Page 22

22

CADE

I balance the weight of two steaming bowls of pasta in the crook of one arm and carry a generous block of Asiago cheese in my other hand. The cheese grater is in the pocket of my apron. The aromatic tomato and garlic sauce waft up making my stomach growl. Stepping onto the balcony, I’m caught off guard by her exquisite profile. She’s leaning back holding her glass of wine, slim bare legs crossed, sundress riding up mid-thigh, taking in the vista.

“This is lovely,” she says with a sigh. “Thank you. I feel like I’m on a fancy vacation or something. Feels like most of my life is a whirlwind of work, sleepless nights and diaper changes.” She leans down and sniffs the bowl I place in front of her. I pull out the grater and break off a hunk of cheese. Holding it over her bowl I start grinding.

“Tell me when.”

She looks up at me with a sweet smile. “Keep going.”

“Carpal tunnel could be career-ending,” I tease.

“Quit your fussin’. Okay that should do it.”

“Toss away, I’ll be right back.” I jog inside to grab the lobsters and melted butter. If she can resist this, I’ll be shocked. I set the two tails down in the middle of the table and say, “Now the one on the left is the one you didn’t meet. In case you’re wondering.”

“Nice try. I have plenty here with the pasta and salad.”

“More for me,” I say and sit down across from her watching as she pours my wine like a pro. “Do you like bartending and serving tables?”

She tilts her head thinking. “I kind of do, yes.”

“How many men do you have to beat off a night?”

“Only a dozen or so,” she says, repressing a grin that tells me my compliments are landing. She twirls the pasta around her fork and takes a bite.

“This is surprisingly good.”

“Glad you like it. I know my brands.” We eat in silence for a few minutes. I down half my wine in two gulps. Gotta catch up. “How do you like the wine?” I ask.

“It’s excellent. I don’t like a Chard that’s too oaky.”

“Me either.” I hold my glass up for a toast. She touches her glass to mine and I say, “To new beginnings.” Her green eyes flare and I can’t tell if it’s desire or something else. I don’t have to wait long to find out.

She frowns. “New beginnings do sound nice in theory but two years have passed and the day I found out you’d left still feels like it happened yesterday.”

I set down my glass and lean forward willing her to meet my gaze. “You know a part of me never thought I’d get the call. Didn’t think I was good enough. When I did, I lost my shit for a few days. It was something I’d wanted my whole life. I was a stupid kid chasing a dream. I thought I’d have time to figure it all out. The way I handled all of it was selfish. But I swear to God, Georgia, I never wanted to hurt you. You were the best thing that had ever happened to me. Still are.” I can see the hurt in her shimmering green eyes.

She props her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her palms. She meets my gaze and says, “I always knew you had ambitions and baseball came first but I thought what we had was special. I truly believed you loved me as much as I did you and that we’d overcome any obstacles. I was beside myself when you left. But life rolled on and I threw myself into my job, signed up for fall classes and kept busy. But every night when I got into bed there you were again. Six weeks after you disappeared into a world of bright lights and dreams, I found out I was pregnant. I don’t mind tellin’ ya, that shook me to my core.”

Every word is like a stake in my heart. “I wish I could rewind. I did love you. But in all fairness, I wasn’t a mind reader either. I didn’t know your expectations had changed. You never let me completely in. I always felt you held a piece back.”

“But I didn’t. I just never asked for something you couldn’t give.”

“You know I tried calling you, left messages, but I gave up after a couple of weeks because I knew I’d blown it. Baby, if only you’d called me back. You know I would have been there for you.”

“Cade, I couldn’t. You were barely twenty-five. Your entire life ahead of you. You were living your dream. The last thing I wanted was to hold you back. I also didn’t want you to come back out of pity or a sense of duty. No way did I want to trap you. As much as I wanted to blame you, I knew what I was getting into, I’d just fooled myself is all. That wasn’t your fault. You made no promises. I knew I wanted to raise my child even if it was without you.” She shrugs. “Now we share a child. He’s as much your flesh and blood as he is mine and we have so much to figure out. I don’t know where to even start.”

“We’re not the same people we were back then, Georgia. We’ve both been through a lot. Maybe we have a chance to do things differently this time. Together I mean,” I say earnestly and grasp her hand in mine.

“I swear, you need to come with a danger sticker. Now listen to me, new beginnings don’t mean we pick up where we left off romantically, it means we navigate parenthood together. Got that mister? Now, may I please get back to my pasta?”

I raise my glass. “To be continued. Dig in.” I’m relieved that an upbeat tune comes on, chasing the melancholy away.

W e clear the dishes and retire to the couch. Georgia curls her feet up underneath her in a hauntingly familiar pose.

“Remember when you tried to teach me how to whack a ball?” she asks snickering.

“How could I forget? You practically knocked my teeth out.”

“I know. But it was funny.”

“I was practically throwing the balls at your bat and you still missed till you hit that missile right at me.”

“I never was the athletic type.”

“You were determined though. Pretty cute holding that bat, as I recall, even if you sucked at baseball,” I say.

She uncurls her foot and kicks me. “I’m good at other things.”

I can’t help it my mind goes straight to the gutter.

“Don’t I know it,” I murmur. Her cheeks turn a becoming pink and she looks away.

“Be good,” she says.

Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whisky” comes on and I jump up. “Georgia, dance with me.”

She shakes her head vigorously. “No way.”

“Come on,” I coax. “Pretty please. Just one.” I grab her hand and practically drag her to her feet as the romantic notes fill the room. She caves easily and places her hands on my shoulders and looks at me from under her lashes. I slip my hands around her waist and tug her close. The heat between us is out of the park. My God, I’ve been fooling myself for two years. There’s never been anyone else. It’s always been her and it always will be.

I sway to the music and bury my nose in her fragrant hair. I sing along in a whisper “Sweet as strawberry wine.”

She slides her palms slowly down my pecs and then wraps her arms around my waist. Nestling her cheek against me as I rest mine on top of her head. I don’t know how it goes from sweet and tender to a five-alarm fire in a millisecond but it does. One minute we’re swaying to the music the next we’re kissing each other like our lives depend on it. Her lips taste like wine and I’m no match against her soft curves rubbing up against me. I feel myself growing hard but she doesn’t back away. She presses into me. I’m drowning in a sea of desire. This woman will be my downfall.

When we finally come up for air Georgia’s cheeks are flushed, lips parted, hair wild where I had tunneled my fingers through it. Her eyes are glazed over with want and I feel the same. I don’t want to take advantage so I pull away and take her hand, walking us back to the couch. I plop down pulling her onto my lap and we topple over laughing. Her dress rides all the way up her creamy thighs and I run my palms up and down her smooth skin.

“Georgia, this feels so right,” I say.

“Shh,” she shushes me placing her finger over my lips.

“You can’t deny what we have is off the charts. Why can’t we try again?”

“Stop talkin’,” she insists. Her head falls back and she stares at the ceiling. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

“Why? It doesn’t have to be.”

“I can’t be that vulnerable again. I can’t. It just about killed me the first time.”

“I know you don’t believe this, but I was all messed up when I left. I’m sorry I didn’t fight harder back then but I will this time and I promise to take it slow.”

“I know better. You athletes are a different breed. You’re driven. If you set your sights on me, I’ll be consumed like poor ole Larry was. You realize we haven’t discussed one thing we arranged this meetin’ for?” she huffs. “You are big trouble with a capital T.”

“Next time we meet, when I get back from the road trip, we’ll figure things out then. We can talk on the phone every night while I’m gone.”

“That’s sounding a little bit too much like a relationship,” she argues.

“What’s there to solve anyway? It’s not that difficult. All I’m asking for is equal time on the off-season and I want a couple of weeks in January or February to take him on a family vacation. I’ll pay all your living expenses and set up a college fund for Auggie. I’ll give you a generous check every month for child support. That about covers it.” Me and my big mouth. Her brows pucker and her expression darkens, her mouth becoming a firm line. I immediately regret bringing things up so casually.

“Do you have short-term memory loss or something? I could’ve sworn I said no vacation. Too soon.”

“Georgia you’re not being reasonable. I think by the time we get there you’ll be comfortable with it.”

“August is just a baby. He needs his mama. I will not let you take him away from me for two weeks.”

“Georgia we’ve got time. You’ll see.”

Georgia scrambles off my lap and pulls her dress down. I stare at her hot body with regret as she backs away.

“I’ve got to go. I think I’ll call me an Uber and Ava can bring me over tomorrow to get my car. The wine has gone to my head.”

“I’ll bring your car around before I head to the stadium,” I grumble.

“You don’t have to go to all that trouble.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s no trouble. You’re going to have to get used to the fact that I’m in your life now and for the next sixteen years plus. I’m going to watch out for the mother of my child. Bonus, I’ll get to see my son before I leave town.”

“I suppose.”

“That had to be the easiest victory I’ve ever had with you.”

“Savor your win now.”

I pull her to me and plant a kiss on the tip of her adorable nose. “Let me call for your ride. Why don’t you enjoy that city skyline while we wait.” I call and they give me an ETA of fifteen minutes then I join Georgia outside.

Georgia is leaning against the balcony railing looking off into the distance. The lights from the bridge and the waterfront cafés bounce off the surface of the water, moving with every ripple. The bridge arches over the river, illuminated by soft golden lights that seem to shimmer.

“It never grows old,” I say.

“It is kind of magical. I feel like I’ve been transported. Thank you for a perfect evening… ’cept for the end.”

“The end isn’t so bad. We’re not always going to agree on things Georgia. I’m glad I got to spend time with you. I leave the day after tomorrow for a ten-day stretch. We play three series back-to-back. Detroit, Colorado and Miami.”

“That’s a lot of travel. Any days off in between?”

“Nope. That’s why we get paid the big bucks.”

“Grueling.”

“We’re on the home stretch now. Labor Day is around the corner, so we only have three weeks of the regular season left. Playoffs in October then a break until spring training.”

“When does that start?”

“March.”

“Not as glamorous as people think. Y’all work your booties off.”

“Yeah, and September can be a slog. We’re dealing with injuries and fatigue. It’s a mental battle as well as physical… although knowing we have a good shot at the playoffs helps a lot. It’s mentally more challenging for the teams that are basically out of the running.” I glance at my watch.

“I hate to say it but your driver is probably here. What time does Auggie go down for a nap in the morning?”

“Usually around eleven.”

“Perfect. I’ll be there by nine with your car.”

We take the elevator down to the lobby and I walk her to the Uber already waiting. She slides into the back seat and I lean in. “I’m going to miss you,” I say.

“You’ll survive.”

Her expression belies her flippant tone. Her gaze is soft and warm with lingering heat. I feel on top of the world right now. I might actually have a shot at winning her back. “Night now,” I say and brush my lips against hers. Miracle, she doesn’t draw away. Score one for the home team.