Curveball: A Second Chance Romance (Double Play Series Book 1)

by Nicole Rodrigues

  His smiles grows wider and winks.

  “Of course, mi alma.”

  I let out a frustrated breath and lean over the desk, to show Chavez the plans. I turn my computer screen so that he can see, but I'm well aware that his eyes are on my cleavage and he has no interest in the events Savannah has planned for him.

  After I talk all about the marketing strategy that I plan to use to promote the meet and greet in two weeks, I look over to him and his gaze snaps up to mine.

  “So, any feedback? Anything you wanna change?” I ask.

  “Not at all. The brains and the beauty, I trust you,” he says, reaching out for my hand across the desk.

  I keep it firm and shake his hand. He smiles, knowing exactly what I'm doing and walks slowly to the door. With his hand on the knob he turns around.

  “I'll be in touch, linda.”

  He walks out the door and I plop down in my seat. Savannah pokes her head in the door with a smile.

  “How'd it go with Chavez?” she asks.

  “He’s uh...smooth.”

  “He hit on you, didn't he?” she says frustrated.

  “Yeah…”

  “Dammit. I'll straighten him out next time. It's tough bein’ a woman in this field. Keep your head up and don't take any shit. You'll be fine.”

  “Yeah,” I say weakly.

  “Oh Charlotte, please say you ain't lettin’ that asshole get to you. I swear I'll call him back here and we'll stomp his balls together.”

  “No, it ain't that,” I say laughing. “It's just...I miss the kids. I'm so happy workin’ here but the house is quiet. I mean before the kids I was always by your house with Gabriel or he was by mine. I don't know how to be alone,” I say defeated.

  I love being able to relax and sip a nice glass of wine as I cuddle with a good book, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the chaos.

  “Let's go out tonight,” Savannah says, jumping up from her seat.

  “I...I don't know Sav. I don't even think I have clothes to go out anymore and if I do, they probably don't fit.”

  “Oh shut up! You look exactly the same as you did in high school. I swear, if you didn't tell me you had kids, I would have never guessed. You look as good as ever. Finish up the paperwork on Chavez and let's go!” she says, walking to the door.

  I smile and roll my eyes.

  “Fine. Gimme five minutes.”

  We hail a cab outside the office and drive into downtown. We stop outside of a bar and Savannah throws cash to the cab driver.

  “I got drinks,” I say, as she weaves her arm through mine.

  “We’ll see,” she says, smiling devilishly.

  We show our IDs to the security guard outside and walk in. The crowd is young, really young, and I immediately feel out of place. I follow Savannah towards the bar and she motions to the bartender.

  “Two red wines, Malbec?” she asks, looking over to me. I nod.

  The bartender grabs the bottle, sets our glasses down and pours the wine. We grab the glasses and clink them together.

  “To new beginnings,” Savannah says.

  I smile and nod.

  “So, what do you think about the company so far? You enjoyin’ it?”

  “I love it. You structured the company so well, it's a dream.”

  “Thanks. I structured it the same way as my first company. It worked out well there so-”

  “Savvy Gavinwood?”

  I turn at the sound of a southern drawl and my heart stops in my chest. The face attached to the voice comes into view and I let out a breath. I look over at Savannah questioningly and her jaw is on the floor. Her eyes shamelessly roam down the man in front of us and I stifle a giggle.

  “H..Hi Jax,” she stutters.

  Oh. I need to know the story behind this.

  “How ya been, Savvy?”

  Her cheeks redden and the man notices, smirking.

  “Great you?” she asks quickly.

  “I'm good. In town for a game, headin- back out tomorrow. You want a drink?” he asks, nodding towards the bar.

  Her gaze snaps to me and the man finally notices she's not alone.

  “My mama would smack me, where are my manners? I'm Jackson Turner,” he says, putting his hand towards me.

  I shake it and smile.

  “Charlotte Daniels.”

  His eyes widen slightly, but then his expression changes.

  “Nice to meet you,” he says cooly.

  He thinks I didn't notice that little slip up, but I did. I'll have to ask Savannah about that later.

  “Can I get y'all drink?”

  “We’re havin’ a girl's night, I’m sorry,” Savannah says. “It was great to see you, Jax.”

  She grabs my hand and drags me away from the bar and Jackson.

  “What was that about?” I ask.

  “One of Gabriel's old friends from Houston.”

  “Oh yeah? Looked more than that. He knew who I was, didn't he?”

  “Gabriel probably talked about you, a lot but no, we never...it wasn't like that with us.”

  “Hmm I'm not buyin’ it, but I'm also not in the mood to talk about men. Let's get drunk, I'm sleepin’ over,” I say laughing.

  “Deal.”

  She smiles at me and I feel our friendship starting to grow again. I know when I tell her about the twins, she is going to be hurt, but hopefully whatever we've been mending, can withstand it.

  Chapter 7

  Charlotte

  I park my truck and walk towards the facility and immediately see Devin. He's talking to another boy about his height and they are laughing. It's only been a few months, but his arms look more muscular and his upper body looks more filled out. I see some scruff on his face and I shake my head.

  “Hey Daniels, they don't give you razors in rookie ball?” I yell to him.

  He looks over and his face breaks into a smile. He runs towards me and picks me up, spinning me and I laugh.

  “I've missed you Mama,” he whispers in my ear.

  I hear the emotion he is trying to hide, and I push my own emotion deep down inside and lock it up.

  “Baby, look at you,” I say, pulling back from our hug and grabbing his shoulders. “Where did these muscles come from?” I ask, smacking his chest.

  He blushes and the boy he was talking to comes up next to him.

  “Well, DJ told me he didn't have a girl, but apparently he's been holdin’ out on us. If he don't treat you right sweetie, you come on over to daddy Maclin,” says the boy, grabbing my hand and kissing the top of it.

  I shake my head furiously.

  “That's my mama, Mac,” Devin says through gritted teeth.

  The boy's eyes widen, and he drops my hand quickly.

  “S..so sorry ma'am,” he says stuttering.

  I look down at my appearance and I guess I could pass for a teenager. My hair is pulled up high in a messy bun and I opted for my glasses today, rather than my contacts. I'm sporting a Louie State softball sweatshirt and I have on jeans and sneakers.

  Considering I had the twins at eighteen years old, my only being 36 and having two eighteen year olds myself, always threw people for a loop. I laugh and shake my head.

  “Nice to meet you, Maclin. You takin’ care of my baby, here?” I ask, winking at Devin.

  “Y..yes ma'am,” he says, still shocked.

  I pat Devin on the back and we start walking towards the building.

  “Let's go meet this coach of yours. Y'all gettin’ along better or still buttin’ heads?” I ask curiously.

  I feel Devin stiffen under my touch and pull his arm to stop him.

  “I uh...you ain't gonna be happy when you meet him,” he says, looking down at the ground.

  “Why's that?” I ask curiously.

  “Let's just say you ain't a fan of his,” he says, continuing to walk and opens the door to let me walk through first.

  “What's so bad about Tony Brighton? Grandpa Hank was a big fan of his back in the day. I can't
wait to meet him.”

  “Well yeah, that's my pitchin’ coach. Here let's get some food.”

  He lightly pushes more towards the buffet line and I look around.

  “Where's your sister? I thought she was hitchin’ a ride with her roommate yesterday?” I ask, grabbing a plate.

  “We uh..went out last night. She's sleepin’ it off,” he says smirking.

  “Devin Daniels, you're supposed to watch out for your sister, not corrupt her!” I scold him.

  “She’s fine, I took care of her. She tried to keep up with the boys and me.”

  “Well ain't you supposed to be playin, ball and not partyin’ it up like spring break?” I ask, admonishing him.

  “Take it easy Mama, it wasn't like that. We all just went over to one of the guys places and had a good time. Nothin’, crazy, she's fine,” he says, putting a hand on my shoulder to reassure me.

  The twins were never much of partiers in high school, but now that they're not at home, it makes me nervous that I have no idea what kinds of trouble they're getting into.

  I shake my head and walk down the food line, grabbing some salad, a couple pieces of steak and a sandwich. I turn away from the line and run right into a hard body, spilling my food all over his t shirt.

  My nostrils flare with the familiar scent and I freeze. I slowly look up the perfectly chiseled chest, up past a thick neck with a bobbing adam's apple, past some chin stubble and a hard set jaw. My eyes graze over thick lips, lips I've devoured for hours on end, lips that have feasted on every part of me. I look past the crooked nose that was broken back in HS defending my honor. I finally get to the eyes of the man I just spilled my whole lunch on, the bluest eyes, the eyes that I've looked into for the past eighteen years, my son's eyes, Gabriel's eyes, his father.

  “Hi Charlie,” he says slowly, smiling.

  The shock on my face isn't mirrored in his and my eyebrows pinch together.

  “G..Gabriel,” I stutter.

  “Mama, this is my coach Gabriel Gavinwood. Coach, this is my mama Char--”

  “Charlie Daniels.”

  He says my name sexily as his smile widens.

  “How the hell are ya, Charlie?”

  “So y'all do know each other?” Devin asks from next to us.

  I shake my head to clear my gaze and my eyes snap to Gabriel's.

  “Oh yeah, we know each other,” I say cooly.

  Gabriel and I just stare at each other and Devin clears his throat.

  “I uh...I'm gonna go grab us a table,” says Devin, walking away from us.

  Gabriel's smile falters and he grabs my hand, dragging me down a corridor off to the side. He pulls us into a room and slams the door shut behind him.

  “I knew it! I had all these suspicions when I met Devin and it all fell into place,” he says, turning on me.

  He walks briskly towards me and I step back, bumping against the wall.

  “You have some explainin’ to do Charlotte,” he says, lowering his voice.

  “You knew? What, were you plannin’ on ambushin’ me like this?” I ask, pushing against his chest.

  He doesn't move, and I huff out a breath.

  “I had my suspicions the more he talked. From the same small town, lefty, the eyes, the attitude, he's a twin, Mama that was supposed to go play at Louie state, Devin John Daniels,” he spats.

  “Congratulations Sherlock, you figured it out,” I say sarcastically. “Now let me go, so I can spend time with, my son,” I say, trying to move past him again.

  He grabs my shoulder and pins me back against the wall, the spot where he touched me screaming for more attention. My body immediately comes alive and it's like no time has passed at all. It reaches out for Gabriel's touch, just like it always had.

  Whenever we were together, there was always one part of our body that always had to be touching. I needed his touch to keep me alive. Whenever we were apart, it felt like a piece of me was missing. Half of my heart is sleeping off a hangover and the other half is in the next room, but I feel a small piece of my heart sliding into place at Gabriel's touch. A very small piece but a piece, nonetheless.

  My breath hitches and I look down at the contact. Gabriel notices and pulls his hand away, as if it's been burnt.

  “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you,” he says, shaking his head.

  I don't know if he means right now or eighteen years ago, but I put my hand up to protest.

  “We can talk, I owe you that much, but don't put your hands on me again. Let me have a day with my son,” I say, brushing past him.

  “What do you need, Charlotte? At least tell me that.”

  “I haven’t needed anything from you for eighteen years, Gabriel. I've handled things well on my own so far, I can handle the rest, thanks. If you haven’t noticed, no one has been bangin’ down your door for child support, they're eighteen now. We have it covered.”

  “Charlie…” he says, his voice pleading.

  Do not look into his eyes. Do. Not. Look. Into. His. Eyes. Don’t do it Charlotte. I swear to...dammit.

  “Gabriel…”

  I shake my head and close my eyes, silently pleading with him to not jerk me around.

  He is so close, I can smell his cologne. The same scent. He wore the same cologne all these years later. I can't handle this. I thought I was stronger than this, but I’m not. I open my eyes and walk towards the door.

  “Are you gonna tell him or should I?” he asks, stopping me in my tracks.

  The moment is over and I wheel around, gritting my teeth.

  “Don't you dare. You and I will have it out and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. So help me God, Gabriel Gavinwood, if you tell my son behind my back, I will fuckin’ castrate you.”

  “Always with that filthy mouth,” he says, his voice dripping with sex.

  He puts his hand on the hem of his t shirt and pulls it up over his body, tossing it on the floor.

  My God. The tall cut boy transformed into a man. Muscles on top of muscles coat his bare chest and arms and his veins pulse through his tan skin. What would it feel like to have all that power commanding my body?

  “What...what the hell are ya doin’?” I shriek, my voice high and breathy.

  “You dirtied my shirt, remember?”

  He rummages around in his closet and I shake my head. I turn on my heels walking back towards the door, but he is in front of me, blocking the way out.

  “Don't deny this chemistry, Charlotte. You still feel it.”

  He smiles against my neck and kisses it. I don't know how long we stand there, but when I open my eyes, three things occur to me: he’s gone, my panties are wet and I am royally screwed.

  “What was that about? I thought you said y'all didn't know each other?” Devin asks, eying me.

  I pick through my food, looking down.

  “Did I say that?” I feign confusion, still not making eye contact with him.

  “I should have told you he was my coach, but I know you ain't a big fan of his, so I just...never said nothin’.”

  “It's fine, Dev. How's trainin’ been?” I ask, changing the subject.

  If I think too much more about Gabriel, I'll start to have thoughts that I shouldn't be having, while talking to my son.

  “Good, tough. I'm learning a lot though. Coach is a douche, but he knows his stuff.”

  “Good, I'm glad. I can't wait to watch your first game,” I say smiling, pinching his cheek.

  He shakes my hand off and looks up and over my shoulder.

  “She lives,” he smirks.

  I turn around and see Bella walking towards us, her hair in a messy bun, glasses on and her Louie State sweatshirt, matching me.

  “Shut up,” she snaps, sitting down next to me, giving Devin the stink eye.

  “Bella Daniels, I thought I taught you better than that,” I say, shaking my head.

  She grumbles and lets her head fall on the table.

  “Stop talkin’ so loud Mama,” she says, he
r voice muffled by her sweatshirt sleeve.

  “Get some food in you and go grab some water. Did you take anything?”