“If we have a postseason,” Dave muttered. With their parent team so far back in the standings, it wasn’t likely.
Jerry raised his hand. “I heard that, Reynolds. You know the season ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
Dave stood to follow his manager. Having a few uninterrupted weeks with Mel and Tara wouldn’t be so bad. He’d need every minute of it to make it up to them for missing the dance.
He was halfway down the aisle when it hit him. He rushed to catch up to his boss. “Jerry? What’s time off gonna do to the trade?”
Jerry turned back to face him, grinning. “Logan said he liked what you did in the outfield.”
****
Mel curled up in a rocker on the back porch. She ignored the book in her lap and instead watched Tara tool through the yard on her bike.
She glanced up at the cloudless sky. The sun was high, which meant it was likely time for lunch. She wasn’t hungry, but Tara needed to eat. “Tara, I’m going in to fix lunch. Stay by the window, where I can see you.”
“’Kay.” Tara waved and kept right on playing.
Mel was surprised but glad Tara wasn’t moping about Dave’s failure to show.
You’re doing enough moping for both of you.
Gathering fixin’s for PB&J sandwiches, Mel ignored her conscience’s jibe. She was slathering a slice of Wonder Bread with peanut butter when, out the window, something caught her eye. She did a double take. A giant teddy bear bounced up the sidewalk, and Tara pranced alongside it.
Her “What the—?” got cut off by Tara’s shout.
“Daddy’s here!”
Mel wished she could be as excited to see Dave as her daughter was. Yesterday, she would have been. That was then. Now she knew they meant less to him than a night out carousing with his teammates.
The door opened and the bear floated through. Dave peeked around its shoulder, flashing her a sheepish grin. “Hi.”
She gave him a cool nod. “Tara, why don’t you show your daddy where the playroom is? The bear belongs there.”
Dave came back moments later, alone. He stopped in the doorway to the kitchen and leaned casually against the doorjamb.
Mel put down the butter knife. “Where’s Tara?”
“She wanted to stay and get to know Mr. Bear.” Mel willed herself to remain unmoved when he delivered his devastatingly sexy grin. “And I might have bribed her with the promise of ice cream later if she let me have a few minutes alone with you now.”
“Bribing a four-year-old? You really need help with your parenting skills.” She winced. That had sounded less bitchy in her head. Then again, after leaving them twisting in the wind, Dave deserved her abuse.
He glanced at his watch. “We have ten minutes. I told Tara she could come find us when the big hand got to the seven.”
When she answered with silence, Dave closed the gap between them. “I missed you, Mel.”
“This time, I won’t forgive you for a few pretty words and a smile.” She stepped out of his reach, certain if he touched her, she’d forget all the reasons she was mad at him.
“I have something for you, too.”
Panic surged through Mel when he started fishing in his pocket. Don’t let it be a ring. She couldn’t say yes to a proposal when baseball was clearly Dave’s top priority. Mel didn’t want much from a relationship—only the same kind of unwavering devotion her daddy and mamma had for each other. Dave was the one who’d convinced her it wasn’t too much to ask.
Her knees nearly buckled from relief when his hand re-emerged from his pocket with a set of keys. “It’s in the SUV. I’ll go get it.”
He disappeared through the back door. While he was gone, the air carried Dave’s cheerful whistle to her ears. When he came back, his arms were full of a floral arrangement that had cost an arm and a leg. It was almost as tall as he was, and packed with pricey blooms.
The gorgeous flowers left her cold. “Don’t think you can buy your way back into our affection.”
Dave’s smile didn’t waver as he set the flowers on the floor. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good.” She took another look at the bouquet. Definitely and arm and a leg. Maybe an organ, too. “Tara and I don’t need expensive presents. We need you present in our lives.”
“You think I don’t know that?” He drew nearer, until even a thin piece of paper wouldn’t pass between them. “You two are never far from my thoughts these days.”
“Then why go out drinking last night when you were supposed to be here, with us?”
Mel held her breath, afraid his slightest touch would set off a towering inferno of lust. She needn’t have worried, though, because he stepped back.
“Didn’t you hear anything I said?” A look of disgust settled on his face.
She bristled. “It was tough to pick up over your buddies’ drunken cheers.”
“I was not out drinking with the guys. When you called, I was at a bar with Matt. Just Matt. We’d spent most of the day at the hospital.”
“Hospital?” This time, the word got her attention. She swallowed against a lump of fear. “Were you hurt? Was Matt?”
He shook his head. “I’m surprised you didn’t see the replay on the news. Apparently it cycled on ESPN all afternoon.”
“I don’t watch ESPN.”
“So you really have no idea what happened?”
Mel shifted her gaze over his shoulder. “Nope.”
Dave cupped her chin and guided her eyes back to his. Earnestness shone from the hazel depths. “Coach had me out in right field, and a guy tumbled over the railing trying to catch the foul ball I threw his way. You should have heard the thud when he hit the ground.”
“No thanks.” The mere thought turned her stomach.
“I followed him to the hospital and waited for hours while he had surgery. Matt joined me there after the game.” His eyes begged her to believe him. “I was so worried about Stan’s fate that it was hours before it occurred to me I was missing Tara’s dance.”
She pressed her lips together. He knew he’d failed. She didn’t need to keep pointing it out.
“That was about the time I found out the surgery had nothing to do with his fall. Matt and I went to the bar across the street to unwind, and then you called.”
“You’re joking, right?” Like his BarelyThere story, it was too ridiculous not to be true.
He shook his head. “Where’s your computer? The clip’s probably on YouTube.”
Mel quashed the temptation to check the video. Dave’s excuse for not showing wasn’t important. “Whatever the reason, you weren’t where you promised you’d be.”
He bowed his head. “I know, Mel, and I’m real sorry about disappointing Tara.”
“And me.”
“And you.” He rested his forehead against hers and his eyes bored into hers. His voice was a whisper. “You’ll never know how sorry I am.”
Mel stared into the depths of Dave’s hazel eyes. She wanted to believe him. But could she trust him not to let them down again? Did she want to? She struggled against the urge to strain closer. If their lips met, something besides her brain would decide.
Stop thinking and kiss him.
She leaned into Dave. His lips covered hers and their tongues tangled as he settled his hands on her hips and pulled her closer.
“Mamma, hungry. Whatcha doin’?”
At the sound of Tara’s voice, Mel and Dave sprang apart. Nothing like a curious four-year-old to ruin the moment. Their eyes locked over their daughter’s head. Mel wondered if she looked as guilty as he did.
She coughed. “I was just welcoming your Daddy back to Texas, sugar.”
“Oooh. Can I help?” Tara didn’t wait for an answer. She just launched herself toward Dave.
He sidestepped her. “Not now, kiddo. Weren’t you saying something about lunch?”
Tara reversed course and headed to the kitchen table. “Hungry.”
Mel caught Dave’s eye and gave him a smile
before turning back to the counter to finish the sandwiches. Truth be told, she was glad for a chance to think. This was her future she was gambling on. Hers and Tara’s. Best not to throw it away for a kiss. Especially a hot kiss that made her crave a happily ever after she didn’t know if Dave would be able to provide.
Chapter Seventeen
After lunch, they piled into Dave’s rental SUV and headed to downtown Brannen for the ice cream he’d promised Tara. When he ordered himself a double scoop of butter pecan and Heath Bar Crunch, Tara bounced beside him. “Double for me, too!”
On his other side, Mel tensed. Dave remembered the last time they’d gotten ice cream, when most of Tara’s ended up in the trash. He gave her head a pat. “One’s enough for you, kiddo. When you’re my size, you can order a double.”
When Tara’s bottom lip started to poke out, Dave fixed her with the “I mean business” look he’d practiced in the mirror. “Or we can leave now.”
It must have been more effective than it looked to him, because her mouth bowed into a sweet smile. “One’s good, Daddy.”
“Nicely done.” Mel’s breath tickled his ear.
“Thanks. I might be getting the hang of this.”
They followed up the ice cream with a stop at the park. While he and Tara played, Mel watched from the bench. Her “I smell something raunchy” expression told him all was not well. What she was annoyed about now that they’d cleared the air, he didn’t know.
When they returned to the house, they played board games until Tara’s bedtime. With Tara safely tucked into bed, Dave settled on the couch with the remote.
Mel perched on the arm of the La-Z-Boy across the room. “Shouldn’t you be heading out?”
The remote dropped into his lap with a thud. Was she kidding? “You want me to leave?”
She nodded.
Nope. Not kidding. He chose his words carefully. “And go where, exactly?”
“Somewhere that’s not here.” Mel fixed her eyes on a spot behind his shoulder.
“Something changed since lunchtime?” Anger roiled his gut. “I thought we settled up.”
Her eyes pleaded with him to understand, but he couldn’t. “Didn’t we?” he demanded again, louder. “Didn’t we?”
“Keep your voice down!”
The hissed warning made more sense than anything else she’d said. He ratcheted back the volume. “I thought we were okay, Mel.”
“You and Tara might be okay—at least until she remembers you forgot to show up for her dance.” She took a deep breath. “You and I, however, aren’t okay. Muscles, you can’t treat us like crap one day and like precious metal the next. You have to make up your mind.”
The accusation settled itself on his shoulders, an ill-fitting mantle he shook off right away. “My mind is made up. How can I be any clearer?”
“I have to be able to depend on you, trust you’ll be here for us.”
“You can.”
“All I have is your word—and you’ve proven your promises mean squat.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it closed. From her standpoint, he wasn’t where he promised he’d be. His absence spoke volumes…just as his father’s had done. His throat threatened to close up.
A determined gulp pushed the lump back down. He’d quit playing ball before he became like his old man, forever making promises he had no intention of keeping.
“Yesterday was a freak accident, Mel. I couldn’t do that again if I tried.”
“You promised to be there for Daddy’s teleconference, too.” Her lips pursed.
Guilt stabbed at him. “I’m not exactly batting a thousand, am I?”
She shook her head.
“Maybe the road to hell really is paved with good intentions.”
One corner of her mouth twitched. “Maybe.”
Almost a smile? He was on the right track, then. Maybe he could get her to recognize how destructive it was to keep rehashing the same argument. “Mel, I can’t change what happened yesterday—or three weeks ago. Just like you can’t give me back the years you stole from me. All I can do is promise to be available from here on out.”
A myriad of emotions flitted over Mel’s features as she considered his words. He saw fear, hunger, confusion, reluctance…and, finally, acceptance.
“You can stay. Because Tara wants you here.”
“You don’t?”
She shook her head. “Not now. Not yet.”
“Dammit, Mel.” Dave slammed his fist against the arm of the couch. “You say you want to trust me, but you’re not giving me a chance.”
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I can’t.”
“You can. You just don’t want to enough.”
“No.”
“That’s the way I see it.” His mouth stretched into a smile he didn’t feel as he got to his feet and headed for the door. “But that’s okay. I have two weeks to change your mind. I won’t stay here if I’m not welcome by both of you.”
****
After Dave stalked through the back door, Mel waited for the roar of the SUV’s engine. It never came. Instead, furniture started scraping against the floor on the back porch. She peeked through the kitchen window and panic fluttered to life in her stomach. Her wicker patio furniture lined the railing. Dave stooped in the middle of the newly cleared floor space and fussed with the afghan she kept on the back of the couch.
She opened the window and stuck her head through. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Camping out.” He gestured to the makeshift bed he’d laid out.
Her panic started thrashing like a full-term baby “You can’t do that!”
“Watch me.” He plopped down in the middle of the afghan, Indian-style, and crossed his arms over his massive chest.
“Everyone will see you.”
“So? My calendar’s clear for the next two weeks.”
She bit her lip. Forget what Dave’s stubbornness could do to her father’s campaign. Having him camped out on her porch for half a month would be almost as dangerous as having him inside the house, his body drawing her like a magnet every moment of every day. If she gave in to the attraction, she’d forget all the reasons Dave was wrong—for her and for Tara.
She had to try to change his mind, maybe by playing on his ego. It was obviously as big as Texas, to think he’d endear himself to her by making himself at home on her porch. She ignored the voice whispering he was right and sucked in some air. “Think about what the neighbors will say.”
“I’ve been grist for the rumor mill before.” His eyebrows rose. “You have, too.”
Mel fought an urge to jump through the kitchen window and strangle the smugness off his face. “I’ve already given the good folks of Brannen more than enough to talk about.”
“Then you’ll have to change your mind right quick, won’t you?”
Mel stamped her foot. The scrape of cotton against linoleum didn’t do enough to convey her annoyance, so she stormed onto the porch to glare at him. She stopped near the door, close but not too close. “You said you wanted what was best for Tara and me. I hardly think making her the talk of the neighborhood fits that bill.”
“If it gets you to see I’m here for the long haul, it is.” He rose with the grace of an athlete and closed the distance between them with one step, and put his hands on her shoulders. “Mel, I’m not going anywhere. The sooner you realize it, the sooner we can be the family we’re meant to be.”
She closed her eyes. The words were pretty. But she’d been fooled by pretty words before.
Aw, hell. Who was she trying to fool? She wanted to believe him. But he had only known her for two months. There was no way he could want to commit to her for a lifetime in just two months. She and Bud knew each other their whole lives, and he’d still backed out on his promise to marry her.
****
I’m getting too old for this.
The thought assaulted Dave when he woke up from a second night on Mel’s porch. He was stiff a
nd sore, and he prayed the Condors wouldn’t have a postseason. He wouldn’t be in any kind of shape to play in it if he spent many more nights on the floor.
He sat and stretched. While he tried to work the kinks out of his neck and back, Tara tore onto the porch in her nightgown.
“Daddy, Daddy! Breakfast time.”
“I’ll be there in a minute, kiddo.”
“’Kay.” Tara barreled back toward the kitchen on bare feet. She relayed his message at the top of her lungs.
He had to give Mel credit, he supposed. She was true to her word about letting Tara spend time with him, even if it frustrated the hell out of him how she kept making herself scarce. He’d lay odds she’d be far from the kitchen when he got to the table.
Sure enough, Tara was at the table, alone, with an egg and bowl of fruit. A glance out the window told him Mel stood at the back fence holding a coffee mug.
Damn. How could they build a future when she refused to be in the same room with him?
He turned his attention to breakfast. He eyed the egg at the place set for him. He knew he should set a good example, but he detested hard-boiled eggs. They smelled like feet.
He bided his time with cantaloupe and strawberries until half Tara’s egg was gone. Then he went to the pantry and poured himself a bowl of Lucky Charms.
Tara’s frown made her look like Mel. “Lucky Charms again?”
“Yep.” The less said, the better. If he didn’t make a big deal, she wouldn’t either. Right?
“Mamma says they’re a sometimes food.”
So much for that idea. Why’d Tara have to be so bright? Dave nodded. “They are. And this is one of those times.”
“So was yesterday.”
“I like Lucky Charms.” He reached over to ruffle his daughter’s hair. The flyaway curls were like silk under his fingertips and regret knifed through him. He’d missed so many moments like this.
Tara giggled and batted his hand away. “I don’t. Too sweet.”
What kid could resist sugary cereal studded with marshmallows? Dave masked his surprise. It was better that Tara didn’t eat junk, anyway, and as much as he wanted to pretend Lucky Charms were the breakfast of champions, he knew better. “Want my egg, then?”
Diva In The Dugout (All Is Fair In Love And Baseball) Page 15