“Did it?”
“I’ve been told it’s elegant, especially for a lefty.”
“You’re left-handed too? Like me?”
“Just like you.”
Gabriel appeared to be concentrating pretty hard on something, and that made me nervous. Who knew what was going on in that head of his? It could be anything. That is how I suspected Holly felt like around me. Gabriel ran over and picked up the soccer ball, offering it to me. “Here. You try to score.”
I stared at the ball, unable to move. I hadn’t touched anything related to sports since my injury and never considered how difficult it would be. My subconscious had kept it from me, shielding me. Even when I’d purchased the items for the baseball game, a salesperson had collected everything and placed it in a bag. It was all still on the floor in my bedroom.
Gabriel waited patiently, holding the ball out to me. I eyed it warily. “You go ahead. I’ll watch,” I said like the scared chickenshit I was.
He seemed to understand my fear, but he didn’t lower the ball. “I’ll hold it until you’re ready.” How did the kid see so much?
Reluctantly, I placed my hand on the leather. True to his word, he held it steady, giving me the courage to keep trying. It shouldn’t be this difficult, but it was. The five-year-old in front of me was the only reason I had an ounce of bravery. Even if I couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t think less of me. This gentle spirit he had was all from Holly.
I placed another hand underneath it, Gabriel waiting until he was certain I had it before releasing it. He gave me a toothy grin as I held the ball to my stomach. My unease evaporated, and I tightened my grip on the leather.
“You can drop it now.”
Holly and Carlos snickered.
“Right,” I said, letting it fall to the grass with a thud. It had been a lot of years, and I hadn’t played much soccer, but my body knew what to do. I advanced the ball, and Gabriel had it away from me in no time. He was quick, and I chased him down, proud of how good his reflexes were.
“Don’t go easy on him, or he’ll get so far ahead you can’t catch up,” Carlos warned. “I haven’t beat him yet.”
I liked that he hadn’t coddled Gabriel once he figured out he was good enough to play competitively even though he was so much smaller. “I see what you mean.”
I managed to steal the ball away from Gabriel, but he never lost concentration, getting it back and shooting it past Carlos to score. We high-fived, celebrating like we’d won the World Cup. It didn’t matter that we were on a rooftop in Manhattan. This was what I loved about sports. The camaraderie. Just having fun. Sharing it with this little boy—my son—was special in a way I’d never experienced.
My pack of cigarettes fell out of my shirt pocket as I bent to scoop up the ball. Gabriel picked them up, but he didn’t immediately give them back. Shit. I felt guiltier about him seeing that than I had when my mother caught me.
“These are bad for you, Mr. Drew.” Shame filled me, this little guy making me feel like I’d let him down. “Please don’t smoke anymore.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” I said, dropping down to one knee. “You promise me right now you’ll never touch one of these things, and I promise that I won’t again either.” It would be hard, but I could keep it for Gabriel.
He stuck out his right hand, and I put mine in his. We shook like men. “Deal.”
“Give those to your dad so he can get rid of them.” Holly and Carlos looked surprised I had so easily conceded, but the smile on Gabriel’s face was worth it.
“Throw these away please, Daddy,” he said, handing them to Carlos, who looked at me to see what I wanted to do.
“Thanks,” I said. He stuffed them in his shirt pocket, and I already felt naked without them on me. But I’d get used to it. “Now let’s see if I can score on you.”
My attention went back to Gabriel.
“You’re on.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Drew
It was cold as all get-out.
But I barely noticed.
At a park not too far from the apartment building, a crowd had gathered for the baseball game I’d promised Gabriel. The only girl playing with us was Mulaney. Vivian, Muriella, and Holly were huddled around Mama, Valentina Salvatore, and Grandma Carter with blankets piled on top of them. Even Dad and Donato Salvatore were on the field with us.
I’d surprised all of them when I showed up with equipment for Gabriel. Carlos had let me show my boy how to play, giving us our moment. Gabriel was a natural. I only had to make a slight adjustment to the placement of his hands on the bat. The first time he swung at the ball on the tee, he hit a damn line drive. I’d been so excited, I picked him up and swung him around instead of letting him run for first base.
When we teed the ball back up, he did it again, this time sprinting for the bag. Easton pointed at the mound with his chin as Stone tossed me the ball. He moved the tee and picked up a bat, doing a few practice swings before getting set. We’d done this a million times. Me at the mound, him at bat. It was as if no time at all had passed except I hadn’t thrown a pitch in almost twenty years.
I worked the ball in my hands, feeling everyone’s eyes on me. My shoulder probably couldn’t take this.
Easton lifted his brows, wondering why I was taking so long. I caught sight of a wild mane of curls near the fence at the entrance to the park, and my heart sped up. The damn woman was daring me all the way across the grass. Then there was Gabriel. He wanted to see what I could do.
So I wound up and pitched to impress a girl and a little boy. Easton got a piece of it, but the ball went foul.
“I remember you being a lot better than that,” Easton called. The trash talk had started.
“I could say the same to you,” I shot back, and he flashed me a smile.
I put more heat on the ball. Strike. Easton’s grin widened. “I let you have that one,” he said.
“The hell you did,” I protested.
“Mr. Drew, you have to put money in the cuss jar,” Gabriel called.
“Finally. Someone who’s going to put more in than me,” Mulaney chimed in.
“We’re going to have to work out some other form of payment,” I said.
“I’ll think about it,” Gabriel said.
“Get ready to run, Gabriel,” Easton said when I wound up to pitch.
“You think you’ll hit this one?” I taunted, throwing him a curve ball. He clipped the ball, but it went straight to me. “Run, Gabriel,” I said as I picked it up, throwing Easton out.
“I see how it is,” he said as he trotted toward first base, switching places with his wife. We didn’t have enough people, so we were all on the same team. “Gabriel gets preference over me now.” He winked at me, and Mulaney tossed me the ball.
I struck everybody out, and Gabriel was still stuck on second base. Dad approached the mound. “You’re up.”
A twinge of nerves went through me. This was old school, my father pitching to me. My shoulder was already sore, but I sucked it up, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
The old man could pitch. I had a swing and a miss the first two throws, but I knocked the third one almost out of the park—too far for Carlos to get it before I could make it home.
“Run, Gabriel. Go home,” I yelled, taking off for first.
I kept my eyes on him the entire time as he got to third, barely paying attention to where I was going as I rounded the bases but cheering when he made it to home plate.
He was waiting on me as I ran home, jumping up and down, whooping as we fist-bumped. This was better than winning the College World Series by a mile. My throat clogged up, my eyes stinging when they landed on my mother. She wiped away tears in between clapping.
And just like that, my love for baseball was rekindled.
I’d missed her more than I’d allowed myself to believe. Seeing Gabriel’s excitement reminded me what it was that had made me love her so much in the first place. The sport could be selfi
sh, but it ultimately was about the team. I’d forgotten that along the way. The reminder was striking.
I set Gabriel on his feet, and he took off for Carlos. “Daddy, Daddy. Did you see me?”
That didn’t hurt as much as it normally would have, the happiness I felt overruling all else. Everyone gathered near my mother and grandmother, but I strolled over to Sonya, who was a sight for sore eyes.
She was beautiful, the wind catching her hair and blowing it in her face. Her hands were in the pockets of her jacket. I turned my baseball hat backward on my head and leaned on the fence, matching her lackadaisical attitude. In truth, my pulse pounded in my veins, but the tigress would be disappointed if I just fell at her feet. She expected more than that.
“Guess you’re not half bad.” She shrugged.
We were off to a decent start.
“I’m better than that, and you know it.”
“Glad to see that your ego hasn’t deflated in the last week,” she said dryly, though the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
“You’re not here to make me feel good about myself, and I doubt you like watching a family baseball game. Why are you here? Besides missing me so much you couldn’t function?”
She shoved a finger in my chest. “I never pegged you for family baseball games.”
“Neither did I.”
“Can’t believe they let you play with them,” she observed, glancing around.
I didn’t take my eyes off her. “My brother and I are on speaking terms. Mostly. With the rest of them, it’s touch and go.” It was easier to make light of it.
Sam raced over and charged the fence to get to Sonya.
“Hi,” she said, her voice up a few octaves. He put his paws up on the fence, and she leaned over, rubbing down his sides. His reception was far better than mine.
When she stopped, he sat positioned so he could see Mama and be close to Sonya.
“What do you know about some old lady returning my jewelry?”
“That old lady is my Grandma Carter. I dare you to say that to her face.” She’d come to New York to be close to Mama while she recovered . . . and she’d done a little of my dirty work.
“I will.” She wasn’t scared, the stubborn set of her jaw making me want to reach over the fence and grab her.
“I want a front-row seat for that. My money’s on her.”
“You don’t have any money,” she pointed out.
“Make of it what you will.”
“Thank you for getting the jewelry back to me. I . . . It’s just that was the last time I really gave my mother a reason to be proud of me.” Sonya looked down for a second before her eyes met mine. “I panicked when it was gone because maybe there wouldn’t be another chance. One that was real anyway.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore. This fence was in my way. I reached over it, planted my hands on her hips, and lifted her over.
“There’s a gate right there,” she protested, even as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Yes, but if you’d used that, I wouldn’t have had an excuse to get my hands on you.” I buried my face against her neck. “Not that I need one.”
“I was going to apologize for what I did to you, but you can forget that.”
“I don’t want the words anyway. You’ll show me just how much you mean it.” I couldn’t resist taunting her.
“The hell I will. After watching you today, I did the right thing.”
“I agree.”
She backed away from me. “You do?”
“Yep.”
“Aren’t you going to apologize to me?” she prompted.
I pulled her against me. “Actions, sugar. I’m a man of action.”
“No shit.” Lines creased her forehead. “What are all those numbers you put in my jewelry box?”
“I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to be on your knees an awful lot.”
“For what?”
“Because I saved you.”
“Oh please. You make amends for a few things, and all the sudden you’re a hero?”
I stifled a laugh, loving it when I riled her up. “You know me better than that.” I tapped the end of her nose in a gesture she hated, just so I could get that glare she shot at me. She tried to back away when I pushed my hard-on against her. I held her so she couldn’t, though it did nothing to relieve the pressure. If anything, it intensified it. “I expected you to vet your sugar daddies a little better, Tigress. Did you know that the coin you took was stolen?”
“What?”
“Turns out the fucker who hit you in the face lifted it from someone who didn’t appreciate the gesture, and they were willing to pay to get it back. Not only that, but they also wanted to punish him. All your problems are solved. Say thank you, sugar.”
“Whatever.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “I’m glad we’re all settled up.”
“How do you figure that?” she asked.
“You’re here.”
“I don’t forgive easily.”
“You’re going to have to get over that.” I shifted when I felt her leg move, just in time to avoid getting kneed in the balls. “I’m going to have to wear a cup all the time, aren’t I?”
“Yes, because you’re always going to be an ass.”
“You wouldn’t want it any other way.”
I smashed my mouth to hers, sweet relief rushing through me when her tongue swept between my parted lips. She was claiming me and forgiving me all at once.
“There are children here,” Mulaney yelled at us when Sonya wrapped her legs around my waist.
“I know you want me, but you’re going to have to learn some patience.”
“I’m sure you can find an alley to satisfy me in on the way home.”
“Home?” I set her on her feet and tangled my fingers with hers, leading her over to where everyone was watching us.
“Yes. Home,” she confirmed. “That Four Seasons place you mentioned . . . turns out the bed is cold and the shower is too big. And they couldn’t get me a quilt like your grandma’s.”
“You’re not going to find that anywhere but in my bed.”
“I thought your brother had one like it.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, and she grinned wickedly. “I’m glad you’re back. I was running out of clean underwear.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“Don’t you want to take care of your man?” I asked, batting my lashes at her. She slapped me in the chest. “It’s just as well. With all your money, we can hire someone to do that.”
“How much was that finder’s fee?”
It had taken her long enough to ask. Daniel had gotten more than he’d initially said he could. I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Two point six five.”
“Two point six five what?” she demanded, stopping in her tracks.
“Did you know that coin was from the 1700s?” I tried to keep a straight face as hers turned livid.
“Drew. How much?”
“You don’t care about the history?”
“No,” she huffed, gripping my shirt in her fists.
“It’s really quite fascinating,” I said in a museum curator voice. “Back in the eighteenth century—”
“Drew.”
I grinned. “Million.”
“You’re kidding.” Her mouth parted in disbelief.
Damn, I loved shocking her. “Nope. Don’t lose that account number, sugar. I don’t have it written down anywhere else.” She growled at me, and I kissed her forehead. “Once we sell my condo in Houston, we should be able to get by for a while.”
“You didn’t keep any of the money?”
“I didn’t. Ask Daniel. He got a cut, but that was only fair.”
Sonya went straight over to Daniel and interrupted the conversation he was having with Carlos. I couldn’t hear what was said, but the look on her face told me everything I needed to know.
“Where’s your knife?” She wasn’t playing ar
ound when she held out her palm. I dug it out of my pocket and dropped it in her hand. She flipped out the blade, slit the center of her palm above the mark I’d made on her weeks ago. Then she grabbed my hand and did the same, slicing my skin until blood beaded. She fused our hands together. “Only truth.”
“Only truth,” I repeated against her lips. “Although I honored our first blood pact.”
“I did too.”
“All right then. Let’s test the waters,” I challenged. Her hand was still in mine, the deal sealed. “How much do you love me?”
“I don’t—”
I stopped her with a warning look. She let out a breath in frustration.
“I was going to say I don’t have to answer that.”
“I already know, but I want to hear it.”
“Fine.” She acted put out but pressed closer to me. “Enough that I would have found you, even if you hadn’t sent your grandma to do your dirty work.”
“Whoa. That’s pretty strong,” I said, sliding my hand up her spine to the nape of her neck.
“You weren’t expecting that, were you?” she teased.
“Not. At. All. I was sure you’d deny it. Maybe even say you hated me.”
“I do hate you. Just not all the time.”
“We’ll work on that, sugar. I think if we can get it fifty-fifty, that’s doable.” I squeezed gently, forcing her to look at me.
“Sounds pretty optimistic to me, but I’m willing to try if you are.”
“I love you.”
“I beg your pardon,” she said, clearing her throat. “I’m not sure I got that.”
“You just want to hear it again,” I said, and she gave me a sly smile.
“I do.”
“Are you practicing for later?”
“For what?”
“Sugar, you’re a smart cookie. Figure it out.”
“I want to be a smart cookie,” Gabriel said, standing at our sides, looking up. “Hey, Miss Sonya. Where have you been?”
“Figuring things out,” she answered, and he seemed to understand that.
“Are you back for good?”
“I’m back for good, and you are a smart cookie,” she said, holding out the hand without blood on it to his. “Speaking of cookies, do you know where we might find some? I saw you out there scoring a run. I think you deserve a treat.”
Thick As Thieves: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romance (Paths To Love Book 5) Page 26