by M. A. Foster
“I need to talk to you real quick.” I wave him inside.
“What’s up?” he asks as he shuts the door behind him.
I rub my forehead. “I did something last night. Something really stupid. But before I tell you, you have to promise you won’t judge me. It’s just… I was tipsy, coupled with the fact that I’m lonely. Gah, Bass, I’m so damn lonely and—”
He cups a hand over my mouth. “What did you do?”
I lick his palm and he jerks his hand away, wiping it on his shorts. “Not cute.”
“I kissed Cam.” I wince.
Bass’s brows jerk upward and he blinks a few times. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I got caught up in the moment, I guess. I’d had too much to drink, and I just kissed him. And Cam, he… he kissed me back.” I point my finger at him. “And a few weeks ago, he told me I was sexy.”
“Why are you freaking out? It was just a kiss.”
“Not to me,” I argue.
“Do you have feelings for him?”
I sigh. “I have mixed feelings for him.”
“Meaning…?”
“There’s something between us. I like hanging out with him. I like that he calls me after his games to check in. I’m not in love with him or anything like that. I just… I don’t know what it is.” I wave him off and turn to look out the window. “I like him, I guess. We’re friends. And he makes being back in Heritage a little more bearable.” I look over my shoulder at him. “You’re judging me, aren’t you? It’s only been seven months since Marcus—”
“Absolutely not.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Marcus would want you to be happy. You know that. Just be careful until you’re certain this is what you want.”
“I don’t know what I want. I didn’t expect to feel like this.”
Bass smirks. “I didn’t expect Lisa. Sometimes people just surprise us.”
Cam
“Not so fast, fucker,” Liam calls out. Just as I turn, he leaps in my arms. “A bet is a bet.”
“I’ll get the door,” Deacon, the Heat’s first baseman, chuckles as he reaches for the door.
Cheers erupt as I carry Liam bridal-style into the bar and lower him to his feet. Clasping hands, we bring it in and slap each other on the back.
Jay runs over and wraps her arms around me. “Don’t worry, Cam. I’ll wear my Tornadoes shirt whenever you’re not playing against Uncle Liam.” She snickers.
“You better.” I tug lightly on one of her braids.
She turns and jumps on Liam’s back. “My baby,” he cheers, and she smacks his chest.
“Don’t call me that,” she chides. “You’re like ten years older than me. I’m not your baby, you freak.”
Liam pushes out his bottom lip in a fake pout. “Your mom calls you her baby. Mimi does, too.”
“Because I am my mom’s baby. Duh.” She rolls her eyes and I chuckle. “Mimi calls me baby girl.”
“Can I call you baby girl?”
“No. I’m almost eighteen. It makes you sound like a pervy uncle.”
“What about Princess?”
“Pretty sure that name is reserved for Bass.” She looks over at me and winks before she adds, “And Zach calls me babe, so that one’s off-limits, too.”
“Oh?” Liam narrows his eyes at me. “Well in that case, I’m going to punch Zach.”
She throws her head back and laughs. “Leave Zach alone, Uncle Liam. He loves me.”
“He does,” I agree.
“Fine,” Liam huffs. “But you’re still my favorite girl.”
“That works.” She pecks him on the cheek. “I want you to meet my friend, Harper. Harper!” Jay calls out, and a redhead leaning against the bar, talking to Cole, turns her head in our direction. I’d seen her running around the bar the last couple of times I’ve been here. She’s pretty, and Cole seems to be captivated by her with the way he’s staring at her ass as she makes her way over to us.
Jay drops to her feet and curls her arms around Liam’s waist. “Harper, this is my Uncle Liam.” Then she gestures to me. “And this is Cam, Liam’s boyfriend,” she deadpans. Liam and I both bark out a simultaneous laugh.
“Oh you got jokes, little girl.” Liam bends at the knee, and Jay squeals as he throws her over his shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Harper.” He smiles and nods before he strides off toward Zach.
“Do you know my nephew Zach?” I point to Zach, who’s leaning against the bar beside Cole, laughing at Liam who still has Jay stretched over his shoulder.
She smiles and there’s a flash of familiarity in her green eyes. “Yes. We go to school together.” Twisting, I look over my shoulder to see Tyge standing behind me with the two women he and Liam left with last night. “This is Tyge, and I haven’t yet been introduced to these beautiful ladies.”
“Hi, I’m Mia,” the dark-haired woman says.
“Holly.” The blonde smiles.
“Nice to meet you, ladies.” I nod and turn back to Harper. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go say what’s up to Zach.”
“I’m coming with,” Tyge calls out from behind me.
As I head through the crowd, I scan the room for Emerson but don’t see her.
We lost today—only by two runs, but still—and I blame myself. My head wasn’t in the game today. It was on Emerson and that kiss.
That fucking kiss.
After a quick hello to Zach, I make my way around the room, but I still don’t see Emerson. Pushing through the doors that lead to the bathrooms, I finally find her standing in the hall outside one of the offices, staring down at her phone.
“Hey,” I whisper.
She lifts her head and smiles. “Hey.” Her lips pull up on one side. “Sorry you lost today.”
I lift a shoulder and smirk. “It’s your fault.”
She frowns and a little V forms between her brows. “How’s it my fault?”
Leaning in to her, I say, “Because all I could think about was that kiss.”
A flash of panic mixed with regret crosses her face. “I’m sorry,” she breathes. “I shouldn’t have—”
I lower my mouth to hers to stop her from ruining the moment. “I’d kiss you every day for the rest of my life if you’d let me,” I whisper against her lips.
The door to the hall swings open and Emerson jumps, pulling me into an empty office. “Jesus,” she whisper-yells. “Someone could’ve seen us.”
“Why are you whispering?”
She gestures to the playpen in the middle of the room where Cole’s daughter, Willow, is napping.
I bend down so our eyes are level. “Tell me the truth. Do you regret that kiss?”
“No, but—”
The door swings open and Cole walks in. His eyes flick between Emerson and me with a knowing expression. “I came to check on Willow,” he whispers.
“Co,” Willow’s groggy little voice says from her playpen. “I right here.”
I chuckle and turn back to Emerson. “We’ll talk later.” I shoot her a wink and walk out.
“What’s the story on the redhead?” Liam jerks his chin toward the patio where Jay and her friends are gathered. “Whose kid is she?”
I look over my shoulder to see the redhead from Mac’s sitting on a lounger, putting those little floaties on Willow’s arms.
“Who, Harper?” Emerson asks. “She’s not from here.”
Mimi raises her brows and points a spatula at Liam. “She’s too young for you, Liam.” She flicks her gaze toward the patio. “Besides, I think Cole laid claim to that one. He’s been circling her like a goddamn lion ready to pounce.”
Liam chuckles. “You’re confusing me with Tyge, Mom. I prefer women, not girls.”
“Speaking of women, do you ever plan on narrowing it down to just one, preferably before I’m too old to remember? I know you’re capable of it.” She tilts her head and bugs out her eyes. Mimi is the only one brave enough to bring up Vanessa in front of others.
“I’m not that bad,
” he defends, and all our heads turn to him in disbelief. “I kinda like the naughty nurse.” He shrugs.
Ladies and gentlemen, Hell has frozen over.
He plucks an olive from the tray, tosses it in his mouth and grins as he says, “For now,” before he turns and walks out the back door.
“Em, you still haven’t been over to see my place. You should come over next week. Bring the family. I’ll even cook,” I tell her.
“You cook?” She grins. “You lived next door to me for years and I never saw you cook.”
“That’s because Grace was right next door.” I shoot Grace a wink. “Come over. I make a mean steak.”
“You should probably put some furniture in your house before you start throwing dinner parties,” Zach jokes as he reaches for a carrot and shoves it in his mouth.
Emerson snickers and shakes her head at Zach’s little dig. “We’d love to come to dinner. Just let me know what night is good for you.”
“I have a game Tuesday in Atlanta. How’s Wednesday night?”
“Jay has dance class and girls’ night on Wednesdays, but if you’re not too tired, I can still come.”
“Wednesday’s perfect.”
Emerson
It’s just dinner, Emerson, I tell myself as I brush a hand over the front of my jeans before ringing the doorbell.
“Hey, beautiful,” Cam greets as he steps back and gestures inside. “Come in.”
I step into the foyer and hold up a bottle of wine. “I brought wine.”
Cam’s house is beautiful and practically bare. It’s an open floor plan with the kitchen overlooking a great room. There’s a couch, coffee table and TV. And what should be the dining room houses a pool table instead. Typical bachelor decor. The ceilings are high and white, with exposed wood beams matching the wood floor.
“Great.” Cam hooks an arm around my neck and presses a kiss to my temple as he takes the wine from me. “Come into the kitchen.” He releases me and heads that direction. “Dinner’s almost done,” he calls over his shoulder. “I hope you still like steak.”
“I love steak,” I reply.
Cam’s kitchen is partially hidden behind a wall and equally bare. An island is situated in the middle with four barstools situated at the countertop.
“Come on.” He holds out his hand and I take it. “I wanna show you something.” He pulls me through the open sliding glass doors, across the pool deck and down a short path. “I thought it would be nice to have dinner outside, but the sun is already setting.” I suck in a breath and Cam turns to face me. “I know how much you love the beach. I thought you’d appreciate this view.”
“I’d forgotten how beautiful the sunsets are from Heritage Bay. Different from the beach in Malibu, but still beautiful.” The back of Cam’s house faces the part of the bay separating Heritage Bay from the rest of Heritage. Palm trees line Oceanside Boulevard—the stretch of road that runs parallel to the bay from the south edge of Heritage through downtown and over the bridge leading to Heritage Bay—and the pink and orange sky is a beautiful backdrop behind the palm trees.
“It’s hard to compare to the California sunsets, but this isn’t so bad. Huh?”
I shake my head slowly. “No, it’s perfect.”
I’d never pegged Cam for a romantic, but he’s cooking me dinner and I caught a glimpse of the table. There were candles. And the fact that he remembered how much I love to watch the sunset makes my heart flutter a little bit.
I think I’m in trouble.
“I saw your sister at the grocery store today.” I smirk.
It’s true. I tagged along with Grace to the Fresh Market because I had nothing better to do. As I rounded the corner of the wine aisle I nearly collided with Elizabeth. She looked me up and down, then sidestepped me and kept on going.
“Yeah?” He chuckles. “How’d that go?”
“She pretended she didn’t see me.” I laugh. “When did she become one of those uppity women we used to make fun of?” We always swore we’d never be like those women.
“She’s got that whole resting bitch face down like a boss.” Cam snorts. “Liz and I aren’t close like you and Liam. She’s my sister, and I love her, but she’s not the easiest person to get along with.”
“Like Max and me?”
Cam shrugs. “Yeah, kind of. Are you ever going to tell me why you hate her?”
“I don’t hate your sister, Cam, and I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel that way. I don’t like talking about Elizabeth because I’m afraid I’ll say something out of anger that I’ll later regret. Especially now that Jay is dating Zach. And if you want to know the truth, it’s your sister who hates me.”
“That’s not true. I was little but I remember she cried a lot after you left.”
“Probably because she knew she’d overreacted when she slapped me.” Fuck.
Cam’s eyes go wide. “She slapped you?” he asks in disbelief. “And she lived?”
I snort. “Funny.”
My phone beeps from inside my purse. “Sorry, it’s probably Jay.” I look at the screen to see it’s a text from her letting me know her dance class is over and that she and Lexi are heading to Mac’s for their girls’ night.
“Jay?”
“Yes. She takes a dance class at this adorable little studio next to Lisa’s Salon.”
He nods. “I know where it is.”
Cam and I clean up together, then head into the living room and settle on the sofa. I toss my phone into my purse on the coffee table.
“What are the chances Liam will stick with the ‘naughty nurse’? What’s her name?”
Cam shrugs. “I thought Naughty Nurse was her name.” He smirks and I laugh. “And the chances are zero. Which is sad because she seems like a nice girl.”
“She works for my father,” I tell him.
“And get this, Liam told me her father is the baseball coach at Gulf Coast University.”
I frown. “That’s an odd coincidence. Wasn’t Vanessa’s father your baseball coach?”
Cam nods slowly. “I had lunch with him a few weeks ago.”
“How’s Vanessa?” I actually loved her for Liam. Our whole family did. They dated for years. Then Liam went and fucked it up, and Vanessa left him. Liam was devastated and came close to ending his career. It was awful.
“Coach says she’s happy.”
My phone rings from inside my purse and I frown. Reaching over, I fish it out and see it’s Jay calling. That’s odd.
I swipe the screen and bring the phone to my ear. “Hey.”
“Hey, Mom. Umm… so I was just talking to Harper, and she was telling me that her dad went out of town for work and she’s staying by herself. I was thinking she could come stay with us until he gets back?”
“When is he coming back?”
“I’m not sure. I think she said a couple of months.”
“A couple of months?” I bark. “Who—” Who leaves their kid alone for months without having someone to look after them? Something doesn’t add up. “Yes. Of course she can stay with us. Are you on your way home?”
“I’m already home. Harper is on her way. Where are you?”
“I’m at Cam’s, but I’m heading home now. Jay?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you trust her?”
“Yes.”
“You’re going to have to tell her about your dad.”
There’s a brief pause before she sighs into the phone. “I didn’t even think about that. I’ll tell her.”
“Okay.”
“Love you, mean it,” she chirps before hanging up.
Just as I end the call, another comes in from Bass. “What’s up?”
“I’m heading to the house with Harper.”
“Yeah, I just hung up with Jay. Apparently Harper’s father is out of town for the next couple of months and needs a place to stay.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“We’ll talk. See you in a few.”
“All right.” I toss my phone into my purse and rise from the sofa. “I have to go.” I head to the kitchen to rinse out my wineglass. “There’s drama in the hood, and it looks like it’s about to land on my doorstep.”
“What’s going on?” Cam follows and leans against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.
I turn and mirror his pose. “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure Jay just lied to me.”
Cam chuckles. “No way.”
“I’m afraid so.” I shake my head, disappointed as I push off the counter and head back to the living room. “Thank you for the delicious dinner, the beautiful sunset and the company.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
I pull my purse over my shoulder and Cam opens the door, following me out to my car. “Thanks for coming over.”
Stopping beside my door, I turn to face him. “Your house is beautiful.”
He smiles. “Thanks. The season is almost over, so maybe you can help me pick out some furniture and artwork.” He waves his hand around. “Or whatever you think.”
“I’d love to help, but I think Jessica or my mother would do a better job.”
He leans forward, placing his hands on the roof of my car, caging me in. “I’d rather it be you.”
“Cam—” I start.
“Emerson, I know you’re nowhere near ready for any kind of relationship, and I’m not going to push you. I’m just asking you to spend time with me.”
“I do spend time with you.”
“When the season ends, I’ll be around more. I want to do things with you.”
“Like date?”
“If I say yes, I feel like that’s putting unnecessary pressure on you and our friendship, and I don’t want to do that. You’re not ready.”
“You’re right. I’m not.”
“But you like the kissing?”
“Yes,” I breathe.
“Then I’m going to kiss you.” He dips his head and brushes his lips against mine. “I’m not trying to make you forget him, Emerson. I’m trying to make you feel something other than grief. You said you just want to breathe. Let me be your air.”
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I part my lips, allowing him to slip his tongue into my mouth. He brings one hand up to cup the back of my head while placing the other on my lower back, pulling me closer. Before our kiss becomes heavy, Cam pulls away and rests his forehead against mine.