Chapter three

Rhett

Well, the puppy didn’t pee in my bed.

Instead, I was woken up by a tongue on my face and some loud whimpers no less than four times last night.

Which could’ve been the start of some good times if that tongue and those whimpers belonged to a woman and not a damn dog.

But thanks to Evie’s damn bleeding heart, I’m on my second cup of coffee by 8 am, having given up on sleep somewhere around five thirty. The puppy, or Jack, as I’ve decided to call her, is racing around my apartment like she’s chasing a gopher.

I’m scowling at the little scamp, even if she is fucking cute as hell, when there’s a knock on my door. Not a lot of people have access to my apartment. Yami and Mama have a set of keys, and Monty, too, since he lives in the same building.

I’ll blame the lack of sleep for the fact that I don’t remember giving Evie a set of building keys last night until I yank open the door and see her startled face. A large bin is in her arms, and a backpack is on her back.

“H-hi,” she stammers, her eyes darting all over except at me. “Is this an okay time? I know we said eight, but I can come by later when you’re gone.”

I hold up a hand to stop her rambling and step to the side, only then realizing I’m still shirtless, wearing nothing but my pajama pants. I guess that explains her awkwardness. I’d apologize, but I’m too exhausted.

“It’s fine,” I say, my voice still rough from sleep. “I’ve been up for a while. Jack thinks sleep is for the weak.”

Evie’s already down on her knees loving on the damn terror, but she lifts her head to look at me. And I can’t help but notice her cheeks turning pink when her gaze goes over my bare chest. “Jack?”

I sink back down onto one of the stools lining my kitchen counter. “Short for Jackass. Trust me, you’ll understand when you’re the one waking up every couple of hours.”

I see her fighting a laugh as she presses a kiss to the puppy’s head. “Sorry, Rhett.”

“It’s fine.” I stand up, setting down my coffee and stretching my arms overhead. Once again, Evie’s eyes dart over to me, then back to the puppy, then back again, bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball. A part of me is intrigued by her reaction. But I tamp that down quickly.

Clearing my throat, I move toward my bedroom. “I’ll just get dressed and then we can get the rest of your stuff moved in.”

She nods, giving the puppy one last kiss before standing up. “Okay, I don’t have much.”

A few minutes and one awkwardly silent elevator ride later, I follow her out to the front of my building where a bright blue hatchback is parked in the loading zone. Evie opens the trunk and reaches for a bin .

“We can leave it here for a few minutes, but once your stuff is inside you can move it into the underground.” I give her my spare key fob for getting into the parking garage before lifting out the suitcase and duffle bag sitting in the back seat.

When I turn back to Evie, she’s setting another bin on top of the first one waiting on the sidewalk and she closes the trunk.

“Is that it?” I ask, and Evie shrugs.

“Yep. Don’t need much when you live in campus housing, it’s fully furnished.”

We take the last of Evie’s belongings upstairs, where we’re enthusiastically greeted by the puppy, who also left behind a puddle of dog piss as a gift.

“Crap, sorry.” Evie springs into action, grabbing paper towels off the counter and wiping it up. She pauses and looks at me. “Um. Where’s the garbage can?”

“Under the sink.”

She moves to dispose of the paper towel, coming back with a bottle of spray cleaner she must’ve found.

Soon, the mess is gone, and Evie’s clipping a leash onto the old collar around the puppy’s neck. “I’ll take her out, then move my car.”

She’s gone before I can respond, and it’s only as the door closes behind the two of them that I exhale. I never expected things to feel so fucking awkward between us without Yami around.

And I’ve got up to two more months with her living here, showering here, eating here, hell, sleeping just down the hall from me night after night?

Fuck.

The Vancouver Tridents’ facility is probably the best I’ve ever played in. State-of-the-art training and treatment centers, a field that dreams are made of, and a team of players and staff that make my job easy. All I gotta do is walk out on that field, catch some balls, hit some balls, and run some bases.

In the locker room, I drop down on the bench next to Yami.

“Hey man, did Evie get her stuff to your place?”

I nod. “She didn’t bring over much.” I cast a glance his way, but he doesn’t seem surprised.

“Yeah, she doesn’t like having a lot of shit, and her campus apartment was tiny and fully furnished.” He finishes pulling on a compression shirt and turns to me. “I’m glad she’s with you, bro. Keep an eye on her, okay? And if she gets sick, call me right away.” His expression sobers as he pulls off his ball cap and flips it around in his hand. “You probably didn’t know this, because by the time we met she was a lot better. But she had really bad asthma as a kid.”

I let out a low whistle. “Damn.”

“Yeah. It was scary shit. In and out of hospitals, on puffers and nebulizers. Mom and Dad always told my sisters and me that we had to look out for her at school and stuff. Make sure she was okay and not overexerting herself. Which was fine, whatever. But when she got older, Evie started getting kinda mad that we kept babying her.” He grimaces. “It’s a hard habit to break. Looking after her, I mean. Getting her to accept help with tuition was a fucking battle; she only gave in when I pointed out that her only other option was staying at home with our parents.”

I exhale slowly. I had no idea Evie was sick as a kid. But some of her words and actions from earlier make sense now. She’s someone who desperately wants to prove that she’s okay. That she doesn’t need looking after.

“Is she okay now?”

“Yeah, she still has asthma, but it’s not as bad. Only comes out if she gets sick. I know it’s not likely, being summer, but seriously. She gets a sniffle, call me. She’s old enough to manage it herself, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about her.”

His worry seems a bit much to me, but what do I know? I don’t have siblings.

A bunch of the other guys walk in then, ending our conversation. The locker room quickly fills with the noise and chaos of all of us getting ready for our quick warm-up practice before we get some rest, then come back for the game tonight.

Yami starts talking with our starting catcher Monty, leaving me alone. I finish getting my gear on and head to the field, nodding my head at Lark, Monty’s girlfriend, who’s rubbing her pregnant belly as she walks toward her office in the trainer area.

“How ya feelin’, baby mama?” I ask, slowing to walk beside her.

Lark grimaces but turns it into a smile. “Good, even if this baby is choosing to do somersaults on my bladder right now.”

I cringe and sling my arm over her shoulder. “Y’know, my mama always said she knew I was gonna be a big boy because I had big feet even in her belly. She could feel ’em kickin’ her all night. Said she figured I’d be a football player. Maybe your girl’s got a future in gymnastics.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “We’ll see, I guess. Have a good practice, Rhett.”

I give her a wave as we part ways, and I head to the field. It’s good to see Monty and Lark together at last. It’s even better not to have to see Monty pining over his best girl friend like he has for the last few years. But it also drives home the truth that my buddies on the team are all pairing up. Falling in love. It used to be fun, going out with the guys, sweet-talking the ladies. Now it just leaves me feeling kinda empty. Like I’m missing something great.

Maybe someday I’ll know what it’s like to have a partner in life. Someone to love, who loves me in return.

Someday. Not today.