Page 27 of Wild Hit (Wild Baseball Romance #3)

MIGUEL

L ights dance in my vision as the limo takes us back to the hotel, after an hour of pictures in all angles and poses.

At least half of the pictures alone are between Audrey and I, which is awkward enough, but then we get the others in on the play and it adds an extra layer of what-the-hell-are-we-doing.

But what’s done is done. I hold in my hands a fancy folio with the marriage certificate, and in it, she signed using my last name.

The folio nearly slips from my sweaty palms and I catch it mid air before it crashes on the floor.

“So what’s the plan after this?” Rose asks her newly married friend from her seat on the right side. “Are you going back home to tell your father that you just nuked his plans, or are you sticking around a bit?”

Audrey sounds like she’s about to drop asleep when she responds, “I travel back tomorrow afternoon, but I’m not planning on breaking the news to him right away. I need to buy myself as much time as possible.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Nothing makes sense anymore. I’m just along for the ride.

However, my brain spews out a single thought. “By the way, I got a hotel room.”

Every conversation dies off and all eyes settle on me.

“What?” Then it clicks in my tired and overwhelmed brain. The folio’s destiny really was to fall on the floor of the limousine after all, and I raise my hands in defense. “I mean, for her! Not for both of us, you creeps.”

“Oh.”

“Whew.”

“I knew you were a good guy all along.”

My chest is on fire. Luckily for me, that’s where my embarrassment concentrates and not on my face. Since I’m fully dressed, only I know that I’m dying on the inside.

“Actually…” Lucky taps his chin, eyes narrowed in thought. “Wouldn’t sleeping in separate rooms after just marrying look weird?”

I blink hard at him. That’s not a thought that had crossed my mind until this moment. Audrey’s expression tells me that this is also breaking news to her.

All Hope can say is exactly what I’m thinking, which is “but…”

Then Audrey waves a hand. “Guys, we don’t have paparazzi chasing us.”

“Oh.” Rose raises her hand. “Didn’t we agree that I was going to take some paparazzi type of shots? Because I’ve been doing that all night and I was planning on distributing them.”

“Right.” Lucky snaps his fingers. “This was part of the master plan all along, so you two are gonna have to suck it up and get captured going into the same room together. Otherwise this will all have seemed for show.”

“As it is, you mean?” Audrey mumbles low enough that only I can hear. I busy myself with bending forward to collect the scattered documents and put them back in order. “Fine, I guess. Let’s do this right,” she adds.

Amid the new heavy silence, I catch both Cade and Logan staring at Lucky, who is just sitting peacefully while drinking a bottle of water like he didn’t just cause a seismic change.

That’s how, after thanking the limo driver with a few Benjamins, we get to the hotel where the team is staying, and sneak into our respective rooms to pack.

“Don’t mess this up,” Lucky says from his bed as I pack up all my shit, scattered around the room we were supposed to share for four nights straight.

I zip my duffel bag and lift up my head. “I don’t plan to.”

“Good.”

With that strange blessing, I grab my bag and make my way downstairs.

The elevator takes five centuries, all through which I tumble from one crisis to the next.

I fumble with my phone to check what kind of room I booked, and a mix of contradicting emotions flushes over me when I notice that it’s for two queen beds.

Past Miguel knew something that current Miguel isn’t sure should be making him feel this way.

But it doesn’t matter. I may want the woman but more than that, I will protect the woman. Also from myself.

So I transition to the next phase, which is stoicism. Even though I forgot about vows, I did mean what I said. I plan to be a support system for Audrey, and that means that I can’t inconvenience her.

A massive yawn becomes phase three. More than sleep, I think this is an adrenaline crash. The second we were declared married, my legs started to feel heavy, and it started to become harder to keep my spine straight.

Finally, the elevator reaches the lobby and pings as the doors start to open. I have clear view of Audrey and Rose waiting at the front, and everything I feel is reflected on Audrey’s face as well. Or most of it—certainly the exhaustion.

Rose takes over. “Here’s the plan, I’ll stay at the back and will start taking pictures of you as you walk into the other hotel and check in.

Then I’ll follow you in the elevator and capture the moment you walk in together into the room.

Before either of you sets a foot outside of the room tomorrow morning, I need you to text me so I can rush over and also capture the moment the lovebirds come out together looking glowing and happy. Do we have a plan?”

“Sure,” Audrey says without much interest. All I’m capable of is showing a thumbs up.

I grab Audrey’s suitcase in my free hand and veer for the exit.

The lobby’s busy enough with people coming and going, that I only notice the girls aren’t following when I’m at the doors.

In their crystal reflections, they’re both staring at me from the original spot.

I turn, blinking at them with the effort it takes me to stay awake.

That prompts them to reactivate their feet, and all is quiet for the smoment it takes to go from the entrance of one hotel, to the one next door.

“Wait,” Rose commands, and Audrey and I stop. “I need you to at least hold hands as you go walk in.”

Shifting, I drop my duffel on top of Audrey’s suitcase, and grab the handles of both luggage pieces with my left hand. Then I offer my free hand to Audrey.

She stares at it like it’s the first time she realizes I have these appendages. Her friend prompts, “Blondie?” And finally she grabs on.

Not on to my hand. My whole arm.

“This is probably more newlyweds-like,” she explains.

Rose is the only one who can reason. “Perfect, this definitely looks more natural.”

Checking in goes quickly, and it would even be pleasant if it wasn’t for the Orlando Wild’s social media manager capturing every single second with her professional camera.

I manage to note some relief on Audrey’s face as she hears that the room has two beds, and I’m too tired to have any feelings about it.

In the elevator, we follow Rose’s prompts of looking at each other like we care, holding each other close. My mouth is dry as a desert and Audrey’s looks very moisturized. That’s gonna haunt me for a long time for reasons I can’t admit.

Finally, we reach our door and perform some final acting for Rose’s camera. “Excellent,” she confirms as she quickly checks out the shots. “Miguel, I’ll get in touch with your agent like she requested, and then I’m posting them.”

“Thank you,” I mumble without much power. After clearing my throat, I add with a bit more confidence, “For everything.”

She nods in all seriousness. “Everything for Audrey.”

I nod back. She’s who we’re all doing this for.

She’s also staying suspiciously quiet. I touch the room card on the pad and open the door for her. “After you.”

Audrey glances back at her friend, at me, and back again. “Good night, Rose. See you tomorrow morning.”

“Sleep tight, wifey.” Her friend breaks into a twinkling giggle that fades away as she heads back to the elevator.

I turn. “Wait, Rose. Let me walk you back.”

“No need.” She waves me to go in. “Logan should be waiting for me downstairs. We’re going on a little solo date after this.”

At midnight? With a game tomorrow?

Well, when real feelings are there, it makes you ignore time or exhaustion. Good for them.

“Then, have a good night,” I say and finally walk into the room after Audrey.

I find her in the middle of the two beds, staring at me with tired eyes but arms crossed.

“Okay, let’s establish some ground rules,” I say, anticipating what’s coming.

I rest our luggage against a mirrored wall.

“Bathroom is yours first. I promise to stay on my bed all night—unless I need to use said bathroom, I guess, but you know what I mean. You can change in there or out here if it’s more comfortable, and I can either wait in the bathroom or outside.

Also, Marty says that I snore. If I’m bothering you, feel free to shove me until I stop snoring—I sleep pretty heavy so it won’t bother me.

What else?” I look at the ceiling for inspiration.

“Oh, and we can get all the room service you need.”

She stares at me some more. I almost wonder if she’s fallen asleep with her eyes open until she shakes her head slightly.

“You don’t need to go outside, I’ll just change in the bathroom,” Audrey says. “And I don’t know if I snore, but I also sleep pretty heavy so it should be fine.”

“Great.”

“Great.”

The air conditioner fills the quiet for a long moment.

She’s still looking at me like there’s something more she wants to say but doesn’t dare to.

It makes me wonder if I’ve screwed something up along the way.

I use my last braincell to run inventory of what we’ve done so far and what could be missing.

“Cono!” I jump in my skin and pat my pockets. “I forgot the rings. We need to wear rings for the whole world to believe this.”

“It’s okay, the rings are in my suitcase. Let’s just…” She motions vaguely around. “Let’s just go to sleep, please? I could collapse at any moment.”

“Right.” I turn this way and that, until I remember the luggage. “Here you go. I’ll uh, change out here.”

“Thank you.” She receives the suitcase from me, careful not to make contact, and locks herself up in the bathroom.

I send a prayer to the heavens to give me strength not just for this night, for what this new life is going to be.

I make very quick work of changing into my pajamas and get my bed ready for sleep.

When she comes out, I’m too tired to even lift my head.

We just exchange places and I brush my teeth quickly.

Once I come out, I can’t even muster the willpower to pull up the bedsheets.

I fall face down and turn off like a light.