by Rhonda Shaw
Yet here she sat on a plane about to touch down, and his family awaited them. Waited with expectations already set high for her and Matt, and they would crumble as soon as she left. She was a horrible, selfish person, but she couldn’t stop herself.
The plane thudded as the tires touched the ground, then the pilots taxied toward the gate. Matt’s eyes opened and he turned his head as he grabbed her hand.
“You ready?” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“As I’ll ever be,” Shannon replied with a smile she hoped didn’t reveal the nerves fluttering inside.
She hadn’t succeeded, apparently, since his hand squeezed hers. “Don’t worry. It will just be Caitlyn picking us up. I won’t throw everyone at you at once.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said as the plane came to a stop and everyone stood.
They walked through the airport and collected their luggage before stepping outside. The simple pleasure of being outdoors in December and not having to bundle up under multiple layers delighted her as she paused to take it all in. The sun shone brightly, warming the air into the seventies, and Shannon’s mood immediately lightened.
“Okay,” she said as she took in a deep breath of the sweet air, savoring the comfortable temperatures. “Now I understand what you meant about getting away from the cold.”
Matt let out a low rumble of laughter. “I told you. I don’t know how you guys live in that crap.” He looked around and then hitched his head. “She’s over there.”
Shannon glanced down the line of cars waiting and spotted a large black SUV. A small woman stood on the sidewalk, and a big furry golden head emerged out of the backseat window. When the dog recognized Matt, it gave a friendly bark, its ears raised and tongue lolled out.
“I take it that’s Buddy,” Shannon asked with a small laugh. Matt had filled her in about his dog back home.
“The one and only,” Matt said with a proud grin before jogging the remainder of the way.
Matt ditched the bags before opening the door, and dropped down to his knees when Buddy launched himself. His tail wagged a mile a minute as his body wiggled and he turned in excited circles, making Shannon dizzy. Matt tried to calm him down enough so he could pet him, but soon Matt fell on his butt and laughed as Buddy continued to throw his weight around.
Shannon laughed, taking in the true scene of a boy, in the body of a man, and his best friend. Buddy was no small dog, but he still managed to tackle a six-foot-five, two-hundred-and-twenty-five-pound man. Buddy finally noticed other humans existed beside Matt and trotted over to greet Shannon.
She knelt down and gave his head a scratch. “Hi, Buddy. It’s nice to meet you.”
He licked her hand before running back over to Matt, who was brushing off the seat of his pants. Shannon laughed. “I guess you’re the only one who matters at this point.”
“Matt is his world,” the petite brunette said. “When they’re together they’re inseparable—everywhere.”
“You’re just jealous because you don’t have a best buddy. Isn’t that right, Buddy?” Matt cooed as he rubbed the dog’s head and ears. “Caitlyn, Shannon. Shannon, Caitlyn.”
Shannon held out her hand and resisted the urge to kneel slightly. Since Matt was so big, his sister’s tiny stature surprised her and made her feel like a giant. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Caitlyn gave her a small smile. “You too.”
Matt rounded the car to load their luggage into the back as Buddy jumped into the backseat. “Go ahead and get in front with Caitlyn.”
“Oh,” she said as she glanced at him. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in the front?”
Caitlyn snorted as she walked over to the driver’s side. “He wants quality bonding time with Buddy.”
Matt shrugged with an embarrassed smile when Shannon raised a brow for confirmation, and she laughed.
Caitlyn pulled onto the freeway and set the cruise before glancing in the rearview mirror at Matt. “Mom wants you to come to dinner tonight.”
“I figured as much,” Matt said. “We’ll get settled in and head over later. Tell her we’ll be there around six or so.”
“She’s been making quite a fuss about you not being around,” Caitlyn told him and Shannon tried not to listen.
“I know. I told her why though,” Matt said.
“Did you?” Caitlyn asked and even Shannon couldn’t overlook the insinuation behind the comment. They were just as surprised about her as she was to be there.
Matt was unfazed though. “Yep, I did,” he insisted and said nothing more.
Trying to ignore the awkward tension because of her, Shannon peered out the car window and admired the big red rock mountains lining the horizon. Saguaros dotted the landscape; some tall with five arms, which made her wonder at all the changes that had transpired over the past hundred years or more. For as far as she could see, it was mostly only flat with brown dirt, but it was in such contrast to the landscape surrounding her on a daily basis, that she appreciated the desert’s unique beauty. The majestic mountains impressed and awed her the most and she said as much.
“I’ll take you up to them while we’re here,” Matt replied. “There are some places with great view points, like Mt. Lemmon.”
Shannon continued to watch the flat land pass them by until Caitlyn pulled off the freeway, heading straight into the mountains. “You guys live in the mountains?”
“In the foothills of the Catalina’s,” Matt answered. “We’re in a town called Oro Valley.”
Shannon rode the rest of the way in silence, but when Caitlyn turned into a neighborhood and Shannon caught a glimpse of the guarded gate and then the first house as they passed through, she let out a gasp. “You live in here?”
“Yep,” Matt answered as he started to gather their things.
“So does Jason,” Caitlyn informed her.
“Oh,” Shannon said, still in shock at the sheer size of the houses. “Seems like a lot of house for two single guys.”
“Oh, no. We don’t live together. He has his own place. It’s right there as a matter of fact.” He pointed at a large contemporary house built with pale gray adobe intermixed with a variety of charcoal stones on its sharp angles and dramatic lines.
Shannon quickly forgot about Jason’s spectacular abode when Caitlyn pulled into the paved driveway of Matt’s home. She simply stared out the car window at the gorgeous, grand house finished in reddish-brown adobe with river rock turrets. Multiple tall windows lined the house to the right of the front door, handsomely framed by one of the turrets, while a three-car garage covered in stone swung down the driveway.
Shannon slowly opened her car door. She hadn’t been sure what to expect, but this certainly wasn’t it. Buddy rushed past her, happy to be home, as he followed a path around the house and into the backyard.
Matt walked by her with their luggage and nodded toward the garage door Caitlyn had opened. “Come on. I’ll give you the tour.”
Caitlyn followed behind Matt, leaving Shannon turning in a circle on the driveway. Out of her element, she gave herself a moment for her brain to process this new information. Her family had never wanted for anything, but they definitely hadn’t lived in this luxury. Matt made a good living as a ballplayer, but she wondered if his family had wealth to begin with.
Shannon walked through the backdoor and into a large gourmet kitchen with tan stone floors, a massive center island finished in the same mahogany as the cupboards and burnt reddish granite capping the countertops. The appliances sparkled and glistened under the bright kitchen lights, making her wonder if they’d ever been used.
Shannon trailed Matt as he showed her around, the place resembling a model home more than one lived in. Everything appeared picture perfect without a speck of dust. Apparently, Matt had even trained Buddy to shed outdoors as Shannon didn’t see one strand of blond dog hair.
When he finally walked into the master bedroom, which actually had a sitting room, she felt she’d seen it all.
In the middle of the room sat a king-sized dark wood four-poster bed facing a fireplace situated in the opposite wall encased by black marble. At the far end, French doors opened out to a private patio overlooking a pool and the spectacular view of the mountain range in the background.
Shannon stopped at the doors. “This is beautiful. You weren’t kidding when you said you were all about the views.”
“I told you, there’s nothing better than a great view out your own private window.” Matt stopped next to her. “I never get tired of it. I don’t know how you guys deal with all that flatness.”
“We have a lot of water,” she said giving him a side-glance.
“Ah, yes. That we don’t have,” he agreed with a smile.
Shannon strolled over to the shelves lining both sides of the fireplace to study all the awards and knickknacks on display. In the middle of huge silver bats, golden gloves and large plaques sat multiple baseballs and wood bats, some with writing on them and some not. She inspected each one, but didn’t touch in case they held value other than personal.
Matt walked over to her. “Checking out my stuff?”
“What’s all this?” she asked.
Pointing to the large silver bats, he said, “Those are Silver Slugger awards. They give those to best offensive player at each position.”
“You have four,” she pointed out.
“Yes,” he answered with a shy grin.
She counted the gold gloves. “And seven Golden Gloves?”
“Best defensive player at each position.”
“And you’ve won for catcher seven times.”
He nodded.
“Are you uncomfortable?” Shannon asked with a teasing smile.
He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. I don’t want to sound like I’m telling you how awesome I am or something because, you know…” He stopped and lifted his large shoulders again.
“But don’t these do that for you?” She waved her hand at them. “I mean, I’m assuming you don’t award these to yourself, and your teammates or whomever voted for you. So, not to stroke your ego or anything, but essentially they say that you are. Right?”
“I guess,” Matt mumbled and his cheeks reddened a bit.
She pointed to a large octagonal plaque. “What’s that one?”
He cleared his throat. “American League MVP.”
“Look at you. Most valuable player,” she teased.
“Okay, stop. You’re embarrassing me.” Matt pulled her to him and looped his arms around her waist.
“Why? You should be proud of all this.”
“I am, but just not someone pointing out each one and counting them.”
“What’s that one up there?”
He sighed. “MVP in the All-Star game.”
Shannon eyed him over her shoulder. “How many All-Star games have you played in?”
“Uh.” His eyes rolled up to the ceiling, counting in his head. “Six, I think.”
Her lips twisted. “Baseball stud.”
He grinned with a huff of laughter, but still reddened.
“What are those? Autographs of your favorite players or something?” she asked.
“Some of them are. Some have more personal meaning.”
“Like?”
“Like…that bat up there.” He indicated one in a case on the top shelf. “That was the first wood bat my dad got me.” A couple shelves down, he nodded at a ball in a case. “That was my first home run ball in the pros.”
“What’s that one up there?” Shannon pointed to another one on a high shelf.
“That was the first one I hit off a tee,” he said with a soft laugh.
She laughed with him. “That must have been something to see.”
“I ran around the bases like an idiot. In my head, I looked like all the big leaguers who hit a walk-off for the win, but really, I just looked like an idiot. It wasn’t even really a true home run. I just ran faster than the kids trying to field and they kept dropping the ball, but my mom still asked for the ball. The coaches weren’t too happy about it, but my mom promised to buy a replacement.”
“Aw. I’m sure you were adorable.”
He shook his head. “Nah, I was obnoxious.”
Matt turned her, and she placed her arms around him as she smiled up at him. “All little boys are obnoxious.”
“Just little boys?” he asked with an arched brow.
“Well, there are those men who are still,” she said as she leaned in to touch her lips softly to his. “But you don’t qualify.”
“Good to know,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her languidly, but thoroughly. When he pulled back, warmth flushed her skin from head to toes.
“As much as I would like to continue the rest of the tour, which includes a personal demonstration of my bed, Caitlyn is still sitting in the other room.”
“Yeah, I don’t think she’d be up for that part of the tour,” Shannon joked.
“Stop,” Matt said as he stepped away with a shudder. “Do not include my sister and sex in the same conversation, even joking.”
She chuckled as he walked out of the bedroom. Looking around again, she sighed. She sincerely hoped walking away was going to be possible at the end of the trip. If someone asked her right now, however, she wasn’t so sure, which petrified her as she stressed over the choices she’d made. In fact, she had the terrifying thought she absolutely didn’t know who she was anymore and that scared her the most.
* * *
Matt pulled into his parents’ driveway and shut off the engine to his truck.
“You ready?” he asked Shannon as he squeezed her knee.
She took a deep breath as she studied the house in front of her. She swallowed again, he guessed in an attempt to steady her nerves, when Buddy popped out between the seats and snuffed her ear.
Shannon squirmed away with a giggle, which made him smile. “He’s invited inside as well?”
“Of course,” Matt said with a playful scowl. “Buddy and I go everywhere together.”
Shaking her head, Shannon grabbed for the door handle. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Matt met her at the front of the car and took her hand in his, noting the clamminess of her palm. He understood the reason behind her nervousness and wished he could somehow help her relax and not worry. He gave her a squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. Totally casual.”
She nodded and tried to smile bravely, but failed. Buddy trotted up to the porch and waited patiently for Matt to open the front door. Another dog raced toward them, tail wagging eagerly, as they stepped in.
“Buddy’s sister, Sadie.”
“Ah.” Shannon eyed Buddy and Sadie as they danced around each other in excitement before running off into another room.
“Well, if Buddy is here, then I have to guess he brought my son with him,” his mom said as she rounded the corner. She threw her arms open and went up on her toes. “There you are! I’ve missed you!”
Matt leaned down and gathered her small frame against his. After holding Shannon so much lately, he’d forgotten how tiny she was and gentled his hold, not wanting to crush her.
“You cut your hair. It looks good.”
“And you’ve gotten bigger, somehow,” she said as her arms gave another tight squeeze before stepping back. Her deep brown eyes lighted on Shannon and she smiled as she held out her hand.
“Hi, you must be Shannon. It’s so nice to meet you,” she said.
Shannon smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Buck.”
“Oh, please. Call me Lisa.”
Matt glanced up when his dad entered the room with Caitlyn behind him.
“Hey, Dad.” Matt gave his father a quick hug. His father stood almost as tall as Matt did, but his frame seemed thinner. “You losing weight on me?”
“Just getting old,” his dad answered with a wry smile. “Hair is gray now too.”
“Dad, this
is Shannon,” Matt said as he held out his hand toward her. “Shannon, this is my father, Michael Buck.”
“Shannon. My pleasure,” his dad said.
“Thank you and the same.” Shannon nodded at Caitlyn. “Hi again.”
Caitlyn smiled as the door opened behind them and Jason stepped in.
“Whoa! Everybody’s waiting for me,” he said.
Matt chuckled. “Waiting on pins and needles, bud.” He leaned around Shannon to give Jason a one-armed hug. “How you doing, man?”
“It’s about time you got here.” Jason slapped his back and then turned to hug both of Matt’s parents. “Hi, Mom. Dad.”
Shannon gave a puzzled frown at Jason’s familiarity with his parents, reminding Matt he needed to fill her in on Jason’s story, but he’d save that for another day. After Jason had given Caitlyn a quick squeeze, he turned to Shannon and gave her a swift study. His friend’s eyes brightened in obvious approval before his gaze perused down her long legs. Jason was a huge flirt and so Matt knew exactly where his thoughts went. When Matt caught Jason’s attention, he didn’t hesitate to give him a silent warning, which Jason acknowledged with a big grin.
“Jason, this is Shannon. Shannon, Jason,” Matt said.
Jason gave her his most charming smile. “It’s really nice to meet you. I’ve been hearing so much from Matt about you.”
“Really?” Shannon asked.
“No, not at all,” Jason said with a laugh. “Matt’s been strangely quiet about you and I’m starting to wonder why.”
“All right, all right, all right,” Matt said, stopping the conversation before Jason said any more. The evening was going to provide Jason ample opportunity to embarrass him in front of Shannon, and he didn’t need the ribbing to start right off the bat. He put his hand on Shannon’s back to steer her toward the dining room. “Please tell me dinner is ready, Mom. I’m starved.”
“Of course it is,” she said as she led them to the table. “I know how your and Jason’s appetites work.” She glanced over at Shannon. “When they were both growing up, I swear there was never enough food in the house. I would go to the grocery store almost every day.”