Catching His Heart (Love And Baseball Book 1)

by Kelsie Swaney

  Footsteps came close and I looked up. It was one of the guys from my English class, Tyler Morrison. He had occasionally attempted flirting with me up until Carson and I became a thing.

  “Hey Tyler, what’s up?”

  “Hey,” he said, recognizing me. “I didn’t know you worked here,” he said with a grin.

  “Yeah, just helping out since the owner is Carson’s cousin. Can I help you with something?”

  “Is Isaac around? I need to talk to him about the menu for opening night. My parents are catering, so mom sent me over to talk about it.”

  “Oh, well Isaac just stepped out a little bit ago. He should be back soon.”

  “Crap, well I don’t have too long, I’ve gotta go pick up my sister in like 30 minutes.”

  “Well hold on, let me give him a call and see what he wants to do.”

  I took out my phone and dialed Isaac’s number. He picked up on the 4th ring and I smiled. “Hey boss. The caterer’s son is here to talk about the menu for opening night.”

  “Oh really? Cool I just pulled in. I’ll be there in just a second.”

  “Ok cool, thanks!”

  I turned to Tyler and relayed the message. He pulled me up and wrapped me in an unexpected, but friendly, hug. Right as Isaac walked in with a very angry looking Carson. I squealed and ran to Carson, throwing my arms around him. His strong arms engulfed me, and his spicy scent was all around me. I hadn’t seen him yet today, so this was a nice surprise. I felt right for the first time all day, like I was right where I was supposed to be.

  “I’ve missed you,” I said before dropping a kiss on his lips.

  “I missed you too, but why was that jerk holding you? Doesn’t he know that that’s my job? What’s he even doing here?”

  “Oh, hush you. He was giving me a hug because I was helping him out and we are friends. He was looking for Isaac because his parents are catering the opening and sent him to discuss the menu.”

  Carson’s arms tightened around me and his eyes narrowed. Tyler must have been looking at me, because that’s the only thing that could get this type of reaction out of Carson. I put my hand to his face but he wouldn’t look at me because he was too busy glaring at Tyler. Yeah, Carson really hasn’t been big on sharing when it came to me.

  “Carson,” I said quietly.

  “Yeah babe,” he said as he finally relented and looked at me.

  “Yours,” I said with a smile.

  “Mine,” he said as his frown turned into a small embarrassed smile.

  He gave me one of his heart stopping kisses and I heard Isaac pretending to gag while he walked over to Tyler. I heard him calling for us to get a room and I stuck my tongue out at him. Carson scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder, walking towards Isaac’s office.

  “You’re just frustrated because Lennon isn’t here to kiss like that,” Carson called over his shoulder.

  “Not true! I broke up with Lennon. She didn’t want to leave New York but I was moving back here. There was no way to make it work, not when she wanted me to stay and I wanted her to come.”

  This little revelation spelled trouble. He might try to get in the way of Reed and Kami, who had slowly been getting closer the past few weeks, and I couldn’t have that. I was going to have to formulate a plan to make sure that things ended up the way they were supposed to. Carson had stopped for a second, but said nothing, obviously thinking the same thing as me. He caught my eye but he looked sad. Okay, we must not be on the same page, so what on earth was he thinking about?

  When Carson sat me down on Isaac’s desk he stood in front of me looking pensive. I pulled him in for a kiss and not even that took away his expression. Something serious was going on in his head, and I wondered if he was ready to share.

  “What is it,” I asked as I let him go.

  “Is that going to be us? Am I going to go away and you resent me for leaving you here?”

  Now I understood his sad expression. “No sweetheart. Staying or going is a choice I’m going to have to make. I’m taking that year off, so I could come visit whenever I want, or I could come with you,” I said soothingly.

  Carson was really freaked out. I could tell by the way he was avoiding looking at me that this was going to be a problem for us. There must have been more because he sighed and shook his head.

  “I don’t want to take you from your life here honey,” he said as he put his forehead to mine.

  “Hey, if I come with you it’s my choice. You aren’t asking me to do anything. Although I won’t come if you don’t want me there. Wanting me there is your choice. Think on that for a few days, then we’ll talk about it again,” I said with a smile.

  He is so sweet, not wanting to take me from my life, but what he doesn’t understand is that my life wouldn’t be the same without him in it. I have always needed him in my life so my choice had already been made. If he wanted me there I would go. I can’t picture my life without him constantly here. It just wouldn’t be the same.

  He nodded and kissed me softly. I knew he wanted me to go with him, he just needed to get past his reservations, whatever they may be. I could tell that there was a lot he wanted to say but he was holding back, and that I couldn’t understand. We had always told each other everything, well, almost everything, except those three little words that were still left to be said between us. So, other than that, what is stopping him now?

  “I think we should wait to talk about this until after I tell you that thing on your birthday,” he whispered.

  “Alright, after my birthday it is,” I said with a grin.

  “You are far too good for me,” he said with a small smile.

  “And here I was thinking the same thing about you,” I teased.

  He swept me up in his arms and kissed me breathless. When he pulled away we both grinned at each other. He threw me over his shoulder again and took me back out to join Isaac and Tyler. I looked at Isaac and he was watching us closely. He must have figured out that something was up. He quickly said he needed my help on something work related and left the guys waiting.

  He looked at me when he had me behind the front desk. “Is everything okay? I can feel some tension between you guys,” he asked.

  “Yeah, we are just having a bit of an issue. He’s leaving for med school after we graduate and I don’t know what I want to do. He doesn’t want to ask me to go, because he doesn’t want to uproot me from my life. He doesn’t get that this is my choice to make, that he is my life, and I want to be where he is.”

  “Wow. I’m sorry my comment about Lennon brought this up. You guys had to know that this was going to be a problem though, even when you were just friends.”

  “It’s okay Isaac,” I said putting my hand on his arm. “You’re right, we were always going to have to face this, but now I think it means more to both of us because we’re together. I always knew I loved him, and I think he might have possibly felt the same way, but now I think he’s seeing that our love is possible since we are finally together.” I could tell I was talking more to myself than to him at this point, trying to explain what we were both feeling. “He’s afraid of losing that, and I don’t blame him because I’m just as scared. I’m trying to stay calm because I know this relationship is it for both of us, but I’m freaking out just as much as he is.”

  “Well honey, I have a feeling it’s all gonna be okay,” he said, with the wisdom of an older, more experienced man. “He’s crazy about you and you’re crazy about him. I don’t see any way for this to go wrong.”

  As soon as he said that, the phrase “famous last words” flashed through my head. Is it possible for something to go wrong? If so then what on earth could possibly go wrong? Thinking about something going wrong made me feel like I might break out in hives.

  I went over and hugged Isaac, thanking him for his advice. I smiled, pretending like everything was okay, trying not to think about what all could go wrong. After our moment was over, we walked back over to the guys, who were in
a glaring match for some reason. I sighed and called out to Carson. As soon as he heard me he looked up and flashed me a smile.

  “What am I going to do with you,” I said with a laugh.

  “I bet I could come up with a few ideas,” he said with a grin.

  “Hey, save it for later,” I said as my face started to warm.

  He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I laughed before smacking his arm lightly. He didn’t say anything, just smiled at me and wrapped an arm around my waist. He kissed my cheek and held me by his side. We talked with Tyler for a few more minutes before he had to go pick up his sister. When Tyler left, Carson let out a relieved breath and smiled.

  After working for a little while longer I was done for the night. Carson had left to go to his game about 45 minutes before I finished work, so I had promised to go there after I was finished. I called out a quick goodbye to Isaac before taking off. I hopped in my car and rushed to the field, hoping I hadn’t missed too much.

  When I got there I sat down behind home plate next to Kami, our usual spot. Right as I sat down Carson was about to step up to bat. He looked back, saw me, and smiled. He looked so happy to see me that I couldn’t worry anymore. Kami hadn’t said a word to me since I sat down, so I looked over at her. I really looked at her for the first time in a long time.

  Kami’s short dark hair was straightened to perfection, her hazel eyes looked golden today. What stood out most though, was the fact that she was deep in thought. As a rule, Kami tries not to be stuck in her thoughts too often, because she knows the more she does it the harder it would be for her to get out of her own head. I hadn’t seen her this deep in thought in a long time. In fact, the last time she was like this we were back in middle school and her older sister had just taken off without saying goodbye to her.

  I reached over and grabbed her hand instinctively, knowing that she needed a friend right now. She looked at me and she looked worried. I pulled her up right as Carson hit a homerun. I waited until he crossed over home plate to walk off to the side with her.

  “Okay, talk.”

  “Earlier today my mother announced that she wants a divorce,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen but my dad says he isn’t going to let her go. She said he doesn’t get a say and that she can’t stay here. I wish he would just let her go, because she has never wanted to be here, never really wanted to be a mother to me either.”

  I sucked in a breath and pulled Kami in for a hug. She didn’t push away, so I knew she was hurting, even if she wasn’t hurting for herself. Her mother had never really wanted a second child and everyone knew that. Kami’s place in her family was the result of a broken condom, her mother’s belief that every child deserved life, and her dad being completely against adoption. Since she never wanted another child Kami’s mom had treated her like crap. She always had an insult to throw Kami’s way and she ignored Kami often.

  Kami once told me her only saving grace in that house was that her dad loved her and that her sister was her best friend. If she hadn’t had that then she would have went crazy a long time ago. Her dad was pretty much all she had after her sister ran off. Kami still didn’t know why her sister had left, or where she was. She hadn’t heard from her sister since she left.

  “I think you should call Caroline. They are her parents too. She needs to know, and you need her right now,” I said as I rubbed my hands up and down her arms.

  “I was thinking about it. I don’t know if she’ll answer. After all she never has before. I don’t know if she’ll even pick up the phone, let alone care that I need her. For now, I think I’m okay with just having you here for me. You’ve never let me down yet and you aren’t going to leave me,” she said before pulling me back in for a hug.

  “Okay,” I said, stroking her hair. “But promise me if you need her that you’ll call her. I don’t want you hurting alone when someone could help. It’s all gonna be okay Kami, your dad just needs to open up his eyes and see what your mom is really like. He will come around, so just hang in there,” I said quietly.

  “I will. Thank you Alara, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  Neither of us said anything as we looked at each other. We had identical tears rolling down our cheeks but she didn’t know that mine were for completely different reasons. We reached up and wiped away each other’s tears. Out of nowhere we both started laughing at how we were doing everything at the same time. We really were two peas in a pod.

  We hugged again before going back and taking our seats. Carson’s eyes were on me in the dugout, and he gestured for me to come to the entrance to the diamond. I did and he came walking out, his arms open for me. I went into his arms and laid my head on his chest.

  “You ok sweetheart,” he asked when I looked up at him.

  “Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it later when we have time. For now, kiss me and then get back to work,” I said with a smile.

  “Yes baby,” he said with a chuckle.

  He leaned in and kissed me, locking his arms around my waist. I heard the guys in the dugout catcalling us and I felt my face heat up. That wasn’t enough to stop me from kissing him though. After a minute I pushed him away and sent him back to his team.

  When he made it back I heard some of the guys telling him he was whipped. I listened for his response, and smiled when he told them they had no idea. I tuned back into the game and Reed was up to bat. I screamed and yelled for him, but as usual Reed didn’t react with anything more than a smile.

  After the first strike Kami started screaming and yelling for him. Before he moved up to the plate he turned and blew Kami a kiss. Kami immediately blushed when people turned their eyes to her, surprised by Reed’s actions. Reed stepped up to the plate and got strike 2.

  “Come on Reed, quit playing around! You’re better than that,” Kami yelled.

  Reed grinned and looked at her. “As you wish baby.”

  With a wink he put his head back into the game. He stepped up to the plate again and this time he sent the ball far out into the outfield. Reed managed to make it to third. Kami said she was going to reward him after he got his run, so she got up and went to stand where I met Carson earlier. When Reed saw Kami standing there he looked ready to forget the game.

  Next up was Clay. He clobbered the ball, sending it towards left field. He made it to first, and Reed made it home, heading straight for Kami instead of the dugout. He picked her up and twirled her around. He put her down and dropped a kiss on her cheek. Kami obviously wasn’t having any of that, because she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  The team really catcalled now because no one had ever seen Reed let a girl kiss him first. He had always made the first move, but he was trying to take it slow with Kami because he knew it was different with her. As soon as her lips hit his though, all that went out the window. He had been wanting her for a long time and now he was finally going to show her how he felt, even if he wasn’t ready to tell her. He wrapped his hand in her hair and kissed her, obviously desperate to have her lips, the way he had always dreamed of.

  The whole team was whooping and whistling, drawing the attention of the coach. When Coach finally looked over and spotted Reed he shouted for him to get back in the dugout. Reed pulled away with a smile. He said something to Kami and I cursed myself for not being able to read lips. I watched Reed go back into the dugout, my eyes immediately looking for Carson when he got there. He was staring at me, his eyes full of fire and longing. I blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it and hold it to his heart.

  I didn’t stop looking at him until Kami dropped down beside me. She looked totally blissed out, and while I was happy for her, I was also worried. I hoped Reed knew what he was doing, because if he was playing my friend I was going to make his life a living hell.

  “What did he say to you? I was over here wishing I could read lips,” I asked as she seemed to settle back into reality.

  “He said he’d find me after the game. Oh Alara, what
the hell did I just do? I know he is most likely playing me, but I can’t make myself stop. I watched you and Carson and all I could think was that I wanted that, and then I found myself kissing him like an idiot.”

  “Hey, no. You are not an idiot. You really like him, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, I think you are just what he needs, even if he doesn’t know it, and if he’s playing you then I’m going to make sure he gets what’s coming to him.”

  “Thanks girl. I love you. You know that right?”

  “Always babe. I love you too. No matter what guys come into our lives, we always have each other. Sisters for life, right?”

  “Sisters for life,” she said with a smile.

  Carson’s team ended up winning the game, 7 to 0. After the last strike was thrown Kami and I got up, heading to the spot where we always meet the guys at home games. Carson and Reed split off from the team when they saw us, not caring that their coach was going to be waiting for them in the locker room. Carson grabbed me immediately and kissed me. After a second he pulled away and grinned.