Lexi and I were sitting at the kitchen table, staring at my poor phone that was sealed inside a plastic bag filled with uncooked rice.
Lexi rested her chin on the table, watching the bag intently. "I didn't mean to drop your precious iPhone in the sink while I was doing dishes. My hands were slippery when I was trying to skip to the next song on your playlist. You know how I feel about Adele. I can't listen to her without feeling like I want to cry. She's depressing as shit."
I continued to scowl at her, just like I have been since she confessed yesterday. "Don't blame Adele for this mess. You're the one who came into my room while I was sleeping, took my phone so you could listen to music since yours is busted then dropped it into a sink full of soapy water. You leave Adele and her brilliant music out of this."
She didn't respond, but continued to pout. I'm sure rice isn't going to fix my phone, so I already ordered a new phone online and it will be here tomorrow morning since none of the local retail stores had it in stock.
I hate that I don't know Carson's number by heart. I really wish I could call or at least text to congratulate him on the series win.
Is it weird to say that I miss him? I know we're not dating and we've only hung out twice, but I do. I had such a great time the other night just talking. Although he said he wants to keep this on a friendly level, I can see something happening in the future. I think he felt it too, or at least he did when he kissed me.
I've stayed offline since the pictures were released, but Lexi said there hasn't been much buzz around them which is great. Serves the stupid tabloids right for paying money for pictures that are none of their damn business.
“I’m going to the game. Do you think you can manage to not burn the damn condo down while I’m gone?”
Her lips puckered. “Dad is picking me up for dinner, so I won’t even be home to screw anything else up.”
I knew she was trying to play the sympathy card for me to not be hard on her. She’s done the same charade since we were kids. I let the act roll off me with a shrug as I was walking out the door. “Tell him I said hi.”
***
Grady and Adam were outside of the gates waiting for me when I got to the game. Grady was bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet, decked out in his Ryan Cruz jersey and team hat.
“Hey guys! Looks like you’re a little excited, Grady.” I smiled.
He jumped up and down. “I’m really excited!”
I handed him his ticket and nodded towards the gates. “I’m following you, buddy.”
He took off in front of us, Adam and me following close behind. “I can’t thank you enough for inviting us. He has been thrilled all day long, especially since he realized that Cruz would be the starting pitcher today.”
“Don’t mention it to him, but there is a possibility I may be able to have Ryan come over and chat with him.”
Adam’s eyes about popped out of his head. “How in the hell could you manage that?”
“I know someone.” I winked.
Luckily Sammie was sitting on the first baseline today’s game. She smiled and ran over to me when she saw me wave her over. I walked from my seats and met her at the wall. “Hey Mel! How’s it going?”
“I’m good, how are you?”
“Great! Do you need me to find Carson?”
As much as I was wanting to see him sooner than later, I didn’t want to pull him away from preparing for the game. “No, that’s okay. I was wondering though…do you think Ryan would be willing to come over and sign a ball for this little one that’s with me today? He’s a huge fan.”
Sammie looked over to my seat and saw Grady. He was grinning from ear to ear, and I swear I’ve never seen a kid so damn happy before. “He’s a cutie. I’m sure Ryan wouldn’t mind, I’ll catch him before the game starts to ask.”
“Thanks Sammie, you’re the best.”
“Anytime!”
It wasn’t long after talking to Sammie that Ryan and Carson walked through the outfield from the bullpen towards the dugouts. I saw Carson look directly at my section, and my heart raced.
He’s looking for me.
I watched Sammie run up to Ryan and Carson, pointing over to us as she was talking. Carson continued to stare at me, but didn’t make any move to come over. Ryan and Sammie started to head in the direction of my seats, but Carson shook his head, then walked towards the dugout.
What the hell?
I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Obviously Carson wasn’t doing well with the pictures that were leaked online. I pushed the thought out of my mine as I heard Grady beginning to freak out beside me. “Dad! Dad! That’s Ryan Cruz! He’s coming over this way!”
“Hey Mel.” Ryan nodded at me, then looked down at Grady. “Hey buddy, I like your jersey.”
Grady’s eyes were the size of softballs. “You’re my favorite player!”
Ryan grinned and pointed to the ball inside Grady’s mitt. “Do you want me to sign that for you?”
Grady’s mouth dropped open and handed Ryan the ball. Ryan took a sharpie from Sammie and autographed the ball before giving it back to him.
“Do you want me to get a picture?” Sammie asked Grady. He shook his head wildly and we all laughed. While Sammy was taking their picture, Adam smiled at me, and I swear it looked like there were tears in his eyes.
Yeah, sweet, sexy, single dad alert. Swoon.
***
By the end of the seventh inning, Grady was curled up in Adam’s lap, fast asleep. “I guess the excitement really got to him.” I smiled.
Adam sighed, tucking Grady into him a little more. “This kid has been through the wringer over the last year. It’s torn me apart to watch his heart break because his mom decided she wanted a new life. It’s not easy for anyone to understand, let alone a seven year old. I’ve tried so hard to get his spirit back, and it’s just as of recent that I’m finally seeing his old self shine through. He talks about you a lot, about how a girl likes baseball. I think you may be my son’s first crush.”
I giggled. “Your son is amazing. Kids are resilient and bounce back. I hate that his mother put him through this, but he’ll get through it. She doesn’t deserve to be his mom.”
“Thank you.” He said, kissing the top of Grady’s head. “I think I’m going to take him home, he has school tomorrow. Besides, I think it’s a safe bet to say we won.”
I looked up at the scoreboard, nodding in agreement. “Being up by seven runs with only two innings to go is a safe assumption. Come on, I’ll help you out.” I grabbed Grady’s mitt, signed ball and souvenirs that Adam bought him before the game and walked them to their car. Once Grady was secure in his booster seat in the back of the car, I shut the door. I turned to Adam and smiled. “If I have extra tickets in the future, I’ll let you know. I’d love for Grady to get use out of them.”
“Thank you, Melody. I know I’ve said it a million times, but I’m really thankful for what you’ve done for Grady.” He hugged me, then kissed my cheek before pulling away. “Do you need a ride home?”
I shook my head. “I live close by. I’ll walk. Be safe driving home.”
The walk home was needed. Carson didn’t come over to talk to me at the game. Hell, he didn’t even wave. When he was on base during the fifth inning, he glanced over his shoulder at me, only to turn his back before I could wave.
It hurt. I thought something was bound to happen between us, but apparently not. He made it clear that he needed to focus on the game and not dating, so I can’t be upset about that, but I thought for sure we’d still hang out and be friends like he said. The tabloid article probably didn’t make things easy on him. I decided that experiencing two good dates with Carson was better than nothing. It will probably be awkward to see him at the games for the rest of the season, but I’m sure that will pass.
I pushed through the door of the condo and slipped my sneakers off in the closet. Lexi was laying on the couch watching Criminal Minds when I flopped on the couch beside
her. “How was dinner with your parents?”
“Good, they said you need to come visit them soon.”
“I know.” I sighed.
Lexi sat up and paused the show. “Are you still upset about the phone? I swear, it was-“
“Carson didn’t talk to me tonight.”
Lexi frowned. “What do you mean? Did he ignore you?”
“It kind of seemed like it. He looked in my section and saw me sitting there, but he looked pissed. I don’t know, Lex. I thought he actually liked me. I guess the pictures and stupid story just turned him off.”
Her lips curled at the edges. “You are seriously clueless.”
“About what?”
“Carson is pissed, but not because of the pictures. You brought a guy to the game. He probably thinks you moved on.”
I snorted. “Whatever. Carson said we would be nothing more than friends. Besides, I can hang out with a guy if I want. Adam and I are just friends.”
She raised a brow. “Oh yeah? You’re telling me you don’t think Adam is a total DILF.”
“He is, but I don’t like Adam. I like Carson.”
“But Carson doesn’t know that. He saw you with another guy who is super attractive and probably got all butt hurt. He’s jealous.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Again, you’re clueless.”
We watched a few episodes of Criminal Minds without saying much more about the situation. I couldn’t focus on the show at all. Not even Doctor Spencer Reid could pull me from my funk. Thoughts of Carson and all the possible scenarios of why he was distant played in my head.
A few sharp raps on the door brought me back to the present from Carson land. The noise made Lex jump from her seat. "Who in the hell is here at eleven at night?"
The thought worried me too, so I grabbed the baseball bat from underneath the couch and followed her to the door, watching her look out the peephole. "What the fuck?" She said under her breath while she undid the locks on the door.
"Who is it?" I whispered.
She swung the door open and I looked over her shoulder. "It's your boy toy."
Carson looked straight past her and directly to me, his eyes still burning with the fire from the game, looking extremely pissed off. But damn it, if he didn't look hot. His hair was still wet from showering and he was in a suit.
"Carson?" I asked.
"You really should call someone before coming to their place this late at night. Mel could have taken your head off with this bat." Lexi scolded.
He glanced at her briefly before returning his fiery gaze to me. "I've been trying to get ahold of you all weekend."
I handed Lexi the bat and pushed past her to get closer to him. "My phone isn't working, Lex dropped it in water and killed it. I haven't been avoiding you, if that's what you're thinking."
He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled raggedly. "I thought with the pictures of us on the internet you were ignoring me."
He was worried.
The thought thrilled and upset me at the same time. I looked over my shoulder, noticing Lex still standing there. "Can you go away, please? This is your fault, after all."
She smiled sheepishly at Carson. "I'm sorry. Adele started playing on the phone and she depresses the shit out of me and-"
"It's okay." He cut her off gruffly. "Can I borrow Melody for a few minutes before I head home?"
She nodded with wide eyes. I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me, becoming nervous. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."
He took two steps forward and pressed his lips to mine, backing me into the door. He held both sides of my face while he kissed me hard. The urgency of his kiss surprised the hell out of me. I grabbed onto his hips for stability, knowing if I let go I could very well be a puddle of mush on this floor.
He lowered his forehead onto mine and released a ragged sigh. "I missed you." His breath danced against my lips.
My heart soared. "I missed you, too." I admitted.
He kissed me again, this time more softly. "Never let Lexi touch your phone again."
"I won't." I touched my lips to his, not being able to withstand the temptation of them being so close.
“Who was he?” He breathed heavily.
Oh my God! Lexi was right!
“Who?” Yup. I’m going to play this a little.
“The guy at the game with you, don’t play games.”
There was a look of dread in his eyes. It seemed as if he was waiting on me to confirm that I was on a date with another guy. “That was Adam. He’s the parent of one of Lexi’s students. His son is a big fan, so I offered them tickets.”
He searched my eyes. “Are you interested in him?”
I moved from his hold to put space in between us. “No, I’m not.” He sighed in relief, but I wasn’t finished. “Is that why you ran over here and kissed me senseless? Because you were jealous? Carson, I’m not going to play this back and forth game with you. If you want to only be friends, then that’s fine. But I refuse to just sit around and wait until you may be ready to start something with me. What would happen if we would start seriously dating during off season then baseball comes back around? Would we put us on hold until October again? That’s not fair to me.”
I felt a little bad for unloading like that, but I needed to get it off my chest.
He held his hands up after I finished. “You have every right to think all of those things. But truthfully, I had every intention on coming here after the game while I was still in California. I would have been here before the game, but our flight was delayed and we had to go straight to the stadium when we landed. It drove me fucking crazy not hearing from you. I was anxious and nervous that you didn't want anything to do with me after that article went out. I couldn’t focus on anything other than you when I was off the field.” He stepped in front of me and grabbed my hips in his hands. “That’s when I realized that we can’t be friends. The thought of you being upset with me consumed me. Feeling like this scares the hell out of me.”
"Why?" I asked.
“Because I’ve never cared this much if I disappointed any other girl before. But you…the rule doesn’t exist with you. It’s fucking shattered. I can’t function like this anymore. I need you and the game, and there is no other way around it. I thought that we could do the friend thing until the off season, but waiting to be with you isn’t an option for me. I need you, Melody.”
My heart was in my throat. His admission was honest and heartfelt. “Are you sure? Because I can’t handle the hot and cold game. If you want in, you need to be all in. And not because you’re scared I may find someone else, but because you want me.”
“I want all of you. Melody, I’m all in. I’m not playing these games anymore. I want us to be exclusive, just you and me.”
The resident butterflies in my stomach began flapping their wings at a world record pace. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Carson Lawrence?"
His dimples appeared at my question. "I think I am, Fangirl."
I rolled my eyes at the name. “That article was ridiculous.”
“So what do you say? Are you my girl?”
I slid my arms around his neck. "Well, we have a bit of a problem here. If I date you, I'm breaking two of my own rules."
"Oh yeah?" His tone playful.
"Yes. First, I don't date rule breaking bad boys."
He chuckled. "And the second?"
"I usually only date pitchers."
His eyes darkened. "Not anymore." He covered my mouth with his as one hand tangled into my hair and the other tightened its grip on my hip, pulling me closer.
"I guess if you're willing to make an exception to your rules, then I will too." I breathed heavily when he slightly backed away.
He tugged my bottom lip into his mouth. "I'm glad we can compromise." The sting of his teeth on my lip shot through me down to the very core of me, making me want so much more of him.
"So you're not upset that t
hose pictures of us were put out on the internet?"
I shrugged. "Not really. But if acting upset will get you to show up at my place and kiss me senseless again, then I may be later."
"You don't need to be upset for me to kiss you. I won’t run out of those for you." His endless supply wasn’t enough, and I wanted more of whatever else he was willing to offer. The kisses were now turning heated quickly, hands were tugging at clothes, and soon it wasn’t enough anymore.
He pressed further into me, the hardness under his dress slacks sliding against my middle. I shuddered at the contact and gripped the hair at the nape of his neck.
Falling for the Rookie (Fan Girl Book 1) Page 10