Trouble With the Curve (Learning Curve #2)

by Felicia Lynn

  She tries to push away from my grasp a bit. No fucking way. My grip holds. I don’t let her go an inch, and she gives up pretty quickly, succumbing to her fate as she settles in my arms after a bit of huffing and puffing. It’s hard not to be entertained by her antics. I want to laugh again, but I don’t want this night to end with her not speaking to me. She can yell all she wants and kick my ass as agreed, but the quiet treatment isn’t an option. Time to get a move on.

  “Buttercup, for real, you ready to listen to the ending yet? I really want to finish this and get to the part where I can finally slide the ring burning a hole in my damn pocket onto your finger, where it belongs. It’s killing me that’s it’s taken all night to get it there, babe.” She gasps quietly, containing her exhale. Her eyes stay on mine, wide and unblinking. I have her attention now, but I need her to breathe, so I whisper the reminder while slowly rubbing my hands up and down her back. I wait to continue until I hear her exhalations and inhalations coming regularly.

  I speak more softly to her now. I want to give my girl the sweet, and I want it to sink in good.

  “My heart knew you were the one for me long before my brain caught on to the action. The second your eyes met mine, buttercup, loving you was my only option. I don’t know how I got to be so damn lucky with that fate, but at the start, I didn’t understand what was happening. Those feelings were new to me and completely foreign. The way I felt with you scared the hell out of me in ways nothing in my life ever had. The emotions were fierce, and I was powerless to control them. I had only craved and wanted one thing—baseball. That’s it, just baseball. It was everything I thought I needed, and for that, I was willing to sacrifice everything else. I could live without a family. Friends were optional. I definitely wasn’t ever interested in relationships that would distract me or limit my time or dedication to the game. I thought I was on the fast train straight to the top of the world, having found a balance between my passion for the game and the handful of people I had in my life. That was more than I ever expected, and I thought that would always be enough. For years, it was enough. Then you happened.”

  Her tears resume as I speak, their path trickling down her cheeks. I run the backside of my fingers softly across her cheeks, brushing away the wetness. Happy tears are definitely better than the sad ones, which trigger an intense ache deep in my gut. But Charlie’s tears count. In just a few short weeks, her tears have surpassed all acceptable levels for a lifetime allotment. I was determined to patch up and piece her shattered heart back together. I was willing to sell my soul to seal every one of those cracks hurting her. Eventually, the tears began to dry up, and they appeared less and less every day. I promised myself I’d do all that I could to make my girl happy and keep her face tear-free, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen the wet cheeks that I once was so accustomed to that it felt normal. Although these are happy tears, which are acceptable, it’s still my job to erase them, and I make quick work of gently swiping them away as I continue.

  “Buttercup, even if I thought I wanted to or even could have walked away, it wasn’t happening. I could live without a lot. I could give up everything I know and love and still survive. Even the sport I’ve lived for. Until you, Charlotte. You’re a non-negotiable for me, buttercup.” I pause, taking a moment to gather myself, and attempt to swallow the lump growing in my throat. I sacrifice eye contact to pull her body even closer to mine. My lips hover over her forehead, touching her, but just barely as I round the bases to home plate.

  “Loving you isn’t a choice, baby. It never was for me, but I want to love you as much as I need to. I fall asleep at night convinced I’m so full of love for you that it can’t possibly grow or gain strength. Then a new day shines, and you prove me wrong again and again. My list of things I love about Charlotte Maryland Baker, soon-to-be Stone, is never ending.” I pull back from her enough to look her in the eye without losing our embrace.

  “I have no doubts that together we’re right. So here I am, buttercup. I’m all yours. I’m giving you my life. I’m your open book from this point on.” Reaching into my pocket, I carefully pull the ring out and clasp it tightly between my fingers as I hold it up in front of her.

  “Charlotte, I’ll spend my lifetime loving you and cherish every second doing it. All I’m asking for is everything. Every single part of you I will appreciate, respect, and protect with my life. For worse or for better, buttercup, the two of us together. That’s how this works. Just say you will.”

  I WAKE UP AS I do most mornings now; my head is resting comfortably on Tyler’s chest, and I’m wrapped in his arms. Feeling the metal around the ring finger on my left hand, I hold it up to steal a peek at it. Holy shit. It’s real. It wasn’t just a fantastic dream. Last night really happened. Not only am I actually engaged to Tyler Stone with a ring on my finger to prove it, but he also loves me.

  Like a lot.

  Me.

  Charlotte Maryland Baker.

  Wow.

  He planned and executed the most amazing proposal . . . for me. I’m still unsure how he was able to create that sort of perfection without ever saying the words, ‘Marry me,’ but really, who could say no anyway? I can’t even imagine what it took him to pull off the magic of last night without giving anything away.

  I definitely had no idea that was coming since I’d already accepted his far less elaborate proposal. I’ll always cherish the original proposal or at least the first that I accepted. He used other unforgettable creative talents to convince me. Tyler wanted to give me a proposal story I could share with the world, but more importantly, one we could share with the family he plans to give me someday. He definitely did it. It was the best night of my entire life.

  The ring is perfect for me in every way possible, like Ty. He’s not handing me the life I dreamed of on a silver platter. We’re building it piece by piece together with blood, sweat, tears, and so much love. For the first time in my life, the things I once thought were impossible are happening.

  I think it’s clear we’re both committed to doing whatever it takes to be together, but things are so good right now, it’s scary. I don’t ever want to roadblock our dreams or restrict our level of happiness because I’m scared the rug will get pulled out from under us again. Tyler deserves more than a wife who is waiting for the sky to fall. He needs a wife who will believe in him and us, and I want to be that wife for him.

  Now, I just need to figure out how to get Sandra Jacqueline Baker’s voice to shut up in my head. My mother may be out of my life, and for a good reason, but that doesn’t mean I’ve completely exorcised her voice from my thoughts yet. I really need to get over that. I wish voluntary selective amnesia was a real thing so I could just forget it all.

  “Buttercup, you gonna walk around holding that hand in front of your pretty little face all day?” His husky voice penetrates my thoughts. At least, he’s caught me staring at my hand and isn’t a mind reader. I seriously don’t want to poison this day with Baker drama.

  “It’s just so beautiful. I can’t help but keep checking to see if it’s all real,” I whisper, not taking my eyes off my hand as I place it back on his chest.

  He reaches out, his hand gently tipping my face to look up at him. His face is tight and concern dances in his eyes. “Babe, that ring isn’t going anywhere. I promise. I’m not going anywhere. You’re not going anywhere. This is all real. We are real, Charlotte,” he tells me with conviction.

  My pride takes a little dip when I realize I’m failing already because he saw through me so quickly. My eyes warily drop back to my ring as I try to regroup and pass it off, but before I can think of what to say, he jumps in.

  “Buttercup, look at me.” I do immediately with a tip of my lips that doesn’t come off as confidently as I’d hoped. “No matter what, Charlotte, there will always be an us. That’s all that matters. Everything else, we’ll figure out.” He pulls me up and over him. He’s naked, and his beautiful body is hard everywhere, including his growing erection,
as I straddle him wearing only his t-shirt. His hands grip my waist tightly, and when I look down at his face, he’s beaming. That’s all it takes for my apprehensions to quickly begin to fizzle away.

  Stretching my left arm out as far as possible, I turn my head to look at my hand again from a distance. “But it’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen, Ty. I can’t keep my eyes off it,” I say with all the seriousness I can round up, but it doesn’t last, and my laughter breaks through. He knows immediately that I’m taunting him.

  His fingers move quickly up and down my sides, putting extra pressure on my ticklish spots and causing me to squirm out of control in an attempt to flee his grasp. Ty isn’t having any part of allowing my escape. Within seconds, he’s flipped me on my back and pinned me to the bed. He easily wedges my legs apart with his own and settles himself between them, kneeling over me.

  “You fell asleep naked in my arms, Charlotte. And you’ve woken up wearing my shirt. I’m not sure how that happened, but I didn’t say you could borrow this. Take it off. I want it back.” He releases the hold just enough to pull the shirt free as I protest. Ty prefers I sleep naked, of course. But if I am going to wear clothes to bed, he really likes it when they’re his so he can take them back. I like this game, so I borrow his shirts a lot without asking.

  “We’re getting married, Tyler. What’s yours is mine now, hotshot,” I claim innocently. I glare my disproval after he successfully removes the garment, but it’s ineffective. With the shirt in a ball, I watch as Ty tosses it across the room. It lands on the chair in the corner of the room, well out of my reach.

  “How right you are, gorgeous. You can have the shirt back and anything else of mine you’d like to claim. Since the same rules apply, what’s yours is now mine, too. But if we’re being honest . . .” He pauses. His fingers teasingly linger across the front of my body. My nipples pebble, and he rolls them between his fingers briefly. My breath catches, and he continues to assault my body with pleasure as he finishes his statement. “Every inch of this hot little body has been mine long before today. I love you, Charlotte, with every single ounce of myself. My heart. My body. You own every part of me. You can have all my property, too. I don’t even care because what I have my hands on right now is all I’ll . . . Ever. Fucking. Want.” The palm of his hand lays flat on my chest over my heart.

  My thoughts race with Tyler’s sweetness layered between his need to possess me. My body burns under his gaze, and I want to assure him of what he already knows. I want to remind him my heart is his and how it used to be. Broken. I was a hopeless girl with an irreparably damaged organ. He pieced it back together with every “I love you.” He breathed life back into me with his touch. He uncovered strength I didn’t know I had. I want him to know he never has to question ownership of any part of me. It’s unquestionably his.

  I want to say all of that and more, but emotion has sealed my voice. Instead, I nod approvingly. With tenderness, he accepts the nod, understanding my unspoken reply.

  Our mouths connect in a frenzy as the fevered desire consumes us. He hovers over my body, holding the majority of his weight on his bent forearms and legs, leaving me with an advantage and the use of all my limbs. My legs wrap around his waist, pulling him closer to my center. I need him inside me desperately. The explosion he’s orchestrated aches with the urgency to detonate.

  “Hands up top, Charlotte. Hold the bars of the headboard and don’t let go, baby. Let me take care of what’s mine.” My eyes close tight as my body complies slowly. When I feel his free hand guide mine to put them where he wants them, he lets go. In half a breath, I feel his length at my entrance, and at the completion of the breath, he fills me completely. I’m not lost in Tyler. I’m completely consumed. Every fiber is at his will to unravel or lace together as he sees fit.

  “I love you, Tyler,” I whisper, my voice breathy from the charge of my impending climax. I wonder if it was even audible, and he was able to hear me.

  “More than life itself, Charlie,” he responds gruffly. My eyes pop open to the sound of his voice. I look up to finding his eyes waiting for mine. Our gaze locks, and together, we cliff dive and soar. There’s no need to fall with Tyler now that we’ve learned to soar.

  When we both finally catch our breaths, and the pace of our heart rates begins to calm, I lay comfortably in his arms, soaking everything in.

  His hands are softly caressing my back when he interrupts our quiet moment. “Also, buttercup, I AM THE MOST GORGEOUS THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN. Let’s not forget that just because you have some new bling. I like your pretty eyes on me much more, but I am glad you like the ring,” he says matter-of-factly, and I melt into him further with a giggle and an even bigger smile on my face than before. He’s right. He’s definitely more gorgeous, but I’m just going to let him keep guessing for a while.

  MY MOOD IS LESS than stellar after checking my email and finding the notification that my parents once again transferred a deposit from their account to mine. Why do they keep sending money to the person they removed from their life—me. I don’t get it. I haven’t heard a peep from them in months, but for whatever reason, the money keeps coming as normal. The first couple of times, I assumed it was an oversight, but an oversight of twenty thousand dollars a month wouldn’t be overlooked for this long. Something is going on, and the idea of what that something could be gives me the creeps.

  As I’ve done continuously with each deposit, I won’t acknowledge it and will slide the money over to a separate untouched savings account until I can find a way to return it in full. I’ve never been one with reckless spending habits, so luckily, my savings before the fallout with my family grew substantially. It was my saving grace, and the financial security I needed in the aftermath. I was sure my savings would deplete fairly quickly, having to pay my college tuition bill plus living expenses on my own since I moved out of the sorority house.

  I called to speak with the registrar’s office to make arrangements for future tuition payments and learned my accounts for this year are not only paid in full, but the next year's tuition is also paid as well with no refund requests made. I was informed they could request and would be granted a refund for the pre-payment balance at any time before charges are assessed for classes selected for the upcoming semester. So it’s still possible for them to make the refund request, even if they haven’t so far.

  No matter how much I’ve tried and even argued, Tyler refuses to let me contribute in any way toward the rent or utilities here, either, so it’s been easy to get by with barely touching even my savings. But the monthly deposits continue to taunt me, serving as a constant reminder that I am my parents’ child, no matter how much I wish to pretend otherwise.

  Sandra Baker would not intentionally overlook a detail like this. My mother hates me and wants me to suffer. I know for a fact she’d never accept me still living comfortable financially on ‘family’ money. With that knowledge, in combination with the regularly occurring deposits in my account and a credit balance in my tuition account, I know I eventually have to address it. And I know that sooner rather than later would be best. I need to get to the bottom of it to stop it and pay back the deposits. I’d also like to arrange to reimburse them for my tuition; even if I need to get a real job and a loan to make that happen. I’ve avoided addressing it for months now, but I don’t want to owe them anything or have anything that could someday be held against me.

  Hearing my phone ringing, I race down the stairs to where I left it in the kitchen a few minutes ago. I’m hoping it’s Trace calling since I’ve called and texted her twice in the past half hour. I unexpectedly have the afternoon free, and I was hoping she’d have time to grab a coffee with me and talk about the party.

  When I reach the phone, I see ‘George’s calling’ across the screen as I press the green circle to accept the call. It could be anyone, including Trace.

  “Hello,” I say, into the speaker.

  “Hey, sweetheart. What are you up to? Are you exercising
? You sound out of breath. Do you need to call me back?” Sue asks, rattling off her questions without taking a breath. I laugh. She’s so adorable.

  “Hi. No, it’s fine. I was just running down the stairs to get the phone. I thought maybe Trace was calling me back, but I’m just as happy to hear your voice. How are you?” I ask, plopping down on the couch. If this is a catch-up call, since I haven’t spoken to her much in the past couple of days, they tend to last a while.

  “Well, I hate to even ask because I know you’re so busy, but poor Debbie’s allergies are actin’ up, and she isn’t feeling well. Jamie thought you might not mind filling in for a few hours. No pressure at all if you have plans. But if you’re available and don’t mind, we could sure use you tonight.” I can hear the guilt in her voice for even asking, but the fact that she’s asked fills me with glee.

  “Are you kidding? I’d be happy to help. You know I love coming in and helping out even when you don’t need me. I can be there in thirty minutes. Ty’s gone to work out with the team, and I’m on my own anyway. I’ll just text him and tell him to come up for dinner if he doesn’t want to be alone until I’m done there.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. You’re a lifesaver, Charlie. Crowds have been bigger than normal lately, and I just overheard a group talking about a party of twelve, sayin’ a big group was meetin’ up at the pub here tonight. I’m not sure Jamie could handle the bar and pub tables on his own, but he’d probably never admit that out loud.” She snickers, and I agree with her. We chat a couple of more minutes before she says she has to run and tells me she’ll see me shortly.