Page 16

CHAPTER 16

GUNNAR

A nother win is in the books and I’m feeling great despite catching a line drive that knocked me on my ass. It was a game saving catch though and the roar of the crowd was deafening while I was slow to get to my feet. I promised Coach I would have the team doctor check me out and once he gave me the all clear, I quickly got dressed to meet up with the girls. Sosie texted me, letting me know they were outside the family room, so fortunately I don’t have very far to go.

“Hey, old man.” I look up to see Judd Samson, our rookie pitcher, walking toward me from outside of the clubhouse. “Who’s the hot redhead with your cousin, Sosie?”

My mood immediately sours. “None of your fucking business,” I growl, knowing exactly who he’s referring to.

“Oh shit, sorry! I thought you were single?”

“I am single, but you don’t need to know her or even talk to her.”

He laughs, thinking I’m joking when my face and tone of voice says I’m dead serious. “C’mon, McNeer. Stop bringing good-looking women to the park for us to inquire about.”

“Understand this, Samson.” I stand up from out of my chair and put my jacket on. “Under no circumstances, whatsoever, would you be allowed to date anyone that is part of my family or even associated with me.”

“I never said I was interested in dating.” He winks at me and laughs, oblivious to the fact that I’m about to punch his fucking face in. Diesel steps in between us and puts his hand on my chest.

“Easy, McNeer. He’s just fucking around, but in poor taste.” Diesel must’ve given Samson the you-better-shut-the-fuck-up-and-apologize look because Judd side steps around him and holds up in hands in surrender.

“I didn’t mean anything by that, Gunnar. I’m sorry.”

I lift my chin up at him in acknowledgment, but don’t say a word. Sometimes when rookies make the big leagues, they’re all about how many women they can bang in a short amount of time. I get it, I was a rookie too once. I don’t encourage their behavior, but I also don’t tell them what to do with their lives. If they want advice, I’ll give it to them. If I see any of them struggling, I will offer it unsolicited. Judd is a good kid, but like all rookies, sometimes gets carried away.

“It’s the nanny, isn’t it?” Tripp asks with a gleam in his eye. When I only nod at him, his smile widens and he heads to the door. “Glad to see you wised up and listened to me, McNeer. Think it’s about time I go meet the woman who wets your dreams.”

“Tripp–” I yell out but he’s already out the door.

“I’ll go make sure he behaves. Besides, we’re curious about her too,” Murph says with a cocky smirk as he and Evan proceed to follow Tripp out the door.

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter. I grab my suitcase to take with me to the bus and leave the clubhouse. When I walk outside, there are multiple children running within a circle of adults containing the kids in one area. I recognize my daughter as being one of those kids playing. I walk up to Aly’s sister, Valerie, and her husband Rowan, who were given guest passes to come down to the family area. I give Valerie a hug and kiss on the cheek and slap Rowan on the back.

“Looks like Cassie is the shiny new toy that everyone wants to play with,” Rowan comments with a smirk as we watch Cassie being surrounded by some of my teammates and their girlfriends and wives. She smiles as introductions are made, but she seems tense. She hasn’t noticed me yet and her eyes keep darting over to watch Izzy.

I ignore his comment, trying to keep my cool while I watch Judd flirt with her. “Glad you guys got a chance to meet her tonight.”

“Aly told us all about her, so it was nice to finally meet her in person.”

I freeze, hoping he’s not insinuating that she told them everything . “What do you mean, all about her?”

He gives me a weird look. “Meaning how great she is and seems to be perfect for Izzy. Why? Is there something I’m missing here?”

I shake my head. “Nope. Nothing at all.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “Bro, you’re acting weird.”

“I just got knocked on my ass by a line drive and soon will be boarding a plane to go on a nine-day road trip. I’m tired and preoccupied.” It’s partly the truth, but he doesn’t need to know everything that has transpired between me and Cassie.

“That catch was sick.” He takes a step back and looks me up and down. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll just be sore tomorrow.”

I glance over at Sosie to see her talking with Delilah Monroe, a country music singer who’s dating Diesel. Behind them, Diesel is talking to Scotty Wilkins, another country music singer who is friends with Gavin and Sosie.

“Was Scotty in our suite tonight?” I ask Rowan. Gavin and I suspect something’s going on between him and Sosie, but neither one of them will fess up.

“He sure was. Sat next to Sosie the whole time.” As if Scotty can feel us staring at him, he glances over at us and nods in acknowledgment.

“Fucking Wilkins,” I mutter. “He better not be messing with her.” Sosie’s like the sister we never had and we are all super protective of her, especially since she didn’t have the best childhood.

“What if Sosie likes him messing with her?” I look over at Rowan, who cocks his head at me in question.

I sigh. Sosie is an adult and can do whatever she wants, despite us warning her not to get involved with someone like Scotty. “If she does, I hope she’s making him wear two condoms.”

Rowan laughs out loud, which causes the kids to stop playing and some of the adults to look over at us.

“Daddy!” Izzy yells and races over to me. I catch her with an oomph , my body protesting at the impact.

“Are you okay, Gunnar?” Cassie walks over, eyeing me with concern. “You had us worried when you didn’t get up right away from that catch.” My gaze assesses her body clad in a cropped black tank top and high-waisted jeans that hug her in all the right places. Her hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail, with tendrils slipping out to frame her face. Her make-up is light but magnifies those incredible eyes. No wonder Judd was practically salivating over her. She’s fucking gorgeous.

Stop eye-fucking her in front of all these people, Gunnar!

I turn my attention to Izzy, who’s looking at me with sad, puppy dog eyes. “Daddy’s just fine.” I kiss the tip of her nose, which makes her giggle. She squirms in my arms and I put her back down. She runs back over to play with the kids.

“Did you enjoy the game?” I ask Cassie and for some reason, I really hope she says yes. I want her to like coming to my games.

“I did, but trying to keep up with all the statistics hurts my brain.” I laugh because baseball stats can be very confusing. “Rowan was kind enough to try to explain everything to me, but I might be hopeless at remembering.”

“It’s a lot to learn for your very first game.”

“Wait, this was your first game?” Evan’s girlfriend, Christy, asks in surprise.

Cassie nods. “Guess I was deprived as a child, guys.” Everyone laughs at her joke and she visibly relaxes.

“Boys, it’s time to get on the bus,” Peter Kelly announces while he walks by us. I make my rounds hugging everyone goodbye until Izzy and Cassie are the only ones left. I squat down to Izzy’s level and pick her up to give her a hug.

“Daddy’s got to go play some games in other cities, but we will FaceTime with each other every day.” For the first time since she was born, I don’t want to leave her. This will be the very first time she’ll be left with someone who isn’t our immediate blood. This isn’t just a three-game road trip—it is the second longest road trip we have on the calendar for this season. Cassie is practically a stranger to her. What if she freaks out and throws a crying fit?

I put her down, but she clings to my leg. “I don’t want you to go,” she whimpers softly and that sound starts to shred my heart into little pieces. I feel the sweat beading up in the middle of my back from my nerves.

“I know, sweetheart, but Daddy has to.” I’m about to give in to her by making excuses not to go, when Cassie sees my struggles and intervenes.

“Izzy, I was talking with Nolan’s mommy, Christy, and we were thinking of stopping for some ice cream right now. Would you like to go with me to get ice cream with Nolan? We can invite Sosie too if you want?”

She looks up at Cassie with watery eyes, but a small smile plays on her face. “Afterward, we can go home and start coloring in that special book I brought you. By the time your daddy calls us tonight, we can show him what you colored. What do you say?”

I don’t bother mentioning that she should be asleep by the time I land. I hold my breath in anticipation of my daughter’s reaction. Cassie holds out her hand and Izzy looks at it for a couple of seconds before giving her a small smile and putting her hand in Cassie’s.

I release the breath I was holding and sigh softly in relief.

“We got this, Gunnar.” Cassie reassures me, her gaze holding mine and all I see is determination in it. “You have nothing to worry about. Izzy and I are going to have the best time together.” She places her hand on my forearm and squeezes. “I will protect your daughter with my life. Now, go get on that bus.”

She removes her hand and my skin tingles from her touch. My chest tightens with pride over her confidence and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. I have this overwhelming urge to hug Cassie but keep my hands to myself.

“Thank you,” I tell her sincerely. I grab hold of my suitcase and quickly kiss Izzy on the head. “I’ll talk to you ladies later.” I turn around and start walking in the opposite direction, my heart feeling heavy. As I get closer to the bus, I look over my shoulder and see Cassie and Izzy skipping away, and my daughter’s laughter puts a smile on my face.

In less than five minutes, Cassie prevented my daughter from having a total meltdown. Right then and there, I know I made the right decision in hiring her. Now all I have to do is make sure I don’t screw it all up by falling for the nanny.