Single Mom's Protector - Complete Series

by Nella Tyler

  “Oh good, you sounded a little different there. I didn't wake you, did I?”

  “Oh no! I've been up for hours. I have classes to go to today so...”

  “That's good, I wasn't sure if it was too early to call.”

  “Nope, I'm good. How are you? What's up?”

  “I'm good, Emmi, and how are you?”

  “Great. My dad and I went to the beach and then had dinner together last night, so I was pretty beat by the time I got home.”

  “I bet. Sounds like fun, though. My teammates and I went out for a celebratory few drinks, but nothing crazy.”

  “Cool.”

  “The reason I'm calling, Emmi, is because I wanted to see you.”

  Cue heart melting...

  “That's sweet, Bennett. What did you have in mind? I would like to see you, as well.”

  “Well I was wondering if you would have dinner with me tomorrow night? I will be going away for a few games and will be gone for the rest of the week after tomorrow. I didn't want to leave before I saw you again. Are you free?”

  “Yeah sure. I'm free tomorrow, dinner sounds great.”

  “Perfect, glad to hear it. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again, Emmi.”

  I smiled and wished I could see the look on his face. He sounded genuine and really sweet. “Me too, Bennett.”

  “Great, how about you text me your address and I will pick you up at seven.”

  “That sounds great and I will. I can't wait.”

  “See you soon, Emmi.”

  I said goodbye and clicked off the phone. I set it on the nightstand and lay back in bed. My heart was beating fast and it had only been a phone call. I couldn't have been more excited at the prospect of having dinner with him. Then I wouldn't hear from him for a whole week. Just like Connie said, I would have to get used to him being away a lot. And besides, I was getting ahead of myself. We could totally hate each other by the end of tomorrow night. I giggled; that was highly unlikely.

  It was just something I would have to deal with. If we were meant to be together, then it would all work out in the end, anyways. I wasn't about to worry about it this early in the game. Besides, there were times I could always travel with him. It wasn't the end of the world. I would just focus on dinner tomorrow and worry about the rest later.

  I rolled out of bed and headed out to the living room. Connie had passed out on the couch and she was snoring. I excitedly walked in and squealed, “He asked me out! I have a date for tomorrow night!”

  “What?! Who? What's going on?” grumbled Connie. She was truly a sight that morning.

  She squinted up at me as she sat up on the couch. Her hair was a mess and she was sleeping in a pair of my old pjs. “What are you squealing about? What time is it, and where are the Tylenol?”

  I laughed as I headed into the kitchen to grab her some painkillers. I turned the tap on and poured her some water, as well. I brought her both and handed them to her. She took the glass and swallowed the pills, taking a drink after.

  “Okay, now what is going on?”

  “Bennett just called. He asked me out to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Wow, good for you, girl! Now what are you going to wear?”

  “I have no idea, you may have to help me with that. I'm thinking casual, I don't think we are going anywhere fancy.”

  “I wouldn't be surprised. I would ask him to make sure.”

  I quickly sent Bennett a text to ask about attire and give him my address.

  “I'm so nervous.”

  “Don't be, it's just dinner. You will be fine. That was quick work, though, on his part.”

  “Well, he's going out of town for a week for some games, so he wanted to see me before he left.”

  Connie frowned. “And so it starts...”

  “Don't be like that. It's not a big deal.”

  “Not now it isn't, but maybe one day it will be. But I'm not going to big sister you. You're happy and you can do whatever you want. It's no big deal. I'm happy for you, a date is super exciting.”

  “Thank you, but you have to help me figure out what to wear.”

  “That I can do.”

  My phone went off and I looked at the text that came through. It was from Bennett. “He said the attire should be casual. Perfect.”

  “Yes, we can definitely work with that.”

  I smiled, knowing I was in good hands.

  Chapter Eleven

  After dragging myself out of the apartment, I decided it was best to get to class despite my raging hangover. I wasn't a fan of getting behind, especially since I had more than enough homework as it was. Besides, I didn't want to miss out on anything. It was going to be my career, after all. I didn't want to miss a moment of it. The thought actually put a smile on my face as I sat there in class.

  The other thing that put a smile on my face was the thought of Bennett. The thing I liked most about him was that he was truly trying to do everything in his power to follow his dreams and did it with such passion. It was that kind of passion that I found addicting. He was intensely passionate and that made him far sexier than just his striking good looks. I couldn't get enough of the guy and yet I had spent very little time with him. I had to remind myself not to get in over my head. That would be bad news, for sure. I had to keep my eye on the prize, the prize being Bennett. There was no need to rush things, he was going to be out of town off and on anyways, and so it was probably best to take it easy.

  He was all I could think about in class. I had no idea what the professor was even talking about, which was a shame. But thinking about Bennett put me in such a good mood. I couldn't believe my luck that I was going to dinner with such a sexy and successful man. I knew he was going places, his talent was obvious, and I wanted to be the girl beside him to support his dreams. I wanted him by my side to help me follow my dreams, as well. Was this all too much to ask for a first date? My God, I was practically picking out my wedding dress. I needed to get a handle on myself. I just liked him so much, was that so wrong?

  I knew I was grinning like an idiot right there in class. I didn't realize the bell had rung to signal class was over. I looked up to find the professor staring at me strangely.

  “Oh wow, sorry. I was in my own world. I will be on my way, thanks.”

  He just nodded as he went back to grading papers as I collected my books together and headed out the door. I had to stop in at the school paper to hand in some sports stories I had been working on. I absolutely loved working for the paper. They let me write about anything I wanted since I was very knowledgeable about sports in general, not just baseball. Plus it was going to look amazing on my resume when it came time to look for a job. Spinning sports stories was a lot of fun.

  I headed across campus to the building where the newspaper was located. I walked in and saw the editor talking to a few other writers.

  “Hey, Emmi, how's it going?”

  “I'm good, thanks. Super tired, but I'm surviving. I have the stories you asked for. I wanted to get them handed in because I don't have class tomorrow.”

  “That's great, thank you.”

  I handed her the stories and she looked them over briefly. “Looks good, Emmi, thank you. Are you free to do more work?”

  “Yeah absolutely.”

  “Great, we want you to do a story on Bennett Thomas and his team.”

  “Excuse me?”

  She looked up and me and smiled. “You have heard of him, right? He's this extraordinary pitcher and we have a feeling he's going places.”

  I almost laughed, except I didn't. I certainly had the same feeling, but I didn't want her to know that yet. Steve would not like me talking about the fact that we were looking to put him on our team at that point. Plus, I didn't want her to know that I was getting to know Bennett.

  “Yes, I know of him. He's a good pitcher. I can cover the story, no problem.”

  Geez, wouldn't I have the inside track on that one.

  “Sounds great. We will
submit these and await the Bennett story.”

  “Cool. Anyways I gotta run. So I will see you later.”

  I hurried out of the room, hoping that I wasn't walking into a real mess at the paper. I really didn't want to write about the guy that I was going on a date with, but whatever, I would just be vague and gloss over anything personal. They were mainly interested in his team and where they were going – that much I could handle and focus on without getting personal.

  Chapter Twelve

  By the time Bennett arrived at my door, I was ready to go. I was wearing a pair of distressed jeans with a V-neck tee. Connie had curled my hair in waves and done my makeup. I looked like a complete knockout, and I had Connie to thank for that. I had a shot of tequila with her before she left to help me relax. I was feeling fantastic and confident when I heard a knock on my door.

  When I answered, Bennett was standing there looking good enough to eat. He was wearing jeans and a button down shirt. He had left his ball cap at home and I smiled when I met his eyes.

  “Emmi, you look fantastic.”

  “Thank you. You look pretty great yourself. Would you like to come in for a drink?”

  “Maybe later. How about we go get something to eat, I'm starving.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I grabbed my purse off the table and headed out the door, locking it behind me. I could still hear him saying maybe later as I walked down the hallway with him. What did he mean by that? He wanted to come back to my place after dinner? Was he planning on sleeping with me?

  I had to get that thought out of my head because I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Did I want to sleep with Bennett? I didn’t know.

  Bennett took me to a burger joint that was near the college campus. The burgers were made from scratch and had original sides. They were the best burgers in the area and the juices flowed out with every bite you took.

  “Have you been here before, Bennett?”

  “No, I haven't but I asked around and heard good things about it. Have you?”

  “Yes, you are going to love it. If you love burgers, then this is the place for you.”

  “Perfect! I'm glad I made the right choice. I don't want to disappoint you.”

  “I doubt you could do that.”

  He held the door open for me and I walked in. We went and found a booth in the back, but the place in general was packed.

  We sat down and a waitress was with us immediately. “Emmi, hi! How are you?”

  I recognized the waitress from one of my classes. “Oh hey, Candace. I'm good. Busy night for you, isn't it?”

  “You bet. What can I get you guys to drink?” She was mooning over Bennett and I really couldn't blame her for it. He was handsome. But he was also my date.

  “We're going to have a couple of beers.” Bennett offered.

  She walked away and we looked at our menus. I laughed as I read some of the burger choices.

  “Wow, they have a burger with mozzarella sticks on it.”

  I laughed. “That's what I mean. Original burgers, you don't see that stuff every day.”

  “No, you don't. I am tempted to order it, though.”

  “I think I'm going to order the salsa burger. I love jalapenos.”

  He looked up at me and smiled, “That does sound good.”

  “And don't judge me, but I'm getting french fries with it.”

  He laughed. “You look fantastic, Emmi, you can order whatever you want. I'm sick of taking girls out who just eat salads.”

  “Oh yeah, not my kind of thing,” I said with a giggle. “I have been in sports too long to live on salads alone.”

  “The lamb burger sounds good, I think I'm going to go with that one.”

  “Sounds delicious.”

  When Candace came back with our beer, we ordered our food and settled in. I looked around to see if I knew anyone, but there were so many people it was hard to tell.

  “Popular place,” Bennett remarked.

  “Oh yes. Especially for the college kids, we love our burgers. Thank you for taking me here, it is perfect.”

  “You're welcome.”

  “So what's your family like, Bennett?”

  “I come from a big family, Emmi. Both my parents are still married and they managed to pop out six kids.”

  “Six?! Wow, way to go mom.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, my dad is a farmer, so we lived off the land and he was really good at, it so we lived fairly well. I'm the only kid in sports though, the rest are off doing their own thing. Though I do have two siblings young enough to stay at home.”

  “That's crazy. I didn't think people had big families anymore.”

  “That's all my parents wanted was a big family.”

  “Good for them.”

  “Is it just you and your dad?”

  “Yes, my mother died when I was five.”

  “Sorry to hear that. I knew it was just you two, but your dad never remarried?”

  “No, I mean he dates and stuff like that. But nothing long term and definitely nothing that came close to an engagement.”

  “That's odd. Do you know why?”

  I shrugged while I took a swig of my beer. “I think he just loved my mother too much. Her death was a shock to him even though she had been sick for a while. He grieved for a long time and then he had to take care of me. I think it's hard for him to think of bringing another woman into a home he built with my mother. It's sweet how much he loved her, but I also wish that he would fall in love again. He deserves to be happy and be fulfilled again.”

  “That's too bad. He's a smart guy. He could find another lady no problem, I would bet.”

  “Maybe one day. Now that I'm basically all grown up, maybe he will get bored enough to go out and find someone.”

  Bennett laughed. “Your dad is pretty cool. You are so lucky to have grown up in the environment you did. I couldn't even imagine it. You must have had a blast.”

  “Sure, I did, but there was a lot I missed as well, being a girl and having girl friends and sleepovers, that sort of thing. When you are raised around sports, you're almost treated like a guy and that can hinder you in the female world, believe it or not.”

  “Yes, I guess that's true. Still I envy you.”

  “That's because you're a guy.”

  He laughed. “Fair enough.”

  I was glad that Bennett was skirting around the obvious topic of conversation. I would have had a hard time not talking about it and I was happy that he chose not to put me in an uncomfortable position. He must have been dying to ask because for all he knew I already had my father’s answer. He respected me, though, and that much was obvious. It could possibly ruin our night together if we got into it.

  “I can't tell you how refreshing it is to sit across from a beautiful woman and know that I can say anything about baseball and she won't glaze over.”

  I burst out laughing. “I totally get it. I know for the most part girls don't get sports, but there are still a lot of girls who do love watching it. You just got to find them.”

  “Well I think I hit the mother-load. You not only love to watch sports, but you are immersed in it, it's incredibly sexy.”

  I blushed. “Why thank you.”

  “It was really great meeting your dad, though, really great. Ever since I was a kid I idolized that man, he's incredible at what he does. He manages teams flawlessly and he has a strong ability to predict a player's talent and true potential. He's just very good at his job and it's no wonder he is so successful.”

  My eyes welled up. “Thank you, Bennett, for saying that. It means a lot to me, and it would mean a lot to him, as well. You're right – he is really good at his job and he has natural talent. He knows a good player when he sees it and he can predict where that player is going to go. He knows how far he can take a player, too. I admire him so much, we are so close. I'm blessed.” I laughed, “You kind of got me teary-eyed here.”

  “Sorry, I just wanted to say that. And you still look beautiful te
ary-eyed.”

  I smiled as I dabbed my eyes with a napkin.

  We continued drinking and eating and probably overstayed our welcome at the booth. We just couldn't stop talking about everything. There were no awkward silences, and we burned through topic after topic. I could easily say he was the perfect man for me. Could you realize something like that on a first date? Was it possible?

  We connected together so naturally – it was spellbinding how we were so in sync. I could be falling for this man already and that terrified me. We had an amazing connection, but I couldn't risk getting hurt. I needed to be sure of him and us before I started allowing myself to fall in love. I couldn't be foolish about it. And I certainly couldn't utter anything like that to Bennett.

  Together we racked up a $150 dollar tab at the burger joint which Bennett gladly covered. He tipped Candace generously, making up for the fact that we took up the booth all night long. Between dinner, dessert, and drinks we made good work on our tab. I was feeling pleasantly full and a little buzzed.

  “Do you want to come back to my place for a bit?” he asked lazily.

  I looked him in the eyes feeling bold. “Yes, let’s do that.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bennett drove us back to his studio apartment. It looked exactly as I imagined it would. I had seen a few players’ homes before, some friends, some not. They were always really neat and tidy places, probably because they had maids come in when they were out of town. The places I had been in looked exactly like Bennett's in the sense that it didn't really look like anyone lived there. My apartment was certainly lived in, I was not tidy at all and sometimes things got cluttered. Bennett's apartment was so clean we could have eaten off the floor. There wasn't a thing lying around and I wasn't even sure if he had been in it recently. During the season when players were on the road so much, this is what happened to their apartments, they were just places you came back to. It didn't look like a home. It looked like a place you stayed when you were back in town.

  “Please have a seat on the couch, I will grab us a beer.”