Down the Line (Sports Romance)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Because I don’t trust you.” And she’d given him plenty of reasons not to, starting with a Latino bartender at her favorite resort. He should have demanded she take a pregnancy test while she was in town, but he’d been so shocked by her news, he hadn’t even thought to ask for proof. “And the fact that you’re not willing to take the blood test—”

  “Fine! I’ll take the damn blood test. Are you happy now?”

  “I will be when I get the results.” And find out the baby isn’t mine. His instincts told him she was playing him, but he needed proof.

  “When did you become so hateful and suspicious? You used to love me! It’s that bitch, isn’t it? She’s poisoned your—”

  “We’re not going to talk about my wife.” He knew there was no point in reprimanding her for calling Gracie names. It would only fall on deaf ears. “The only thing I want to talk about is whether the baby you’re carrying is mine. So do us both a favor and set up that doctor’s appointment. I’ll be on you until you do.”

  He disconnected with a heavy sigh. Living with this secret was wearing on him, and he knew Gracie suspected something was up. He wanted to tell her, but knowing another woman may be pregnant with his baby would crush her. No sense putting her through that until he had confirmation.

  He was about to slip out to the gym, to help Ash and Gracie finish the packing, when his doorbell rang. He was shocked to see two of his teammates standing on the other side. Loran and a new hotshot center fielder they’d signed last year. Declan Madsen.

  “Hey,” he said, pulling each of them in for a half hug. “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

  “Little road trip,” Loran said, grinning. “Thought we’d pass by and say hi on our way through.”

  Ethan was grateful for the company. Anything to take his mind off his own problems for a while. “Come on in, let me grab you guys a beer.”

  When they were all settled on his living room sofas, beers in hand, Ethan asked, “So where’d you guys say you were headin’?”

  “Back home to Virginia,” Dec said, hooking a finger in Loran’s direction. “This guy had nothing better to do, so he said he’d tag along.”

  Ethan smirked at Loran. “Is that right? Kind of out of your way if you’re heading to Virginia, no?”

  Loran shrugged. “Not really.”

  “Why not fly?” Ethan asked Dec, still eyeing Loran.

  “I usually do, but Loran talked me into driving, said we could stop and play a couple of rounds of golf on the way.”

  “Huh.” Ethan tipped back his beer. “You plan on visiting anyone else while you’re here, Loran?”

  He scowled. “So she told you she’s not talking to me anymore, huh? Won’t even take my calls.”

  Dec frowned, looking from Ethan to Loran. “Who’re we talkin’ about here?”

  “My sister,” Ethan said, flashing a grin at Loran. “Seems our buddy here has a thing for her. But he somehow managed to screw everything up and now she’s not talking to him.” He slanted a look at Dec. “Which, by the way, is why you’re here.”

  “Asshole,” Dec muttered. “Why the hell didn’t you just tell me that?”

  “You can’t put this on me,” Loran said, glaring at Ethan. “I don’t know what the hell she told you, but I had every right to be pissed. She sleeps with me and…”

  Ethan held up his hand. “Fair warning, I’ll kick your ass if you try to give me details.”

  Loran rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t going to give you details, dumbass. Let’s just say we had a great time. I asked her to spend the night with me, and she refused. I got pissed because…” He shrugged. “Who wouldn’t, right? You’re really into a chick, you want her to want to stay.”

  “Sure,” Ethan said before taking another swig of beer. He really wanted Loran to be in the wrong, for his sister’s sake, but he couldn’t find fault with his reasoning. He would have felt the same way if Gracie had pulled a stunt like Bella had.

  “Not only does she get pissed at me for trying to ‘pressure’ her into staying,” he said, making air quotes around the word with disgust, “but she bails on me to have a drink at the bar with some drunkass dude who’s trying to feel her up when I walk in.”

  Huh. Bella had left out that part.

  “The guy was drunk and trying to feel her up? Hope you laid him out,” Ethan demanded.

  “Oh yeah. Then she stepped between us and laid into me! Like I was the one who’d done something wrong.”

  Sometimes Ethan couldn’t figure out how his kid sister’s mind worked. She had a good guy who was obviously into her and she was pushing him away. “Sucks, man, but I don’t know what to tell you. Bella’s a mystery to me too.”

  Dec’s eyes wandered to a framed photo on Ethan’s end table. “That her?”

  “Yeah,” Loran said, his eyes lingering on the picture.

  Dec shook his hand, whistling long and low. “Man, she’s a little rocket. No wonder you’ve been so distracted lately.”

  Ethan and Loran glared at him before Loran said, “I have not been distracted. I’ve just…” He sighed. “Had shit on my mind.”

  Ethan tried to hide his smile. He never thought he’d see the day Loran, of all people, would lose his shit over a girl. He bet green would look good on him. “So you think she’s into this dude she met in the bar? Maybe that’s why she’s not returning your calls?”

  Loran’s eyes narrowed as his grip on the bottle tightened. “Did she tell you that? Has she talked to that asshole again? Seen him?”

  Ethan bit his lip. “I don’t know what she’s been up to. Maybe you should go find out. That is why you’re here, isn’t it?”

  “We’re here to see you,” Loran argued. “See how married life’s treating you.”

  Ethan chuckled. “Yeah, sure, you are.”

  “I don’t mind being your wingman,” Dec said to Loran, “but a heads-up would have been nice.”

  “Quit your whining,” Loran said, looking sullen as he peeled the label off the beer. “You were the one who asked if I wanted to go to Virginia with you.”

  “Only because you’ve been moping around and making me crazy.”

  “No one said you have to hang out with me.”

  Since Loran and Dec were two of the few single guys on the team, they rarely left KC during the off-season, claiming they could have as much fun there as anywhere.

  “Would you guys stop?” Ethan said, shaking his head. “You bicker like an old married couple.”

  “Speaking of,” Dec said, flashing a grin that had made him a fan favorite, especially with the ladies. “Where’s your sexy little wife, Shaw? If you think I came here to see your ugly mug, you’re crazy. I get enough of that during the regular season.”

  Even though Dec was new to the team, it wasn’t his first rodeo. He’d been around the league for six years and understood what it took to be part of a pro ball club. Busting your teammates’ chops went with the territory, so Ethan settled for leaning over and smacking him upside the head for the comment about Gracie.

  “She’s at work,” he said, stretching his legs out on the ottoman in front of him. “She and her partner are dissolving the business, so they’re clearing shit out today.”

  Loran raised his eyebrows. “Wow, when she talked about it at dinner that night, it sounded like she loved it. I’m surprised she’s willing to just walk away like that.”

  Guilt gnawed at Ethan whenever he thought about everything she was giving up, especially when he thought of how she would react if Issie’s baby was his. That was the reason he’d encouraged Gracie to hold off on putting the house on the market. He knew there was a good chance she’d need a little time alone to process everything, and while there was no way in hell he’d let her leave him, he wanted her to have a place to get away to if she needed it.

  “What’s going on with you?” Loran asked when Ethan didn’t respond to his comment about the gym. “You’re not yourself. I expected you to still be flying high after marryin
g your girl. What’s got you down?”

  “Just dealing with some stuff,” Ethan said, running a hand over his head. “You know, we’re trying to figure out how this is going to work.”

  “She’s living here with you though, right?” Dec asked. “And she’ll be coming back with you when spring training starts?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Loran asked, spreading his hands. “Sounds like you’re getting everything you want.”

  Yeah, everything he’d ever wanted… and more than he bargained for.

  * * *

  “You think we’re doing the right thing?” Grace asked Bella. “Dissolving the business instead of trying to sell it?”

  Even though they wouldn’t have a space, they still had a thriving business and a lot of expensive equipment. Ash had found a local after-school program that catered to troubled teens to take the equipment, but Gracie had a hard time accepting there’d be nothing left to show for their years of hard work and financial investment.

  Bella used a stir stick to swirl the remainder of her martini. “I guess that depends on whether you want to make it as quick and painless as possible. It could take a while to find the right buyer.”

  “That’s true.” She propped her chin in her hand. “I guess it’s best this way. Clean break. Then Ash can move on and start building his new business.”

  “Will he be able to retain a lot of the clients from the gym?” Bella asked, glancing at her phone when it buzzed before slipping it back in her purse with a sigh.

  “Some.” Grace pointed at the phone. “Don’t you have to get that?”

  “No.”

  Bella had been a little off lately, and Grace wasn’t sure if it had something to do with the fall-out she’d had with Loran in Vegas or something more. “You know if you want to talk, I’m always here, right?”

  Bella’s smile was sad. “That won’t be true for long. I’m happy for you guys, but I kind of hate my brother for taking you away. I’m going to miss you so much.”

  Grace felt the familiar pang of sadness when she thought of leaving the only home she’d ever known. “You know we’ll be back every winter, and you can come visit us whenever you want during the season. Maybe we can even go see a few games.”

  Bella’s laugh was bitter as she drew the waiter’s attention, silently asking for another drink by gesturing to their empty glasses. “Yeah, I don’t see that happening.”

  “Because of Loran?” It wasn’t like Bella to run and hide when things didn’t work out with a guy, but Grace suspected he wasn’t just any guy. He may have actually meant something to her.

  “Because of me,” she said, smiling at the cute waiter when he set fresh drinks in front of them. “I’m just not cut out for a relationship. I couldn’t do what you’re doing,” she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Uproot my whole life for a man.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I don’t mean it like that,” Bella said, curling her hand around Grace’s wrist. “I mean, obviously you and my brother have a lot of history. You love him. It’s not like he has the option to move here, so of course you have to go with him.”

  “Is that why you don’t want to get too close to Loran? Because you’re afraid you’d have to sacrifice too much to be with him?” Grace could certainly relate. She’d felt the same way.

  “Not only is he a man-whore, turns out he’s a possessive jerk, which means it’s okay for him to sleep around but not me.”

  “But you don’t sleep around.”

  Bella had a couple of “friends” she’d called on from time to time throughout the years, but was selective about the men she slept with.

  “That’s not the point,” Bella said before sipping her drink. “If I want to, I should be able to, since we all know he’s not holding back.”

  “I’m confused,” Grace said, rubbing her forehead. “He actually told you he plans to sleep with other women but expects you to be faithful to him?” Obviously that would never fly with a woman like Bella, and if he was making those demands on her, Grace didn’t blame her friend for cutting him loose.

  “I told you what happened in Vegas. It’s obvious he doesn’t want me with anyone else.”

  “But he plans to see other people?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Even if he said he wasn’t, you think I’d believe him? We all know his reputation.”

  “So you’re choosing to believe the worst? You’re not even willing to give him a chance to prove himself?”

  Bella pointed at her. “Don’t look at me like that. You know this can’t go anywhere, so why would I risk…”

  “Getting hurt?” Grace knew Bella may not want to admit it aloud, but that’s exactly what she was afraid of. “Honey, you’re going to have to put yourself out there sometime.”

  “Why?” she asked, her eyes flashing with defiance. “Who says I have to get married and have babies? Not everyone does. Some people remain single and childless all their lives and they’re perfectly happy.”

  “But would you be?” Grace asked gently.

  She closed her eyes. “I don’t know. Since meeting Loran, I don’t know anything anymore.” She shook her head, holding up her hand. “But enough about me. I want to hear more about you guys. Is being married to my brother as amazing as you thought it would be?”

  The sex certainly was, but Grace couldn’t shake the feeling her husband had been a little off lately. “Yeah, it’s great.” She forced a smile.

  “But?” Bella asked, rolling her hand. “What’s wrong? What are you not telling me?”

  “Has he said anything to you?”

  “About what?” Bella looked down into her drink as she sipped.

  “I don’t know. About anything. Maybe trying to get pregnant so soon after getting married is freaking him out. I can’t deny it’s a lot all at once.”

  “You think you’re pregnant?” Bella whispered, leaning in.

  “Too soon to tell.” Grace was marking the days until her cycle was due to start and had already bought a twin pack of pregnancy tests just in case.

  “But you want to be?”

  “I want…” She wanted to start her new life with her husband, and she knew that would include children eventually. She’d be happy if she were pregnant, but she wouldn’t be too disappointed if they weren’t. They had plenty of time.

  “You want what, honey?” When Grace didn’t respond right away, Bella said, “This is not all about what my brother wants. I know he can be an overbearing jerk sometimes, but if you’re having second thoughts about anything you have to let him know. He wants you to be happy.”

  “I know he does, and I am. It’s just a lot, you know?”

  “I can imagine,” she said, looking sympathetic. “But don’t worry, everything will work out for the best.”

  “You really believe that?” Grace asked, sensing some hesitancy on Bella’s part.

  “That’s what I’m praying for.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ethan was walking into a prenatal genetics clinic in Tennessee, the halfway point he and Issie had agreed to. No one knew them there, and he assumed he’d be able to go undetected with a ball cap pulled low and shades on. It was a simple blood test, in and out, according to his research. It was the seven days of waiting to get the results that would kill him.

  He was terrified Gracie would figure out something was going on and call him out. He knew she was suspicious. She knew him too well not to detect the mood change he’d tried so hard to hide. He was anxious all the time, and that bled through into the time they spent together.

  Pushing thoughts of his wife aside for half a second, he checked in at the front desk and rounded the corner to the waiting room, pissed that Issie wasn’t there already. Not that he should be surprised. The woman had never been on time for anything in her life.

  He’d told Gracie he was going back to Kansas City to sell one of his rental properties. It wasn’t a total lie. He had to m
ake a pit stop there. The people who’d been renting one of his houses planned to move, and developers had made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. He just had to sign the paperwork and turn the keys over to his lawyer. He also had to check in on his own house, maybe get his housekeeper to clear out space for Gracie in the master walk-in… assuming this paternity test didn’t turn his world upside down and wreak havoc on his marriage.

  He looked up as Issie walked in as though she didn’t have a care in the world. She slipped her oversized sunglasses up on her head and tightened the belt on her coat before claiming the seat next to him. She looked around the waiting room with disdain, noting the few other people waiting.

  “Couldn’t we have done this at a hospital?” Ethan demanded. “Our reason for being here wouldn’t have been so obvious.”

  “This is the place my doctor recommended,” she said, curling her long red hair around her finger. “I didn’t think it would matter to you where we had it done as long as you got the results you wanted.”

  He didn’t want the baby to be his. He wanted some other poor sucker to be stuck dealing with this woman for the rest of his life, but admitting that aloud would only antagonize her, so he went back to scrolling his phone while he waited for his name to be called.

  “Where does your wife think you are?” she asked, holding her hand out to admire her manicure.

  He noted she was still wearing the engagement ring he’d given her, only on the right hand now. He wasn’t surprised. Issie would never part with bling like that. “Selling a property I own in KC, not that it’s any of your business.”

  She tsked before curling her full lips into a nasty smile. “Lying to her already? Shame on you.”

  “I don’t feel good about any of this. You think I like lying to her? I just don’t see any reason to upset her until we know for sure I’m the father.”

  “How sweet of you,” she sneered. “Trying to protect her. I wonder if she’d see it that way.” She shook her head. “I doubt it. Take it from me, women hate being lied to.”

  The sanctimonious bitch thought she had the right to lecture him about morality? They were only here because he knew in his gut he and the bartender weren’t the only candidates for her baby-daddy.