Changeup (Double Play Series Book 4)

by Nicole Rodrigues

  He laughs as he stumbles through the kitchen towards the living room and plops his ass on the couch. I follow him, limping towards the couch and lean forward, cupping his cheeks, making him look at me.

  “I didn't do anything Devin. You'll remember and you'll see, I swear to you, I didn't do anything to hurt you.”

  “What about this?” he whispers pointing to his shoulder. “My dreams Normani, everything I worked for is gone.”

  He closes his eyes and leans his head back on the couch and I sit back on the couch, laying back and closing my own eyes, trying to stay positive, trying to forget his words. It is all my fault, but I'm gonna fix it.

  -----

  “Where the hell is all the alcohol?” Devin snaps from the other side of the kitchen island.

  I glance up from my Sudoku puzzle and eye him.

  "Down the kitchen sink. Want me to get a wrench and open it up for you? Drink it straight from the pipes?”

  “Funny, where are my car keys, I'm goin’ to the store then.”

  “I hid your keys."

  "You have no right to-"

  "Yes I do! Like I said every single day I went to visit you in the hospital Devin, I care about you. Regardless of how big of an asshole you are, I can't turn my heart off unfortunately.”

  “Great speech. I'll take my other car.”

  “You're still drunk from this mornin’, you can't even walk straight!”

  “Mind your business Normani, don't act like you care.”

  “I do care God dammit! Do you listen to anything I say? I don't want to see you drink yourself to death or attempt to drive and crash, hurtin’ yourself or someone else in the process and I sure as shit ain't stayin here babysittin’ you while you have a fuckin’ tantrum.”

  I get up from the stool and walk briskly past him, as well as I can with my bandaged leg.

  “Where the hell are you goin’?”

  “I'm headin’ to the gym because if I stay here, I'll use your stubborn ass as a heavy bag. I'll have a car pick you up for therapy later, 4 o clock. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

  Devin

  I walk into Double Play PT and Bella grills me.

  “Get in my office, Normani went to grab food quick. She'll be back but I wanna have a word with you,” she says through gritted teeth.

  Awesome. My hangover is kicking my ass and now my pregnant sister wants to have a chat.

  I walk to the back and sit in the chair opposite her desk. I feel a hard smack to the back of my head and groan, closing my eyes.

  “Fuckkkkk,” I growl. “Dammit Bella. I have the worst hangover and I didn't need-”

  “I don't give a shit. Normani came in here this mornin’ like a wreck. She puts on a good front, but I can spot cryin’ eyes from a mile away. She loves you asshole. Stop bein’ a dick. I know you don't remember but Miguel sent this over. He got it swiped because...well, you'll see. Watch it, refresh your memory and then grow some balls and fuckin’ grovel on your knees and apologize to her.”

  She throws a flash drive to me and motions to her computer as she leaves her office and slams the door behind her.

  I shake my head and walk over to the other side of her desk putting the flash drive in the USB port.

  Security footage outside the side entrance to the restaurant.

  I watch as Normani and I fool around, remembering each moment, seeing two men appear. My memory starts to piece together the blackness.

  Her father.

  That asshole Zachariah.

  I slowly watch on autopilot, not even registering that the fierce woman on that screen is the same woman as the one who flinched the first time we kissed.

  I watch with a tight fist as she throws her shirt to Zachariah, coaxing him closer. She was baiting him for his gun, fuck.

  I remember reaching for her father and see now that she shot him, her scrambling to my side as my head collided with the brick wall.

  I close my eyes feeling like absolute shit. How could I have said those things to her, treated her like that. I may not have remembered, but fuck Devin, it's Normani, my Normani.

  I open my eyes as I hear her harsh words, pounding Zachariah’s face, turning a gun at him, kicking him. My strong woman, my fucking Superwoman.

  She trains the gun on her father and I watch as he stabs her leg, bile rising up my throat as she crawls towards me, falling at my side.

  I rush out of the office down the hall to the bathroom and vomit, every drop of alcohol that I touched emptying out of my stomach, ridding me of my anger, my bitterness.

  I hear a soft knock on the door and get to my feet, going to the sink and washing my mouth, cupping water into my right hand and swishing it around. I splash water on my face, waking my ass up and look in the mirror.

  “God, you're an asshole Gavinwood,” I whisper to my reflection.

  I take a paper towel and dry my face opening the bathroom door and come face to face with Normani.

  “Are you okay?” she asks concerned.

  The softness in her voice after everything I've said to her, all the hurtful words I spewed at her to cover up my own hurt at her betrayal that never even happened, is my undoing.

  “Darlin’...”

  I trail off gritting my teeth as I feel my eyes start to water. I've never cried a fucking day in my life, only a few tears when I saw the battle this amazing woman in front of me had to go through, the evidence it left on her body. Right now though, I'm done, defeated and drained and I just let it all out.

  “Come,” she says softly, grabbing my hand and bringing us to her office.

  We walk inside and she shuts the door, guiding me to sit. She tries to walk away from me, but I grab her waist, pulling her to me between my legs and I bury my face in her stomach, soaking her shirt with my tears.

  “I'm so fuckin’ sorry Normani. I...the things I said to you I...I'm so sorry…”

  She grabs my head, cradling me to her body and runs her fingers through my hair, soothing me.

  “I know you were hurt. I was waitin’ for you to remember…”

  “Miguel sent Bella the footage I...fuck darlin’ I didn't...I couldn't remember or maybe I chose not to. You're so fuckin’ strong. This whole time I thought I was was buildin’ you up. You were always higher than me darlin’, always.”

  I run my hand up and down her back, pulling my face away and kissing her arm, pulling her to sit on my lap. She flinches and I reach down, running my hand to her thigh, now only covered with a small gauze pad.

  “I had no idea. I shouldn't have...you wouldn't have hurt me like that. I should have listened to you, I should have let you explain.”

  “You should have,” she says her voice a little harder now. “I came to see you every day Devin, I felt so guilty. Every day and you didn't say a word to me. I know I haven't told you everything about me, but all the time we spent together, you should have trusted me.”

  “I should have, I know. I just...I get angry and say things I don't mean. I love you so much Normani and thinkin’ of you ever walkin’ away from me, someone else takin’ you from me, I was an animal. I was a fuckin’ asshole. I can't tell you how sorry I am. I…”

  Our fingers are laced together and I look down.

  “You still have your ring on?”

  She nods and pulls her hand back standing in front of me.

  “The media has been crazy. Miguel's been helpin’, makin’ it out to be an unrelated muggin’. He grabbed that footage, cleaned everything up but...I...he's dead Devin. This time he's really dead. I...I could go to jail and…”

  “They'll never find that out and if they do, I'll hire the best fuckin’ lawyer in this state. It was self-defense Normani,” I say getting to my feet.

  “You...you need to hear everything Devin. Sit.”

  I furrow my brows and look at her as she folds her arms and leans against her desk. I sit back down, watching her as she twirls the ring around her finger, a nervous habit she's picked up the past few weeks.
r />   “After I left Second Chances, they put me into the Aftercare program your aunt set up. They sent me to a college of my choice. I went to San Diego, enrolled in their physical therapy program. Everything was great. Miguel followed me and we took classes together, joined the local gym and kept up with our fighting. We knew they would eventually all get out of jail, they had small sentences. With our training and Miguel eventual joining the police department, we were ready for them.”

  She studies me, and I nod for her to continue.

  “We both got through the first two years unscathed, then I met Zachariah. Miguel and I normally kept to ourselves. He never had a girlfriend, I never had a boyfriend, we just stuck to school, fightin’ and each other. Zachariah was smooth. Knew what to say, knew how to break past my exterior because he was sent by my father. Miguel and I shared an apartment, and I invited Zachariah over one night. An hour into hangin’ out he had a gun to Miguel's head and explained it all. My father summoned him to come find me and Miguel, get us to finish a list of jobs he left because of his jail sentence. Basically, we had four years to make up for because I ratted them all out. Like with my mother, I had no choice. He used me against Miguel and Miguel against me. He promised if we finished the jobs, we would be left alone. We didn't believe him, but like I said, we didn't have a choice, so we did it. Every single job.”

  She looks at me again and we're silent.

  “What did you have to do?” I ask.

  “Collect debts from people that owed my father money. We would find them, sometimes they weren't always compliant, and we had to do whatever was necessary to walk out of there with what my father was owed.”

  She looks down and I see her twirling the ring again.

  “Normani, your father...was he the first person you…”

  “Don't Devin. Please don't ask me that because I can't lie to you.”

  Her voice breaks and I stand, pushing her chin up to look at me.

  “Your answer doesn't change the fact that I love you Normani.”

  She closes her eyes and shakes her head.

  “He's the second.”

  I exhale and rub a finger down her cheek.

  “Tell me. No more secrets between us.”

  I sit back down and watch as she kicks around a piece of lint on the floor.

  “A man that owed my father money. He knew we were comin’ and he was ready. Miguel and I busted through his apartment, and it looked like he wasn't home, so we let our guard down. We started takin’ things to make up for the debt and he caught us off guard. Grabbed me from behind and had a gun to my head. Miguel taught me how to get out, so I held my hands up, chopped his wrists down and twisted his arm. It was our first real run in, and I panicked, turning the gun on the guys ribs as I bent his arm. I was supposed to twist the gun away and the pressure hit the trigger.”

  She wipes a tear from her cheek and shakes her head.

  “Miguel was already on the force, so he cleaned up the scene in about a minute and we bailed. I...I know he wasn't a good guy but...I shouldn't have been the one to determine that.”

  “Hey...that was self-defense Normani, you can't blame yourself for that.”

  “I know but we broke into his place. I just...steppin’ back from that life now. Your family acceptin’ me, bein’ just plain Normani instead of Roxy...I've done terrible things Devin.”

  “What matters is how you're livin’ your life now. You need to move forward.”

  She nods and takes a breath.

  “Miguel and I agreed that when we graduated, we would come back to Louisiana. It was home for us and he took enough. We love it here so we finished every job, both graduated and came back. The Second Chances program kept tabs on me and at the time I was just workin’ Miguel's gym. Savannah came in, sat down with me and made me tell her everything. Apparently she was sponsorin’ me and...she was pissed Second Chances didn't do more to protect me. She offered me a job and I accepted. Miguel hired a bunch of guys with his connection to the police department to keep tabs on the prison and the men's release dates. Once we got word, we were gonna run or stay and fight, we were just playin’ it by ear, tryin’ to act normal. I wasn't plannin’ on fallin’ in love, I didn't think it was even possible for me. I tried to warn you, tell you to stay away but…”

  “You know I don't listen for shit darlin’. I do what I want and I wanted you. I want you.”

  “I know.”

  She's quiet looking down at her feet again and I put my hand out for her.

  “Can I...show you how sorry I am, like you showed me?” I ask hopeful.

  “Devin, this can't be fixed by you gettin’ on your knees,” she says shaking her head not taking my hand.

  “Well you tell me what you need from me darlin’ and I'll do it. No wait...don't. I...I need to figure that out, right?”

  She rolls her eyes, a small smirk tilting her lips. She shrugs and I smile too, feeling so damn good to finally smile.

  “You're a smart guy caveman. You'll figure it out. You ready to work?”

  “No, but gotta start somewhere.”

  I get to my feet and she puts a hand to my chest.

  “No matter what happens between us Devin, I will promise you this. You will throw a baseball again out on that field for the Cajuns no matter what it takes. I promise you that.”

  Her voice is determined, and I grit my teeth. What the fuck did I do in another life to deserve this relentless woman?

  Chapter 19

  Normani

  “You're really gonna sit there and not help me?” Devin asks eyeing me.

  I'm sitting on the kitchen island swinging my legs back and forth and eating my small pint of Ben & Jerry's.

  “You have another hand. Don't be a baby, you can do it,” I say licking the spoon.

  He takes the whipped cream bottle and puts the cap in his mouth as he rips through it and spits it on the floor.

  I drop my mouth open and watch him stalk towards me, pushing his way in between my legs.

  “Or I can just use my teeth,” he growls.

  I close my eyes and try and pinch my legs together, but he moves closer to me and I squeeze him instead.

  It's been two weeks since our heart to heart at Double Play and we haven't so much as kissed. Devin has been nothing short of a dream, getting up early to order breakfast before I go to work, having someone come to clean the house while I'm gone, dinner on the table when I get home.

  We've spent our nights talking on the couch, binge watching shows and then falling into bed together but not touching. I've made it clear how much his accusations hurt me, and he's made it clear he will not stop trying to win me back over.

  “Devin…”

  “Darlin’.”

  “I told you we're not fuckin’ until you've proven worthy of my forgiveness,” I smirk.

  Worst decision ever Normani.

  “Don't act like this ain't torturin’ you, just as much as it's torturin’ me.”

  It is, its torturing me, slow fucking torture.

  “I'm fine caveman, I could do this for weeks.”

  Lies. I don't even know if I could last another hour.

  He moves closer, his bare chest testing my restraint, his erection pressing against the inside of my thigh.

  “What are you doin'?” I rasp.

  “Well first, I'm gonna fill this pussy with whipped cream and eat you like it's the first time in my life I'm havin’ an ice cream sundae.”

  I whimper.

  “You're gonna take it, you're gonna like it, then you're gonna hop on my back and I'm gonna carry you to bed because you'll be too exhausted to walk.”

  “Devin, your shoulder needs-”

  “You're gonna lay on my chest and I'm gonna wrap my good arm around you and we’re gonna fall asleep like that, like we should have been, every fuckin’ night these past two weeks. I'm done not touchin’ you. Do you understand me?”

  “I don't think you heard what I-”

  “Oh, I heard you
darlin’. And I'm tellin’ you this is part of my apology tour.”

  “But your shoulder-”

  “Is not my tongue. My tongue works fine darlin’. Lay your ass back and enjoy,” he growls.

  He pulls my shorts and thong down my legs and I shiver as my ass hits the cold countertop.

  I watch as Devin shakes the whipped cream bottle and I giggle when it touches my center.