She smiled thinking of how she could walk around naked, eating peanut butter straight from the jar, while belting out Katy Perry songs…or Kanye West songs…or even the Sound of Music at the top of her lungs, and no one would be there to stop her.
It was a stupid thought to have. With the bar, and her job, and the growing bump in front of her, she had far bigger things to deal with. But it was still nice to think about.
She could also come in late at night, after a date, without another certain someone staying up to wait for her.
She thought about Carter and her heart practically doubled in size. It had been a week since she’d revealed the truth. He’d been so perfect, so damn perfect, when she’d told him about the baby. This was her baby. Hers and Carter’s. Theirs.
And he’d stepped right up to the plate—and hit a perfect home run.
She rubbed her belly looking around at her place.
“Well, baby,” she mused, “It’s not as grand as your daddy’s place, but we’ll make it work.”
Carter was coming by later to “take her out some place special.”
Baseball season was in full swing again and his free nights were few and far between. So she was anxiously awaiting their date. She looked at the time and got a move on. She had to take a shower and get ready. Now that she no longer had to worry about hiding the little one, she happily embraced her small curve.
The dress was floral and sleeveless with an empire-waist that ended in gauzy handkerchief layers around her knees. The beauty of it was that she could wear it even after the baby was born.
The intercom buzzed and she pressed the button by the door to let Carter into the building. A few minutes later he was knocking at her door and she opened it, and taking a good look at him. As usual, she was amazed by his sheer size. He practically filled the doorway and was dressed especially well tonight with a crisp white dress shirt, perfectly tailored slacks and a matching jacket. He was even in dress shoes instead of his trademark cowboy boots.
Carter looked down at the dress, and she was pleased to see his eyes linger at her center with a mixture of awe and joy. God, she loved this man!
She opened the door wider to let him in and see her place for the first time.
“So this is the official Casa de Jordan?” he teased, looking around. “Did you buy out the entire Ikea store?”
“If you’re going to make fun of it, then you can go and have dinner alone,” she retorted.
He threw his hands up and laughed. “Okay, okay. Sorry.”
He walked over to where she was and wrapped his arms around her. “I know how much you’ve been looking forward to having a place all to yourself.” He pressed his body against hers, “I know how much I’ve been looking forward to it too.” He purred.
She laughed and threw her arms high around his neck standing on her toes. “As much as I like where your mind is going, I’m really hungry.”
“Well, I can’t have my woman going hungry. Let’s get this night started.”
Dinner had been delicious, Latin American. They had even made a virgin sangria for her. Now she was completely stuffed, and Carter was driving her back to his place. He apparently had something to show her. She couldn’t even imagine what it might be.
He opened the front door and took her hand. As soon as she walked through and saw what was inside she understood.
Oh!
There was a path cleared through a winding stretch of rose petals, straight to the living room. The lighting inside was dim and she could see that the coffee table was covered in candles.
Oh yes! Yes, Carter, yes!
“You didn’t leave these burning all night did you?” she asked suddenly.
He looked back at her with a laugh. “That would be a no, Jordan. I may not be a rocket scientist but I know basic safety. I had Ms. Stewart, my housekeeper, set this up right before we came. She was pretty excited about it. I guess throwing rose petals is a nice change from making beds and filling the fridge.”
She felt silly for having ruined the mood with such a dumb question.
The petals led directly to the sofa where Carter sat her down.
“I’ll be back in one moment,” he said, then jogged upstairs.
She knew exactly what he was off to do and her insides were nearly exploding with excitement. To the side of the coffee table was an ice bucket that held what looked to be sparkling cider. She smiled and rubbed her belly. This was so, so perfect. Carter was perfect.
The circumstances could have been a bit more...planned. She shook her head. The old Jordan needed to take a seat—two seats. If anything, this little bun in her oven showed her that life’s detours could lead to something even more wonderful than all her perfect little plans.
She heard him coming back and turned to see him holding one hand behind his back. She sat up straighter to prepare herself.
He approached her and knelt on one knee in front of her, taking her hand.
“Jordan, ever since that day I saw you—”
“Yes!” she said, unable to contain herself.
He gave a startled pause then grinned, “If you had any idea how long I spent on this speech—”
“I’m sorry,” she babbled, “I just…oh Carter, yes! Yes!”
“There you go again!” he bellowed, with a laugh.
She leaned down to kiss him as a form of apology. He leaned into it, and she forgot all about the proposal. She felt a warm wave of euphoria run directly from his lips to hers and straight through her body. She physically shuddered as it hit her. Man, this guy—this guy. He was hers.
His mouth still firmly on hers, he pulled himself up to join her on the couch. She brought her arms around his neck and shifted over to straddle him. Suddenly she broke the kiss, pulling away.
“Wait a second,” she laughed. “Do I actually get to see this thing?”
He joined her laugh as he pulled the hand, placed awkwardly behind his back, out and revealed the little, black, velvet box. She bit her lip and held her breath in anticipation as he brought it between them and opened it.
“Oh, Carter,” she breathed.
It was stunning. Obscenely stunning. Even in the dim, candlelit, room it sparkled like a giant…star. She reached out to touch it and he slammed it shut on her, making her jump. One hand swiftly reached around protectively to the small of her back to keep her from falling off his lap.
“Whoa there, filly,” he said. “First, let me do this properly—no interruptions!”
Jordan grinned and nodded obediently.
“I would get back down on my knee but I kinda like this position better,” he grinned back at her.
She wriggled impatiently on his lap, wanting to see that glorious ring again.
“Not helpin’, sweetheart.”
She laughed. “If you don’t get on with it, I’m going to grab it right out of your hand and stick it on my finger myself!”
He raised it over his head, knowing that, even propped up on his lap, she wouldn’t be able to out stretch him.
She gave a loud huff and then settled down. “Okay, go ahead.”
He looked at her for a beat then brought the box down between them.
“Since you preempted my pretty little speech I’ll just do the quick and dirty version,” he said, giving her a mocking look of disapproval. He opened the box to reveal the perfect ring once again.
“Jordan Douglas, will you do me the honor of giving me your hand in marriage?”
She brought her arms back up around him and looked him in the eye. “Yes, Carter Fox, I will.”
He plucked the ring out of the cushion and she dutifully held out her left hand. The feel of the band and his fingertips on her finger sent shivers through her body. They kissed and again it was like a lightning bolt of euphoria running through her.
She came in closer toward him, pressing as much as her tummy would allow. He moved his body so that he was lying on the couch underneath her. She slid a hand down the front of his shirt, w
orking a button loose.
“So,” he said, underneath her lips, “you can move in anytime you want.”
She paused and pulled away from him, registering what he said.
“What?”
“Move in,” he said shrugging against the seat of the couch. “Obviously.”
She sat up and looked down at him with a wary smile. “Why would I ‘obviously’ move in? I have an apartment, on which I just signed the lease.”
He sat up and her body slid further back on the couch away from him.
“Yeah but, don’t you want…?”
“Want what?” she prodded.
“Don’t you want to be a family?”
“Of course I do, but that doesn’t mean moving in with you tomorrow just because we’re engaged.”
“Well what does it mean?” he asked, his voice getting heated. “I mean, I’m here offering you my house, my rather large house, so that we can be together—as a family—but here you go being stubborn again—”
“Stubborn?” she exclaimed. “Why is it that every time I do something for myself I’m ‘stubborn?’ You just don’t get it Carter…and to think I thought you of all people would.”
“What is it I’m not getting?”
“For once I finally have a place that’s all mine. No, it’s not a big, impressive River Oaks mansion,” she waved her hand around the room, “but it’s all mine, that I earned with my own money. No parents, no roommates, no one except me.”
“Well it’s more than just you isn’t it,” he retorted, looking pointedly down at her stomach. “Maybe you want to think about that.”
“I am thinking about that. I want to be a role model, not some silly girl who went straight from her parent’s home to her husband’s like a piece of chattel. I want to be someone she can look up to.”
“She?” Carter started at that. “It’s a girl?”
It took a moment for Jordan to process the non sequitur. “What?”
“You know it’s a girl?” he pressed.
“Well…no but—”
“So it could be a boy?”
She gave him an irritated look. “Or it could be a girl. What? You only want to be involved if it’s a mini-me? A Carter Jr. you can play catch with?”
He gave her a confused look and shook his head. “What? No, it’s just…Jesus, a girl.” He ran a hand through his hair as his eyes grew wide at the prospect.
“For Pete’s sake, Carter!” she said lifting herself off the couch. “What does it matter if it’s a boy or a girl? What does it matter if I move in today or after we’re married? I knew you were…I don’t know, maybe a bit alpha, but I never figured you for a complete caveman.”
“Caveman?” he repeated, his jaw hardening. “That’s kind of a low blow.”
She blinked at that, remorse coming to her face. “That’s not what I—”
“Never mind,” he sighed.
They waited in silence for several moments, both of them processing the 180 that the night had taken.
“I should go home,” she said softly.
Carter sucked his lips in and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
As he sighed and got up off the couch, she looked at the ring. After a moment she pulled it off and handed it to him.
“I think we should hold off on this,” she said.
The look of shock and hurt nearly caused her to slip it right back on her finger. Her more rational mind prevailed.
“No, Jordan, don’t,” he insisted. “We’ll work through this.”
“Perhaps, but now…I just don’t think it’s right for me to take it.” She kept it held out to him.
“At least hold on to it,” he insisted. “You don’t have to wear it, but it’s yours, whether you take it today or 10 years from now. It’s yours.”
She shook her head and placed it on the coffee table. “I’m not saying no, but I can’t say yes…not like this.”
36
The Sluggers were in San Francisco to play the Giants this week. Not a horrible place to be in mid-June, especially in comparison to the blanket of humidity settled over Houston. Carter had heard down the pipeline that he might be a candidate for the Home Run Derby and the All Star game.
It was shaping up to be one of his greatest seasons ever.
Right now he had one thing on his mind, and it wasn’t baseball. Ever since Jordan had placed that ring back on the coffee table his emotions had been a complete surprise, even to himself. From the moment it touched the table he’d felt a strong sense of determination.
This wasn’t over.
Because she was his.
He couldn’t say why, but he just knew it, ring or no ring. Maybe it was because she was carrying a part of him inside of her. Maybe it was because she “wasn’t saying no.” Maybe it was because he just knew.
They belonged together. The baby, even if it was unplanned, only cemented that fact.
She was his. Eventually, she’d figure that out.
It was this determination that was running through his head as he stood there at bat, with a man at second and third. He was up against Bradley Waltman. The man had five good pitching styles so it was a toss up as to what he’d get thrown at him.
The first pitch was positionally perfect, at least as far as height...then it curved away, just as Carter swung. Strike one.
Bradley had gone with a cutter. He was unlikely to try the same pitch twice. That left four others.
Carter saw the next pitch heading out of the strike zone just as his shoulder gave a twitch. Ball one.
The next two pitches were out of the strike zone, which left it at three balls, one strike.
Come on Bradley. Carter wanted to actually feel that ball connect with the bat. He also didn’t want to be walked, especially as it wouldn’t move any of his teammates forward.
The next pitch looked outside, really outside. So far outside, Carter was certain he had a walk. As soon as it hit the Catcher’s mitt he actually dropped the bat in disappointment and actually began to walk.
“Strike 2!”
Carter spun around in outrage. Are you kidding me? There was no way that ball was over the plate. He thought about arguing with the umpire, but that would only get him kicked out of the game. Carter calmed down and shrugged it off, picking his bat up again.
Determination.
The next pitch was a slider, usually pretty good for hitting a home run...but not when they were that low. Too low. Low enough for Carter to be lucky if he hit it as far as the outfield.
He swung.
Both Carter and Bradley gaped in surprise as the bat connected the ball arced high. Really high. High enough to…score a home run. Three points for his team.
Determination.
Jordan was going to be his.
37
Morris & Gibson had given the associates the summer to take the bar before they had to show up for work. They had even paid for the absurdly expensive bar course just to seal the deal. The deal being: make sure you pass.
They’d all been warned that they had exactly two shots to pass. Jordan had no intention of going for round two. It was bad enough trying to study with a rapidly expanding middle and her hormones raging. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like trying again in the winter with a newborn, and a stressful job, not to mention the embarrassment of everyone knowing you hadn’t passed the first time around.
No, she was sealing the deal this summer. Then she could relax. Sort of.
She’d taken a wee break to watch the Sluggers play the Giants.
When Carter hit that home run, instinct took over, and her heart swelled with pride. She knew nothing about baseball, but the swing had seemed incredibly awkward. She hadn’t been sure that he would even hit it. Which made it all the more impressive.
She wished she could talk on the phone with him after the game to congratulate him like she used to.
Why had she given him back that ring?
The rational part of her brain knew it was th
e right thing to do. They obviously had issues to work out and needed to be on the same page before they even thought about marriage. On the other hand, she loved him, he loved her, they were a family. Everything could work itself out. Couldn’t it?
Why the hell had she given him back that ring?
By the end of the week, her mind had returned to studying for the bar. Naturally, she was cognizant of the fact that the Sluggers were flying back into Houston today. In between torts and contracts, Carter popped into her head.
Today he was coming back.
It had been a tedious day of lectures, and note taking, and she desperately needed to eat before taking practice tests tonight. She pulled into the parking garage of her apartment building and parked in her spot. She opened the back passenger side door to reach in and pull out her bag full of study materials, and the Chipotle salad bowl she’d picked up. Just as she pulled herself out, she turned around and, with a yelp, immediately dropped the bag that held her dinner.
It was a man, or at least she thought it was a man. He had a man’s build, but his face was covered with a plain white mask. Her heart stopped…right before it began beating in a panic.
Before she could so much as scream, he brought a phone up to her face and snapped a photo of her.
“Tell Carter Fox we said hi,” the man’s voice said.
The next moment he took off running on foot.
Jordan let the shock subside, then fell back against the car with a sob. Her mind was a blur of what to do next. Run inside her apartment? Hide in her car? Call the police?
Her eyes fell to the Chipotle bag on the ground and something about it made her fall into the passenger seat shaking convulsively.
Minutes later, she cried out in surprise as her phone rang in her purse. Her body was so shaky that it slipped and fumbled out of her grasp. By the time she managed to pull it out, it had gone to voicemail. She looked at the screen and saw that it was Carter.
Before she could call him back, he called again.
“C-Carter?” she asked with a shaky voice.
Home Run: A Texas Heat Romance Page 19