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Lane

Liv.

I like that.

“Pretty name for a pretty girl,” I smile, leaning in closer to the woman beside me.

She’s undeniably stunning. She’s taller—maybe 5’7”—with long, dark brown hair and deep green eyes. Her voice is sweet, and if her build is any indication, she’s athletic.

I can tell she’s younger than me, but I don’t care.

It’s not abnormal for me to be approached when I’m out in public—I’m the center fielder for the New York Stars. Almost everyone in this city knows who I am.

But she doesn’t.

She commented on the fact that I was wearing a Stars shirt without giving any indication that she recognized me or Ari.

It’s nice to be approached not just because of who I am.

Pink tinges her cheeks as she blushes, and I fucking love it. Liv seems a bit shy, maybe insecure, and it’s really cute.

“Thank you,” she finally replies, biting down a small smile. “Do you, uh… come here often?”

Ari stifles a laugh. Liv’s clearly not used to approaching people in public.

“Think I might start coming here every day,” I smirk, and she blushes harder.

God, it’s fucking adorable.

“Well, they make great caramel lattes here.”

“I guess that’s what I’ll be trying tomorrow.”

I lean with my back against the wall and cross my arms, keeping my eyes on Liv the entire time.

And Ari keeps his eyes focused on both of us, interested in seeing how this plays out.

Ari was just traded to the Stars last offseason, so he doesn’t know the old Lane.

The Lane that was a shameless flirt and always down for a good time.

The Lane that could step into a room and have no less than five women ready to come home with him.

The Lane I gave up the moment I found out I was having a kid.

I was a certified bachelor before my daughter Sage came along, intent on just enjoying life and avoiding anything that could tie me down.

I never pictured myself even wanting kids, but Sage came exactly when I needed her.

I was in a dark place when I got the news. My grandparents—the people who raised me from the time I was five—passed just a few months before. I took it hard since they were all the family I had left.

I was no stranger to one-night stands before that, but I was practically fucking any woman with a pulse after. I was drinking more, even on game nights. I was never mentally present, and it showed on the field. I was batting so poorly that I was almost relegated back down to our Triple-A team.

I won’t pretend I took the news about knocking someone up well because I sure as hell didn’t. But with the help of my friends, I crawled out of the dark place I was in and focused on learning how to be a dad.

Sage came the following January, and any doubt I had about wanting to raise her vanished the moment I saw her sweet face. She’s practically my mini-me, right down to the sandy brown hair and hazel eyes.

Some days are tough, but I haven’t let myself go back there. I’m not a perfect parent, but I try, and Sage is happy and healthy.

I couldn’t ask for more.

“So,” I say, returning my attention to Liv. “What do you do for work?”

“Oh,” she says softly. “I, uh… help out at my mom’s business. What about you two?” She gestures between Ari and me.

Ari takes the lead on answering. “We’re in… entertainment, you could say.”

I guess that’s one way of saying we play professional baseball.

Ari might be new to the team, but he’s always recognized as well.

He was a star when he played for the Atlanta Thunderbirds last season.

Before that, he played with our friend and teammate Cole Pierce on the Kansas Huskers.

All that to say, everyone knows who he is, and he seems to have picked up on the fact that Liv doesn’t recognize us.

“Entertainment?” she asks, raising her eyebrow in curiosity.

Before either of us have a chance to respond, the barista calls out, “Liv!”

“Well, that’s me,” she says with an uneasy laugh, grabbing what I assume is a caramel latte from the barista. “I should get going. But it was nice to meet you…” she trails off.

Since I’m a cocky bastard, I respond, “Next time.”

“What?”

“I’ll give you my name next time I see you.”

She looks at me in surprise, but I see the hint of a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “You seem pretty confident.”

“Very confident,” I wink as she starts to back away toward the door. “See you around, Liv.”

With a small wave, she walks out of Urban Grind, and I let out a breath, resting my hands together on the back of my head.

Ari looks at me and smirks.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing at all,” he chuckles. “It’s kinda fun to see this Lane. I only know you as Daddy Lane.”

My lips turn in disgust. “Do not call me Daddy Lane.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “If Pierce wasn’t on his honeymoon right now, he would’ve loved that.”

“Thankfully, he’s in Aruba then,” I grumble.

Cole actually just had his wedding over the weekend, though he got married to Rory Fisher last spring.

Well, I guess she’s actually Rory Pierce .

God, that was a shitshow for a bit. Rory’s dad is our Field Manager, Paul Fisher… who always made sure to let us know that all of his players were to stay away from his daughter.

Cole and Rory both pined for each other for almost four years before they finally gave in.

Shit hit the fan when her dad found out, and since we were at an away series in Vegas when he did, they snuck out and got married that night.

All is well with them now since Paul apologized for his behavior, and he’s the one who threw the wedding for them over the weekend.

And since Rory is actually Sage’s nanny, that means that I get to take my daughter to her ballet lesson tomorrow. I can’t fucking wait to see how much she’s learned.

“You know you’re still looking at the door, right?” Ari asks.

I shake my head and compose myself. “Uh, no… I didn’t realize that.”

He whistles with a devious look on his face. “Someone’s into Liv.”

A small smile crosses my face. “Can’t really deny that.”

I barely even met the woman, but there’s something about her. Something drawing me in, wanting to learn everything about her.

“Did you just find Sage’s new mom?” he asks, cocking his eyebrow.

I swipe my thumb across my bottom lip, smiling even wider. “Yeah, I think I did.”