Baller (Heritage Bay Series Book 5)

by M. A. Foster

  She nods slowly, keeping her attention on the road. “You sure know how to bring your A game. I’ll give you that.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you, so thanks.”

  She smiles. “It was truly my pleasure. I haven’t been this excited since I bought my own place.”

  I rub my hand over my jaw. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “You and I are good, right?”

  Her eyes briefly flick over to me then back on the road. “We’re good.”

  “I know the four of you work as a unit, and you’re all very important to Vanessa. I don’t want to drive a wedge into your friendship. Where do I stand with the other two?”

  Gabbi snorts. “You won’t have a problem with Katie at all. She’s the nicest out of the four of us. She and Vanessa are alike in many ways. Kennedy is another story. She’s not a bitch, but she can hold a grudge.” She breathes out a laugh. “She analyzes everything, and it drives Vanessa crazy. I doubt Kennedy even knows you two are back together. Don’t worry about her, though. She’s got too much going on right now.”

  “Thank you for being there for Vanessa when I wasn’t,” I say sincerely.

  She nods. “I hate that you both got hurt, but honestly, I think you both are in a better place.”

  “As much as life sucked without her, I think you’re right.”

  “I’m always right,” she says with a chuckle.

  “Meet Chase Deacon, a healthy eight pounds, six ounces, ten fingers and ten toes.” Deacon grins as he proudly shows off his baby boy on FaceTime.

  “Congratulations, man. How’s Mama doing?”

  “She’s doing great. Sleeping at the moment. How are you doing? I haven’t heard from you much lately.”

  I smile, thinking about everything that’s been happening recently. “Things are good. Cam’s a dad, and I bought a house last week.”

  He nods, grinning. “I talked to Cam the other day. Dude is over the moon. I can honestly say I know exactly how he feels.” He looks down at his son, then back to the camera. “So things are good with Vanessa?”

  “Yeah. We’re doing really good. She doesn’t know about the house yet. I’m gonna surprise her for Christmas.”

  “Nice. I’m happy for you, man. What about when the season starts? Is she gonna move here?”

  “I don’t know. Probably not. That’s something we’ll have to talk about, but I want to wait until after the holidays.”

  The baby makes a noise, and Deacon jumps. “I gotta go.”

  I chuckle. “Talk later. Congratulations. Give Milana a kiss and hug from me.”

  LIAM

  “Oh my God,” Vanessa gasps, peering through the windshield and up at the massive estate home that belongs to Jay and now Zach. “This house is ridiculous.”

  It is ridiculous. Ridiculously perfect and exactly what I would’ve bought for myself before considering Vanessa.

  “Zach and Jay live in this huge house by themselves?” she asks.

  “No. Grace lives here, too. Do you remember her?”

  “She was Marcus and Emerson’s housekeeper, right?”

  “Yes. There are two apartments over the garage. Logan and his daughter, Zoe, live in one, and Jay’s friend, the pregnant girl from the football game, lives in the other.”

  Vanessa snorts a laugh. “Olivia?”

  “Yeah.” Why can’t I remember that girl’s name?

  I park in the driveway beside my mother’s BMW. “Wait for me,” I tell Vanessa before climbing out. Rounding the back of the car, I help her from the passenger seat and lead her to the front door.

  She looks pretty today, dressed in dark skinny jeans, a fitted blue-green sweater, and brown knee-high boots. Her makeup is light, and her thick wavy hair hangs naturally down to the middle of her back. I will never get enough of this woman.

  Zach is coming down the stairs as we step into the foyer. “Hey. Happy Thanksgiving,” he greets, bumping his fist against mine. “Good to see you again, Vanessa.” He pulls her into a hug.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Zach,” she says sweetly.

  “Where is everyone?” I ask.

  “You’re early. We still got another hour before everyone gets here. Logan took Zoe to the park. Olivia is sleeping. Jay’s out on the balcony. Mimi and Grace are in the kitchen. Mac Daddy is out back enjoying the peace and quiet before all hell breaks loose.” He chuckles. “Cam and Emerson will probably be late. He called early this morning and said they were up half the night with Trace.”

  “Is he okay?” Vanessa and I ask at the same time.

  She looks up at me with a concerned expression. “Should we call and see if they need any help?”

  “He’s fine,” Zach says. “Jay went over there and watched him for a few hours. She said he just wanted to be held.” He directs his attention to Vanessa. “Is your dad coming?”

  “Yes. He’ll be by later.”

  He crosses his arms over his chest. “I heard he’s dating Piper’s mom. Have you met Piper?”

  “Yes. She’s very sweet. I think she’s coming, too.”

  Zach nods. “She’s cool. Jay will be happy to see her.”

  “What’s Jay doing?” I ask.

  His lips form a straight line. “The holidays are always the hardest for her.”

  I nod and start for the stairs. “Can I go up?”

  “Please.” He takes a few steps back. “Maybe a few minutes with her favorite uncle will cheer her up.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go hang out back with Mac Daddy.”

  I’m halfway up the stairs before I realize Vanessa isn’t behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see her standing in the middle of the foyer. “Are you coming?”

  “You go ahead. I’ll go see if your mother needs any help in the kitchen.”

  “Freckles, get your ass up here.” I hold out my hand and wait for her to join me on the stairs. Together we make our way down the hall to Zach and Jay’s bedroom.

  The balcony doors are open, and there’s a cool breeze coming from outside. Jay is lying on an outdoor daybed with a small fire going in the fireplace.

  “I hear someone needs a hug,” I call out.

  Jay lifts her head and smiles before shifting to a sitting position and opening her arms wide. “You heard right.”

  VANESSA

  “Vanessa, you remember Grace?” Jay asks as we step into the kitchen.

  Grace smiles. “Good to see you again, Vanessa.”

  “Happy Fanksgivy!” a small voice cheers, followed by busy chatter and hurried footsteps.

  “I should probably go ahead and apologize,” Liam quips, winking at me.

  “For what?” I ask.

  “For everything that happens from this moment on.”

  Jay laughs, nodding. “This family is nuts. Last year, Liam almost fainted when Mimi started twerking in front of everyone.”

  I bark out a laugh at the same time as Liam screws his face up. “It gave me nightmares for months.”

  “Stop.” Jay laughs, wrapping her arms around Ella’s shoulders. “Mimi is the best. We’re all lucky to have her.”

  “You’re just saying that because you’re her favorite.” Liam points at Jay with a smirk.

  Ella swats at Liam with a hand towel. “I do not have a favorite. I love all my grandkids.”

  “Lies,” Cole drawls, catching the tail end of the conversation. Willow is perched on his shoulders. Trailing behind him is Harper, followed by the rest of the Mackenzie clan.

  “Jay’s everyone’s favorite,” Cole adds. “Right, Harper?”

  “Truth.” Harper nods as she and Jay share a hug.

  Liam gave me the CliffsNotes on Harper. Before the Mackenzies took her under their wing, Harper worked at a gentlemen’s club owned by a friend of Liam’s. She was underage and used a fake ID to get the job. She then proceeded to have an affair with the married owner. The wife found out about the affair and things got messy. Liam believes Harper lies and
uses people to get what she wants. I understand why he feels that way, but like I told him, his friend was married and shouldn’t have gotten involved with her in the first place. Liam argued that if Harper hadn’t lied about her age, his friend wouldn’t have gotten involved with her. I calmly reminded him that if he hadn’t lied to me or Milana, we wouldn’t have been apart for five years. He got the point.

  The situation is unfortunate, and I love that Liam is protective of his family and friends, but there are always three sides to every story, and I truly don’t feel Harper’s the villain in any of them. I know the Mackenzies; they’re very protective of each other. I spent enough time around Emerson to know she would never allow her daughter to hang out with someone without having them checked out first.

  Liam reintroduces me to everyone as they file into the house. Some I already know, and others I remember from the football game.

  Dinner is casual and served buffet style with open seating wherever. Dad arrives with Kelly and Piper in tow. As Zach predicted, Jay is very happy to see Piper, and the girls disappear upstairs. Emerson allows me to hog baby Trace for a couple of hours before it’s time for him to eat.

  After dinner and dessert, Jay shoos Grace out of the kitchen while us girls clean up. Once everything is put away, Jay announces she’s starting a new family tradition: a friendly game of baseball.

  “Let’s go, family,” she calls out.

  Max and Jessica hang back at the house, along with Liam’s and Cam’s parents, to watch the kids while the rest of us head to the park.

  “I call Coach,” Cam says as he drops his gear near the dugout.

  “Why do you get Coach?” Liam huffs.

  “Because your family alone makes up an entire team. I need backup,” Cam quips.

  “Fine, you can have Coach. We’re still gonna kick your ass.”

  “Wanna bet on it?” Cam challenges.

  My gaze bounces between Liam and Cam like I’m watching a tennis match.

  “No,” Emerson hollers from the bleachers behind the fence.

  Liam turns to his sister. “Nothing that will get us killed or thrown in jail.”

  Emerson rolls her eyes and shakes her head because she knows it’s a lost cause. Boys will be boys. This is what they do. I lost count of how many bets I witnessed between these two in the few short months I was in California. Neither of them ever backed down. The best one was when Cam had to walk down the beach wearing Jules’s hot pink thong.

  “Okay,” Cam says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do your worst.”

  Liam rests one arm across his chest, the other bent with his chin in his hand. He rolls his eyes upward as if he’s thinking. “If my team wins, you have to pierce something.”

  “No, Cam,” Emerson hollers again.

  “Deal.” Cam nods and twists around to look at Emerson. “He said I have to pierce something. He wasn’t specific. It could be something just for you.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Oh for the love of God.” This is from Jay.

  Liam makes a gagging sound. “I changed my mind.”

  “Nope. I accepted your bet.” Cam grins, his eyes flicking briefly to me and then back to Liam. “My turn.”

  Something tells me this isn’t going to be good.

  “Do your worst.” Liam tosses Cam’s words back at him, spreading his arms out at his sides.

  “If my team wins, you have to name your firstborn after me.”

  A round of “Oh shit” and “Oh snap” erupts around us, along with a “Take that, you little shit” from Emerson.

  “Damn.” Dylan laughs, bringing his fist to his mouth.

  Liam flashes me an apologetic grin because he’s not going to back down. I just shrug because it’s not like I’m pregnant. We haven’t even discussed the future of our relationship, much less children.

  “Deal.”

  “Should we have Jay sing the national anthem,” Dylan quips.

  “I think Liam should do the honors,” Cam jokes.

  “Ha ha,” Liam replies, flipping him off. “You’re just jealous I might have something to fall back on after baseball. What do you have?”

  “Your sister.”

  Laughter erupts from the group and I turn my head to hide my grin.

  “Burn,” someone yells. It sounded like Zach.

  “Ugh,” Jay groans.

  Liam just shakes his head and walks away. “Let’s play ball.”

  Jay puts her face in Zach’s until they’re almost nose to nose. “It’s about to go down.”

  “You throw like a girl!” Liam heckles, and Cam flips him off.

  “If he throws any harder, he’s gonna knock me on my ass,” my dad says from his position crouched behind Liam.

  “Vanessa, get the WD-40. Your man’s rusty.” Cam winks at me, and I laugh.

  Liam smiles at me over his shoulder, then tosses another jab at Cam. “Maybe you should pay Aiden to teach your old ass how to pitch.”

  Aiden laughs at that.

  “I thought this was supposed to be a friendly game of baseball,” Cole calls out from the dugout, laughing.

  “Go big or go home, boys.” Cam throws the ball straight down the middle.

  Crack.

  The ball goes far and high.

  Zach shuffles backward. “Got it,” he shouts before he catches it cleanly.

  “All I’m saying is, if B were here, we would’ve won already,” Jay calls out.

  I knew someone was missing. “Where is Bass?”

  “He and Lisa are spending Thanksgiving with her son and his girlfriend.” She rolls her eyes. “I already warned him not to make a habit of it.”

  I bark out a laugh because although her tone is teasing, she’s serious.

  “Freckles, you’re up.” Liam holds out the bat for me.

  “Aww,” Jay coos from the dugout. “Z, I want a cute nickname like that.”

  “Babe, you have plenty of nicknames.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

  I roll my lips between my teeth to mask my amused grin. They’re too cute.

  Liam points at Zach. “Watch it.”

  Zach just shrugs and laughs.

  “Come on, Freckles. Knock it out of the park.” Dylan claps his hands together, cheering me on from first base.

  Cam pitches, and I hit a ground ball that bounces between first and second. Zach snaps it up and tags Dylan out at second.

  The game goes on for another hour, and in the end, our team loses.

  Which means Liam lost his bet with Cam.

  Cam’s guffaw echoes through the air.

  “That’s C-A-M-E-R-O-N.”

  DECEMBER

  LIAM

  “Where are you taking me?” Vanessa asks from the passenger seat, facing straight ahead.

  “It’s a surprise,” I tell her, trying to hide the excitement in my voice. “We’re almost there. Do you swear you can’t see through that thing?”

  “I swear.” She folds her hands in her lap. “Clearly you’re excited about this, and I don’t want to ruin it for you.”

  This morning before Vanessa left for work, I told her to pack a bag because I was taking her away for the weekend. Then I drove her to work.

  I closed on the house Monday morning and spent the entire week getting it live-in ready so Vanessa and I could spend the weekend christening every surface. Once I was in possession of the house, I called all hands on deck. I hired a cleaning crew to come in and wipe everything down. My mother stopped by with all the Christmas gifts and decorations I’d bought during our Black Friday shopping nightmare. I still don’t know why she puts herself through the hassle every year, but if she goes, I go.

  Emerson and Jay stocked the fridge with food and drinks and the bathrooms with the necessities. Cam, Dylan, Bass, and Jay’s two other bodyguards, Levi and Troy, helped me put up the outside lights.

  Gabbi stopped by with a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries as a housewarming gift. She hugged her brother and finally got
to meet Jay. I wanted to laugh at how hard she tried not to fangirl. Impossible.

  Stopping at the small gate at the end of the driveway, I punch in the code and wait for the double gates to swing open, then continue up the driveway before rolling to a stop.

  Putting the car in Park, I shut off the ignition. “Stay still, and don’t touch the blindfold.”

  “I won’t,” she says with a laugh.

  Climbing out of the driver’s seat, I round the back of the SUV to her side and open the door. Reaching for her hand, I help her step out and then close the door behind her. Grabbing her shoulders, I turn her so she’s facing the front of the house.

  “When I take the blindfold off, I want you to look at me. Don’t look anywhere but at my face.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you ready?”

  “Yes. Hurry. The suspense is killing me.”

  “Close your eyes.” Reaching behind her, I loosen the blindfold enough to where it slides down her face and hangs loosely around her neck. “Okay, open them.”

  She opens her eyes and immediately flicks them up to meet mine.

  “Hi,” I say.

  “Hi.” She beams.

  “Someone once told me that grand romantic gestures are the best way to show someone how much you love them. I had no fucking clue what the hell to do with that.” I smirk, and she breathes out a soft laugh. “But then I realized it’s not about being grand, it’s knowing what makes her happy.” I move to stand by her side and take in the view the way she sees it. White lights weaved through bushes around trees. Two large wreaths hanging on the double doors, and a view of the Christmas tree through the window.

  Vanessa turns her head to me. “Where are we?”

  “Home.”

  She looks at me, obviously confused, her eyes flicking between mine. I smirk as it registers on her face and her eyes widen. She whips her head back to the house. “You bought a house?”

  “I bought us a house.”

  She presses a hand to her chest. “But… why?”

  I let out a soft chuckle. “What do you mean, why?”

  “You live in California.”