Squeeze Play

by Aven Ellis

  “Shouldn’t we? You’re a guy, so you’re probably thinking no, but I think we should. Katie could be his game changer, Brody!”

  “Like you were mine?”

  All the feels. Right here.

  “Do you agree?” I ask.

  Brody grins. “I do. We’ll come up with a plan later, but mum’s the word to Katie, okay?”

  “Okay,” I say, grinning. “It will be hard, but I will do it.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  I shift my focus to Brody, and we talk about our day as we walk toward his Jeep. He asks me about shopping in Georgetown, and I go into more detail about the dress I picked out today. I decide to surprise him with the color, but I tell him it’s long and sparkly.

  “I can’t wait for you to see it,” I say excitedly. “This gala is going to be so much fun. I’m so excited you have a day game that Saturday at home so you can go!”

  We climb inside the Jeep, and Brody studies me as I fasten my seatbelt.

  “Just remember this the next time you have an event and I’m halfway across the country playing baseball,” Brody teases.

  I laugh. “I will.”

  We make the easy drive back to his place, and soon we’re home. Brody walks into the kitchen and flips on the light, opening the fridge and retrieving two bottles of water for us.

  “Cereal?” Brody asks, taking out a carton of milk.

  I probably should let him relax and eat cereal before asking him about going to dinner tomorrow, but I’m so eager I can’t wait.

  “Brody,” I say, leaning against the counter across from him. “I have an invitation for you.”

  Brody lifts an eyebrow at me. “To go to bed? Well, screw cereal then.”

  I laugh, and as he closes the refrigerator door, I wrap my arms around his waist.

  “That’s an invitation for later,” I say, kissing him on the lips.

  He kisses me back, a slow, sensual kiss that has me rethinking the order of my invitations.

  “Mmm, nice,” Brody murmurs against my mouth before kissing me again.

  “Very,” I whisper back.

  We extend our kiss a bit and then I break it.

  “Let me give you the first invitation before you distract me,” I say, sliding my hands up to the back of his neck.

  “Okay, invite me.”

  I grin. “My mom and dad want to meet you.”

  The smile falls off his face.

  “What?”

  Of course, he’s surprised that my parents want to meet him already; I know he’s never met a girl’s parents before. This is new for him.

  “My parents want you to come over after the game tomorrow night for dinner,” I say. “Dad will grill, and you can meet my brother Ethan and his wife, Jessica,” I say, smiling up at him. “It will be fun. I can’t wait to introduce you to th—”

  Brody removes my hands from his neck and squeezes them. “This seems kind of sudden.”

  Everything stops for me.

  “You don’t want to meet my family?” I ask, stunned.

  “No, Hayley, it’s not that,” Brody says, shaking his head.

  “Then what is it?” I ask, removing my hands from his.

  He exhales and begins rubbing his hand over his face, appearing more uncomfortable by the second.

  “What, Brody? What is wrong with having dinner with my family?”

  “It’s not wrong, it’s just, I don’t know, it’s not the right time,” he says quickly.

  My heart falls into my stomach.

  “Why is it not right?” I ask, not understanding this reason. “How can this not be right?”

  “I-I don’t know. Isn’t this kind of rushing things along?” Brody blurts out. “Meeting the parents is a serious thing. You shouldn’t rush it!”

  I gasp aloud.

  Is Brody not as serious about me as I thought?

  “So we’re not serious, is that what you are telling me?” I say, my voice beginning to shake.

  “No, no, that’s not what I’m saying,” Brody says, reaching for me.

  I back away from him, and he winces in response.

  “That’s exactly what you are saying,” I say, stunned. “You don’t want to meet my family because you don’t see this going anywhere, do you?”

  “No,” Brody says firmly, his voice strong. “That’s not true.”

  “Then why don’t you want to have a simple meal with my family? They’re important to me, Brody. This is important to me, and it should be important to you for that reason.”

  “It is!” Brody yells. “But they are DC types. You know how those people are, Hayley. I don’t want to meet them now. I’m not ready for this.”

  I feel as if he’s slapped me with his words.

  “I do Brody. That is who my family is. That is who I am. If this is how you really feel about me, then you shouldn’t come to dinner. You shouldn’t come over ever.”

  I grab my purse and overnight bag off the floor. I can’t stay in his presence for another second, not when my heart is breaking and he’s the one causing it to shatter.

  “Hayley, no, no!” Brody says, putting his hand on my arm. “This is coming out all wrong.”

  I fight back tears. “The truth always finds a way out, Brody. You don’t see this as a serious relationship that can go somewhere. You don’t want to meet my parents, and you’ve already judged all of us on some image you have of how you think DC people act. I’m just glad I know how you really feel because you are no longer welcome in my home, and you are no grown-ass man if you can’t manage one meal with other adults. I deserve better than this.”

  I fling his arm off and march out the door, slamming it behind me.

  And then I burst into tears.

  ***

  It’s been an hour since my world has fallen apart.

  I feel like I’ve been in a deep, black hole ever since leaving Brody’s apartment.

  I study the clock on my nightstand and realize it’s midnight.

  A new day.

  The first day of my new life without Brody.

  I choke down a sob that threatens to erupt in my throat. I couldn’t tell Katie what happened. I didn’t even want her to touch me because if she did, I was afraid I’d start bawling again and never stop. All I could get out was “fight with Brody” before fleeing to my room. She came in after that and I remained stoic and promised I’d tell her everything tomorrow, but for tonight, I needed to process it.

  And I need to be alone.

  Katie reluctantly left me after that, and I sat in the darkness, trying to sort out what happened with Brody. I was excited when the evening started, and now I’m alone with a broken heart.

  Ding!

  My phone has been going off, but I haven’t moved to touch it. I know it’s Brody, but there is nothing he can say. He let his real feelings show tonight. The truth is out, and as painful as it is, it’s good that I know.

  He doesn’t see me in the same light as I see him.

  He’s not ready to call us serious. Meeting my parents is too big of a step for someone who is uncertain about his feelings. Maybe he wants to leave the door open in case he finds someone better, or when my personality wears off. Maybe he doesn’t want to be in a relationship at his young age. Whatever his reasons are, he’s not ready to move forward like I am.

  Despite my efforts, tears begin to leak from my eyes.

  Maybe I projected everything I was feeling onto him. Our relationship seemed to check every box. He cares about me. We have fun together. We have great conversations and share similar beliefs. We have great chemistry, and sex with Brody is what I always dreamed making love could be with a man.

  Love.

  You can have all of that and it doesn’t mean it’s love. While it did for me, it didn’t for Brody. His definition of love is different from mine.

  My phone begins ringing again.

  I pick it up and see that it’s Brody.

  I’m about to turn it off when I see one of his
texts:

  I’ll wait in your lobby until you leave the apartment if I have to. I will wait until sunrise. I don’t care how long it takes, but please, Hayley, please talk to me. I messed up. It’s not what you’re thinking.

  Brody is in my lobby?

  What does he mean “it’s not what I’m thinking?” It was pretty clear what he said.

  I wipe the tears off my face. I have to tell him to leave. I have to send him away.

  I text him I’ll let him in, as I don’t want to do this in public. After I message the front desk to say it’s okay, I wait for him to knock on the door. As soon as he does, I open it, and my heart catches when I see his face is one of complete heartbreak.

  “There’s nothing you can say; you can’t take back what you’ve already said,” I say, my voice breaking.

  “No, I can’t, but I can explain why I said it,” Brody says urgently. “Please let me come inside and talk to you. Please.”

  I force down the tears stuck in my throat. Brody appears stricken. I see nothing but panic in his normally calm eyes, and my heart tells me I need to listen to him.

  “Okay,” I say softly, barely able to get the words out.

  I open the door and let him in. I shut the door behind him, and Brody stands in front of me, looking just as vulnerable as he did that night in the art gallery courtyard.

  “I’m terrified of meeting your parents,” Brody blurts out. “Hayley, you’re everything to me. Everything. The idea of going over there and pretending I’m good enough for you so your family will accept me scares me to death. You’re so smart and educated, and your parents are the same way. I’m not. I’m not at all. What if they don’t think I’m good enough for their daughter, something they have every right to think? I’m not cultured or an intellectual. What if I pick up the wrong fork and appall everyone? What if I can’t smoothly discuss current events or if I say the wrong thing at dinner? They could say I’m not good enough for you, and they’d be right.

  “I was afraid that dinner might mean I could lose you tomorrow night, and I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t. It came out all wrong, and I sounded like a complete ass, but I promise I’m telling you the truth. I’m serious about you. I’m serious about us. The idea of losing you is unbearable to me.”

  I stare at him, and I know, with everything that makes my heart love him, that this man is wearing his vulnerable heart on his sleeve for me right now.

  “Brody,” I whisper. “Oh, Brody.”

  That’s all Brody needs to hear before he quickly pulls me into his arms. I press my head into his shirt, letting the tears fall as I hold on tightly to him.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Brody says over and over. “It came out all wrong.”

  I lift my head and stare up at him, and he blurs in my eyes.

  “What you don’t realize,” I say, stroking his face with my hands, “is that my parents aren’t going to check your grades. They don’t care where you did or did not go to school. What they care about is how I feel. How you make me feel. They care about how you treat me and those around you. My family isn’t some stuck-up group of people waiting to judge you. They are the people who love me and want to meet the man who has made me so happy. They want to know you, as you are. That’s all they want.”

  Brody presses his forehead to mine, and I breathe a sigh of relief. He is feeling all the things I am, and fear of losing me led to his freak-out tonight.

  I glide my fingers through his hair, and Brody stands up, wrapping his hands around my back.

  “Hayley?” he says softly.

  “Yes?”

  “If the invitation is still open for dinner, I’d like to accept it,” he says.

  I smile up at him with happy tears in my eyes. “It is, but don’t worry about little forks. Mom isn’t serving salad.”

  Brody smiles back, and my heart soars happily in response.

  “What about a bread plate?”

  Now I’m giggling. “We’re having grilled chicken and tortillas. I think you know how to eat those.”

  He groans. “I’m such an idiot.”

  “No, you care, and you mean everything to me for being that way,” I say.

  Brody kisses me softly. “Can we not fight ever again?” he whispers against my lips.

  “That’s not a realistic promise,” I whisper back. “I’m bound to make you mad at some point.”

  “Impossible,” Brody says, lifting his head, “but just in case, I propose this: we don’t break up if we fight.”

  “Deal,” I say happily.

  “Good. Now let me take you back to your bedroom,” he says, scooping me up in his arms, “and we’ll think of some way to seal the deal.”

  As his mouth closes over mine, I know this is it. Brody is falling in love with me. He wants us, and he’s willing to go way outside of his comfort zone to prove it to me.

  That tells me where we are going.

  We are forever.

  And I have no doubt about it. Not now.

  Not ever.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The Ultimate Modern Girl’s Guide to Self-Motivation, Zen, and Being the Absolute Best You Now!

  Today’s Question: What is going right in your life?

  “So, how are you finding DC, Brody?” Dad asks as he takes some fresh tortilla chips and puts them on his plate. “It has to be quite a change from San Diego.”

  It’s Sunday night, and Brody is having dinner with my family in Bethesda, sitting on my parents’ patio under outdoor heaters eating chips and salsa while the chicken cooks on the grill.

  I know he was nervous to come here, but he did it anyway.

  For me.

  And that means everything.

  “I love DC,” Brody says. “The history is amazing. I haven’t even seen a tenth of what I want to see. I like the busy energy of the city. The fact that all these important things are happening around me is kind of humbling. The food scene is fantastic, too. And there’s this girl right here,” he says, turning his gaze to me. “She makes DC extra special.”

  Swoon.

  Mom smiles approvingly, and I see a glimmer in my dad’s eyes. I can tell they are impressed with him more and more with each sentence he speaks. We’ve done nothing but talk since we’ve arrived, and he’s answered all of their questions. He talked about his alternative upbringing and the gifts it gave him, and he won Mom right then and there with the maturity of his answers.

  With Dad, he talked about his baseball career and how he’s making investments for the future, realizing an injury could anytime and wanting to be prepared. Brody is planning for all possibilities. He said he would like to coach kids someday, to share the love of the game that saved him. As his confidence grew, he began asking questions of them, inquiring about their careers and asking how Ethan and Jessica met.

  I know my family doesn’t see him as some superstar baseball player, but rather as the man I love, and I know they like the man I’ve brought home to them.

  Mom rises from her seat. “I’m going to start the tortillas.”

  “Are you using the tortilla maker?” Brody asks.

  “I have a press, but Hayley assures me the maker is better.”

  “May I help you?” Brody asks.

  Mom’s face lights up. “I’d love that.”

  Brody leans over and kisses my cheek. Then he heads inside the house to spend some time with Mom.

  As soon as the door shuts, Ethan turns to me.

  “He’s a good guy,” he says. “He likes you.”

  “Likes her? He loves her,” Jessica insists. “Now I feel like we’re on an episode of Is it Love? and your mom is going to talk about your future with Brody!”

  “Yeah, that worked out well for Skye, didn’t it?” Ethan quips, pausing to take a sip of Dad’s famous sangria as he refers to the broken-hearted heroine last season.

  “Tom was an idiot for not picking her,” Jessica says, dipping her chip in guacamole.

  “What are we t
alking about?” Dad asks, confused.

  “A reality dating show,” I say. “I think I can pretty much guarantee he’s not in there asking Mom if he can propose.”

  “No, he’ll ask me that when he helps me get this chicken off the grill,” Dad teases.

  “Stop,” I say, feeling embarrassed. “We’re not even close to that.”

  “In all seriousness, sweetheart, I like him, too,” Dad says. “He’s grounded, mature, and calm. I can see why you like him so much.”

  “I didn’t know what to expect when you said you were dating a baseball player,” Ethan admits. “It’s easy to have pre-conceived ideas of how they would be, but he’s been nothing like that. You wouldn’t even know he was a professional athlete.”

  “I know,” I say. “It’s a huge part of his life. Brody means it when he says the game saved him. It did. It’s important to him but so are his interests outside of baseball.”

  “Like you,” Dad says, smiling at me.

  “Like me,” I say.

  We continue to talk, and after a little while, Brody comes out the back door.

  “You have to keep the tortilla maker,” Brody says. “It’s so cool!”

  “What do you mean by keep?” Ethan asks.

  I fidget in my chair. “Um, Brody talked to me about streamlining my appliance collection. I agreed I might have some things I don’t need.”

  “Brody, you’re a miracle worker,” Dad declares. “If you get her to give up five things, I’ll build a statue to you in tribute.”

  I want to dive under the table, but everyone else laughs.

  “Nah, Hayley liked perfecting things,” Brody says, sitting down next to me. “I only had to convince her that her breakfast burrito didn’t need to be perfect.”

  Now is probably not the time to confess that I moved the breakfast burrito maker from the sell pile back to the keep pile.

  “I need to check the chicken; I think it’s about time to eat,” Dad says, rising from the table.

  He moves to the other side of the patio, and Brody pauses to take a sip of his sangria.

  “Can I get you another one?” Ethan asks.

  “Nah, I’m good, thank you,” Brody says.

  “Ethan, let’s go see if your mom needs help bringing stuff out to the table,” Jessica says.