Absolutely,” I said.

“Nice to see you again, Taylor,” Silas said as he shifted toward the door.

“You too, Mr. Jones.”

“You can call me Silas. You ladies get some rest.”

He shut the door behind him, and the fight not to swoon my heart out over him in front of my sister was taxing as hell.

“Wow, you have a baseball player boyfriend,” Taylor said, bouncing as she pulled at my arm.

“Manager, but yes. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Her mouth pulled into a frown.

“You’re not Mom. I know that. You’re always so afraid that you are or that I’ll think you are, that you…hover.”

She grimaced at me.

“I hover?”

“I know it’s because you love me. And sometimes, I hover right back because I’m scared Mom is going to come back and screw things up. But now, I get some free time because you have a hot, secret boyfriend. I wish I could tell the girls.”

I lost any words as my sister grabbed her backpack and strode to her room.

It was time for a long bath and a gigantic cup of coffee.

I grabbed my purse, plucking out the jersey and rooting around for my phone.

Sure enough, Taylor had texted me right after I’d left Silas’s apartment. At least I hadn’t missed it during sex, just while mooning over him as he insisted on driving me home because he wanted to take care of me.

From the time I’d met him, I’d wondered if Silas was a conjuring of my active imagination. When I turned too fast and registered a dull pain between my legs, it was enough proof he was real.

Below my sister’s text was a message from Mrs. Ruiz.

Mrs. Ruiz: HE IS SO HOT. I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU AND YOUR GRAMS IS TOO.

Yes, I was sure Grams would be so proud of her granddaughter doing a double walk of shame.

But she wanted me to be happy. And I was. Uneasy, but happy.

It buzzed again as I plugged it into my charger.

Silas: Everything okay?

Me: Yes. She’s happy I have a secret boyfriend now so I don’t have to hover over her anymore.

Silas: Ouch.

Me: Seriously.

Me: Thank you for the ride home. And for making the trip last night. And for the rest of last night. And this morning. And everything.

Silas: It was all my pleasure, Slugger.

Silas: And just the beginning.