For the Win: A Standalone Baseball Romance

by Raine Thomas

Evan reached for the ball cap that had flown from the boy’s head and once again secured it over his explosion of dark curls. “Is that your brother rounding second?”

  Another nod.

  “All right then. Running the bases on this clay can be a tricky business. Maybe you should stand here with me for a minute and get the lay of the land until your brother gets back. What do you say?”

  The boy nodded again.

  Will got to his feet. Evan did the same, using one hand to brace Noah. Will smiled when he caught sight of the fluffy blond hair peeking out from under the baby’s hat. It looked like Noah was going to favor his mom, at least in his coloring.

  Katie stepped between him and Evan and gave his hand a tug. Will looked down at her.

  “He sounds pretty, Daddy,” she whispered.

  All of the breath left his lungs.

  Searing emotion rose up and seized him around the throat. So many thoughts ran through his head he could barely collect them.

  His daughter had just spoken.

  Katie had just spoken actual words out loud.

  They had been inspired by Evan Dorsey’s accent.

  Was that weird?

  Who the hell cared?

  He’d just heard his little girl’s voice for the first time.

  She’d called him Daddy.

  And he was about to seriously lose his shit right there in front of his entire team.

  Why had he forgotten his sunglasses today of all days? There’d be no passing off the suspicious moisture building in his eyes as anything but the tears they were. He couldn’t imagine how his reaction must seem to Katie, but there was no way he’d be able to speak over the enormous lump in his throat.

  Evan’s gaze moved from Katie to Will. Whatever he noted in his scan of Will’s face had him looking back down at Katie.

  “You like my accent, little lady?” he asked, making it more pronounced than usual.

  She nodded.

  “Your name’s Katie, right?”

  She nodded again.

  The question told Will that his teammate had been paying attention all this time despite it always seeming otherwise. It also told him he had misjudged the Aussie.

  And when Evan took Katie and the little boy by the hands and walked them toward home plate to give Will a moment to collect himself, he knew he owed the guy a debt he could never possibly repay.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “What do you owe Cole for this?” Jasmine asked Will under her breath.

  “One of my kidneys, should he ever have a need for it.”

  Cole had come through on his promise to hook Will up with Void concert tickets and a backstage meet-and-greet with the band. Will had told her about the possibility of it weeks ago. Hoping it would happen for Katie’s sake—okay, and maybe because she wanted to go too—she’d checked in with him regularly, but Cole hadn’t confirmed it until right after the Family Fun Day ten days ago. Now she and Will were riding in a chartered car with Katie on the way to the concert venue.

  Katie had no clue where they were going. Will only told her they were taking her somewhere special for her birthday, which was in eleven days. Jasmine had ordered her a Void T-shirt as part of her birthday present. It was safely stored in the bag she’d brought along. She would help Katie change in the ladies’ room once they got through security.

  At the moment, Katie was playing a game on Will’s phone. Had she known where they were going, she might not be as bored sitting in the event traffic, Jasmine thought with amusement.

  Thirty minutes later, they finally neared the arena. Will nudged Katie to get her attention.

  “We’re here. Check it out.”

  She dropped the phone in her excitement to look out the window. Anticipating the move, he deftly caught it in his right hand. He and Jasmine watched Katie as her head moved from left to right in search of the clue she needed to figure out where they were. When she saw The Void’s logo flash across the arena’s huge digital marquis, she let out a loud gasp.

  “Daddy!”

  Her voice was filled with excitement. Jasmine’s heart suddenly felt too big for her chest.

  It was the first time Katie had spoken in front of her. Will’s story about the event at the ballpark had filled her with such joy. Now, she reached for his hand and gripped it tight, completely understanding how emotional it had made him.

  “You happy, kiddo?” he asked.

  In answer, Katie threw her arms around him.

  Jasmine guessed that the entire evening was worth it to Will for that fierce hug alone.

  It took another twenty minutes for the car to make its way through the passenger drop-off, for them to get through security and stop by the bathrooms so Katie could change her shirt, and then finally make their way to their seats. Jasmine hadn’t ever been to an event at the arena, so she wasn’t sure where Will was leading them.

  Before they were allowed into their section, they had to be cleared through another security checkpoint. That was her first clue they weren’t sitting in the cheap seats. The second clue was how many fewer people there were in their section.

  Rather than leading to rows of seats, the main walkway of their section was lined with individual doors leading to what appeared to be furnished suites. Her eyes widened when she spotted an elaborate arch of pink and black balloons over one of the doors.

  “Is that where we’re sitting?” she asked.

  “I think so?”

  Will sounded just as uncertain as she was. As they approached the door, Katie grinned and reached for their hands. A male wearing a black polo shirt and khaki pants stood outside the door. He smiled at them as they approached.

  “Mr. Campbell?” he asked Will.

  “That’s me.”

  “Hello, sir. My name is E.J. and I’ll be your suite attendant for the evening.” His gaze shifted to Katie. “Are you the birthday girl?”

  “Yep,” Will said when Katie stepped back and moved behind him. “She’s a little shy.”

  “No problem.” The attendant shifted his attention back to Will. “Your suite is fully stocked, but if you need anything throughout the evening, I’m your guy.”

  “Thanks, E.J.”

  The attendant opened the door and stepped aside. Will exchanged a look with Jasmine that again told her he hadn’t expected this. He waited for her and Katie to enter the suite first. Katie led the way, pulling Jasmine inside behind her. Jasmine grinned at Will as she hurried past him, feeling almost like a kid herself.

  “Happy birthday, Katie!”

  The cheer rose from the small crowd gathered in the suite. Katie jumped and gripped Jasmine’s hand, immediately stepping behind her. Jasmine saw in a quick glance that she had met everyone gathered there to participate in the celebration. Frank, Gareth and his wife Althea, Cole and Everly, Evan and Sierra, Randy Haviland and his wife Sandra, and Ruby, Jerry, and Makayla.

  The last three guests told her Will had at least had some input in the guest list.

  “Whatcha doin’, Katie?” Makayla asked in her loud voice. “Come and see.”

  She hurried over to take Katie’s hand. Much as she’d done at the Family Fun Day, Katie went along with her friend. The two girls ignored the adults, walking over to the glass doors leading to their seats.

  “Guess I’m chopped liver now,” Frank chuckled from his spot next to Gareth.

  Will walked over and gave him a hug. “You said you had to work on the Giuseppe’s reno. Liar.”

  “Yeah, well, this wouldn’t have been much of a surprise otherwise.”

  Sierra walked over to greet Jasmine with a hug. “Hi, there. Glad you guys made it before the opening acts.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Will was saying to Frank beside them. He grinned and lowered his voice so it wouldn’t carry out to the seats. “She spoke again.”

  “No shit?” He winced. “Sorry. Forgot the little ears are around. That’s big news. I hope she says something tonight. I ca
n’t wait to hear her.”

  For the next couple minutes, Jasmine and Will made their way around the suite to give hugs or half-hug-half-back-slaps of greeting to everyone. They were the last to arrive, which the others had orchestrated so they could greet Katie as she walked in.

  “And who’s responsible for all of this?” Jasmine asked, waving around the suite.

  There were pink and black balloons and streamers everywhere. A “Happy Birthday, Katie!” banner with The Void’s logo on either side hung along one wall. A two-tiered pink ombre birthday cake held a place of honor on its own table. The cake was covered in edible confetti and decorations shaped like The Void’s logo, Katie’s name, and the number six. A spread of food lined the wall beneath the banner, and a bar with a bartender stood in the opposite corner.

  Everyone exchanged looks, shaking their heads and shrugging.

  “I have no idea,” Cole said when Will looked at him. “I did mention it was Katie’s birthday when I talked to my contact, but I never said anything about decorations.”

  “I should have thought of it myself,” Will said, pulling out his phone to start taking some photos. “It’s pretty epic.”

  A couple minutes later, Jasmine turned at the sound of the suite’s door opening. Since she was closest to the door, she watched with raised eyebrows as a large, serious-looking black man in a sharp, pinstriped suit stepped inside and scanned the suite. She was sure he was in the wrong place. When he nodded briskly and stepped aside as though taking position against the wall, she wondered if the suite came with security for some reason.

  Then she saw who the guard was protecting.

  “Thanks, Trey,” Lily Montgomery said as she emerged through the door. Her violet gaze moved around the suite as she entered. “Oh, good. It looks just like I’d hoped.”

  Jasmine hadn’t ever been starstruck before but seeing Lily only a few feet away after having recently watched her and her husband on House of Archer, she suddenly forgot how to use her tongue.

  Oddly, the first thought that entered her mind was that she hadn’t known Lily was so pregnant. The sizable swell of her belly beneath her black Void T-shirt indicated she was about as far along as Everly.

  She looked way more down-to-Earth than what the show portrayed too. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she wore simple ripped denim leggings and black half-boots with her T-shirt. If Jasmine hadn’t known she was a celebrity, she would have pegged her as a fellow Void fan-girl.

  “You’re who I have to thank for this?” Will asked.

  He had paused with his phone still held up from picture-taking when he saw who had walked into the suite. He had a look on his face that Jasmine imagined mirrored hers.

  Lily smiled. “Are you Katie Campbell’s dad?”

  “I am.” He finally lowered his phone and held out a hand. “Will Campbell. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Montgomery.”

  “Lily’s fine. It’s nice to meet you too, Will. I wanted to make sure everything had gotten set up for Katie before I headed to my own suite.”

  “It’s perfect. Thanks so much for thinking of her.” He looked over toward the seats where Makayla was still talking Katie’s ears off. “Katie’s over there. She’d love to meet you.”

  “Why don’t we let her enjoy this time with her friend?” Lily suggested. “The band and I will all meet her after the concert.”

  “Thanks. We’re looking forward to it.”

  Cole and Evan both approached Lily with their greetings. Jasmine gathered from their conversation that the two ballplayers had participated in a celebrity softball game the previous fall that had been organized by Lily’s sister and involved the band. All of this effort for Katie must have been a kind of “returning the favor” type of deal even though Will hadn’t participated in the game due to his injury.

  “No cameras today?” Cole asked, referencing the House of Archer crew that usually followed Lily and the band everywhere.

  “Not in here. I didn’t want to distract from Katie’s celebration.” She looked beside Cole. “Are you Everly and Sierra? I remember your names from my sister’s conversations about the softball game.”

  The introductions continued. Sierra gave Lily a hug, of course. Lily and Everly exchanged a few pregnancy-related tidbits that revealed they were due a couple weeks apart in September. As the other guests also advanced, Lily shook each of their hands and chatted with them for a minute, graciously accepting their thanks for the VIP treatment and at least seeming as though she was interested in who they were.

  “Miss Lily,” the imposing bodyguard intoned before Jasmine got her turn, “Mr. Archer is asking for you.”

  Lily shook her head with a small smile. “Of course he is.” Glancing at Ruby, who had just finished her introduction, she said, “Please excuse me. The further along this little girl gets, the more her dad worries.”

  She patted her stomach and turned to go, then briefly turned back around. “Actually, if you all wouldn’t mind keeping the gender to yourselves, I’d appreciate it. The House of Archer producers would have a fit if that didn’t get revealed on the show.”

  Everyone issued their assurances and waved their goodbyes. Before she could get all the way to the door, Jasmine hurried after her.

  “Ms. Montgomery,” she said, stopping Lily again, “I know you’ve got to go, but I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for doing this for Katie. She’s such a huge fan of the band and, well, this really means so much.”

  Lily smiled again. “It was a pleasure. Are you Katie’s mom?”

  Jasmine was filled with an unexpected sense of pride and an equal sense of unease by Lily’s question. She couldn’t imagine overstepping herself by implying she was one of Katie’s parents. It felt like it would rob Will of his incredible accomplishments with his daughter.

  “Oh, no,” she said. “I’m just a friend. My name’s Jasmine.”

  “Jasmine?” Lily said the name consideringly as she ran her hand over her belly. “Jasmine Archer. That has a ring to it, doesn’t it, Trey? Then we’d both have floral names.”

  “Sure, Miss Lily,” the man said in his deep, level voice.

  Lily laughed and shoved at his arm. “Okay.” She looked back at Jasmine. “Sorry, but I’ve really got to go this time. Enjoy the concert and I’ll see you later.”

  “Of course.”

  When she turned back to the suite, nearly everyone was either at the bar getting drinks or filling their plates with food. Will stood nearby holding a beer and a glass of wine for her. His expression looked clouded for a moment, but then he smiled.

  “Ready to celebrate?” he asked, handing her the glass of wine.

  She lifted the glass. “Let’s party like rock stars.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Will couldn’t get the memory of Jasmine’s adamant denial about being Katie’s mother from his head. He wanted to enjoy every moment of this unforgettable birthday celebration with his little girl, but his stupid-ass brain kept bringing that moment back to the surface.

  Why had she sounded like being a mother was the last thing she wanted? Was that how she felt in general? It wasn’t something they’d ever discussed.

  And why would they? It wasn’t like they were in an actual relationship.

  “Are you all right?” Jasmine asked as they waited for The Void to take the stage.

  He supposed he hadn’t been hiding his discontent from his expression very well and made another effort to get into the celebratory spirit. “I’m great. Maybe a little nostalgic since Katie’s about to turn six.”

  She smiled. “Before you know it, she’ll be driving.”

  “Shut your mouth.”

  That made her laugh, which eased the gloom from his mood. Then The Void took the stage at last and everyone’s attention turned fully to the concert.

  Man, they killed it. Will had been to his share of concerts, some of which had been disappointing as soon as the singing started. It was sad
how many artists relied on Auto-Tune to sound good on their albums.

  That wasn’t the case with The Void. Archer was on point with the vocals and the dance moves, and he could absolutely shred on the guitar.

  “I think I’ve got a serious man crush,” Will admitted to Cole and Evan as they stood at the bar getting refills between songs.

  “Hard not to,” Cole said. “The guy’s been on just about every Sexiest Man Alive list out there. Not to mention all the Grammys and platinum records he and the band have earned.”

  “Word is he’ll be on the list when the Emmy nominations are released next week too,” Evan added. “And did you see him in Downforce? No way he’s not getting an Oscar nod for that performance.”

  Will had come to understand that Evan was chattier and friendlier when he actually liked the people he was around. It told Will that the Aussie didn’t particularly care for most of his teammates. It also told him that the two of them had somehow managed to become friends.

  The movie he was referring to had released over Memorial Day weekend. Archer was one of the key supporting actors in the cast. His character ultimately died in a tragic racing accident. Will and his dad had gone to see the blockbuster while Katie spent time with Gareth. It was one of the best movies he’d ever seen.

  “Hell, yeah,” he said. “I may or may not have cried.”

  “Stop,” Cole held up a hand. “I haven’t gotten to see it yet.”

  The next song started. They collected their drinks and brought them back to the seats. Will handed Jasmine the glass of wine he’d gotten her. She smiled and mouthed the word thanks as she accepted it.

  Nodding, he turned to Katie and signed, Want anything?

  She shook her head and returned her attention to the stage. Her smile hadn’t dimmed all evening and she kept bouncing in her seat. Between the Sprite and junk food she’d been eating, he fully expected her to run on hyped-up energy until she crashed in a couple hours.

  He hoped she made it through the meet-n-greet. From what he knew of those types of events, they would be brought into a room where the band was hanging out. If they were lucky, they’d get to take photos with them before being ushered back out. Will would love some autographs too, but he wasn’t going to complain if that didn’t happen. The band had done more than enough already.