Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances

by Lyssa Layne

  He pulls me against him and he wraps his large, strong arms around me. I squeeze him tightly and mutter, “What am I going to do?”

  His calloused hands rub my back and he says, “First off, you’re not in this alone. We’ll figure it out, Colie. Don’t worry. ”

  I pull away, anxiety taking over. “Don’t worry about it? Grant, he’s threatening to ruin both our careers. Yeah, mine is no big deal, but he’s going to destroy your name and your entire record!” I speak loudly and in a rush.

  Grant lifts my chin as I fight the tears. I can get over my little career but I don’t want Grant’s twelve years in Major League Baseball to be tainted by lies.

  “Nicole,” he says in a strong voice, “your career is as big a deal as mine. Don’t ever say otherwise. He’s not going to do anything. My lawyer is looking into that millions he told you he was making. If there’s dirt out there, my lawyer will find it, trust me.”

  A smile plays at his lips when he says that last part. I cock an eyebrow and ask, “What’s that mean?”

  Grant shakes his head. “We’ll save that conversation for another time.”

  The timer goes off and he reaches behind me, pulling out the last of the cookies. I move around the kitchen, starting to clean up our mess. When we finish scrubbing away the burnt remains of his cookies, I hang the dish towel on the stove and follow Grant out of the kitchen, flipping off the light switch. The only light in the hallway is from the full moon outside.

  Standing outside the bedrooms, I turn to Grant and take his hand, my heart beating rapidly. “Can I stay with you tonight?” I ask timidly. Tonight I want Grant to hold me so I can feel safe, and not have to worry about Jace’s threats.

  Hiding his surprise, he nods and brushes his fingers across my cheek. Then he tugs at my hand and leads us to his bedroom. Once beside the bed, he drops my hand and pulls back the sheet and comforter. Patting the bed, he asks, “Your choice. What side do you want?”

  I crawl into bed, lying on the side furthest from the door. Grant disappears into the bathroom and I hear the water running. I look around the room. Like the rest of the house, no pictures are hung on the wall. A plain navy comforter on his king sized bed is the only decoration in the room. However, I can tell by touch that the thread count on the sheets is probably double, if not triple, the ones I had at my apartment.

  I’m running my hand over the cool fabric when Grant walks back into the room. He’s wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt. I’m pretty sure I gasp at the sight of him because he stops and stares at me. Without saying a word, he opens a drawer and pulls on a tight t-shirt.

  He turns the light off and makes his way over to the bed. The mattress slightly dips under his weight and we’re about an arm’s length away from each other. In the light of the moon, I see him look at me. Without saying anything, he reaches his arm out and I move against him, snuggling into the safety and comfort of Grant Adamson’s arms.

  CHAPTER 24

  I haven’t heard a word from Jace, which really concerns me. He’ll be in town tomorrow for the game against the Aces. The two teams are tied for first place in their division and it’s going to be a winner-takes-all game.

  Each day, Grant and I head to work, and each night I drift off to sleep in his arms. In between, Grant acts as though there’s no imminent danger and treats me like his best buddy just as we were before spring training. It’s relaxing and completely nerve-wracking at the same time.

  Staring at the Scrabble pieces in front of me, I tap a tile on the table, trying to decide which word to spell. Grant clears his throat and I glance up.

  “Are we going to have to enforce a time limit?” he asks, raising his eyebrow.

  Laying out the tiles to spell jazzy, I smile. “I play to win.”

  Grant laughs and writes down my points. “I’m well aware of that.”

  Grant quickly lays down letters, not thinking about points as he spells dog. I roll my eyes and contemplate my next word. I move the letters around on my holder, trying to get more ideas when my thoughts are interrupted.

  “Colie, have you ever been in love?”

  I look at Grant, surprised by his question. Forgetting about the game, I answer, “I thought I was in love with Jace back in college.”

  “Why?”

  I shrug and flip a tile back and forth between my fingers. “He was always supportive and encouraged me no matter what.”

  I smile as I think back to when I had to play goalie, having no experience at all. Jace had never played soccer a day in his life until he met me, but he stayed behind the goal coaching me the entire game.

  “He was very protective and always kept an eye on me, which is why I never dated. He didn’t think anyone was good enough and he scared them off. But, mainly though, whenever I was around him, my days were better and he made me feel like I made him a better man.”

  I drop the game piece I was fiddling with as I think about the time we spent together back in college and our most recent time together. Every now and then I’d see Loyola Jace, but for the most part, he had become an entirely different man.

  I look back at my tiles and spell the word dance. Shrugging, I mutter, “It’s stupid, I know.”

  I feel Grant’s warm hand on mine and lift my eyes to meet his. He’s shaking his head. “No, Colie, that’s not stupid. It sounds like you two did love each other. Like I’ve said before, the fame and money change some people and you can’t do anything about it.”

  I start to ask him more about his ex-wife, but my phone beeps with an incoming text. I pick up my phone and my stomach drops when I see it’s from Jace.

  Grant squeezes my hand. “What is it?”

  Pulling my hand back, I swipe the phone on and read the text to him. “Hope you and Adamson have made up your mind. I’ll see you at home before the game. XXX”

  Grant’s forehead wrinkles in anger as he runs his hands through his hair. He stands up and grabs his phone, texting someone. As soon as he sends it, he turns to me. “You aren’t going to that loft tomorrow, Colie.”

  “Grant, I have to. If I don’t, it’ll only make things worse.”

  Grant raises his voice as he exclaims, “It’s not safe! There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go alone.”

  I walk over to him and put my hand on his back as he stares out the window. “Grant, I’ll be fine. You can’t just show up with me. Besides, Jace wouldn’t ever hurt me…at least not like you’re thinking.”

  Grant turns around. His hands move to my waist and he pulls me to him. His face softens slightly as he says in a low voice, “Colie, I don’t want him around you, much less touching you.” He shakes his head, obviously disgusted at the thought.

  I lean into him and wrap my arms around him. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

  He doesn’t say anything, only kisses my forehead. I look over at the table and ask, “Are we done playing?”

  Grants nods and lets go of me. We start cleaning up the game and I tease, “Ready to admit I won?”

  Grant laughs as his phone receives a text. He walks out of the room and I hear him call someone. I wash my face and crawl into Grant’s bed. Yawning, I realize I’m more tired than I thought. I try to stay awake until Grant comes to bed, but my eyelids get heavy and I drift into a much needed slumber.

  ***

  Singing along with David Lee Roth as I take a shower, I belt out lyrics trying to take my mind off what lies ahead of me. My nerves are getting the better of me, so I’m belting it at the top of my lungs to try to distract myself.

  Turning the water off, I wrap myself in a towel and walk into my bedroom. When I open the door I jump, not expecting to see Grant, and mutter an expletive. Grant has the same reaction.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologizes.

  My heart is racing. “It’s okay,” I say as I towel dry my hair. “What’s up?”

  He holds up the cup of coffee in his hand. “I thought you might need this.”

  I take it from
him and enjoy a long drink. “Mmm, thanks. This is exactly what I needed.”

  He nods. “Come see me when you’re ready. I have some info on Richards.”

  I raise an eyebrow but Grant doesn’t give anything away. He walks out of the room and I quickly pull on my navy pants and a woman’s fitted Aces t-shirt. Digging in my purse, I pull out the baby blue Tiffany’s box and put on Jace’s jewelry. I grab the cup of coffee and meet Grant in the kitchen.

  He starts to talk, then notices the large diamonds and hesitates for a second before going on. “I talked to my lawyer last night. Jace and Michael were working together. Apparently they both have gambling issues and their newest bets were on baseball games. Games that Jace could throw. Michael played a part too…with my shoulder, and with the care of some of the other guys.”

  I get dizzy as it all starts to make sense, and I take a seat at the breakfast bar. That’s why Michael refused to let me work with Grant, why Jace was in Vegas when I was at the bachelorette party, why I thought I’d seen them together. Grant sits across from me and takes my hand, rubbing it gently.

  “It was a total Pete Rose,” I say, referring to the retired baseball player who had done the same thing.

  Grant nods and continues. “And I’ve got all the proof. Colie, you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll get through the game tonight and then you’ll never have to see him again. It’ll all be over.”

  His words ring in my mind. It’ll all be over. After tonight, Jace Richards will never be a part of my life again. This is a good thing, so why do I feel so conflicted?

  Grant must recognize this as he pulls his hand away and quietly says, “Or not…you can stay with him, Colie, if that’s what you want. I only want you to be happy.”

  I sigh. I don’t know what I want. Opening his hand, I place my charm bracelet in his palm. I lean forward and kiss his cheek. “Hold on to this for me.”

  I feel him squeeze my hand as I stand up and go to see Jace.

  ***

  The loft is quiet. Too quiet, so I turn on the radio. Even with Katy Perry blaring over the speakers, I can hear my heart racing in my ears. That must be why I didn’t hear the door open as I stand watching the view below me. I jump when I feel his hands on my waist and his lips on my neck.

  “Hey, babe. Miss me?”

  His thick cologne, which is a mixture of sandalwood and vanilla, doesn’t hide the scent of a woman’s perfume. I turn around and for a brief second I recognize the Loyola Jace I once knew and loved, but then the sun catches his eyes and he’s gone. I push myself away from him and turn back to the view below us.

  “Jace, I’m not sure how this is supposed to work after…” I trail off, not sure what to call the way he threatened me. I look up into his eyes and sigh. “It didn’t have to be like this. We could’ve been together, if you would’ve just been the old Jace I knew.”

  He leans in and gives me a soft kiss. “I tried that, Nikki, but Adamson got in the way. If I’d only found you before you fell in love with him, I wouldn’t have had to give you an ultimatum.”

  I give him a confused look. “In love with Grant?” I scoff and shake my head.

  Jace slides his arms around me from behind as we stare out the window, and I lean back against him, knowing this won’t happen again.

  “Nikki, I’m not blind. You look at him the way you looked at me back in school—starry-eyed, hanging on his every word, and he does the same thing to you. Just like us though, you roll your eyes and make it out to not be a big deal. It’s part of the reason I left school.”

  Shocked by both his accusations, I tilt my head to look up at him, focusing on the latter part. “What do you mean it’s why you left? I thought you left because of your ACL.”

  His arms get tighter around me as he nods. “That was part of it but I also did it to see if you really loved me, to see if you’d follow me. When I got drafted, I thought for sure I’d hear from you, but no. When I saw you with Adamson at that restaurant in Florida, I knew I’d already lost you, but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.”

  My breathing quickens. He wanted me to follow him? But he told me not to. My head swims in my thoughts and I move to sit down. He sits beside me but doesn’t reach out to console me.

  “Once we were together, I thought it would be enough and I could give up the women I was used to having but…” He shakes his head and turns up his palms. “Nikki, I couldn’t. When we were together, you were enough, you were more than enough, but when I didn’t have you by my side, I wasn’t strong. I wanted to give you everything you wanted—marriage, kids, your career, but your heart was already gone. My image was improving with you on my arm, and I need that to get endorsements in case—”

  He abruptly stops and I know he doesn’t want me to know about any more of his addictions. He shrugs and stands up. “So that’s why I’m letting you be happy. Put on a front and be with me for the image, but you can still have Adamson. I should’ve explained it like this first before threatening you. Forgive me?”

  I swallow hard, wanting to scream, but Grant’s words telling me to play it cool rush through my mind. I stand up and kiss him lightly, knowing it will be our last kiss. “It sounds like a good plan. Once the season is over, we’ll sit down and work out details.”

  Jace grins like he’s already won the World Series. Little does he know what’s about to hit him.

  CHAPTER 25

  Running into the bullpen, I stop in my tracks as I see Grant warming up. He’s not supposed to pitch today. Catching the ball, he sees me and jogs over. “Are you okay? You’re late. He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Grant interrogates me without touching, but I can see his concern in his eyes as they search my body for any proof I’ve been injured.

  I glance at the stands and see fans staring, their cameras snapping away. Nodding toward his shoulder, I answer, “I’m fine, but why are you warming up?”

  Grant looks at the billboard that shows the starting pitchers and I see Jace’s face. “Because of him?”

  He nods and, with a laugh, comments, “Revenge is sweet.”

  I raise an eyebrow. I’m not used to seeing this cocky side of Grant. He’s usually serious and completely in game-mode, not dealing with the petty drama some of the guys bring with them.

  We both look over at the outfield when we hear someone whistle. Jace winks at me and says to Grant, “Glad to see your name up there, Adamson. May the best man win.”

  Grant clenches his fist but doesn’t say anything. Not getting the reaction he wanted, Jace adds, “Has she shown you that thing she does with her tongue?”

  My face turns beet red, but I don’t have time to be embarrassed as I see fury flash across Grant’s face. He turns and strides across the bullpen in a few steps and then onto the outfield so he’s within feet of Jace. I have to run to keep up, but he won’t let me past him.

  “I hear you’re a bit of a gambler, Richards, so let’s make a bet.”

  Leaning around Grant, I see shock on Jace’s face before he hides it. He nods for Grant to go on.

  “I’ve got all the proof I need to show that you’ve been betting on your own team, so here’s the deal. You win, you can do the noble thing and confess. I win and I go to the paper tomorrow. Either way, Colie stays out of it and you don’t mention her name in anything. Deal?”

  Now it’s Jace’s turn to be angry, but he doesn’t hide it well this time. He takes a step so that he and Grant are chest to chest. Cameras flash all around us in the stands. With his jaw tight, Jace says in a low voice, “Fuck you, Adamson. You’ve got nothing on me. I’m surprised you’d jeopardize your entire career for a slut like her.”

  My heart sinks as I hear Jace say those words. Hurt doesn’t begin to describe what I’m feeling. It’s like my heart has been ripped from my chest and trampled on. Grant raises his hands and puts them on Jace’s chest, giving him a slight shove. Jeers from the crowd bring me back to the moment and I quickly jump around Grant, moving between the two men before
they draw any more attention to themselves. With all the power I have, I press my own hands against Grant, trying to get him away from Jace.

  Grant turns and walks back into the bullpen. I push him to keep walking until we reach the training room. Closing the door behind me, Grant hurls his glove against the wall and hits one of the tables with his fist. I walk up behind him and lightly touch his arm. He spins around and I can see the fury in his face.

  “Do you really have proof?” I ask.

  “Yes. I saw it myself this morning.”

  “He was just calling your bluff then, so don’t worry about it. Now stop hitting stuff or you’re not going to have the glory of taking him down on the field,” I say with a smile.

  Grant relaxes a little but shakes his head. “He shouldn’t have called you that, Colie. You don’t deserve that.”

  “I know. But I get respect from those who matter.”

  Grant smiles and his hand reaches for my wrist, but it’s bare. He glances down at it then at my bare neck where my necklace hung earlier. His hand moves to my neck and reaches up to my empty earlobes as well. He looks at me, confused.

  A grin takes over my face as I tell him, “I was late because I had to drop a gift off to Maddox.”

  Grant begins laughing in this deep, throaty chuckle that I’ve only heard on a few occasions. “I bet he was happy.”

  “I told him to take it back to Tiffany’s and ask for a refund. I still had the receipt, and Jace paid in cash.”

  Still laughing, Grant reaches in his pocket and pulls out my charm bracelet. He clasps it around my wrist and my skin tingles where his fingers touch. The national anthem flows through the hallway into the room while we stare into each other’s eyes. Our gaze is broken when Benny sticks his head in the door and says, “Showtime!”

  ***

  Grant’s fingers rub over the heart charm Meg gave me for being in her wedding. I wonder why he’s picked that one. It’s the bottom of the second inning and the game is still scoreless. Grant’s shoulder looks great and Jace is slightly off his game, obviously from his confrontation with Grant. I feel Grant’s hand on my thigh, giving it a slight squeeze as he stands up and heads back on the field for the top of the third.