Page 22 of Guys Can’t Write Romance

The boys were laughing even as they worked, and Daisy noticed they took extra care putting everything away properly in the newly organized shed.

After the gear was stowed away and the kids sent home, Chad jogged over to the bleachers with a baseball in his hand.

“So,” he called up to Daisy, who was gathering her things. “Learn lots of good stuff today?”

“I think so,” Daisy said as she headed down the bleachers to join him. “I learned you’re either a good coach, or young boys with baseball bats aren’t as destructive as I thought.”

Chad laughed. “The trick is to channel that destructive energy into something constructive.” He held out the baseball. “Here’s your souvenir for graduating ‘Baseball for Newbies’.”

Daisy smiled as she took it, her fingers brushing briefly against his. She rolled it in her palm. “You know, it’s probably going to get labeled.”

He smiled. “Make it something cool, like ‘McKenzie 3000.’”

“I’m sure you’ll explain what that means at some point,” she said.

“Next lesson,” he said as they headed off toward the parking lot. “So, did you figure out how to un-suck Rick?”

“I think so,” she said, giving him a quick look before turning away. A question was burning in her chest, and had been since about midway through practice. The problem was, she didn’t know how to ask it, or if she even should. Finally, she decided to just blurt it out before she lost her nerve.

“Do you ever see yourself having kids?”

Chad slowed slightly, not sure if he heard right. “Kids?”

“Yeah,” Daisy said quickly, trying to keep her voice light and casual and not sound like she just stepped into traffic. “You’re good with those boys. I was just wondering if… you know... you see that for yourself, someday.”

Chad took a moment to think about it. “Yeah,” he finally said, his voice quiet but sure. “I can see that.”

Daisy blinked, startled by the simplicity and how readily he admitted it. Not like Ethan, who always diverted or dismissed the question entirely. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Chad said, rubbing the back of his neck briefly before glancing at her. “Not like tomorrow or anything. I’m pretty sure I’ve still got some growing up to do myself first. But definitely someday.”

Somewhere in Daisy’s chest, that soft tug returned, stronger now. “Well, for what it’s worth,” she finally said, “I think the team already thinks you’re grown up.”

Chad chuckled, shaking his head. “They’re baseball players, Daze. Their standards are low. What about you? Do you want kids?”

“Definitely. A whole bunch of them.”

“Yeah?” Something soft crossed his face. “I can see that. You’d be good at it.”

“You think?”

“Sure. You’d have them color-coding their toys by age three.”

She smacked his arm, but she was smiling. “Jerk.”

They reached her car, and Chad suddenly seemed very interested in the ground. “So, uh, does Boring- does Ethan want kids?”

She shook her head. “He wants to focus on his career right now.”

“Ah.” Chad kept his voice carefully neutral.

A weird tension filled the air between them, full of things neither of them was ready to say.

“Well,” Daisy said quickly, fishing for her keys. “Thanks for letting me watch practice, coach.”

“Anytime, Fields.” He stepped back, hands in his pockets. “See you at the writers’ group meeting?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“I expect to see lots of good stuff, and zero nap time.”

She smiled. “And I expect to see zero monsters and scantily clad females.”

“Already done. I had a good teacher.”

The warmth was suddenly back in her chest. “So did I.”

Daisy knew she was in trouble the minute she walked in the door and saw Chloe waiting not-so-patiently on the couch, like a parent waiting for their kid to get home from prom. Chloe popped a chip in her mouth, her default dinner when left unsupervised.

“Sooo…” Chloe said, letting the word draw out, “how did baseball for clueless roommates go?”

Daisy tried her hardest to fight the grin tugging at her face and failed miserably. “It went fine.”

“Okay, cut.” Chloe said. “This time, we need the ‘fine’ to match the grin on your face.”

“What grin?” Again, Daisy failed miserably at hiding it.

“The one that says you just spent the afternoon watching Hot Coach be adorable with children.”

“You’re imagining things.”

Chloe sat up and popped another chip into her mouth. “I think it’s cute that you think you’re fooling anyone. Now, spill.”

“There’s nothing to spill. Now, I need to work on my novel.”

“Ooh, like making changes to Rick? Please, please, please, say yes.”

“Yes. I’m making changes to Rick.”

“So he’ll be less like boring boyfriend?”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “I’m adding more depth to his character. And no, that’s not an admission that he was ever like Ethan.”

“Can you make him able to laugh without scheduling it first?”

“Ethan laughs.”

Chloe shot her a look. “I thought we were talking about Rick.”

Daisy groaned. “You’re impossible.”

Chloe grinned. “I know. But will he be more like Chad?”

“We are done talking. Now, I need to get to work.”

“Your face is doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“That smile you get whenever someone mentions his name. Like that, right there.”

Daisy slapped her hand over her mouth. “We are done,” she said, her voice muffled through her hand. “Now, go paint things.”

Chloe grinned. “You know it’s okay to like him, right?”

“Like who?”

“Come on,” Chloe said with a roll of her eyes.

“I have a boyfriend, Chloe. Are you forgetting that?”

“And I have kale in the fridge. Doesn’t mean I have to eat it.”

“Chloe!”

“I’m just saying, maybe it’s time to admit that Chad makes you feel something that Boring Banker doesn’t.”

Daisy grabbed her laptop and headed toward her room. “We’re not having this conversation.”

“Fine. But I’m predicting that by chapter two, Rick suddenly develops a sense of humor and starts coaching little league.”

Daisy slammed the bedroom door behind her and sat down at her desk.

She opened her laptop and stared at the chapter she’d been editing.

There was no denying that Rick had changed.

He was kinder now and funnier. Less concerned with five-year plans, and more interested in enjoying life as it came.

And he made her female lead laugh, instead of just scheduling coffee dates.

If she was being perfectly honest, he was nothing like Ethan anymore.

“Shut up,” she told her laptop.