Earning a Ring (More Than a Game Series Book 4)

by Kristina Mathews

  Yeah, he knew it was a low blow, but it was the only thing that his ex-wife understood.

  And he really did want to see his daughter. He didn’t give a damn if she wasn’t really his, except for the way Jillian had fucked him over. And as much as he wanted to get back at his ex, he couldn’t do anything to hurt Hailey, who was innocent in the whole thing. And he still wanted to spoil her and protect her and take care of her.

  By the fourth beer, Bryce realized he needed backup. Needed someone to talk to while his feelings were still raw. Before they festered and became toxic.

  He dialed his teammate. “Yo, Marco! You still awake?”

  “Yeah. What’s up, Bryce?” Marco sounded concerned, but cool. He was a good dude. He’d sort of taken over the leadership role that Johnny had vacated. “Everything all right?”

  “No, man. Everything is not all right.” Fuck. He didn’t need to drag his left-fielder into his mess. “But, hell, I’m sorry to bother you.”

  “No. It’s all right.” Bryce could practically picture his teammate run his fingers through his dark hair. “Where are you?”

  Bryce told him, and was relieved when Marco said he’d come. He needed a friend in the worst way. And except for Johnny Scottsdale, Marco had been the one guy he’d been closest too in all his years of professional baseball.

  Marco entered the bar, looking a little intimidating. Bryce ordered two more beers even though he knew he should have stopped by now. He didn’t know if he was going to talk about what went down tonight, but he needed to have something to do with his hands either way.

  With a quick nod, Marco made himself comfortable on the barstool next to Bryce. He took a long pull on his beer and waited for Bryce to talk, or not. It seemed he was cool either way.

  “This is good stuff.” Marco finally broke the ice after he’d downed about a third of his beer. “Really good.”

  “Yeah. It’s a local brew. Can’t get it in California. At least not yet.”

  “It’s a mighty fine brew, but I don’t think you called me down here just to try it.”

  “No.” But Bryce didn’t even know how to begin telling him what was really going on.

  “I thought you were going to spend the evening with your daughter.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.” Too many emotions were swirling through him. Anger. Fear. Resentment. Trepidation. “But my ex had other plans.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to pick up my daughter tomorrow. Bring her to the ballpark.”

  “She’ll like that.” Marco took another sip from his bottle. “I bet you can’t wait to show her off.”

  “If she even shows up.” Bryce couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice. “My ex… Oh, she’s a real piece of work.”

  Marco just grunted. Yeah. He got it.

  “She lied to me. Deceived me. Flat out screwed me over in the worst way.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “I gotta get out of here.” Bryce drained his beer. He’d lost count as to how many he’d had. Four? Five? Didn’t matter. He couldn’t drink enough to forget about the shit Jillian had pulled. He couldn’t even drink enough to catch up to her. She’d been pretty messed up. Was this a regular thing, or just because he was in town, newly married and ready to have another child?

  Or maybe Rachel’s baby was his only child.

  Bryce stood up and tossed a few bills on the bar. Marco offered up his own tip and they turned toward the exit. Before they could reach the door, two attractive female fans approached, squealing in recognition.

  “Oh my God, you’re Bryce Baxter,” the blonde screeched.

  “And Marco Santiago.” The brunette seemed to sigh his teammate’s name.

  The years of professionalism prompted them both to smile and acknowledge their fans.

  “Can we get a picture?” the blonde requested.

  Bryce couldn’t give a fuck, so he shrugged. Marco was a little more polite, offering his trademark smile.

  The girls surrounded them, holding their smartphones at arm’s reach, ready for the selfies.

  Just before clicking the camera phone, the blonde placed a kiss on Bryce’s cheek. They squealed again, stumbling away with “Oh my God” and “Can you believe it?”

  Bryce was sick of the whole scene. If he never stepped into another bar in his life, he’d be more than happy. He’d met Jillian in a bar. Look where that had gotten him.

  Chapter 22

  A slight hangover clouded Bryce’s head the next morning. Or maybe it was just lack of sleep and the situation with Jillian that had his stomach turning and his head pounding. He’d texted her saying he’d be there by ten. But since he couldn’t sleep, he was ready to head over to her place by a quarter to nine. He’d downed a full bottle of water and two cups of coffee before the cab pulled up to take him to get his daughter.

  This time, he paid the driver to wait for him. He rang the bell, but wasn’t too surprised when she didn’t answer. He unlocked the door, and once again, his instincts told him that something wasn’t right. He headed straight to Jillian’s room and pushed open the door.

  She was passed out on the floor, face down in a pile of vomit. An empty glass of wine was knocked over and the pills he’d seen in the bathroom were scattered across the floor.

  Oh fuck.

  Bryce rushed to her side, checking her wrist for a pulse. It was weak and erratic, but there.

  She was still alive. But he wasn’t sure for how long.

  He lunged for the phone next to her bed, dialing 911 and praying he wasn’t too late.

  As soon as the paramedics arrived, he was sent out of the room. He staggered downstairs, and remembered the cab that was still waiting in the driveway. Bryce grabbed his wallet and paid the cabbie for his time, but dismissed him since he didn’t think he’d be going anywhere until he knew if Jillian was going to make it.

  This was all his fault. He shouldn’t have been so hard on her. This had to be a difficult time for her, with everything in his life going so well—his career, his marriage, his impending fatherhood. Maybe she was worried that he would cut her off financially. She had to know that he was bound by the terms of her divorce to keep paying her a very generous alimony and child support. Maybe she was worried that his new wife would nix all the extras he had been more than willing to shell out whenever she’d asked.

  Now he wondered how much of that money had gone to Hailey. And how much of it had ended up in her wineglass.

  But if she wanted to make sure his financial contributions remained, why would she tell him Hailey wasn’t his? Surely she knew how simple a paternity test was these days. If Hailey wasn’t his, he wouldn’t be responsible for child support and all the extras he paid for because he wanted to keep Hailey happy.

  Or maybe she knew he was a sucker. Despite his bad boy image, deep down, he was a good guy. He was a pushover when it came to denying that little girl anything.

  A minivan pulled into the driveway, the tires screeching when the driver pulled up short of the ambulance. With the engine still running, a woman in stylish cropped jeans, a sparkly top, and oversized sunglasses jumped out of the van.

  “What did you do to her?” Her perfectly manicured claws were aimed at his throat.

  “I found her on the floor of the bedroom…” Before he could add in a pool of vomit, Hailey had exited the vehicle.

  “Your mom had a bad reaction to some medication.” He directed his words to his daughter. “She’s going to be okay. The paramedics are going to make sure of that.”

  He hoped he was telling the truth.

  Momzilla seemed to deflate slightly at his words. She took off her sunglasses and eyed him carefully before turning to Hailey.

  “Hailey, honey, why don’t you run up to your room and grab some clothes for a few more nights.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Bryce noticed Hailey glance from one adult to another, unsure of who to listen to. “I don’t want to get in the
way of the paramedics. Maybe we should go out back by the pool.”

  He hoped his voice sounded calm and reassuring. The last thing he needed was for Hailey to realize that he was scared to death.

  “Yeah, that’s a great idea. I’m Darlene, by the way.” The woman offered a shaky hand and Bryce shook it.

  “Bryce Baxter.” He let go of the woman’s hand. “I’m Hailey’s father.”

  He waited for a look that said she knew otherwise, but when she gave him a shaky smile and said, “Nice to meet you,” he got the feeling she didn’t have any knowledge to the contrary.

  “Hailey, why don’t you grab your bag and you and McKenzie can go sit by the pool.” She gave a smile that was even faker than her tits.

  As soon as the girls were situated in the backyard, Darlene pulled Bryce into the kitchen. “So what is really going on here? Jillian called me this morning all freaked out, crying and saying you were threatening her. That you were going to show up at ten to try to take Hailey from her.”

  “If you were so worried, why did you bring Hailey here?”

  “I…” She cast a nervous glance out the window toward the girls. “Jillian has been… Oh, how do I put this?”

  “Unstable?”

  “I’ve been worried about her.” She stood against the counter, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. “The last few weeks especially.”

  “Since I got married?”

  Before they could continue the conversation, the paramedics brought Jillian downstairs on the stretcher.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Bryce asked, wishing he were a praying man.

  “It looks like we got to her in time,” one of the paramedics said. “Ten more minutes and…”

  “What hospital are you taking her to?” Darlene asked.

  The paramedic gave the name of the hospital where Hailey had been born. Guilt slammed into him even harder than he ever imagined.

  “Do you want me to take Hailey home with me?” Darlene asked.

  “No. She needs to be with family right now.” Bryce felt like he was somehow outside his body. “I’ll take care of her. I promise.”

  “Can I give you a ride to the hospital?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  “I can take you and Hailey. We’ll follow the ambulance.”

  “Yeah. That would be great.” Bryce scrubbed his hands over his face. “I just need to clean up in her room.

  “Why don’t you grab the girls, we’ll go to the hospital, and I’ll come back and clean up for you. It’s the least I could do.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “I know.” She reached out and touched Bryce’s arm. “But Hailey is practically family. She’s at our house almost every weekend. She’s like another daughter to us. I want to help in any way I can.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate this.” He started toward the backyard to fetch Hailey and her friend, but there was one more thing he needed to know.

  “Do you think Jillian did this on purpose? I mean, we had a fight last night. We both said some things…”

  “I have to believe it was an accident.” Darlene reached for his hand. “For Hailey’s sake.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.” Bryce didn’t want to think about what it meant if she’d taken the entire bottle of pills he’d found on the bathroom counter and washed it down with a lot of wine because of him. “Either way, she’s going to need help when she gets out of the hospital.”

  He didn’t want to add if she got out of the hospital.

  * * * *

  Rachel hadn’t heard from Bryce in over twenty-four hours. He usually called or at least texted her before he went to bed while on the road. Not last night. And not a word from him this morning, unless you counted the Instagram pictures posted by some bimbo in the bar who had her tongue in his ear, while her friend ran her hand up Marco Santiago’s bicep.

  What the hell? He was supposed to be spending his free time in Pittsburgh with his daughter. Instead he was out carousing with another married player. The quality of the photograph wasn’t great, but it looked like Bryce had been a little drunk. He had a wild look in his eyes, and his hair was messed up as if someone had been running their fingers through it.

  How could he do this to her?

  Especially now, when they’d made such a big deal about the baby. The fans had been so supportive. It was overwhelming how positive they’d been. How excited for her and Bryce.

  And now they would be crushed. Almost as much as she was.

  It hurt. More than she had ever imagined.

  Just think, she’d been this close to telling him she loved him. Would it have made a difference? Or maybe he knew, and this was his way of showing her that he did not return the feeling.

  Obviously, if he loved her, he wouldn’t be getting cozy with some stranger in a bar. If he loved her, he would call her. If he cared about her at all, he’d at least make up a lie about how the picture wasn’t what it looked like. He’d offer an explanation. Even if it was bullshit, it would be better than acting like she didn’t matter at all.

  Rachel started packing.

  She’d known all along that Bryce Baxter would break her heart.

  * * * *

  The hospital was stuffy, with that nauseating smell of disinfectant and sickness. Maybe bringing Hailey here had been a mistake. All this sitting around and not knowing what was happening was driving him crazy. What must she be going through? Her mother was in the emergency room and she was sitting in the waiting room next to a guy with a nail sticking out of his thumb, a crying toddler tugging on his ears and drooling on his mother, and a woman who looked like she hadn’t had a meal or sleep in days, complaining loudly about the service in this place and who the hell had taken her cigarettes.

  “Maybe I should take the girls home,” Darlene offered.

  “If we don’t hear anything in the next half hour, that might be a good idea.” He hated to leave Hailey, even for a minute. The longer this dragged on, the more he was determined to be there for her. He could be the only family—no he couldn’t think like that. He had to stay strong, for his daughter.

  Even if she wasn’t his flesh and blood, she was still his daughter.

  He wondered if Jillian had shared the information she’d dropped on him last night? Did Darlene know he might not be Hailey’s father? Did Jillian’s parents know? Or was she just making it up, saying the one thing that would hurt him the most?

  The doctor came out and asked to speak with Bryce privately, a look of concern on her face.

  He was glad Darlene had come, he’d hate to leave Hailey alone, and it looked like the doctor had something to say that wasn’t appropriate for a nine-year-old’s ears.

  Bryce followed the doctor into the room where Jillian lay resting, with tubes coming out of her, and machines beeping softly behind her.

  “Is she going to make it?” It was the only question that mattered.

  “She’s lucky you found her in time.”

  Relief washed over Bryce like a monsoon.

  “I have to ask a few questions before we admit her for the night.”

  Bryce just nodded, his brain still having a hard time processing the whole situation.

  “Are you Mrs. Baxter’s husband?”

  “Ex-husband. We’ve been divorced for about eight years.”

  “I see.” The doctor clasped her hands together, almost in a praying motion, but not quite. “And you still have a relationship with her?”

  “We have a daughter. She’s nine.”

  The doctor gave a sympathetic half-smile. Did she know Hailey wasn’t his? Was he the only one who didn’t have a fucking clue?

  “Does Ms. Baxter have a history of depression? Anxiety?”

  “We had an argument last night.” Bryce ran his fingers through his hair. “I recently got remarried, and my wife is expecting. I suppose the news is a little hard on Jillian.”

  He felt like the world’s biggest asshole.

  “The amount of drugs and
alcohol in her system suggest this might not have been an accidental overdose.”

  “You think she was trying to—” Bryce couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think about what the doctor was suggesting.

  “I’m recommending a psychiatric hold.” The doctor had a calm, professional, and sympathetic tone to her voice. “We’ll keep her under observation for seventy-two hours, until we can make sure she isn’t a danger to herself.”

  “What if it was intentional?” Bryce had to prepare for the worst. “Is there some sort of treatment we can get for her? Even if it wasn’t a suicide attempt, I think she might have an addiction problem.”

  Either way, she was in a world of trouble. And he’d just been sucked into it.

  “I can recommend a few treatment facilities that take most insurance.”

  “Cost is not an issue.” Bryce exhaled. “I only want the best. I want her to get better. For our daughter’s sake.”

  The doctor gave him an impatient smile. “I’ll have a nurse bring you some brochures.”

  He returned to the waiting room.

  “Is Mommy going to be okay?” Hailey’s concern was understandable. It still broke his heart.

  “Yeah. She’s going to have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days, though.”

  “Hailey is more than welcome to stay with us,” Darlene offered, and while he appreciated it, there was no way he was letting the girl out of his sight.

  “Thanks, but I’ll be here.”

  “Don’t you have a game tonight?”

  It took him a few seconds for the words to sink in. Right. Baseball. Not something he could even remotely think about right now.

  “I’ll call in, tell them there’s a family thing. They’ll understand.”

  Hailey inched toward him, her fear palpable.

  Bryce knelt down, pulling his daughter into a hug.

  “It’s going to be okay, Princess. I promise.” He just patted her long, dark hair, hoping he could fix this. What was the point of making millions if he couldn’t somehow make this right?