Bull dog was right. The woman was relentless. It wasn’t even a question or a request. Just a demand to meet her. Man, he loved her. But her love for him gave him gray hair. He chuckled as he tucked his phone in his pocket and walked to his car.
“I thought you might not come.” Kate sat in a corner booth at Meg’s Diner.
Drew sat down across from his sister. “Well, your invitation was so sweet and generous, how could I refuse?”
“Your sarcasm won’t get you out of talking, ya know?”
“Oh, I’m aware.” Drew turned the coffee mug over in front of him, holding it up for the waitress to fill it. “Please make sure it’s leaded. I have to deal with this one this morning.” He motioned to Kate with his other hand.
The waitress laughed. “You got it.”
Kate ignored the jab. “So? What are you going to do?”
What was he going to do? Drew had tossed and turned all night. No, more like laid on his back and stared at the ceiling all night. His mother hadn’t hounded him, but did ask the same thing and hell if he knew what to say. Unlike Kate, his mom let him be and he spent the rest of the night, well, staring at the ceiling. He’d tossed a baseball in the air over and over and over again above his head, something that usually helped him think. But even that brought little insight.
“I hate to say it out loud, but I can’t help but think the best thing for Baylee would be to just go.” He’d hated thinking it. Saying it to his sister was even worse.
“Is that what you want?”
Of course it wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to be with Baylee. Period. End of sentence. But it wasn’t that simple.
“No. But that might be what’s best for her. My job comes with a lot of baggage. She’d be better off without me.”
“That’s not true and you don’t believe that for a second.”
He didn’t. Although he’d sure as hell tried to convince himself of it since the other night. All the mess that came with his life couldn’t even be called baggage. Baggage could be unpacked, dealt with. The stuff he had to put up with followed him wherever he went. It was more like a crazy, rabid dog that went wherever he did and he couldn’t put down.
“She loves you.”
Boy if those words didn’t slice right through him. “I love her too.”
“Then you two can figure this out.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “I would think you’d be waiting for me to say, ‘You’re right, sis. You told me so.’”
Kate looked down in her lap. “Am I really that bad?”
He reached across and lifted her chin with his hand until their eyes met. “No. And you know I was teasing.”
“Sort of.” She rolled her eyes.
“Ah, that’s better. Stick your tongue out at me and I’ll know we’re all good.”
“I’m saving that for when I really need it.”
Of that, he had no doubt. “What can I say, Kate? You did warn me.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her with a hand up.
“No. It’s true. You did. And I didn’t listen. I tumbled right into this and now it’s my job to get myself... figured out.”
“And you really think just leaving is the answer?’
“I have to leave, Kate. There’s no question about that.”
“But you’ll talk to Baylee first.”
“Of course. What kind of jerk do you think I am?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t. I know you wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. But... what if she wants this? Wants to make it work?”
If that were true, then Drew would go back to baseball, skipping like an idiot. But something in his gut said to prepare for the worst. He and Baylee loved each other, but they both questioned if that could weather the storm. And he loved her enough to walk away, if that was what was best for her and Casey. But he prayed for a different answer, one that would come to him, and come to him fast.
Chapter Nineteen
Drew knocked on Baylee’s door. Unlike the many times he’d done so before, a sense of dread filled his system rather than joy. Saying goodbye to her was something he knew had to happened, but not like this. Not with things so up in the air between them. He’d thought... hell, he didn’t know what he’d thought, other than it would all work out. When he’d become such an optimist, he had no clue. His mouth curved into a smile. He did know. It was the minute Baylee came into his life.
He’d come to Silver Bay grumpy and without hope. His mind set for sure on losing baseball. Having to walk away from the one thing he’d loved for as long as he could remember. But Baylee gave him hope. Believed in him. Showed him he had another chance. Now he had that chance, but most likely would lose her. Wasn’t that just a kick in the shins?
The front door opened.
“Hey. Come on in.”
The smile she gave was sweet, but her eyes were dim. Not a good sign.
“You sure?”
Her laugh lifted his spirits for a moment. “Of course. I invited you to dinner, didn’t I? I’m not going to make you eat it out there on the front porch.”
Teasing him brought more of a glimmer to her eyes, but the air of tension between them was still there. Not as thick, but it was there. And Drew hated it.
He entered the house and stood in the entryway.
“Drew. Come in. As in, all the way in the house.” She took his hand and led him to sit at a tall stool along the kitchen counter. “Sit and talk to me while I finish dinner.”
Her casual way with him began to chip away at the fear that had built up over the past couple days. Fear that she’d tell him to hit the road, never look back. That his life was too much for her.
She moved around the kitchen, humming to a tune only she could hear in her head. “Casey is over at my mom’s tonight. I wanted us to be able to have some time to ourselves.”
Drew liked that idea. Although he was disappointed he wouldn’t see Casey. Depending on how things went, he would either leave the next day, or wait a few more. After talking to Kate, he’d decided that the sooner he left, the better, if he and Baylee were going to cut ties, but would wait until the last minute if she wanted him to. A lot was riding on the evening, on what she wanted.
“I know you’re a man of few words, but this is getting ridiculous.” She stood in front of the stove, stirring what looked and smelled like the marinara sauce made in heaven.
“Sorry. Too much on my mind.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
“Not sure yet.”
She nodded and looked down into the pot of sauce. “The other night, I didn’t mean to imply I wanted us to be over, Drew. I was just being honest that the whole attention from the outside world things is tough. I’m not used to it.”
The knot in his gut eased a bit at her words. “Okay.”
“I know you thought otherwise. I wasn’t saying it was over. I’m a simple, small-town girl. Your world? It might just be too big for me.”
Now she had him all confused. He stood and made his way into the kitchen. She set down the spoon she’d been using to stir and turned to face him.
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Baylee, what do you want?”
Her eyes found his, her emerald depths lined with tears yanked at his heart.
“I don’t know.” She shook her head and closed her eyes, causing a stray tear to run down her cheek. Her neck craned again to look up at him. “No. I know I want you in my life, in Casey’s life. I want us to make this work. I want you to end your career on a positive note. I want to be strong enough to handle all the attention you get. I want to not worry about you, about who you’re with and how that could get skewed in the news. I want to stay here in Silver Bay, but I want to be with you too. I want all these things but none of them can happen at the same time.” She buried her head in her hands.
He wrapped his arms around her, one hand cradling her head to his chest as she cried. Why did it have to be so complicated? He wanted all those things
too.
“I could quit. End my career right now.”
She pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes fierce. “No! Don’t you even think that, let alone say it, Drew MacIntire.”
As much as he fought it, a grin escaped on his lips. “I’ve never seen you this feisty before, Miss Baylee. I’ll admit, I kinda like it.” And damn, if her intense support of him staying in baseball didn’t make him love her all the more. He was doomed.
One hand pushed on his chest as the other swiped away tears. “Oh! You go sit back down so I can finish dinner.”
She turned from him, but not before he saw a glimpse of a smile on her face. A tissue pulled from the pocket of her apron and a swipe of her face with it wiped away her sadness and brought back her resolve. The spoon once again was in her hand as she stirred the sauce.
Water boiled in another pot. She set down the spoon and placed pasta in the water with ease. It sank down in and began to cook. Drew took his spot on the counter stool again and watched her work. Nothing more was said while she finished making their meal. Both of them content to soak in the simplicity of being in the same room. Yet another thing he loved about Baylee. She could just be. Didn’t have to fill silence with chit chat or solve the world’s problems every time they were together. But rather, enjoyed the art of cooking while she hummed.
It was much the same as they sat and ate fresh baked garlic bread, pasta with heavenly marinara sauce, and tossed Caesar salad. She did update Drew on how things were going for Casey in school. He was doing well, but the cost was substantial. Again, he tampered down the desire to ask how much Casey’s father’s contributed, but didn’t want to pry. If he and Baylee stayed together, however, he had every intention of taking that worry off her plate. Casey would go to the best schools possible for the rest of his life if Drew had anything to say about it.
Jenny called and asked if Casey could come home. He was wanting to be in his own house and getting a bit fussy about it. Drew wanted nothing more than the three of them to be together, so after cleaning up dinner, they sat on the sofa and watched baseball together, Casey rattling off the batting averages of every player.
It was then that Drew decided he would leave. The next day. It sounded calloused, but it wasn’t. The evening was perfect. It couldn’t be replicated if they tried. He had to. He was going anyway. If he stayed a few more days, they would only be spent somber and focused on what would be instead what was, right then in that moment. And that was him, Casey, and Baylee. Together.
Drew hugged Casey goodnight and said goodbye. He waited on the front porch while Baylee tucked Casey in for the night. When he heard the front door creak open, he turned to see Baylee step outside, her eyes already brimmed with tears.
“You’re going, aren’t you?”
A nod was all he could manage.
She did the same in return. “Your goodbye with him was different tonight.”
“I will come back, Baylee. This isn’t goodbye for good.”
“I know. But maybe the break will be good. We can actually see how we do with the distance and all...” Her voice trailed off and she looked out into the yard, arms wrapped around herself to hold together.
They could try and convince themselves all they wanted that being apart would be good, but they were kidding themselves. Sure, it might show them what it would be like, but it wouldn’t be good. Any time away from her wasn’t good. Would never be.
She stepped into his arms, her body fitting against him like it was made for him. Her hands rubbed his back as she buried her head in his chest and cried. His fingers toyed with her hair, the curls wrapping around like strands of silk against his skin.
When she pulled back, she looked up at him. “Okay. I’m done. No more tears.”
He nodded in agreement and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Bay.”
“I love you too.”
His mouth claimed hers, all the emotion and tenderness he felt for her poured into their kiss.
How he had the strength to step away, get in the car, and drive away, he’d never know. But the view of her in his rearview mirror burned into his memory and tore his heart from his chest.
Drew looked out the window of the 747. The New York skyline looked majestic from thousands of feet in the air. He’d always loved flying into the city, especially at night. But not this time. A heaviness set in as soon as he drove away from Baylee’s house and weighed him down.
Leaving a few days earlier than he’d planned gave him time to stop by his place in New York before heading to Florida for spring training. As the plane set its wheels down, Drew took a deep breath in and let it out. He was back. Back to his life, his world. All that he’d known before Silver Bay. Before Baylee. Was there even such a thing? She filled every corner of his thoughts. Every fiber of his being.
He found his bags in baggage claim without a fuss and met with the driver Monica had set up for him. The town car dropped him at his apartment with enough time to shower, change his clothes, then meet Monica.
They chose the coffee shop in the lobby of his building. A few known actors and professional athletes lived there so the place was discreet. It was one reason Drew chose the place. Not only was his apartment suitable for him, meaning small, simple, and low maintenance, but the security was tight and he could breathe there. No worries of photos or anything leaked to the press.
“Hey, you.” Monica sat down in the chair across from him. “How you holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’d hug you but, good heavens, I feel just awful about that picture. I don’t want to give the piranhas anymore ammo. My friend, Anna, feels bad too.”
“Wasn’t her fault. Or yours.”
“Still, I’m sorry.” She pointed to his empty cup and said, “Hey, let me get you another cup of coffee. My treat.”
She stood and headed to the counter before he even had time to answer. Being his assistant, of course she knew what coffee he liked without having to ask.
He’d shown up early, mostly because he was antsy in his apartment all alone and wanted somewhere to go. What used to be a haven for him from the world, a private place for him to relax, unwind, no one peering into the windows of his life, was now a hollow shell of an apartment.
He’d never recognized until he got back a mere few hours ago how sterile it all was. He’d had Monica rent furniture for him but any art on the walls was something Monica had asked the furniture place to put up that matched the décor. It wasn’t personal. It was a place to sleep, eat, and shower when he needed. That was it.
Not like Baylee’s place with Casey’s drawings on the refrigerator or framed photos of Baylee with her mom and sister. No tennis shoes by the front door, waiting to be put on to go outside and play. No signs of life. The past month he’d been saying to everyone – Kate, Baylee, his mom – that he had to go back to his life, but what life? His life was baseball. There was nothing past that.
“You think any harder and your head might explode.” Monica returned with their coffee, his a simple cup of black and hers a tall iced something with eight words in the name that women always liked to order. He could never remember.
“So, talk.”
Until that moment, he’d never seen the similarities between Kate and Monica, but those two words gave him the sense he was sitting at a table with his sister again instead of his assistant.
He laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Sorry.” He shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “I’m back. What else is there to say?”
“Oh, there’s more.”
“Okay. I leave the day after tomorrow for Florida, which you already known since you booked everything for me. Tyler says I’m ready. I feel good. I think I have a shot at my spot.”
“Nice try, but no.”
Drew took a deep breath and let it out. “Fine. We left with things... uncertain.”
“Uncertain?” Monica drew a big sip of her drink from the straw the length of
her arm.
“Yeah. Baylee’s unsure of how this can work. All the long distance. The attention. The noise, as you call it.”
Monica shook her head. “I don’t blame her. Man. I put up with a lot of crap working for you guys. Thank God my husband trusts me one hundred percent and knows there’s no funny business. Ever. But the piranhas sure know how to tweak a story.”
Drew wasn’t Monica’s only client. She worked with a few other ball players, all from his team, but she did know as well as he did what it was like.
“Do you want this?”
Her question stopped his coffee mug as he guided it to his mouth. “Do I want what?”
“You and Baylee? Do you want it?”
“Yes.” The word came without hesitation.
He’d been gone from Baylee and Casey for not even twenty-four hours and he ached to see them again. Hold her close.
Monica gave him a hard nod of her head. “Then it will happen.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“You didn’t become one of the best pitchers in baseball by sitting back and letting things go by that you wanted in life. If you want it to happen, it will happen. And from what you’ve told me of this ‘baking bombshell’ of yours, then you’ll do just fine. You tell her I can make that nickname work for her, too. I’m not one to compliment the press, but it’s a good one.” She took another sip of her iced coffee. “Besides, I want some of these cookies you’re always telling me about.”
Drew laughed. Monica was a fireball, for sure. Damn good at her job, too. He appreciated the spark of hope she lit in his mind. He just prayed to God she was right.
Chapter Twenty
Drew took a deep breath in, let the scent of fresh cut grass fill his nose. The Florida sunshine beat against his back, the cotton of his t-shirt he wore under his uniform sticking to his skin from sweat. He took his cap off, swiped his brow with his forearm, then placed the cap back on his head. He breathed in leather as he lifted his glove with the ball inside close to his face, the beginning of his pitching stance. In one smooth motion, he curled up his front leg, whipped his arm around and released the ball from his hand. Its trajectory landed it right in the catcher’s glove. Strike.
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