Page 44 of Curveball (Tennessee Terrors #9)

I drop my forehead to his chest and breathe him in.

Those quivers are tingling in my belly again.

My imagination has no trouble picturing us in any of those positions, and then, his stomach grumbles.

I laugh and pull away. We could both use something to eat.

But he pulls me back, and his arms wrap around me and hold me close, make me feel cherished, honored, and on the way to loved.

Dinner consists of grilled chicken breasts and one romaine heart, sliced in two. Max takes our two plates and sets them on the table.

“Whoa, bad boy. Not done yet. Bring them back.”

He does, and complains about carbs the whole while as I add flavor to our meal.

To the chicken, I scoop on a fresh salsa made from diced tomato, mango, and avocado.

I dress the naked lettuce with more of the tomato, a light dusting of parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic.

I get crazy and added toasted pepitas and a few dried cranberries to mine, but I don’t have to take the mound tomorrow.

Or worry about losing a contract or my spot on a team because my body’s not in top performing condition.

“So, you still want to call Dylan and Natalie and give them our big news?” Max asks from the counter, where he’s checking today’s scores on his laptop.

I have my back to him, reaching high to put the plates we washed back into the cupboard. I stack them, then lean my stomach against the edge of the counter. It feels as though the contents of it want to return in an abrupt and disagreeable manner.

“You know, Dylan will be back tomorrow. What if I just wait and?—”

My cop-out is interrupted by Max’s phone ringing through his computer.

“Too late, babe. Looks like this one’s already checking in. Come sit over here.”

I move to take the stool beside him, planting on a smile just as Natalie and Adele both pop onto the screen.

“Daddy, hi!” Natalie gushes, and Max’s grin goes broad, his dimple digging deep into his cheek as he tells his daughter hello for the first time in days. I wave to them, also, using my right hand and hiding my left, and call out my hello.

“You’ve been having fun, using sunscreen, minding Dilly?” Max asks, and both the vacationing women just laugh.

“This one’s been having fun, that’s for sure,” Adele says.

“Good job in Michigan, Daddy. Did you do anything besides work? You’re allowed to have fun on away trips, you know.” I want to ease away, remove myself from this conversation, but Max’s hand on my thigh keeps me in place.

“Had loads of fun, bug.” He’s still got a smile plastered to his face, but the corners of his mouth are sagging a little.

I’m glad I’m not the only one battling nerves at the thought of this upcoming conversation.

“So, I’m really glad you both are on this call, because there’s something Natalie and I want to talk to you about, and I bet you’ll never guess what it is. ”

“Are we getting a puppy?”

Max shakes his head, but his shaking shoulders indicates it’s exasperation more than a negative response.

“No, not a puppy.”

“Are we moving?”

“No! What makes you think we’re moving?”

“No reason. Did you buy me a car for my birthday?”

“Natalie, your birthday is still months away. What’s with all the questions?”

“You said we wouldn’t guess and it sounded like a dare.”

Max turns his head away and murmurs, “For fuck’s sake,” and I kind of agree. Then again, he did sort of tell her to guess.

“Well, it’s not really news like that,” he says.

“Is it news that maybe Dylan would want to hear at the same time?” Adele asks, and Natalie pipes in.

“I’ll add him to the call!” and seconds later, there’s the ringing of another caller being added.

“Hey, everyone’s there!” Dylan answers, seeming excited to see us all. He lifts a hot dog to his mouth and takes a bite. “What’s going on?”

“We’re getting a puppy, we might be moving to Florida, and the Jeep I want for my birthday is parked in the driveway,” Natalie gushes. “Can you believe it?”

“Not a single word,” he deadpans. He cruises their campsite as he talks with us, and we get a view of tents, and a campfire, and Gabe and his dads sitting in folding camp chairs. “What’s really happening?” he asks, and he seems more alert than a minute ago.

Suddenly, I’m afraid to tell him that I married Max. We never even dated, not really, and this will be such a shock to him. How will he handle having another man in our life, when the last one wasn’t anything to look up to?

I’m hesitant to share our news with Natalie and Adele, too. They’ve been together since the day Natalie was born, sharing a special closeness since Max has always had such a wacky work schedule. Maybe we should wait to tell everyone. Wait until?—

“Palmer and I got married today!” Max exclaims.

Damn it, Max!

“Damn it, Mom!” Dylan shouts, and my heart sinks.

But Natalie and Adele are cheering and high-fiving, and I am confused . Everyone always seemed to get along well. What happened to change that? What have I done?

Max looks perplexed as well, beaming, yet clearly holding back, as if questioning whether it’s okay to laugh along with them.

“Dylan, I’m sorry. I . . .”

Then, I realize . . . Dylan is not angry, but pouting .

“What’s going on, guys?”

“Come on, Mom. I bet those two that you guys wouldn’t do anything until I got back. That’s what they’re cheering for. And now, I owe Adele twenty dollars.”

What?

“You did what? ” Holy hell, how many times in this kid’s life was I going to have to say that?

“Adele, you’re in on this?” Max asks in obvious amazement.

“Of course, I’m in on this. It’s easy money. You can pay up when we’re back from the beach, kid.”

Dylan moans again. Suddenly, he’s full of questions and the conversation is going in all different directions.

He wants to know if we’re moving into the big house. Max is quick to respond that we are.

He wants to know which room will be his. Max asks which one he wants, and he chooses the game room. Natalie immediately shuts him down.

Natalie wants to know if I’m going to finish my summer classes because she still needs a ride to school for her tutoring students. I answer I am, at the same time Max answers no way. We’ll be talking about that later.

Dylan asks if we can get tickets to any ball game we want. Max tells him yes, as long as his homework is done. Natalie hoots with laughter, till her dad gives her the same restriction. Then, she reminds him that is how we all came together in the first place, and that shuts him down .

Through the back and forth, the laughter, the teasing, one thing is forgotten. Alejandro. His threats. And most—maybe worst —of all . . . that our marriage is a sham.

“Hey, everybody,” I say into the hubbub, and the voices go quiet. “There’s a rule about this marriage that we all need to abide by.”

“What’s that?” they all ask in unison, and even Max looks curious.

“This news stays between us, at least for now. No friends, no social media. No press. Consider it a secret.”

Silence. And then, the questions erupt again.