by Tara Wyatt
“If I promise to be a good patient, will you come back tonight and play nurse?”
She laughed and winked at him. “Just try and stop me.”
Eleven
“If you’re just joining us, I have to say, you’ve missed one heck of a ballgame. It’s the bottom of the ninth, and the Red Sox are ahead three runs to two,” says Wayne Hopkins. “If the Longhorns win tonight against the Red Sox, they’ll have clinched the wild card spot and will be facing off against the Orioles for a spot in the ALDS.”
“Jake Landon steps up to start this inning. Landon’s gone oh-for-two tonight with two flyouts to deep center field,” says Ron Whittaker. “Let’s hope the Longhorns can work some magic because right now, the entire post season is on the line.”
“It sure is. Here’s the pitch and it’s a broken bat grounder straight up the middle. The second baseman Carvello is there…and he bobbles it! Landon makes it safely to first on an error. We’ve got a man on for the Longhorns in the bottom of the ninth!”
“What a game! And it’s not over yet, folks. Because now we’ve got Dylan McCormick up, who’s one-for-three tonight with an RBI double in the fourth inning. You know McCormick’s got to be eager to do something here.”
“First pitch is in, a curveball for strike one.”
“McCormick looks back to the dugout and we can see Longhorns hitting coach Abby Gossman there, signaling something to him. McCormick nods and settles back into the box.”
“Here’s the pitch and McCormick with a drive! Deep left field! Go, go…that ball is outta here! Longhorns win! Longhorns win! The Longhorns walk off the Red Sox! The Longhorns are going to the Wild Card!”
Abby screamed and streamed out onto the field with the rest of the team, her pulse racing and thundering in her ears. Fireworks erupted above them, lighting up the night sky in flickering shades of red, white, and blue while the fans screamed so loudly she could feel the vibration of it in her bones. The team came together in one giant mass of jumping, shouting bodies, all celebrating with Dylan at the center, joy radiating from his face.
From behind her, she felt a strong pair of hands band around her waist and lift her up. Her entire body warmed at the feeling of Jake behind her.
“We fucking did it!” she yelled and threw her arms around him when he put her down. Quickly, she remembered herself and parlayed her hug into an ass slap. Jake grinned, his cheeks flushed.
Hunter retrieved the giant cooler of Gatorade and dumped it over Dylan’s head, giving him the traditional hero’s shower. Abby laughed, an addictive, warm feeling radiating throughout her entire body.
And then Javi was there, pulling her into his arms for a hug, lifting her and spinning her around.
“We’re going to the Wild Card! We did it!” She could barely hear him over the screaming fans and the booming music. Her thoughts felt scattered; she was too excited, too elated to think straight. As gently as possible she tried to disentangle herself from Javi’s embrace. It all felt like something out of a movie, so perfect in the drama, the timing, the euphoria of the win. The team’s mascot danced on top of the dugout, and from several feet away, she caught Jake’s eye. He laughed, his eyes wide and glowing, and Abby knew she’d remember this moment forever.
Once the on-field celebrations had died down and the team made its way back into the clubhouse, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the grounds crew had had the foresight to drape plastic sheeting over everything. Tubs of beer on ice sat scattered throughout, and Hunter was busy passing out goggles and snorkels, partly as a joke, partly out of necessity. Abby accepted a pair of goggles but didn’t put them on, hanging slightly back and letting the players have their moment together. This was her victory too, but being a coach and being a player weren’t the same thing.
The entire time, her eyes were magnetized to Jake, watching as he laughed and celebrated with the rest of the team. She felt so incredibly lucky that they’d be having their own private celebration later tonight. Just the thought made her thighs clench and her stomach flip over on itself.
It had been less than a week since they’d gotten back together—Jake had only been back playing for two games since his concussion—but they’d quickly and easily fallen back into their old pattern. They were together every night, either at his place or at hers. They texted constantly. Exchanged secret glances and smiles. She was addicted to him, fully and completely. She still had sex bruises—perfect little fingertips on her inner thighs from a couple of nights ago—and with how amped up she was right now, you’d think it had been weeks since she’d gotten laid. Months.
It wasn’t perfect, given the secretive nature of their relationship, but she’d take it. They’d figure everything out in the future. They had to.
Soon, every player had a beer bottle in his hands, shaken to the point of bursting, and the beer shower commenced in earnest. She ducked back slightly, laughing, adrenaline punching through her at her team’s celebration. Loud country music began playing from the clubhouse’s sound system, and Hunter hopped up onto one of the plastic coated couches.
“Dylan fucking McCormick!” he yelled before cracking open a fresh bottle of beer and pouring it all over Dylan, who stood only a couple of feet away. Members of the media crammed into the clubhouse, trying to get soundbites out of the players. Abby took a sip of her beer, enjoying just watching the celebration, but then she spotted that woman from ESPN, Brianna Highmore, and she made her way over to her.
“Hey,” she said, tapping her on her slender shoulder. Brianna turned and gave her a perfunctory smile, no doubt remembering how rude Abby had been when she’d barked at her to get off her field. “Just wanted to say I’m sorry for bitching at you. It wasn’t cool. I had some other shit going on, and I should’ve treated you professionally.”
Brianna’s gaze was cool and assessing, but after a moment she smiled. “It’s okay. I get it. This has to be a pretty high pressure position, being the only female coach in the MLB. It’s not easy trying to find your place in such a male dominated world.”
“It’s not, as I’m sure you know.”
Abby saw Hunter, Dylan and Beau heading back out toward the field, their arms loaded with bottles of beer. Whatever on field celebration they had planned was probably worth watching. She tipped her chin in their direction. “You probably wanna go check that out,” she said to Brianna. All of the other reporters were busy capturing the celebration and trying to talk to the cheering, beer-soaked teammates. Brianna shot her a smile and signaled for her cameraman to follow her.
From across the clubhouse, she locked eyes with Jake. His uniform was soaked, clinging to him in all the right places. She had the sudden urge to lick him from head to toe, and the fact that she’d probably have the chance to do just that later tonight lit her up like the Fourth of July.
Javi pressed a fresh beer into her hand, and she accepted it with a smile, tearing her attention away from Jake. PR people from the team passed out brand new T-shirts with the slogan “Dallas Wants It More” emblazoned across the front in bright red font. Abby accepted one and pulled it on over her head. Her lungs felt so full, like she couldn’t possibly take in any more air. Knowing that she’d played a part in this victory suffused her with pride.
“You made history, you know,” said Javi, his breath warm against her cheek. “First female coach in the post season.”
She turned to look at him and clinked her beer bottle against his. “I’m just getting started.”
All things considered, Abby should’ve been in a much better mood than she was. In just two days, the team was headed for the wild card game and their first post season appearance in way too long. Jake was back in her life. She’d had more orgasms over the past week than she could count. She was currently wearing a long-sleeved leather cocktail dress that both looked and felt amazing and holding a glass of wine. Everything in her life was perfect, or damn close to it.
But that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to be here toni
ght. Not even a little bit. But, given that the entire team was here, it would’ve looked suspicious if she hadn’t shown up, and she was hyperconscious of doing anything and everything to keep her relationship with Jake on the DL.
Aroma Gardens was a beautiful restaurant right beside Klyde Warren Park in the heart of Dallas. Half indoors, half outdoors, it featured a gorgeous walled garden strung with lights. Every single plant, shrub, and tree was also lit up, giving the space an almost ethereal glow. At the far end, a modern, stylish fountain burbled quietly. Inside the restaurant, a long, elegant bar lined one wall, while wall-to-wall windows that looked out onto the garden space took up the other. At the front of the restaurant, a small stage had been erected for the night’s festivities.
Abby glanced around, taking in the crowd. It was bustling, mostly with young professionals and ballgirls. A lot of ballgirls. She tried to remind herself that this was for charity, but it didn’t make the bile in her stomach any less acidic. Apparently, Mother Teresa she wasn’t.
Upbeat pop music pumped through the speakers, but she wasn’t feeling upbeat. Her stomach rolled as her eyes took in all of the young, beautiful women, ready to open their wallets for the chance to go on a date with a Longhorns player.
This whole bachelor auction was stupid. There had to be better ways to raise money for charity than this, right? Plus, the timing was horrible. With the wild card game only two days away, they should’ve been focused on baseball, not this dumb event. Abby rolled her eyes and took a sip of her wine, suddenly feeling very alone in the crowd.
All of the bachelors were somewhere behind the stage, so she hadn’t even seen Jake yet tonight, and when she did, he’d be up on stage, pretending he was single and auctioning off a date. She trusted him, and she knew that the date would mean nothing, but it still stung. Apparently, it was hard to feel secure in a secret relationship. And that was just another reminder that while they were back together, things were far from settled. The future was no less clear than it had been before the trade that had upended everything. She didn’t know how they moved forward; only that she was powerless when it came to resisting Jake Landon.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun, plastering a smile to her face that she hoped looked a bit more genuine than it felt. But it quickly morphed into a real smile when she saw Maggie Jennings standing in front of her. She hadn’t seen Maggie in months, not since she’d been fired from the team’s PR department for dating Dylan. She’d always liked her, and had been disappointed to hear that she’d been let go.
“Maggie!” she said, pulling the slender blond woman in for a hug. “It’s so nice to see you, although I have to admit, I’m surprised.”
Maggie smiled. “It’s nice to see you, too. And yeah, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be at a Longhorns event anytime in the near future, but it’s for charity and Dylan convinced me that the night out would be fun.”
“So, which bachelor are you going to bid on?” she teased.
Dylan took a sip of his beer and shot Abby a mock glare. “Hey, now. None of that. She’s taken.” He turned his attention to Maggie, his eyes smoldering. “Very taken.”
They spent a few minutes getting caught up, with Maggie telling her about her new job and the apartment she and Dylan had just moved into. And Abby was happy for them. She was. But she couldn’t help the pang of wistful jealousy slipping like a knife right between her ribs. Would she and Jake ever be able to be this relaxed, this happy, this public? Just a normal couple?
She didn’t know, and she didn’t like that she didn’t know.
“Hey, hey!” came a female voice from somewhere behind Abby, and she turned to see Hunter approaching with his wife, Marlowe. He’d shocked the hell out of everyone—Abby included—when he’d taken off to Vegas during the All-Star break and married his on-again, off-again girlfriend, country singer Marlowe Story. But seeing them together, Abby couldn’t deny that he was clearly head over heels for her, and she was happy for him.
They all chatted for a bit, mostly about the upcoming game in Baltimore—they were flying out tomorrow morning—and who on the team had volunteered for the auction. When Jake’s name was mentioned, Marlowe frowned.
“Wait, but I thought…” She glanced at Abby, her brow furrowed. “That you and Jake…” She trailed off, raising her eyebrows. “Oh, um, I mean…crap.”
Abby narrowed her eyes, taking in the way Maggie was suddenly very interested in the floor.
“What do you all think you know?”
Hunter raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, Abs, don’t be mad, but we know. We all know.”
“You know what?” she asked, not sure how to feel about this turn in the conversation.
“About you and Jake,” Dylan said quietly. “That you were a thing until he got traded to the team. Hunter and I knew something was up, and Jake confirmed it when I asked him about it.”
“You all were gossiping about me?”
Maggie shook her head, her eyes wide. “No, not gossiping, Abby. Not like that,” she said, laying a hand on Maggie’s arm. “We’re on your side.”
Her eyes bounced between Dylan, Maggie, Hunter, and Marlowe. “You all already knew?”
They all nodded. “More or less,” said Hunter, shrugging. “And, uh…” He shrugged again and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I saw the way you guys were after the win against the Red Sox, and figured it was back on.” Abby’s mind flashed back to the aftermath of the team’s win and the way Jake had picked her up, the way she’d hugged him, the way she’d grinned at him.
Apparently, she wasn’t being as stealthy as she’d thought. A weight sat heavy on her chest. “Does everyone know?” she asked, trying to stem the wave of panic rising up inside her.
Hunter and Dylan both shook their heads. “No, Abs. Just us,” said Dylan. “And we’re on team Jabby.”
Abby arched an eyebrow. “Team Jabby? No. No couple names. Especially that one.”
“So, if you’re back together, why is Jake in the auction?” asked Maggie, frowning.
“Because he agreed to it when we weren’t together, and we’re keeping a low profile, so…” She shrugged and finished her wine. Marlowe immediately procured another for her, as well as another beer for Hunter from a passing waiter’s tray. Then she laid a hand on her hip.
“Okay, well, we can’t let anyone here buy a date with Jake,” she said, looking around their group. “Like, that’s not happening.”
Maggie’s hands fluttered up around her face and she let out a little squeak. “Oh my God, I have an idea. What if we buy the date but use it to give to a kid with cancer? The non-profit I work for arranges events like that all the time.”
Marlowe grinned and snapped her fingers. “That’s perfect. The ‘date’ will be with a kid from the charity. You supply the connections and I’ll front the cost.”
Abby’s eyes bounced back and forth, trying to keep up with the conversation. She held up a hand. “Wait. You’re going to buy Jake’s ‘date’ for charity?”
“Yeah, and save him—and you—from a night of misery from one of these ballgirls,” said Marlowe.
Abby was suddenly very, very glad that the four of them knew about her and Jake, because as immature and insecure as it was to admit it, she’d been struggling with the jealousy burning a hole in her stomach all day.
“Yeah, team Jabby!” said Hunter, smirking at her. She shot him a death glare, and then turned her attention to Maggie and Marlowe.
“Thank you. This is awesome, and I really appreciate it.” And she did. She could feel the relief filtering through her. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Jake. It was that everything between them felt so tenuous that her possessiveness was next level.
“Hey, anything for charity,” said Marlowe with a wink. Okay, she was pretty freaking adorable. Abby could see why Hunter had lost his damn mind over her.
Just then, the lights dimmed and “I’m So Excited” started playing over the sound system. A cheer went
up as Laurel took the stage, wearing a sparkly dress.
“Hello everyone, and welcome to the Dallas Longhorns bachelor auction!” she chirped into the microphone. “We’re here tonight to raise money for the United Way and to have a good time! Before we get started, let’s hear it for the guys who’ve so bravely volunteered to be part of the auction tonight.” Another cheer rippled through the crowd.
“If you didn’t get a handout on your way in, there are more over by the bar. There you’ll find pictures with short bios of each player up for auction tonight, as well as their ideal date—just in case you’re looking for ideas! And who knows, maybe tonight will be the start of a connection for a lucky couple.” Several women hooted and hollered at that.
The music changed to an upbeat Latin song that Abby was pretty sure was Daddy Yankee, giving away who was up first.
“Okay ladies, get your bidding paddles and wallets ready, because first up, we have the head honcho himself, Longhorns manager Javier Flores.” Javi stepped out onto the stage and Abby almost swallowed her tongue. His designer suit clung to him in all the right places, showing off his fit physique. She wasn’t used to seeing him in anything but ball gear and…damn, he looked good. His thick black hair was styled with pomade, and the crisp white shirt, open at the collar, set off the deep tan of his skin. He smiled at the crowd, dimples flashing.
“I don’t think I ever appreciated what a stone cold fox Javi is,” said Maggie, leaning in close to Abby. “Because, um, hello.”
“I know, right?”
Once Javi’s date had been auctioned off—for $4,000!—the auction moved on to the next bachelor. Abby waited as each guy took his turn on stage, with Beau earning the most money at $7,000. He’d also taken his shirt off on stage, which had probably helped.