Apparently, even the guys on the other team had heard the stories and were going to rib him about it. During one of his at bats, he was brushed back away from the plate by a high inside pitch. It came so close to hitting him that AJ had jumped back and it got everyone in the stadium riled up. The next pitch hadn’t come as close, but before the third, as AJ set up to bat, he thought he heard Bigsby say something about him crowding the plate. The next pitch zoomed by so close to his chin AJ almost felt it, and he lost his footing, trying to avoid getting hit again. He hit the ground and the stadium went wild. Bigsby said something AJ didn’t catch again.
“What did you say?” he asked as he stood up, dusting himself off.
Bigsby crouched back down in position behind the plate, not bothering to look up at AJ but did respond louder this time. “I said stop crowding the plate.”
“Is that you telling him to brush me back?” AJ asked as he approached the plate again.
Bigsby was on his feet and pulled his mask off. “It’s all part of the game. Everyone knows you’re less likely to connect with something high and inside. Nothing personal, lover boy.”
The crowd got even louder, seeing them face to face. Although, AJ was in no way facing off with the guy as he’d done plenty of times in the past with other players just before a bench-clearing brawl. Hearing the crowd, though, did make him look back at his dugout where his teammates appeared ready to run out if needed, but he shook his head, holding a hand up, letting them know things were cool. Bigsby was just being the arrogant smartass he was known to be. Obviously, he’d read the stories in the tabloids. Hence, the term of endearment he’d chosen for AJ today.
On a mission now, AJ set up to bat again, pulling back a little. The next pitch was a fast ball right down the middle, and AJ got a good whack at it. He’d hit home runs enough to know this one was out of there. A two-run home run put them up by two. The stadium, of course, went wild as he trotted around the bases. No matter how many times this happened, it was something he knew would never get old, especially with an at bat like the one he’d just had.
His teammates were all waiting for him at the plate with high fives and pats on the back. As he made it through the crowd at the plate, he walked by Bigsby, who was standing off to the side with a smirk. “Guess last night was that good,” he said.
AJ peered at him for a moment but didn’t give him the pleasure of responding to his stupid remark. Instead, he turned up into the stands and waved at his cheering fans then turned and met Addison’s eyes. She was smiling brightly and clapping. Clair, jumping up and down next to her and waving both hands in the air, got his attention, and he smiled, waving at them both.
One conclusion he’d come to in the midst of that morning’s surprise was that, after only two times out with Addison and Clair, it was already out there. He didn’t give a shit what anyone else said or thought of him and Addison. Not the press. Not any of the guys on the team. Not even his family. Sure he’d love nothing more than for them to be happy for him and for them to welcome her and Clair into their lives. With the way he felt about her, he’d make sure they understood she and Clair would be around a lot now. But the only ones he was concerned about were Coach Lara and Clair—Clair more so than the coach.. Yes, he wanted his coach’s blessing, but he had a feeling he already had it.
That morning in the locker room, the coach hadn’t addressed what was being said in the media or commented on the suggestive ribbing AJ had been getting from the guys. None of them had said anything outright, but like Bigsby’s “lover boy” remark, they made a few comments about his night out last night. All the coach had said was that the girls had had a good time and that Clair said he’d made Harrison’s year. He’d patted AJ on the shoulder then got right back to talk of the game ahead of them.
The two runs AJ’s homerun scored turned out to be all they needed as the Padres shut out the Cardinals to win the game. Clair had been as excited about meeting King and Queen as he’d been nervous about bringing her and Addison back to meet his family. He and Addison had already discussed it the night before, and she’d agreed there was no need for any deep explanations about why he’d bring Addison too. This was her seven-year-old little girl. It was one thing for them to be buddies on the field and around everyone else on the team. But it’d be kind of questionable, not to mention inadvisable, for him to be doing too much with her off the field alone.
Bringing them to the barbeque was a hit. Clair had a blast playing with the dogs, and everyone seemed to like and enjoy their company. AJ had told his siblings about Clair even before he’d met her mom. He’d previously told them about what an amazing and intelligent little girl she was, but he could tell right away they hadn’t been prepared just how grownup-like their conversations with her would feel. On the outside, she was this tiny little girl with the sweetest smile, but on the inside, she was a whirlwind of insightful information, declarations, and even witty banter. As expected, she quickly won everyone over, and no one seemed the least bit concerned about AJ’s obvious attraction to her single mom.
Not being able to tell Clair about the relationship was going to be harder than he thought for an altogether different reason. When he’d dropped them off at the end of the evening, it was sheer torture to not be able to kiss Addison good-bye, especially since he wouldn’t see her again for weeks. He’d snuck in a few kisses here and there at his place when Clair had been preoccupied with Liv’s dogs, but there was no way he could be sneaky with her standing right there.
Another tough one was the fact that if it weren’t for Clair they might’ve hung out longer like Nathan’s girl, Kelli, did. Clair had school early the next day, so Addison had to get her home.
Kelli was still there when AJ got back from dropping off his girls. She was the only one who didn’t peer at him teasingly when he walked out back to the deck where everyone was now sitting by the fire pit having drinks. The only reason he kept up the act was because she was the only one there he didn’t know well enough to trust she wouldn’t leak the truth about him and Addison to anyone.
Luckily, she got a call and stood up to take it away from everyone before anyone could ask what he knew was coming. Her call actually distracted Nathan, and it was Isaiah who did the inquiring first.
“So let’s have it.” Isaiah said, tossing another log into the fire pit. “We know you’re full of shit now.”
“What?”
“Drop the act,” Emi said, leaning into her husband Sydney in the recliner they were sharing. “I saw you kiss her.”
AJ frowned, glancing over to where Kelli had strolled off onto the beach. She was so far now, and with the wind and the sound of the crashing waves, he was sure she couldn’t hear, so he spoke quickly. “Nate,” he said, trying to get the attention of his brother who kept glancing over to where Kelli was on the phone.
Nathan turned back to him, looking almost annoyed. “What?”
“She didn’t see, did she?” AJ asked, motioning toward Kelli.
Nathan shrugged with a frown. “If she did, she didn’t mention it. Why do you care if she saw?”
“No offense, but we don’t know her well enough yet, and I cannot let this get out.”
“I trust her,” Nathan said, his face going even sourer.
“Yeah?” AJ smirked. “Is that why you keep glancing over there? Who’s she giggling on the phone with?”
That had Nathan and a few of the others turning back to glimpse at Kelli. The barely-there smile she wore while she talked could hardly be construed as giggling. Still AJ knew his brother. It was almost laughable how irritated his comment had made Nathan. AJ might be the one dubbed Rage, but both his brothers were just as bad. AJ had noticed it earlier since this wasn’t the first call Kelli had wandered away to take. Each time he’d noticed Nathan got more uncomfortable with it.
If it weren’t for the one call Addison had stepped away to take earlier, AJ might say his brother was overreacting. But since AJ had taken the several calls he’d gotte
n right in front of Addison, it did make him wonder why she’d walk away to take hers.
“Real fast,” AJ said, eyeing Kelli, who was still on the phone, “before she gets back. I’ll tell you guys more about it another time, but for now, all I can say is, yes, I’m seeing Addison now, but she doesn’t want her daughter to know.
Isaiah laughed. “You don’t think that little genius hasn’t already figured it out?”
“No, she hasn’t,” AJ said firmly. “I’m telling you she’s been my little bud for months now. It’s not unusual that I’d be spending time with her and her mom, but Addison’s adamant that we keep things under wraps until she feels Clair is ready to know, so in the meantime, no one knows. Not even her parents. Understood? Anyone asks any of you, we’re just good friends.”
Kelli was on her way back to the deck, so AJ gave them all a warning glare before heading to the outdoor fridge to grab a beer. The moment Kelli sat down next to Nathan her phone dinged again. Both she and Nathan glanced at her phone’s screen.
“Who’s Raymond?” Nathan asked immediately.
Kelli shook her head, hitting something on her screen. As expected, Nathan whispered something to her, his expression as hard as it’d gone earlier when AJ had teased him about her giggling with someone on the phone. In the next few seconds, they were up and walking off toward the beach again.
The girls headed inside to grab more snacks and to make another pitcher of Margaritas, while the guys all gathered around the bar area.
Liv’s husband, Lorenzo, eyed Nathan and Kelli in the distance. “Something about that girl is a little shady,” he said, taking a swig from his beer. “How long has Nathan been with her?”
“Not too long,” Isaiah answered because AJ wasn’t around enough to be sure. “Few weeks.” Isaiah peered at Lorenzo just as curiously as AJ did but then brought his attention back to his beer bottle. “What makes you think she’s shady?”
“Don’t listen to this guy,” Lorenzo’s brother Vince said, shaking his head. “He was burned once, so he trusts no one. Your sister’s the only one who finally convinced him not all girls are liars.”
Lorenzo shrugged. “I could be wrong, but getting burned taught me one thing. I never ignore my gut feelings anymore.”
“That’s right,” AJ said as the memory of overhearing his sisters’ talk about Lorenzo’s ex came to him. “You were engaged once before Livi, right? Is that who you’re talking about?”
Lorenzo nodded, glancing back toward the house where the girls were. “Yep, and just like this one”—he motioned toward Kelli and Nathan—“she was always sneaking away to take calls and got texts at all hours. In my case, they were from her ex, and I knew it, but there was nothing I could do about it since he was her kid’s dad and she had to keep things amicable for the sake of her kid. At least that’s the bullshit she fed me and I bought it. Then boom. I find out she’s sleeping with him again.” He shook his head. “I’m not saying I think that’s what Nathan’s girl is doing,” he said, glancing back at Nathan and Kelli. “I’m just saying she hasn’t put that phone down once since they got here. And who the fuck is Raymond?”
AJ continued to peer at Lorenzo, suddenly beyond relieved Clair’s dad didn’t exist as far as Addison was concerned. He sure as hell wouldn’t be able to deal with that shit. He glanced over at his brother and Kelli, who were on their way back now, and neither looked too happy.
“Well,” Sabian said in a lowered voice as Nathan and Kelli approached them. “Looks like trouble in paradise.”
“I’m taking her home,” Nathan said simply as they neared.
“Good night,” Kelli said with a weak smile to Isaiah and AJ. Then she turned to the others. “Nice meeting you guys.”
They all waved and said goodnight but kept their thoughts to themselves until Nathan and Kelli were out of sight.
“Well, shit, Enzo,” AJ said when Nathan and Kelli had entered the house. “Did you just jinx my brother?”
“All I said,” Lorenzo said, holding a hand up in front of him, “was there’s something shady about her. Apparently, I wasn’t too far off.”
That worried AJ as much as it seemed to worry Isaiah, who was staring pensively in the direction Nathan and Kelli had gone. Just like AJ, both his brothers rarely brought a girl around the family. Nathan’s bringing Kelli around spoke volumes about what he was feeling for her, and he’d been with her for weeks now.
AJ had only been with Addison two days now, and he couldn’t imagine having to deal with what his brother might be dealing with, least of all what Lorenzo had. The only thing he could hope for was that Nathan was a pretty good judge of character. Despite what Lorenzo said, until she took all those calls today, AJ had thought Kelli was a nice enough girl. If Nathan was getting serious enough to bring her around the family, she couldn’t be too bad.
He flinched when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. The guys were still on the subject of Nathan and Kelli as the girls started to make their way out from the kitchen. This time AJ walked away for some privacy with a smile when he saw Addison’s name on the screen.
“Hey,” he said when he answered. “You miss me already?”
“Yes!” she said with a giggle. “I can’t believe it’ll be weeks before I get to see you again.”
AJ groaned at the thought. “I know.” He shook his head with a frown. “It killed me to not be able to kiss you goodnight.”
“Exactly,” she said anxiously. “It’s why I promised Clair Starbucks before school in the morning. That’s usually a Friday morning treat. But I needed a reason to get her in bed early because it means us getting up and leaving an hour earlier than normal so neither of us will be late. She’s asleep now. You wanna meet me somewhere?”
AJ barely waved at the crowd by the outdoor bar who looked at him curiously as he rushed by them and into the house. A few places came to mind where they could meet. He named off a few bars and restaurants and she went silent for a moment.
“Don’t think less of me, okay?” she finally said. “But after last night, I was thinking more like a hotel room for a few hours.”
AJ groaned even louder this time as he practically sprinted to his car.
Chapter 11
Addison
It had been two weeks before Clair’s school let out for the summer and just as long until Addison and Clair were finally able to meet up with Addison’s parents on the road. Now more than ever Addison was convinced that taking the job in San Diego had been Fate. Even back in Chicago, she could do a large part of her job from home. She only ever needed to drive into her office three sometimes four days out of the week, but never all five. This position gave her even more time away from the office. It was just one of the perks that helped in her decision to move back. Since many of the meetings she had to attend were via Skype and conference calls with IRS statisticians from all over the country, there really was no need for her to be in her office for those. Her job consisted of lots and lots of calls to discuss and compare notes and charts. She could do that from almost anywhere as long as she had her laptop and phone with her.
This gave her more time to focus on Clair, especially since she didn’t want her parents to think for a moment that she’d moved back home so she could dump her daughter on them. Now that she was seeing AJ, though they didn’t know it yet, she wanted to continue to show just how devoted she was to her daughter. But she never imagined how much she’d love the fact that she could spend so much time away from her office.
Two weeks away from AJ had been torturous. Though she’d spoken to him every night via Skype once everyone was asleep, she still missed him like crazy. It was insane and a little scary how fast and hard she’d fallen for him. It was so hard to end the calls every night that they’d resorted to falling asleep with their laptops on in their beds. It was AJ’s suggestion, and she’d laughed out loud when he admitted he’d gotten the idea when he’d remembered one of the guys on the team getting ribbed mercilessly for doing the same thing with
his girlfriend. At the time, AJ said he’d thought it disgusting. “How could anyone be that pathetically whipped?”
Well, now he knew. They both did. Seeing him in person and not being able to jump all over him was even worse. Sneaking off with him alone had proven even trickier, especially since she’d be sharing a hotel room with Clair on every leg of their trip. In some cases, she shared a two-room suite with Clair and her parents.
Addison never knew she could be so sneaky. Since she’d been a recluse in high school and then she’d gone and gotten knocked up so soon after her transformation after high school, she’d never really had a wild streak where she had to lie to her parents and sneak out her bedroom window and such.
The evening after the first game they met her parents in Denver. She hadn’t even knocked at AJ’s hotel room door when he opened it and pulled her in.
“How much time do we have?” AJ asked, consuming every inch of her mouth as he ran his hands up and down her needy body.
They moved along toward the bedroom of his suite, stopping against furniture and walls, unable to keep lips or limbs off each other. “About an hour,” she said between breathless kisses.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, eagerly giggling in his mouth when he lifted her suddenly and rushed her into the bedroom, never once releasing her mouth. “Good,” he kissed her again, tracing her lips with his tongue. “There’s plenty I could do to you in an hour.”
As soon as they were by the side of his bed, he lowered her and pulled off his shirt. His body was beyond amazing. She’d never tire of staring at him in complete awe.
AJ smirked, making her face heat when she realized she’d zoned out staring at his perfect arms, chest, and shoulders—again. He took one step forward and lifted her skirt; his fingers headed directly to her crotch, caressing her over damp panties. If it hadn’t felt so damn good, she might have been a little embarrassed at her body’s obvious reaction to his touch. Every inch of her quivered as his lips sucked her neck and his fingers continued to play with her down there. Even over her panties, it was already building. Touching his naked upper body wasn’t helping slow the impending eruption her body was readying itself for already.