Grand Slam

by Heidi McLaughlin

  My life is Lucy. Not the parties and late nights that he’s used to. I don’t know if his word is enough to make me go through with this. I don’t know if the feelings I have for him, which are no doubt love, are worth the heartache that I’m going to feel later.

  Travis moves about his house with more pep in his step than I’ve seen in him recently. The sullen demeanor is gone, and the man that I’ve been accustomed to working with is back. Honestly, it’s a nice sight to see, because he has one of the most contagious smiles I’ve ever come across in years.

  “What’s so funny?” he asks, catching me off guard. I shake my head, because there is absolutely nothing funny about what I’ve been thinking. My thumb rolls over the underside of my ring finger. The ring is a half size too big, but Travis said he didn’t want to wait three weeks before giving it to me. Truthfully, I’m happy that he didn’t. I continue to rub circles around the bottom of my ring. My ring. The one he picked out after he asked me to leave the store. Travis may have done things backward with a proposal, but he did this right.

  “Are you okay?” Travis sits down next to me, keeping a healthy distance between us. Even though he’s kissed me a few times since he asked me to marry him, I’m trying not to read into anything. I know we’re attracted to each other, and we’ve been together, but to actually wrap my head around being with him every day is a bit much to handle. Not because I don’t like him—because I do—but because he’s Travis Kidd, and I’m me. And his legion of female fans are going to make it very well known that he could’ve done so much better.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  He blanches at my statement, and I look at him squarely.

  “Look, I may be a novice at this marriage thing, but I do know that when a woman says she’s fine, something is wrong.”

  “How would you know such a thing?” From the years working with him, I know that he’s never had a relationship last longer than a week, and honestly, I can’t even imagine Travis being the type to care whether his current flavor is okay.

  “Cooper. When he took me to Lamaze class, the teacher really drove the proverbial nail home that ‘fine’ doesn’t actually mean fine.”

  “Sounds like some teacher.”

  He shrugs and picks up my hand, admiring the ring that is now there. “Are you upset about something?”

  I shrug also.

  “Talk to me, Saylor. I can’t fix it or make anything better if you don’t tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “I’m confused, nervous, and telling myself that everything is going to be okay.”

  “It will be,” he says as he turns to face me.

  “For you, yes. But for me…” I shake my head. “Coming clean means jail time and a long legal battle.”

  “Saylor, I know you’re scared, and honestly I am, too. Your testimony may not be enough, but I’m hoping it’s enough to cast doubt and this case goes away. As for your probation violation, Irvin will take care of that. We can meet with your officer and explain why you were there. I saw you; you didn’t take a drink, and I can vouch for you. I’ve drunk in front of you, and you haven’t touched any liquor. It was a lapse in judgment over a stressful situation. All that matters is that you didn’t drink. As for Elijah…” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “I love that little girl, so I’m willing to fight for her. At best, we come out with full custody, and he receives visitation. It’ll be a cold day in hell before she goes to live with him. Irvin will have someone there for us.”

  “Elijah…he has friends. He’s already threatened to make sure you go to jail.”

  If those words faze Travis, he doesn’t let it show. “I wouldn’t be the first innocent man to go to jail.”

  “Then what’s the point of getting married?” I demand as I sit up and face him. If he’s ready to live a life behind bars, why are we going through with this?

  “It’s the least I can do for fucking things up, Saylor.”

  I shake my head as tears start to fall. “We don’t need to get married. I know this isn’t what you want.”

  Travis cups my cheek. His thumb caresses away some of my tears. “I think we’re stronger together, Saylor. And it is what I want.” He leans in, only to be stopped by the beeping of my cell phone.

  “That’s Jeffrey,” I tell him, even without looking. His eyebrows rise. “Designated tone,” I say, answering his unspoken question. Slowly I pull my phone out of my pocket and swipe to read his message. “Get here now!” The words tumble out of my mouth. I’ve been summoned before with similar words, but this time it’s different. I can feel it in my bones. It’s not going to matter that Travis is marrying me so I can save my daughter. The fact of the matter is, I crossed the line, and I’ll be punished for it.

  “Let’s go,” Travis says, pulling me off the couch. “I’m going with you whether you like it or not.”

  “It’s my battle,” I protest.

  “And I caused it.”

  Travis doesn’t wait for me to argue or agree. He has us out of the house, through the reporters who have doubled since we arrived, and into his SUV, all while I’m still trying to formulate a viable response in my head. Maybe this is one of those situations where things are better left unsaid? I’m not so sure. Either way, he’s coming with me to my office whether I like it or not.

  The look on my assistant’s face when I walk in, followed by Travis, tells me all that I need to know. I should’ve brought a box to pack up my office, because when Jeffrey is done berating me, I’ll need to clean it out.

  “Wait here,” I tell Travis, motioning for him to sit in one of the chairs that line the wall. As much as he wants to protect me from this, he can’t. I knew what I was doing when I continued to see Travis outside of work. And I could’ve stopped, but I chose not to because it felt good to be around him. I knew I was providing him with some normalcy under the circumstances, and he was doing the same for me.

  I rap my knuckles on Jeffrey’s door before twisting the knob and entering. He looks up from the papers on his desk and leans back in his chair.

  “That didn’t take you long.”

  “I was in the area,” I say, taking the familiar seat in front of his desk. He smirks, and I can only assume that he’s calculated the time difference from my apartment and Travis’s house to the office.

  “Here are your termination papers.” He slides the document that he was reading toward me.

  My hand shakes as I reach out to take them. I’m not even going to try and hide the tears that are falling. “I wish you’d let me explain.”

  “There’s nothing to explain, Saylor. I have one rule in this office, and you not only broke it, but also you’re doing so in a way that makes me look like I’ve been duped by my employee for a period of time.”

  “It’s not like that, Jeffrey. We’re only friends,” I plead. “He’s helping me out of a situation with Lucy’s father.”

  Jeffrey stands and places his hands on his desk so he can tower over me. This tactic works, because I find myself shrinking back into my chair, feeling about two feet tall.

  “I don’t care about what prompted you to seek Kidd’s help. The fact of the matter is it’s against policy, and I will not stand for my employees dating, fucking, or marrying my clients. It’s a rule I’ve never wavered on, and I’m not about to do it today. You have no idea the embarrassment you’ve caused my firm. I’ve been dealing with clients calling and asking if the endorsement deals that Kidd landed over them are because he’s fucking his publicist.”

  “But—”

  “There are no buts, Saylor. The integrity of my name is on the line because you couldn’t keep your damn legs crossed.”

  “That’s not fair,” I say weakly.

  “Fair? You want to talk about fair? I gave you a job when you had nothing. I taught you everything you know and guided you along the way. I have one rule, Saylor. One! And you couldn’t even follow it after I warned you. Sign the fucking papers, get your shit, and get out of here. I’m done.”<
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  I haul my ass out of the chair and open his door with a huff. I look back at Jeffrey, who doesn’t look the least bit upset, and look at Travis, who is now standing. I shake my head when he comes toward me and I walk over to my office, but not before I hear the intercom come alive with the words, “Travis Kidd would like to see you.” A quick glance at Travis earns me a shrug from him before he’s disappearing behind Jeffrey’s door.

  Flipping the switch for my overhead light, I can already see that someone has started packing my personal belongings. I try to log into my computer, but my password has already been changed. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. I thought I meant more to Jeffrey than a policy, but I guess not. I fucked up, and that’s all there is to it.

  I sit down at my desk and pore over the termination agreement. The language is standard. I have thirty days to find new health care for Lucy and me. I’ll be paid for my vacation time, but that’s it.

  Loud voices carry down the hall. Part of me wants to press the intercom button so I can hear what’s going on, and the other part doesn’t care and wants to get out of here. I leave the contract for last and start packing what’s left of my office. Mostly pictures, a few awards, and my degree. I hung that proudly on my wall so I could remember how hard I worked to obtain it.

  When a door slams, I jump. It’s a natural reaction, I think. What’s not natural is how Jeffrey’s voice continues to carry down the hall, and while I can’t make out everything he’s saying, it’s clear that he’s rather upset.

  “What’d you do?” I ask when Travis appears in my doorway.

  “Fired him.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because he fired you.”

  “Travis,” I say, shaking my head, “I violated my contract. I deserve to be let go. Jeffrey is great at his job. He doesn’t deserve this.”

  “Well, I think you’ll be better.”

  “Excuse me?” I set my diploma down on what used to be my desk. “What do you mean?”

  Travis steps into my office and stalks over to me. With his hands firmly on my hips, he pulls me to him. “Exactly what I said. I think you’ll make an even better business manager.”

  “But I’m not—”

  “But you can be. I Googled it before I even asked you to marry me. I hadn’t forgotten about your contract with Jeffrey, and I wanted to know your options. You don’t need a degree to do this. You only have to know how to negotiate contracts, and I know you can do that. Plus, you have to have your client’s best interest in mind, and I think if my wife is my agent and business manager, I’ll probably make out pretty well.”

  I eye him warily, unsure if I’m fully grasping what he’s saying. I love that he has confidence in me, but I’m not sure if this is something I can do.

  “One client won’t pay the bills.”

  “Cooper Bailey is looking for an agent as well. The one he has is someone his father found for him, and since he and his father aren’t speaking, he wants to break free.”

  “I see.”

  “And that means you can come to spring training with me, if you wanted,” he adds.

  A smile spreads across my lips. “As your wife I could go, but as your manager, I have to ask: Are you pulling your resignation off the table? Do I need to call Stone and tell him to forget everything?”

  He steps back and shakes his head. If I had to guess, I think his own admission about spring training caught him off guard. I know deep down he doesn’t want to quit, and once his name is cleared, the public opinion about him will change. He just needs to get his story told.

  “I don’t know, Saylor. Right now, it feels right to leave. The city, the people—they’ve turned their backs on me, and that is really hard to swallow.”

  This time I’m cupping his cheek and caressing the worry lines away. “Let’s give it time, Travis.”

  “Who is saying that?” he asks as his hands slide under my sweater. “My wife or agent?”

  My catches as I find myself made vulnerable by his question. “Your agent,” I reply, unwilling to bring myself to say the other word out loud.

  “Well, she would know,” he says with a wink.

  They both know, Travis…

  They both know.

  Thirty-Three

  Travis

  After convincing Saylor to take me on as her first client, I made a phone call to Irvin and read him her termination papers. He suggested she quit, which would allow her to represent any of her current clients if they chose to leave Jeffrey. Needless to say, when Saylor handed in her handwritten letter of resignation, he knew her plan. If Saylor decides to only represent me, that’ll be enough for her to stick it to him.

  I understand where he’s coming from and how things look, but there’s a reason behind my proposal and our upcoming marriage. Jeffrey could’ve listened to her instead of saying the shit he did. Honestly, that is what prompted me to fire him. Sitting outside his office and hearing the words he was saying to her really pissed me the fuck off. If anything, he should’ve been yelling at me, but he’d never do that.

  “Are you okay?” I ask after we leave her office. She had tears in her eyes as she packed her things, and while I felt bad for her, I knew this was going to be a good thing. Our marriage is going to start off as one of the rockiest ones in history.

  “I feel lost. That’s been my job for so long. I don’t know what I’m going to do on Monday.”

  “Well, you could make my breakfast.” I laugh, but the look on her face tells me to shut up. “Or not,” I say, setting her box in the back of the SUV.

  “We need to set some ground rules,” she states as she climbs into the front seat. I don’t know how I feel about rules. It’s been years since I’ve lived with someone, and the only person who spends any considerable amount of time with me is Ethan Davenport, and that’s when we’re on the road.

  “Okay, I’ll play along. Are we talking no underwear on the floor? Make sure the toilet seat is down?” I climb into the driver’s seat and start the engine.

  “Well, yes, those are definite, but I’m referring to your habit of eating takeout. Lucy seems to think that whenever she doesn’t like her breakfast, I can pick up the phone and order her whatever she wants.”

  “Okay…”

  “No, it’s not okay, Travis. I don’t want her growing up thinking that money grows on trees. Everything that I have has been earned by hard work. She needs to know the value of a dollar.”

  “And she will, Saylor.” I enter into traffic and head toward the police station, where her probation officer is. Irvin is meeting us there in hopes that he can convince her PO to go easy on her. He’s hoping for a little community service and not a night behind bars.

  “Right now she thinks that you can come over with pancakes whenever she wants.”

  I sigh and reach for her hand. “I know I have a lot to learn about being a parent. Hell, even being a partner, but I’m going to work at it each and every day. Until you’re comfortable letting me make decisions for Lucy, I’ll defer everything to you, and I’ll work my hardest to make sure the toilet seat is down, that I aim correctly, and that I’m always wearing pants when I get up in the middle of the night to take a leak.”

  She barks out a laugh, and I smile in return. “See, babe? We got this,” I tell her.

  “I’m afraid that you’ll tire of my nagging rather quickly.”

  “I probably will. And you’ll get pissed at me for the stupid shit I do. We’re not perfect, Saylor, and I’m not looking for the perfect wife or partner.”

  “You’re not?”

  “Fuck no. I like to cuss, fart, and scratch myself. If you can put up with that, I can put up with your nagging, but…”

  “But what?” she asks, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

  “But don’t be shocked when I call you out on your bitching.” I pull into the parking lot and find a spot, shutting off the car. I turn to face her. “Here’s the thing, Saylor. We are going to fight, and shit could ge
t ugly, but at the end of the night, we’ll make up. And if in the morning you’re still pissed at me, I’ll have to fuck it right out of you,” I say, winking at her.

  “Jesus, Travis,” she says, covering her face. “And here I thought we’d ease into the sexual part of a marriage.”

  “Why the fuck would we wait?”

  She shrugs. “I thought that after the way I acted…”

  “Fuck that noise, Saylor. I want to be with you, all of you, and that includes putting my dick in your ’gina.”

  “I’m sorry—my what?”

  I can’t help but laugh. This is the side that I’ve kept hidden from her the past few weeks for fear she’d never want to be around me. But now she doesn’t have a choice since she’s about to marry my sorry ass.

  “’Gina,” I repeat.

  “What the hell is that? Did you name my…lady bits?”

  “Nah, only shortened it because vagina sounds so damn clinical. I could say pussy, if you like that better.”

  Saylor’s cheeks turn red, and she moves to face the window. It’s a good thing the windows are tinted; otherwise, onlookers might wonder what we’re doing in here.

  I set my hand down on her leg and move it slowly until it’s centered between her thighs. “What’s it going to be, Saylor? Are you going to let me into that pussy of yours once we’re married?” I whisper into her ear. She nods as my teeth pull down slightly on her earlobe.

  I really want to throw her into the backseat and let her ride my hard-on, but the fact that we’re in the parking lot of the police station really deters my plans. Besides, knowing that I have so much more to explore when it comes to her is truly a turn-on. I never thought I’d get married, but to make a commitment to someone I’ve only been with twice, and dry humped once, is a huge achievement for someone like me.

  “As much as I want to fuck you silly right now, Irvin is inside waiting for us.”

  Saylor sighs and nods, but not before leaning her head into mine. This is the first real emotion she’s shown me since I proposed. I have initiated everything else when it came to contact between us. I’m hoping that changes very soon, because there’s nothing sexier than a woman showing a man what she wants from him.