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Chapter thirty-seven

Danae

“ Y ou really don’t need to be nervous. Our parents are awesome.

They’re friends with everyone. Heck—they love Griffin, so of course they’ll love you,” Samantha says.

Jason and I are following her through the inner labyrinth of the Crowns stadium, toward the locker room.

We’ll head up to Griffin’s suite soon, but we’re meeting him to say hello before the game starts.

Maybe eventually I’ll feel comfortable enough to greet him from the front of the stands like some of the other wives and girlfriends do during warm-ups.

But today is not that day.

For now, we’re flying under the radar. I’m not prepared for another onslaught of media attention.

We’ll tell Griffin good luck, and then I will focus on deep breathing while we make our way to the suite, where I will be meeting Griffin’s parents for the first time.

There are way too many games for them to travel up from Oklahoma for every one, but they’re here for the games today and tomorrow.

I spent most of last night writing out flow charts of every possible way this first meeting could go. I am well-prepared for whatever turn our conversation might take, and yet, in an equally real sense, not at all prepared.

My eyes glaze over as my mind chases itself down the rabbit hole of “What if his parents ask about such and such” questions, and I’m startled when Jason yanks his hand out of mine.

Pulling my vision back into focus, I see him sprinting to Griffin down the hallway.

My heart squeezes at the sight, and I pick up my own pace.

When Griffin’s eyes find me, his grin turns just this side of wicked as I approach. It only takes two giant steps from him to close the distance between us. He immediately grabs my hand, guiding me into a slow-motion twirl before securing me in place with a hand on either hip.

“Number eleven, huh?” he says, huskiness permeating his tone. His gaze languidly travels down my body and back up to meet my eyes again.

I trace the numbers on his jersey, mirrored on the one I purchased earlier today.

“Only ever number eleven,” I murmur, feeling a blush creep to my cheeks.

Griffin skims a kiss over the hottest part of my cheek, only adding to the flush.

“Good luck!” I blurt. “Break a leg? Is saying ‘good luck’ bad luck in baseball? I wish you well. You got this. Go get ’em, cowboy? Please help me out here.”

A deep laugh echoes in the hallway as Griffin loses the battle to stifle his response to my verbal tripping. Samantha and Jason join in with their own giggles. “‘Good luck’ is fine,” Griffin says. He leans in and adds in a lower tone, “Although we could further explore this cowboy talk.”

I smack him on the arm before he pulls me into a hug. “It’s good to have you here today,” he says in my ear. “My parents have talked about nothing other than meeting you and Jason the last three times I’ve called them.”

Abruptly pulling back, I grill him one final time. “Anything else I need to know? Have you thought of any last-minute pieces of information that I should be equipped with heading into this meeting? What additional intel do I need?”

His lips quirk in a half-smile. “Not a thing. They’re going to love you both.

And I really think that you’re going to love them too,” he says, voice warm.

“And the camera crew knows not to take any video footage of our suite for the jumbotron, so don’t be worried about that.

I've gotta get back into the locker room, but I’ll see you after, okay? ”

Griffin receives a final high five from Jason as he says, “I had an extra dish of chicken tenders sent to the suite just for you, Fireball.”

“Let’s gooo!” Jason says, eyes lighting up. “See you after the game, Mr. Griffin! I’ll be cheering as loud as I can!”

“You must be Danae!” a sweet, feminine voice exclaims.

So much for beating Griffin’s parents to the suite and having time to shut myself in the bathroom to mentally rehearse my preparation lists.

“I’m Cinda, Griffin and Sammi’s mom!” the woman says as she pulls me into a generous hug.

“I’ve been aching to meet you ever since Griff mentioned you back in January.

” She leans back but keeps her hands on my arms as she looks me over.

“This is a real treat,” Cinda adds, voice like honey and blue eyes dancing.

“Are you gonna give me a chance to introduce myself, too, or are you hogging her all to yourself today?” The deep voice has an uncanny similarity to Griffin’s cadence, and when I look over to the source of the voice, I’m struck by the physical similarities as well.

He’s a couple of inches taller than Griffin, but with the same jawline and winsome smile.

Allowing myself to breathe and smile widely, I say, “You have to be Griffin’s dad.”

His laughter booms just like Griffin’s belly laughs, and he holds out a hand to shake mine. “I’m David. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Now where’s the little guy I’ve heard so much about?”

At his question, I realize that Jason has been hiding behind me, but he peeks his head around my side. David crouches down and holds out his hand in an open invitation for a handshake or high five.

“You must be Jason. I’m David, Griffin’s dad. He’s told me a lot about how cool you are. I’ve been dying to hear some of those baseball stats you know so much about. ”

Jason takes a step to the side, revealing his full self from behind me. “You like baseball too?”

“Of course! You have me to thank for getting Griffin to start playing. Of course, he flew well beyond my coaching abilities after a season or two, but watching baseball is my favorite hobby,” David says, tone warm and inviting.

“It sounds like I might finally have a baseball buddy who likes to break down the plays as much as I do. Mrs. West here is all about the atmosphere, not so much the technical part of the game.”

The whole time David’s been talking, he’s stayed eye-level with Jason with his palm outstretched. I watch the guards slowly retract from Jason’s eyes, and he finally slaps David’s hand with a hearty high five.

“I’m most worried about the Crowns’ batting lineup. They might need to change the order from what they did in spring training,” Jason says.

“You think so?” David asks. “Tell me more about that. Well, tell me more about that after we get some snacks.” He stands to his full height and motions toward the food trays, and Jason happily scurries to check out the offerings.

Samantha has been quietly observing the exchange but suddenly shrieks, “What are you doing here?!” Her body is a blur as she launches herself at someone who just came out of the bathroom.

“Heya, sis,” a muffled voice says from underneath Samantha’s smothering.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were coming!” she says as she releases him. She looks over her shoulder at me and gestures toward the young man in front of her. “This is my baby brother, Ian.”

Ian rolls his eyes. “I am not a baby. I’m in college, Sam. A legal adult.”

Samantha playfully pinches his cheeks. “But you’ll always be my baby.”

“You’re worse than Mom,” Ian says with a sigh. From the looks of his expression, he’s used to this kind of behavior from Samantha. Despite his more stoic demeanor, he doesn’t seem upset by it at all.

“I’m Danae Collins,” I say, holding my hand out to Ian. “It’s great to meet you! What are you studying at college? ”

“Right now I’m majoring in biology, but I’m debating if I should double major in environmental science as well,” Ian states matter-of-factly. “I was originally considering medical school, but now I’m intrigued by pursuing a career in research.”

My eyes grow as I say, “Wow, sounds ambitious!”

Ian shrugs as Cinda beams at him and Samantha’s smile turns forced. She twirls a finger through one of the pink lengths of her hair. Sparking brightness back into her expression, Samantha tells Ian, “I want to hear all about your semester. Tell me everything.”

There are other people milling around in the suite, but with Samantha occupied with Ian and Jason fully absorbed in baseball talk with David, that leaves Cinda and me to chat. Which feels much more approachable than a full-family inquisition.

After filling plates with food, we sit at one of the high-top tables in the suite, leaving the good seats for the avid baseball fans.

“So,” Cinda begins, “I want to hear about you and Griffin getting to know each other from your perspective. I’ve heard all about you from him, but I’m curious to hear about the relationship from your point of view.”

I take a long sip of water to buy time and hydrate my brain. “That’s quite the open-ended question!” I say, making her smile. “It’s been a roller coaster to say the least. A roller coaster I never expected to get on.”

Cinda smiles even bigger. “Yes, Griffin told me that you’re not exactly a baseball fan.”

“I assume he told you I didn’t know who he was the first time we met?” I ask sheepishly.

“Oh, Sammi told us that. It’s her favorite story to tell now!” Cinda says with a chuckle.

I fill Cinda in on the basics of our relationship thus far, toeing the line of guarded and honest. We pause our conversation to watch the opening of the game, cheering loudly when Griffin’s name is announced.

Jason sits next to David, talking his ear off about the team.

David is a much better partner for Jason than I am, though, because he seems to ask appropriate follow-up questions that keep Jason talking even more.

I’m suddenly blinking back tears as I watch them .

“That little boy has David eating out of the palm of his hand already,” Cinda says, voice echoing my sentimentality. “He always connected so well with the boys who came into our home.”

“How many kids did you foster?” I ask quietly.

“Fourteen kids over the course of six years, not including Sammi and Ian,” she responds. “We closed our home for foster care after we decided to become their forever family.”