Page 45

Kelsey

W hile Sam used the bathroom, I texted Kylie. So much had happened since we last talked, and I was on the precipice of making a major decision without her input. Was I really considering this? Was I fucking nuts?

Me: I have two minutes to fill you in on a LOT.

Kylie: How big was he?

Me: Not saying a word, Ky.

Kylie: So, it’s either huge or tiny.

Me: Stop! I don’t have time to talk about Sam’s cock.

Kylie: No fun.

Me: Hold on.

I took a photo of the view from Sam’s patio and followed with a selfie of Crew and me with the skyline in the background. She would never believe me unless I sent her visual evidence.

Kylie: Holy shit.

Me: Yeah.

Sam had returned and took Crew back from me. He settled on the ground with him and a blanket with a few of his toys.

“Who is that?” Sam asked, noticing my thumbs moving rapidly as I texted my sister.

“It’s Kylie. She’s trying to snoop and get all the details, and I’m trying to have a serious conversation with her.”

“Why don’t you invite her over for dinner?”

“Is there anything to cook? What would you like for dinner.”

“We don’t need to cook. We can order delivery or I can go get some takeout. That way, you two can relax.”

“Okay, but when she gets here, you need to be prepared to give her a tour and for her to ask more than a few inappropriate questions.”

“What direction will the inappropriate questions take? Like private, personal questions? Or things that are public record related to the townhouse?”

“She won’t ask what you paid for this place, but only because she’ll look it up once I send her the address.”

“Kelsey, I want to know your family and realize I dropped a lot on you today. Your sister should be a sounding board for you. I have no reason for you to trust me over her yet. So if you trust her, I have nothing to hide from her.”

“Okay, I’m inviting her, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

A few hours later, Kylie knocked on the front door. Sam had gone to pick up some prepared food from one of the local delis and a couple of bottles of wine, but he was still gone when Kylie arrived.

She pulled Crew from my arms, showering him with kisses as he giggled back at her. “Holy fuck, Kelsey. This place is insane. Show me everything before Sam gets back. Give me the real tour.”

“He’ll be back shortly; I’d rather wait for him to show you around. But you can follow me to the laundry room so I can change a load of clothes. I’ll even let you help me fold.”

Her brows arched, “You’re doing laundry here?”

“Yeah, I stayed here last night, and I’m staying again tonight. He asked me to take a leave of absence until the end of the season. And I would travel with him, pretend to be a lucky charm, and work on building a non-profit.”

“Woah, the non-profit? And what? You’ll just put your life on hold to follow him and be his good luck charm?” Kylie’s disbelief did nothing to quell my nerves.

Kylie followed me upstairs to the small laundry room off the master bedroom and watched me switch a large load from the washing machine to the dryer.

“Avery texted me earlier today. She is close to scheduling a meeting with the team’s charitable foundation.

As scary as it sounds to quit or take a leave, I can make this happen. ”

Kylie started to fold some of Crew’s clothes one-handed and continued to hold Crew while we chatted. “Okay, what’s at risk here?”

“From an emotional standpoint? Everything. Financially? Do I know him well enough to rely on him?”

Kylie thought for a minute, “Only you can answer that. You’ve been spending time with him, not me. But at the end of the day, there are thousands of bars in Boston, and if you need to, you can get another job in a heartbeat. So, say you can’t return to that job; you can find another one.”

“Okay, so what happens when I get used to this lifestyle? Crew and I get attached, and then it ends?”

“No risk, no reward. Shit, did you forget everything Mom and Dad taught you?”

“I doubt either intended me to run around the country chasing a professional baseball player.”

“Yeah, but damn. He’s not bad to look at.”

“Hey,” Sam called up the stairs. “I’m back with dinner.”

We left the laundry half-folded and headed back downstairs. Sam kissed Crew and me and hugged Kylie in greeting.

“Hey Sam, Kelsey refused to give me the tour, so I fully expect you to show me your place after we eat.”

I pulled out plates, utensils, and a couple of wine glasses for Sam and Kylie.

Sam pulled the To Go containers out of the bag and set them on the counter so we could serve ourselves while he opened the wine bottle.

I took a sip of the wine to taste but limited myself to sparkling water.

Earlier that day, I had picked up a bouncing seat for Crew; we set him there while we ate dinner.

“Did Kelsey bring you up to the roof?” Sam asked.

“No, I got to help with laundry while she teased me with a selfie of the Boston skyline. She also bragged about being able to park her car in a parking garage. Do you have teammates with extra garage spaces who might need someone to share their lives? I’ve been told I’m lucky, too,” Kylie joked.

“Ky, stop,” I insisted. “Too much.”

“Ah, I hope she warned you I’m a lot?”

“She did,” Sam answered. “I’ve been bracing myself.”

Right then, Crew started to fuss, and Sam was up before me to collect him from the seat. Kylie caught my eyes, hers widened, mouthing, “Are you kidding me?”

I shrugged and smiled. “Sam is working on making himself indispensable.”

“I am. But this kid is pretty amazing.”

We finished our meals, and Sam gave Kylie her walkthrough, ending on the roof. It was a perfect July summer night, and after I fed Crew, Sam brought him downstairs to put him to bed so Kylie and I could have some more time.

“Are you kidding? Is he really putting the baby to bed? Even Kendra would be impressed with him. So now is when you go and ruin it by telling me he has a small dick…”

“Sheesh, Ky. He doesn’t have a small dick!”

“Ahhh! I knew I’d get it out of you!”

“Shssh. Stop! What if he comes back up and hears us talking about his package?”

“I would hope that you at least did it justice,” Sam answered from the entrance.

“See? I told you she’d bring up something inappropriate.” I watched as Sam laughed it off and changed the subject. He and Kylie spent the rest of the night discussing living in the Northwest versus the Northeast. Kylie had polished off the bottle of wine and ordered an Uber to bring her back home.