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forty-one

Rory

Storms over the mid-Atlantic mean our flight to Florida is turbulent, but we thankfully arrive without any dramatics.

Harlow, Ella, and I check into our rooms at a hotel nearby where the players and staff are staying. We all booked separate rooms for very obvious reasons.

Sage will mainly be staying in my room while we’re here. Since Lane is in the middle of Spring Training, he won’t be able to watch her overnight. But Harlow and Ella have both agreed to have Sage for at least one night each so I can have some alone time with Cole.

Sage runs around the room as I set up her cot and unpack our suitcases. Once I’m finished with that and change a particularly nasty diaper, there’s a knock at the door.

I practically run to open it because I know exactly who I’m going to find on the other side.

Swinging it open, I’m surprised to find only Lane.

“Oh, hey, Lane,” I say, not masking my disappointment very well.

“Good to see you, too, Rory,” he chuckles, thankfully not offended. “Your man forgot his phone when he left his room. He’ll be here in a minute.”

“Dada!” Sage shrieks, little footsteps scurrying over until Lane scoops her off the ground and holds her tight.

“Lovebug! Daddy missed you so much!”

“Miss you, Dada,” Sage says, nuzzling into Lane’s chest and melting his heart simultaneously.

“I think we should get some ice cream, Sagie. What do you think?”

“Ice cweam!” Sage claps excitedly as Lane bends down to grab her diaper bag.

“I’ll bring her back before bed, okay?” Lane says, looking at me.

“Sounds good. I’ll be here.”

There’s another knock at my door now, and I can’t hide my smile.

Lane chuckles as he opens it for me, and my boyfriend steps inside.

My hot as hell boyfriend.

He’s wearing a ridiculously tight white T-shirt that shows off most of the ink on his arms, a pair of dark jeans, and a black backward baseball cap.

It’s honestly unfair that he always looks this damn good.

“Hey, Sparrow,” I say lightly, desperately trying not to jump into his arms right now.

“Hi, Starlight,” he smiles.

We look at each other for a moment without saying another word. Tension fills the air. Apparently, Lane can feel it, too.

“Yeah, we’re getting out of here. I’ve got a feeling some things are about to happen that are highly inappropriate for my daughter.”

“See ya, man,” Cole says, not taking his eyes off me.

As soon as Lane and Sage are out of the room and the door closes behind them, Cole practically sprints to me.

He wraps his arms around my waist and crashes his mouth against mine.

I return the kiss, draping my arms over his shoulders and pulling him in closer.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he murmurs against my lips.

“I missed you, too,” I say, sighing into his kiss.

His tongue runs across the seam of my lips, and I part for him. I stroke my tongue against his as Cole slowly walks us backward to my bed, sitting down on top of it and straddling me over his legs.

“Any reason you’re wearing a dress right now, baby girl?”

Cole kisses my neck as I reply, “I changed when we got to the room. It’s a lot warmer in Florida than it is in New York.”

“It looks fantastic on you. You look incredible in white.” He brushes his lips against my ear, the heat from his breath coursing all through me. “And it gives me easy access.”

“You’ve seen me for all of two minutes, and you’re already thinking about sex?” I tease… because I’m thinking about sex, too.

“Baby, I haven’t tasted you in weeks. I need to bury my head between your thighs.”

It’s just like Cole to go so long without seeing me and immediately only be concerned with my pleasure.

The man is so goddamn selfless in the bedroom.

“I’ve missed your tongue.”

Cole grins as he lays back across the mattress. “So, come sit on my face then, and let me show you how much it’s missed you.”

“Cole,” I say nervously. “I’m too big for that. I’ll suffocate you.”

“I don’t ever want to hear you say that again,” he deadpans. “If I’m meant to go by suffocating in your pussy, then that’s how I go. Now…” He grabs my hand, pulling me down to him. “Take off all your clothes so Daddy can watch your tits while you ride his face.”

Well, how could I possibly say no to that?

“I’ve missed you girls,” Lucia says, smiling happily as she sips her wine. The four of us are grabbing dinner tonight before heading back to New York in a few days. “It sucks being the only woman down here during Spring Training.”

“I’m sure you’re missing Matt, too,” I add.

“I am,” she sighs. “We finally had the exclusivity talk right before I came down here. I’ve basically not seen him since he became my actual boyfriend.”

“Is he able to come down at all?” Lo asks.

“Nope. The man works way too damn much for that. Wall Street never sleeps.”

“I can’t believe you ended up with a finance bro,” Ella laughs. “That has never been your type.”

“He’s nicer than the rest of them. And he doesn’t talk my ear off about stocks and trading.”

“Must have a nice dick, too,” I smirk.

“Very nice dick. No complaints from me, that’s for damn,” Lucia laughs. “I only get to see it over FaceTime right now.”

“Luc,” Harlow says, grabbing Lucia’s hand. “I love you, but I do not want to hear about your boyfriend’s dick.”

“I do!” Ella practically shouts. “How big is he?”

“I think we should leave some things to the imagination, Ell,” I say.

“Suit yourselves,” Lucia shrugs. “What have you three been up to since you flew down here?”

Lo stares at her. “Lucia, we flew down here to be with our boyfriends—husband in Ella’s case. You know what we’ve been doing.”

“And who we’ve been doing,” Ella laughs.

“Good to see Knox and Cole acting normal, finally. You’ve been through multiple Spring Trainings with Josh, so he’s used to being away from you. Knox and Cole have been moping the entire time.”

“That would explain why Cole pretty much immediately stuck his head between my legs when I got here.”

Harlow chokes on her wine, covering her mouth to prevent herself from spitting it everywhere. She grabs a napkin and cleans a few drops from her lip. “I do enjoy hearing about my friends having good sex lives, but I don’t want to hear about my brother having a good sex life. You’ve put me in an awkward position, Rory.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “I know. And it’s so fucking fun to mess with you about it.”

“Josh and I are watching Sage tonight, right?” Ella asks.

“Yeah. Cole and I have plans.”

“Involving the bed, I’m sure,” Lucia smiles.

“Of course,” I reply as Lo groans. “But we’re sneaking off to do something else first.”

“Oh?” Ella cocks an eyebrow at me.

“I’ll show you guys tomorrow.”

Just then, my phone buzzes, so I grab it from the table.

Cole

Our appointment is at seven tonight

You ready for this?

Rory

Ready to see what you’ve decided I should have permanently inked on my body

Cole

I promise it’s good

I’m doing it, too

Rory

I know

And I’m actually really excited about it

We’ll be done with dinner in a little bit

Want to swing by the restaurant and pick me up in about half an hour?

Cole

Sounds perfect

See you in a bit, baby

I smile as I set my phone back down, mind wandering to what this mysterious design is going to be.

“The Dippers,” I say, flopping onto my bed now that we’re back from the tattoo parlor.

“The Dippers,” Cole repeats, propping himself up on his elbow from his spot next to me.

I stare at the dark ink at the top of my right forearm, stars and dots making up one of my favorite constellations. “Why did you pick those?”

Cole smiles at me sweetly. “Do you remember the day we went to the planetarium?”

“Of course I do,” I admit. It’s the day that I could really feel things shift between us. I could never forget that.

“I asked what your favorite constellation was, and you told me the Dippers.”

I grin as I remember what he said after that. “And you said I was your Little Dipper that morning because we spooned overnight.”

“Exactly,” he says, brushing his fingers across my cheek and tucking my hair behind my ear. “You’re my Little Dipper.”

I pull up the hem of his T-shirt to see his newest tattoo under his right pec. “And you’re my Big Dipper.”

“Always will be, Rory girl.” Cole leans in and kisses me softly, tenderly.

The moment is intimate but not sexual.

It’s intimacy in a way I’ve never felt before.

And that’s because Harlow was right about what she said to me last month.

I am in love with her brother.

I love Cole.

I’ve never enjoyed being around someone as much as I enjoy being around him.

He’s my rock, always able to keep me grounded when my anxiety over our situation creeps in.

Love is a new feeling to me, but there’s no denying it’s exactly what I feel for him.

My heart skips a beat every time I see him. My breath hitches. My pulse races.

That’s love.

The unknown of our situation is still scary, but it’s much less scary to be doing it with your best friend, the man you love.

And with the way Cole is gazing and smiling at me right now, I’m almost certain that he feels the same way.