Page 30 of Stealing Forever (Bridge Point Bears Baseball #1)

“Alright, Coach, I’m all for polyamory, but it doesn’t seem you’re like you’re the type of guy who’d be down. Care to share why there’s two women in the VIP box making eyes at you across the field?”

“That’s Sailor’s mother,” I grit, answering Austin.

Looking over my shoulder, my jaw clenches as my gaze connects with Hailey’s, and I immediately lose some of the tension I’m carrying. Leaning against the railing, she looks out at me. She’s stunning, wearing one of my extra Bears hats and a red T-shirt.

Behind her, Addison sits with Sailor, also looking at me. My jaw clenches again.

Whipping my head back toward Austin, I huff.

“You good, Coach?” Gareth asks, jogging up to us. His brows furrow with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fucking good. This has just been a hellish week.”

“Why’d Sailor’s mom show up all of a sudden? I thought she was out of the picture?” Gareth asks, but then adds, “Sorry if that’s overstepping. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“All good,” I tell him, and glance back over at Hailey. “She showed up out of nowhere. She won’t admit it, but I suspect it’s because of those videos. She thought if she tried to win me back, it would be her getting the attention.”

Both Gareth and Austin look at me with a what the fuck look.

“She left us to go pursue a career in Hollywood,” I explain further.

“Ah.” Austin nods his head. “That makes so much sense. She’s chasing clout.”

“She sure is,” I agree in a growl of annoyance.

“How’s Hailey handling it?” Gareth asks, glancing around the field.

The stadium is starting to fill up—the game starts within the hour.

“I’m not even sure I can give a confident answer. It feels like she’s been withdrawing, and rightfully fucking so. But at the same time she’s still present and gritting her teeth through it.”

“She’s a fucking champ.” Austin laughs.

“You can say that again.”

“You think she’ll get fed up with the baby mama drama?” Austin asks curiously, stretching out his arm.

“God, I fucking hope not. If she walks out of my life, I swear.” I shake my head.

“I don’t know how the hell it happened so quickly, but I’ve definitely fallen for her.

And since everything else has been such a public spectacle, I figured the best way to prove myself to her is in another public way. To make sure she knows I'm serious.”

“Oh yeah?” Gareth says, surprised. At the same time, Austin asks, “What’s the plan?”

Looking back over at Hailey again, I smile when our eyes connect like magnets. Like they always do, because we’re meant for each other. “You’ll see in about fifteen minutes.”