Home Run: A Texas Heat Romance

by Camilla Stevens

  “Jesus Christ, thank God you’re okay,” she heard him breathe out with relief in his voice. “Where are you?”

  “I-I’m in my car, my garage—

  “Okay, Jordan I want you to go into your apartment right now, do you hear me?” he demanded. “I’m on my way over.”

  “What’s going on Carter?” she cried.

  “Just do it Jordan!” he yelled, making her jump. “I can explain later, but stay on the phone with me, okay?”

  She nodded dumbly into the phone, not registering that he couldn’t see her. She had the wherewithal to grab her things, pick up the bag from the ground and rush to the entrance to her building.

  “Are you still with me?” he prodded. “Say something, sweetheart.”

  “I-I hear you. What’s going on Carter? That man he—he—”

  “What did he do to you?” Carter growled.

  “He said to say hi to you,” she responded, getting on the elevator.

  The call broke up and then died. Jordan felt like her lifeline had been cut and she began to tremble as the elevator took her to her floor.

  As soon as the doors opened she jumped out, looking up and down the hallway with her heart in her throat, waiting for another masked man to assault her. The phone rang in her hand startling her. She pressed the button to answer it.

  “Jesus Jordan, don’t hang up on me!” Carter shouted before she could answer.

  “It was the elevator,” she trembled.

  “Ok, baby, I’m sorry,” he said in a calmer voice, realizing that his shouting wasn’t helping. “Are you in your apartment? I’m almost there.”

  She fumbled with the keys, still looking left and right as she nodded into the phone again. “Yeah,” she said realizing yet again he couldn’t see her. She finally got the key in the lock and opened it quickly. She rushed inside and slammed the door shut behind her.

  It wasn’t until she was inside that she let loose again. She fell back against the door with a whimper.

  Carter heard it through the phone and began to soothe her. “It’s okay Jordan,” he cooed. “I’m right here on the phone with you, almost there, sweetheart. Just hang on okay?”

  “Mmm-hmm” she said nodding, hanging on tightly to his voice.

  “Okay Jordan, I just parked the car on the street outside. Buzz me up sweetheart.”

  She heard the call come through and his voice in the speaker. She pressed the button and waited. Her body was so taut that she jumped when he pounded on the door. For a brief hysterical moment, she assumed it was the same man in the mask coming for her. Then Carter’s voice boomed on the other side of the door.

  “Jordan,” he called. “It’s me, let me in babe.”

  She reached out to unlatch the door and open it.

  He rushed in and immediately snatched her into a bear hug. “Oh man, thank God,” he breathed into the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, Jordan.”

  She let the seconds pass as she acclimated herself to the fact that Carter was here and she was safe. Then she pushed away from him. He held on tight but eventually gave in to her pressure.

  “What’s going on?” she demanded, getting angry now that the scare had passed.

  “It’s a long story—”

  “Tell me!” she insisted.

  “It—It’s my dad. He owes money—”

  “Your dad?!” she said in surprise. “Isn’t he in jail?”

  “Yes but—”

  “But he’s still screwing up your—our—lives!”

  “Jordan, right now we need to think about your safety, yours and the baby’s.”

  She stared at him for a few beats, not knowing what to say. Finally, she shook her head. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She walked over to her sofa and fell into it.

  Carter stared at her giving her a moment.

  “You have to move in with me Jordan.”

  She looked up at him with disbelief.

  “It’s for your own safety,” he said before she could voice any complaints.

  She put her hands over her stomach remembering that she had someone besides herself to consider. His eyes followed and a look of pain came over his face.

  “Jordan, my house is just safer. I’ve got the alarm system, the gate out front, it’s River Oaks for Christ sake! We’ve got our own security. I’m hiring guards first thing in the morning.”

  She stared at him, wanting to hate him for bringing this in to her and their baby’s life. But she knew it wasn’t his fault. Now he was trying to do the right thing.

  She couldn’t let her ego or need for independence get in the way of their safety.

  “Okay,” she sighed, and saw him relax with relief.

  38

  This wasn’t at all how he wanted her back in his life.

  It was almost as though these people had timed it so that Carter received the message as soon as the plane landed bringing the Sluggers back to Houston. Carter found himself high-tailing it out of the parking lot and straight to the woman he loved. Only this time there were two lives at stake.

  The message had again been minimal, and straight to the point: a picture of Jordan’s startled face and one line reading: $248,593.

  Carter had immediately rung Jordan’s phone and thought the worst when she hadn’t picked up.

  Now she was here living with him, just as he’d wanted. It felt wrong, like he’d cheated somehow. Either way, he would work on making this right. She was sleeping in the transformed downstairs guest room…as far as possible away from him.

  The police and his lawyer had come and gone. They’d put a trace on the call, but everyone in the room knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere. These people weren’t stupid.

  Carter would have paid the damn money, but who knew where it would end? Besides, now that they had involved Jordan, had involved his unborn child, his mind wasn’t exactly on making things square; it was on something far more vicious.

  There was only one person who knew who and where they could be found. Until now, he’d kept his mouth shut. Until now, Carter didn’t have a reason to press the issue.

  That moment had come and gone.

  He was sitting in a plastic chair in the visitors’ room of the prison. He ignored the blatant stares of the other visitors and prisoners. His mind was far too preoccupied.

  He saw Bobby Joe swagger in with a look of smug curiosity. For once, Carter needed something from him.

  “Well Son, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, mockingly.

  “Who are they?”

  “You plannin’ on paying my debts? That’s mighty—”

  “Cut the shit,” Carter growled.

  Bobby Joe shut his mouth and pondered his son for a moment. Finally, he sighed. “You know I can’t tell you that. I’d be lucky to make it out of here in one—”

  “I’ve got a baby coming,” Carter said, using the only card he could think of. “They threatened the woman I’m going to marry and your grandkid.” The word sounded every kind of wrong coming from his lips, but if it helped even a little it was worth it.

  Bobby Joe twisted his mouth to the side, letting what he’d just heard marinate.

  “For once in your life, do the right thing,” Carter pressed.

  Bobby Joe looked toward the tiny window in the visitors’ room, his face contorted in thought. Carter didn’t hold out much hope. The last thing Bobby Joe ever did for him out of selflessness was buy him a baseball and a bat. He could only hope that the years of bailing him out of trouble had added up to a modicum of decency.

  Just as Carter was about to get up and leave the man spoke.

  “You got a pen and paper?”

  It had been two weeks since he’d met with Bobby Joe. Carter had thought long and hard about handling things himself, medieval style. One thought of leaving Jordan and their baby in the lurch as he finished his days in prison had made him think more rationally on the matter.

  The police had been notified of the names and whereabouts of the peopl
e Bobby Joe had dealt with. It was a somewhat well-known group out of Laredo, Texas. Carter being a big fish had made them sloppy. The texts Carter had received—the last one being the nail in the coffin—were enough for at least a warrant. Arrests had been made, evidence gathered up, at least enough for charges on the blackmail and loan sharking. Carter planned on making sure the D.A. tacked on a few more charges just in case.

  He was tempted to tell Jordan that the coast was pretty much clear, but she had been so distant since moving in. He couldn’t blame her. He was indirectly responsible for the threat to her and the baby’s safety. It would take some time to thaw from that.

  Besides, she seemed to have enough on her plate with the bar studying. She had taken over the dining room table as Command Center One for Texas State Bar Study. There were large paperback books laid open on the table with a rainbow of highlights covering each page. Practice tests, notebooks pens, highlighters were scattered as though a localized hurricane had taken place on his dining room table.

  Tonight had been another successful game, securing the Sluggers’ lead in their division. Carter took it as a good sign.

  Determination.

  Jordan was his.

  Carter walked through the front door, turning off the alarm. He saw the light was on in the dining room. He approached cautiously, not wanting to interrupt a late night study session. Frankly, he couldn’t wait until this damn bar was over and done with. Then maybe Jordan and he could focus on repairing their relationship.

  He saw the usual pile of books, papers, pens, and highlighters. Added to the mix were crumpled tissues and wrinkled balls of paper scattered on the floor. In the center of it all was Jordan, with her head planted securely in the crook of one arm at the head of the table, sound asleep.

  He approached the table and looked down at the mess. It was like trying to decipher hieroglyphics, but there were a few clues to help him out. Foremost was what looked like a practice multiple choice test with a big red 52% scrawled across the top. He picked up one of the crumpled pieces of paper and saw that it was yet another practice test with a 51% scrawled across the top. He looked around at the tissues scattered across the table and then back at her face, resting on her arm. It was puffy and smeared with tears.

  “Oh Jordan,” he sighed.

  From this vantage point, he had a clear view of her stomach, which was glaringly pregnant by now. Carter Jr. or Jordan Jr. He thought of a mini version of Jordan and the steel vice grip that squeezed his heart caused his breath to catch in his throat. A daughter. God help the man who ever broke her heart.

  He was probably better off having a boy.

  Jesus…he was going to be a father.

  He reached down to push away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of Jordan’s face. She was his. This baby was his.

  Tonight she was sleeping with him, in their bed.

  He gently pushed the chair back. She stirred with complaint but didn’t come fully awake. He brought one strong arm under her legs and placed the other around her back. He shifted his weight so that she fell back onto his arm. She became groggily conscious.

  “Wha…?” She mumbled, the sleep still overpowering her.

  “Shhh,” he cooed in her ear.

  He lifted her out of the chair and her head fell against his chest. At this angle, her body was cradled protectively around the baby inside of her, and it caused his heart to stop again. They both felt as light as air in his arms. He was the last layer of protection. Carter would use every ounce of his strength keep either one of them from harm.

  The three of them against the world. He would make this work.

  By the time he made it to his room—their room—she was asleep again. He placed her gently on the bed and began the process of undressing her. He smiled to think about what a fuss she’d put up if she were awake. Eventually, he had her down to her underwear and brought the covers down. He slid her smooth brown legs underneath them.

  He couldn’t keep himself from placing one hand on the bump that was more obvious now that it was fully exposed. He waited and was rewarded with a tiny little kick. He gasped audibly, as his heart caught in his throat for the third time tonight. Jordan shifted underneath him with a small moan.

  So this was what it felt like to be a father. A love so powerful it literally knocks you out. There was no way he was going to fail at this.

  “I’m going to get you to marry me if it’s the last thing I do, Jordan Douglas” he whispered as he brought the covers over her. He leaned in to kiss her forehead.

  39

  She woke with a start.

  Something was nagging at her and it had snapped her out of her slumber. She looked around and was momentarily disoriented. This wasn’t the guest room in Carter’s house. It was his room, his bed. She quickly turned her head and saw him lying next to her.

  She put it all together and wanted to jump out of bed with outrage. She just couldn’t. She was tired of being angry at him. Tired of not talking to him. Tired of seeing him come home from a game and make wide circles around her while she studied.

  She wanted him back.

  Jordan looked down at his face while he slept. The comforter was only up to his mid chest, revealing his naked, tattooed muscles. She reached out a hand to stroke his hair. He was so perfect. Well…in his own way.

  He stirred underneath her fingers and his eyes blinked open.

  She smiled down at him and was rewarded with a sleepy grin in return.

  “Hey beautiful,” he murmured. His eyes blinked with alertness, realizing that she was actually acknowledging him and he came fully awake.

  He pulled himself up into a sitting position and looked at her.

  “How are you?” he asked with concern. “I saw the table last night and….”

  She frowned. Yesterday had been a simulated practice exam for the multiple choice section of the bar.

  “I scored a 52%,” she said miserably. “That’s horrible. I’m going to fail, I know it. Then Morris will take back their offer, and then I’ll be a mom with no job and—”

  “Hey, hey, Jordan,” Carter said, pulling her into him and stroking her hair. “Jordan, you’re the smartest person I know, hands down. If you can’t pass this thing then no one can.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing,” he insisted, squeezing her tighter. “You got this, sweetheart, you hear me?”

  She let it sink in for a moment, then nodded into his chest. In his arms, she felt so secure, as though everything would be okay. She relaxed into it and let the calm overtake her.

  “I’m sorry for being so distant,” she mumbled into his chest. “It’s just with the bar, and this baby, and that horrible man—”

  “Shh,” he said. “It’s all over. You’re safe here with me.”

  “What about the thing with your father?”

  He paused for a moment. “They found the guys and brought them in.”

  She wondered how long he’d known, but found she didn’t care. She didn’t want an excuse to leave.

  After another moment he asked, “So, are we good here?”

  She nodded into his chest.

  “Even with your whole deal about the apartment? And your desire to live alone, be a good role model?”

  She poked him in the ribs, making him flinch and laugh.

  “When she’s grown, I can tell her I had a full week on my own.”

  “Or him,” he suggested.

  She poked him again but laughed. “Fair enough, or him.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think he, or she, could ask for a better role model.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “Speaking of boys and girls, what are we going to do about names?” he asked.

  “I’ve been sounding it out and I like…Bree?”

  “Sounds good.”

  She pulled away from him. “Just like that? You don’t want to talk about it?”

  He shrugged. “I like the name. Bree Fox. Simple. Cute. What
’s to discuss?”

  “Carter! We’re supposed to—”

  He laughed. “Why are you always looking for an argument, woman?”

  She looked at him for a moment, then laughed, ceding the point to him. Then she squinted giving him a sly look. “And if it’s a boy?”

  He put his hands behind his head and shrugged again. “That’s easy enough. Carter Jr.”

  “What?” she yelped. “No way.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because…it’s so…I don’t know.”

  “See, you can’t even think of a reason. Carter Jr.” he said firmly.

  She frowned at the name again. Then she let it roll around in her head. Carter Jr. It would do. She fell back against his chest and he brought an arm firmly around her.

  “You have no idea how much I care about you, Jordan,” he said almost idly.

  “That’s sweet,” she said, giving a small nudge with her elbow. “But I’ve already agreed to stay here. You don’t need to butter me up.”

  Carter released his arm and brought her around to face him. She looked back at him with wary curiosity.

  “No, seriously Jordan. You listen to me because I want you to get it. You are my life, my heart,” he pressed her hand into his chest right over his heart and tapped once. “You,” he tapped again, “and her—or him,” he smirked at Jordan, “you both are what makes this right here, beat.” He tapped twice again, for good measure, then brought her hand up to his lips.

  It was so damn romantic it brought tears to her eyes. “When did you get so poetic?” she asked.

  “There’s a lot you have yet to learn about me, sweetheart,” he said smiling.

  She pulled her hand out of his and brought it up to his face for a kiss. God how she missed the taste of him, among other things.

  “Mmm,” he said under her lips.

  She pushed herself up against him, closer and closer. The months of avoidance caught up with her and she eagerly straddled him, abandoning any ideas of foreplay. She reached behind her back to unhook her bra. As she pulled it off her arms, Carter looked at her warily.

  “Are you sure this is okay?” he asked, looking down at her belly.