by Meghan Quinn
Playing the Field
Book two of the Hot-Lanta Series
A Meghan Quinn Novel
Dedication
To my two biggest supporters, you mean everything to me and I would not be where I am without you. You give me confidence, calm me down when I am losing my mind and bring out the best in me. Three wives!
Chapter 1
Jane stood in the entrance way of the dugout shaking uncontrollably and scared shitless. Why did Brady convince her that this was a good idea? She was not a spouse, she was just a girlfriend. There were other wives of players on the team that could be in her position but oh no, they already were asked to do this in previous years, so it was Jane’s turn.
She felt so silly in Brady’s jersey which she had to wear over her cute skinny jeans, heels and long sleeve fit red tee. Why did she wear heels? Brady chastised her when she got to the stadium and saw her choice of footwear. She just said she wasn’t thinking, which was true she wasn’t. That was why she was wearing Brady’s jersey and not the one Brady gave her which fit her perfectly. She was so nervous about today that she completely forgot to dress appropriately.
She was pushed to the side by another spouse of a player, a pitcher’s wife she thought.
“Oh excuse me” said a very busty and very attractive red head with a southern accent. “Oh darlin’ you are that little tart everyone has been talkin’ about. Well aren’t you just the darndest little thing. Goodness me, that jersey is enormous on you.” The redhead exclaimed while fanning herself from the humid Atlanta air.
Jane blushed. She was unaware she was known as the “tart” of the clubhouse, she hoped that was a good thing and not bad. All the other spouses looked amazing in their tight fit jerseys, hair immaculate and appropriate footwear. Feeling like an idiot, she tried to keep to herself so not too many wives noticed her inadequacies.
“I was nervous about today and forgot to wear the proper attire, I was just dressing to impress. Clearly I wasn’t thinking about the task at hand.” Jane said while shrugging off her comment, trying to act nonchalant even though inside embarrassment flooded her veins.
The redhead gave a hearty laugh. “Oh darlin’ you crack me up. There is not a darn thing to be nervous about. You just have to go throw a silly ball when they tell us to. They don’t expect much from us you know. We just need to look good and give our prettiest little smiles.”
Well she made it sound easy enough but what Jane was worried about was actually throwing the ball. She did not want to make a fool of herself. She spent hours out in Brady’s backyard with him practicing. When they first started tossing the ball around Brady kept laughing at her which was not helpful. He then took advantage of her lack of ability to throw a ball and wrapped his arms around her trying to teach her the basic techniques which led to him feeling her up and teaching her some other techniques that would not be shown on the infield of Turner field.
“Hopefully I can throw the ball to the plate without it bouncing. I practiced forever just trying to make it.”
“Please tell me that man of yours did not make you practice from the pitcher’s mound distance. If he did he should be branded.”
Jane was confused. “He did, why?”
The redhead laughed once again and then grabbed another one of the spouses. Jane didn’t know who she was, Jane just knew the woman was tall, African American and incredibly gorgeous.
“Sasha, this little tart over here has been practicing her throwing from the pitcher’s mound.”
Both the ladies laughed hysterically. Getting irritated Jane interrupted them. “Excuse me, I don’t see what’s so funny.”
“I apologize, it’s just that, we don’t throw from the pitcher’s mound, we throw from a couple feet back from home plate. They don’t expect us to be able to throw the whole distance. Oooeeee girl you better talk to that man of yours because he down right tricked you.”
Both of the ladies laughed again. Jane was going to kill Brady! Her arm had been sore for days with all the practicing she had been doing. She could barely move her poor limb and there he was still making her practice from regulation distance. Next time she was down near his manhood she was going to give him a good pinch.
“How rude of me.” The redhead interrupted. “I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Daisy Mae and I’m married to Phil Montgomery, the closer. And no need to introduce yourself you are Jane Bradley. We have heard all about you.”
Jane could not help but wonder who the hell they were receiving their information from? Was Brady talking to the wives about her? Or was Brady talking to his teammates and then they were talking to their wives? That seemed very extreme and not like the men to do. Most likely their informative sources were the gossip magazines that Jane despised.
“Nice to meet you, but how do you know all about me. I’m just curious.” Jane could not help but ask.
“Michael Banks is big with the spouses of the players, he is always trying to get us to dump our husbands and go out with him. He is just one big flirt, that man. I’m surprised he is still single.”
That made sense, she thought.
Jane didn’t want to go into detail about how he just got divorced. The divorce papers were signed just a couple of months ago. Luckily Michael had an amazing lawyer and did not have to give Kelly practically anything thanks to the incriminating evidence Michael had of her riding the cheating train called Dayshon. She wasn’t surprised Michael made his way around to the spouses. He was a shameless flirt and was trying to have the ladies hook him up with some of their single friends. Michael was a very smart man in that aspect. Wives loved helping single men find love and Michael was the perfect prospect for them.
“Oh that Michael, he is always making the rounds.”
Jane was just about to ask Daisy Mae about how she liked being a wife to a baseball player when a nerdy little guy wearing a headset came up to the ladies.
“Ok ladies. We are almost ready for you. When the announcer announces you out to the field, stay in the order you are already in and follow the lady who is wearing the red shirt out there, she will put you into place. The announcer will give you a count down and then you just throw away, simple. Your men will come up give you a kiss on the cheek and hand you back the ball. After that you walk back into the dugout and then you will be escorted back to your seats. Any questions?”
No one raised their hands so the little guy turned around to address someone else with matters that did not deal with them.
Jane’s stomach was doing knots. Brady came up to her a couple of weeks ago and asked her if she wanted to be a part of spouse recognition day. She didn’t think much of it so she agreed. She wasn’t technically a spouse which she pointed out to Brady but he said all the other ladies have done it so many times that they wanted a fresh face.
When Jane agreed she didn’t realize she was going to be one of the ladies who threw out the first pitch of the game. That was when she decided to start practicing, a couple weeks later, some terrible throws and many ice bags on her arm she was waiting in the Braves dugout waiting to be called out and throw a ball in front of thousands of fans.
It was no secret who she was either, she knew all eyes were going to be on her. When Brady and her first started dating the media had a field day with their relationship. It was hell at first trying to go out and have a nice meal or even trying to drive around town without cameras following around. Magazines made up stories, questioned their relationship and their loyalty. There were some rough nights but they worked through them and soon enough their popularity started to fade and they were able to lead a somewhat normal life.
She had been living with Brady for two years now and was q
uite happy. She was known around Atlanta pretty well, not because of her successful business unfortunately but for her relationship to Atlanta’s star first baseman. It didn’t bother her too much but she did miss the days when she could go into the drug store and buy a box of tampons without wondering eyes or seeing her picture on a gossip magazine with the headline: “No Brady Booming Babies Yet.”
The little man came back and handed them each a ball. It was already roughed up and seemed like it had seen its fair share of plays on the field. Brady told her once that the balls they used in the game were rubbed down with a special mud so they were not completely fresh. They were easier to grip for the pitchers apparently. She didn’t seem to care but knowing the little factoid made the dirty ball in her hand make more sense.
She looked out on the field and caught a glimpse of Brady stretching next to Marc and having what seemed like a very entertaining conversation. God was she in love with that man. It had been two years and he still looked at her as if it was the first time he ever set eyes on her. He still treated her with just as much love as when they were first going out and supported her more than she could ever ask for.
He turned around, looked down at her and gave her a wink. She couldn’t help but feel week at the knees. She was one lucky girl.
The little man announced that it was time. Jane saw the respective spouse’s players take their place around home plate all standing in a line facing the pitcher’s mound. She would be throwing to Brady which was reassuring; at least she wasn’t throwing to stranger.
The announcer announced that it was spouse appreciation day and most likely read off a statement about how important the ladies were to the men in Braves uniforms and how the organization appreciated their support and dedicated time to non-profit organizations.
Once Jane moved in with Brady she really started helping Brady with all his events he volunteered at with Special Olympics. With Patty’s help, her fantastic assistant, she was able to make more time for herself and spend her time helping Brady with various Special Olympic events and just flat out spending time with Brady.
She drifted off into space because all of a sudden some random people were pushing her out onto the field. She could not believe the amount of people who were in attendance. How Brady played in front of some many people almost every night was beyond her. She could not imagine the pressure almost every night. She just had to throw one ball from a couple of feet away and she thought she was going to puke right there on the field.
The ladies lined up across from their baseball player and got in the ready position. Jane took a deep breath and got in her throwing position Brady taught her. When she focused on him he was grinning like a fool and she realized the distance really wasn’t that far. The announcer counted down from three.
Three…Two…One.
Here went nothing.
***
Brady could not help but grin at Jane. She looked so damn cute in his jersey that was entirely too big on her. She also looked ridiculous trying to make her away across the infield in her heels and oversized shirt but it only made him love her even more. If anything the grounds crew could thank her for the free irrigation from the heels she was wearing. Brady’s heart reached out to her because she looked so nervous. When she looked up at him, he just gave her a smile and wink, hopefully to settle her nerves.
When she asked him to practice with her before the “big throw” his heart melted for her. She was so concerned about her “performance” as she put it but what she didn’t know was that all the wives were awful at tossing the ball that the staff decided to move the wives closer to the players so there was no chance they would make fools out of themselves.
Brady felt a little nervous tonight not for Jane but for an entirely different reason. The announcer started counting down and Jane wound her arm back getting ready to throw. On the count of one, she lifted her leg and threw her arm toward him. She threw him a perfect strike. The look of shock on her face was hilarious. She started jumping up and down in celebration. Brady laughed and jogged up to her.
He gave her a kiss on her mouth and said, “Babe that was amazing. I’m so proud of you, you showed up all the other wives.”
Jane gave him a hug and another kiss. “Thanks for the help, handsome.”
“Alright love bugs” said Daisy Mae. “It’s time for a photo op.”
Brady turned himself and Jane toward the cameras that were on the field. Each man stood behind their wives with their arms wrapped around their waists and took pictures for all the press.
Brady could feel his nerves start to shake which was very odd for him, he usually had nerves of steel. He had to stay calm, he needed to relax.
He pulled Jane a little tighter as she looked up at him and smiled. The press loved the intimate look they gave each other and made all the other couples do the same thing. Brady was going to be fine because he had Jane right there with him. She made him feel calm and he was able to shake the nerves that were fluttering around in his stomach.
***
Jane could tell Brady was a little stiff and jumpy but she had no clue why. It made her feel nervous. Was this a big game and she didn’t know about it? She was pretty sure she paid attention to how the team was doing and she was almost positive winning this game against the Pirates was irrelevant.
The press thanked all the couples and they were asked them to leave the field so the game could get on its way. Jane started to walk off the field when Brady grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the pitcher’s mound.
Jane whispered under her breath. “Brady, what are you doing?”
Brady didn’t answer he just continued to drag her to the pitcher’s mound. Jane felt herself go red with embarrassment. She didn’t like being in the spotlight and throwing out the first pitch tonight was hard enough as it was even though there were other player’s wives with her.
When they got to the pitcher’s mound Brady turned Jane toward him.
“Brady, please what are we doing?”
All he did was smile. He turned toward the dugout and Marc threw what looked like a ball at him. Brady caught it in his glove and then got down on one knee. Jane nearly toppled over. Her heart beat went into high gear and she for sure thought someone might need to call in the medic for her.
Brady grabbed her hand and looked up at her. His eyes were glistening with happiness and had nothing but love pouring out of them. The stadium went completely quiet and the song ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars lightly played over the speakers in the stadium. It was just loud enough to hear. She couldn’t help but cry and look like a blubbering idiot.
Brady opened what Jane thought was a ball but turned out to be a box with the most gigantic ring placed in it she had ever seen. She was not one for expensive jewelry but she could not divert her eyes away from the gorgeous round cut diamond with millions of little diamonds outlining the center. It was breathtaking. Jane noticed Brady started rubbing his thumb pad on Jane’s hand and she looked down at him.
“Jane you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I love you more than anything and I could not have thought of a better place to ask you to marry me than where our love first blossomed right here on this field. You have made me happier than I ever thought possible. You are not only my soul mate, you are my best friend and partner in crime all I ask from you is that you become my wife as well. Please do me the honor in becoming my wife. Will you marry me?”
***
Brady waited in anticipation. He knew she was going to say yes, he could see it all over her face. He could not have planned it more perfectly. He wanted to propose to her at the stadium because that was when he realized that he was going to spend the rest of his life with her. When his manager, Deek Jones, announced the upcoming events at the stadium, spouse appreciation day stuck out in his mind. He had wanted to propose to Jane for a year now but he was taking his time with her. He didn’t want to scare her away too fast so he waited patiently until he thought she was ready.
Brady talked to Deek about his idea of proposing to Jane on spouse appreciation day and surprisingly Deek loved the idea, he said it would be great for the “woman folk,” also known as the female fans. Deek set him up with a PR person in the organization and they helped Brady set everything up. It was hard keeping the secret from Jane since he was so bad at keeping secrets in but he managed to do so and was glad that he did because the current look on Jane’s face was absolutely priceless.
Brady looked at Jane as tears rolled down her cheek. She just nodded at him not being able to talk from pure happiness. He placed the ring on her hand and then scooped her up in his arms kissing her and twirling her around. The stadium erupted in cheers, whistles and claps. Over the loud speakers played the oldie “Going to the Chapel” and all the players came to the infield to offer their congratulations.
Jane looked up at him and mouthed an ‘I love you.’ Brady gave her a kiss in response and held her tightly as all the guys came up patting him on the back and giving him one armed hugs.
He looked down at his now fiancé and beamed with excitement. She looked so beautiful in his gigantic jersey, hair down in its wavy curls that he loved and makeup streaming down her face. He was one lucky man. He could not wait for the game to be over tonight because he planned on taking his extremely gorgeous fiancé back to their place and having their own mini celebration.
Chapter 2
Molly lied in her bed smoking a cigarette staring at her phone. Jane called her a couple of times but Molly didn’t answer. She knew Brady proposed tonight in front of thousands of people but Molly didn’t really seem to care.