“Oh.”
“You really are one for words tonight,” he teased, trying to get something out of her.
“Why did you stay?” she asked. “When you realized I wasn't here?”
“At first, I thought you might come back,” he admitted, “then, I was so busy with school that I didn't really think to leave. By the time it dawned on me, I'd already built a pretty good life here.”
“You're happy here? What about-”
“Baseball?” He laughed, knowing exactly where she was going with this. “I discovered something after I'd moved back and started helping Coach with the team.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I enjoy coaching so much more than I ever enjoyed playing. So yes, I've been quite happy here. I'm even happier now that you're here, and that we aren't spending our days shouting at each other.”
“I like this a hell of a lot better than arguing with you,” she agreed.
Heath grabbed her hand so she'd stop playing with the damned button. “Me too,” he said, realizing that was probably the closest he'd get to her repeating her earlier confession.
Still, she didn't pull away, in fact, she seemed to cuddle closer to him, lacing her fingers with his.
He wasn't going to push her. Over the past week, they'd made huge strides in their friendship, and now, it looked like she felt as he did. There was still the matter of her fears, and her need to hide, but right now, he was certain he hadn't dreamt it when she said she thought she might be in love with him. He'd let her take the lead on this one. After all, he'd waited almost a decade, a little longer wasn't going to hurt.
***
“Shit.”
It took Heath a few seconds to process what was going on. Who the hell was in his living room… wait. Why was he in his living room?
“Evie?” He opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was sunlight peeking through the curtains, the second thing he noticed was that Everley was scrolling through her phone and frowning.
“Sorry,” she said, “didn't mean to wake you up. I guess we fell asleep.”
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Little after seven,” she answered, “Ryan and Harper have called me a hundred times. Each.”
“Did you let them know you were all right?” Heath watched her as she continued to mess with her phone. He could tell she was panicking, and for good reason. They were lucky Ryan hadn’t set up a task force.
“Just shot Ryan a text. Hopefully that will appease them for the time being.” She looked up at him, “You don't think you could give me a lift home, do you? I didn't exactly come prepared for a sleepover, and I want to be semi-presentable at the game today.”
“Just let me grab my keys,” he slowly got up off the couch, cursing himself for falling asleep in such an awkward position.
Everley looked back at her phone. “Oh… he said he figured I’d just stayed over, but I guess my unexplained absence worried them a bit. God… I'm never going to hear the end of this,” she sighed, a slight blush staining her cheeks.
“No worries,” Heath laughed. “No matter what you say or don't say, they'll draw their own conclusions.”
“I meant it, you know,” she stood next to him, taking his hand in hers, “what I said last night.”
So he hadn't imagined it.
“I just…” she frowned as she searched for the words. “I don't know if I can do this without screwing it up.”
“One day at a time,” he told her, placing a quick kiss on her forehead.
“Really?” Their eyes locked, and he knew she wasn't just questioning whether or not she could do this, she was questioning whether or not he wanted to do this.
“Really,” he nodded. “This is a beginning, and I want it. If you want it too, know that I'm all in.” She smiled, and before he could say another word, her lips were on his.
It took every ounce of willpower to keep him from scooping her up and carrying her to the bedroom. When she pulled away, he smiled at her, and reminded himself that he was going to let her lead.
“Maybe we can carpool to the game?” she suggested.
“Maybe,” he mused. For a brief moment, he debated whether or not he should risk asking for more. When she raised an eyebrow to question his silence, he figured he’d give it a shot. “Maybe you can just wear those jeans again and borrow one of my shirts so we can get a little bit more sleep?”
He wasn’t expecting her to agree, so when she grinned, his heart almost leapt from his chest.
“That depends on whether or not you have a spare toothbrush.”
It was the last answer he expected, and as overjoyed as he was to hear it, he tried to contain it just a bit so as not to scare her. “It just so happens, I do. And I don't use that soap you used to complain about anymore. I switched brands a few years ago.”
“Well then,” she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, “I guess I'm staying.”
***
The last thing Everley expected was to find the whole damn town at the game. Well, maybe not the whole town. Thankfully, a couple people she didn’t care to see were noticeably absent. Not that she expected Benny or his father to make an appearance, they never had been too interested in small town sporting events.
Heath seemed off when they first arrived, and she could only guess that it was because he wasn't sure how to act with her in public. Just before they reached the diamond, she grabbed his arm and stopped him.
“Everley,” he was in a rush, and she knew it, but she couldn't just have him acting awkward around her.
They were running a little late, her need to go through every shirt he owned in an attempt to find something that couldn't double as a dress had held them back, but she figured he could spare a couple more minutes. “Heath,” she mimicked his warning tone with a little smirk.
“I need to get my guys through warm ups,” he complained. There was no bite in his words, but she could sense the urgency in them.
“Just hear me out really quick, okay? I know what you're doing,” she said. “I know half the town is out there, and I know you don't want to scare me off, but I'm not going to freak out if you touch me. I mean, I get that I’m still not ready to answer all those prying questions, but if you want to hold my hand, I’m not going to run for the hills. I'll let you know if something's too much.”
“So hand holding is okay?” He asked, quirking an eyebrow and grinning as though she’d hung the moon just for him.
“Very okay,” she nodded, heat flushing her cheeks at the contact. She let him lead her down to the diamond. Once there, they went their separate ways, but not before he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Yeah, she decided, that was okay too.
Everley found her friends sitting in the spot they'd always occupied as teens. “Saved you a seat, Ems!” Brandi shouted.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked as she sat down between Brandi and Gabriella.
“We all try to get to a couple games a season,” Harper said. “Saturday ones are the easiest for all of us. You know how it is. Small towns like ours are full of that home team spirit.”
Everley laughed at that. The pride of the alumni of Mer Harbor High was something unique. She hadn’t seen the same loyalty to a high school team anywhere else. “I suppose it helps when High School sports are the only sporting events in town.” And it likely didn’t hurt that one of their friends was the coach.
“Where are the guys?” she asked after a quick look around proved that it was just the girls. “I mean, they were actually on the team. You’d think out of all of us, they’d be the ones more into this.”
“Oh! They’re getting food,” Gabriella answered. “Now, can we stop making small talk and get to what we really want to know? Explain your wardrobe choice.”
Everley looked at her -Heath's- shirt, and tried to keep from blushing any more than she already had today. With a shrug, she gave the most nonchalant answer she could come up with: “Who doesn’t wear a b
aseball shirt to a baseball game?” Never mind the fact that none of her girlfriends were wearing anything remotely resembling a baseball shirt.
“She slept over at Heath's,” Harper supplied the answer they were looking for. Everley glanced over at her normally soft spoken friend, wondering where the hell that came from. “What? Ryan and I were worried! I mean… we figured that’s where you were, but when you said you’d come home, we kind of expected you to come home.”
“I said I was sorry,” Everley apologized again. She’d been sending apologies practically all morning. “It was an accident. You know I would have called you if I had actually planned on staying.”
“I know,” Harper grinned. “But that doesn't mean I can't make you squirm a little.”
Brat.
“Did you do it?”
Why the hell was that always Brandi's first question?
It had been completely innocent, staying over, and then, catching a little extra shut eye in the morning. Though, they didn't do much sleeping during that hour. Mostly, they talked. There might have been a little kissing involved too, but she wasn’t going to tell her friends that.
If she was being completely honest, part of her wanted more time before the game. She wasn't ready to share him again just yet.
“Well?” Brandi asked again.
“We did not,” Everley told her friend. “Don't you have a man? Are you getting enough? Because it really seems like you're trying to live vicariously through everyone else.”
“Oh,” Brandi scoffed, “I'm plenty satisfied. I'm just concerned about you. You're finally talking to Heath again, and we all know what a fine specimen of human being he is, so we all want you to get laid.”
“For the record, I never said that,” Harper excused herself from the accusation.
“Well,” Gabriella cut in, “I did. Just because it took you forever and a day to round the bases when you were teens, doesn't mean you have to take an eternity this time around.”
Oh the perks of dating baseball players, where even the girlfriends used game analogies.
“Okay ladies,” Harper cut in again. “The third degree isn’t really the best thing for her right now. I know we’re all having a laugh with the teasing, but this is a bit too far.”
Everley was relieved at the conversation’s abrupt halt. Brandi looked like she might try and start it up again, but was interrupted by the arrival of the guys.
“Hello ladies!” Owen's overly cheerful voice called out as he, Ryan, and Lee took their seats.
“Did you get a soda for Everley?” Harper asked Ryan.
“Of course,” he handed Everley a drink and a hot dog. “It's baseball. No matter how early the game, you have to have a hot dog.”
“That’s what I said!” Brandi exclaimed. Everley shot her a dirty look, and Gabriella burst into laughter.
“Did we miss something?” Lee asked. “And do I want to know?”
“You don't.” Harper's words were clipped, and almost had an air of maternal scolding to them. She always had been the mother of the group.
“Spoil sport,” Gabriella made a face at her step-sister, and then looked at Owen. “You should have seen it earlier, Everley and Heath were being cute.”
“So you two finally stopped arguing?” Owen winked.
“Hey,” Ryan set down his food and covered his ears, “that’s my cousin, and I really don’t want to know. Besides, didn't we come out here to watch a game?”
Chapter 12
Benny wasn't exactly enjoying the almost empty diner, but he certainly wasn't open to welcoming a crowd either. Up until noon, the only occupants were a waitress, Jack - the town drunk - and himself. Now, the door bells wouldn't stop jingling as what seemed to be the whole town came in for lunch.
“Must've won,” Jack grumbled.
That was when he turned and saw them, Everley and her group of friends, all seemingly enjoying what Jack had labeled as a “win”. What he didn't expect was seeing Heath so damn close to her. Not after he'd watched her try so hard to push him away. It was different from the night he saw them together at the bar, she wasn't crying. They were both chatting amongst friends, and she was smiling.
Because of Heath.
Benny knew he didn't have a chance in hell now. Not that he had a chance before, when he’d so royally screwed it all up. But with Heath being part of the equation? A snowball had a better chance in hell.
Brandi slipped behind the counter, relieving the waitress from her shift and smacked her hand down in front of Benny, causing him to turn his attention away from Everley. “What'll it be?” she asked curtly.
He needed to sober up before he turned into Jack’s drinking partner. “Just a water,” he answered, looking back at the group who, just like in high school, didn't even know he existed. His appetite had been minimal this morning, causing him to order nothing but drinks, but now, he actually felt nauseous. All those years chasing her, hoping she'd just acknowledge him, wasted in seconds with hurtful words, an affair, and a quickie divorce.
“Yeah,” Brandi set the glass in front of him. “They're back together.”
“About damn time,” Jack muttered, “I never did see what she saw in you, Masters.”
“Nothing,” Benny mumbled, “she saw absolutely nothing.” His stomach twisted into knots when he turned and saw Heath press a kiss to Everley's temple. Then, she smiled in a way she never had in all the years they were together.
Benny knew he had been nothing more than a rebound to her, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her back. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he was an idiot to throw it all away.
An idiot to think Jane would stick around after the thrill of sneaking around was long gone.
Defeated, he turned back to his water and dropped some cash on the counter. For a few moments, he sat there, draining his glass, and thinking about how he was going to fix this.
“You should be celebrating with us, Brandi!” someone called from across the diner. He wasn't sure who it was, nor did he care. Jack muttered something in his general direction, but he ignored the man and abandoned his seat and the diner.
***
“I'm guessing you and Heath are more than friends now?” Harper asked once they had returned home.
Everley shrugged, but couldn't stop a little smile from forming. Still, she had been harassed enough by Gabriella and Brandi, and didn't exactly want to divulge all the details. It was still new, and she didn't want to jinx it. Instead of indulging the conversation, she plopped down on the couch and turned on the television.
Harper sat next to her and grabbed the remote. Despite Everley’s protests, she shut the television off. “This is me, not our resident gossip,” she reminded her. “Talk to me Everley, what's going on?”
“Nothing,” Everley said. When her friend crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, she knew she wasn't getting out of a conversation that easily. “Come on, if something major had happened, I'd tell you.”
“I'd say Heath not leaving your side for a second is pretty major,” Harper stated. “I can tell he's really happy, and you are too. So, to say that nothing major is going on… well, it's a lie and you know it.”
“He hasn't left my side since I crossed that town border,” Everley laughed. “Even when I wanted him to.”
“And now you don't?”
“Does it really matter that much to you?” Everley groaned.
“You're my friends,” Harper insisted. “So yes, it matters to me. Because I want you to be happy. Both of you.”
“We're working on it,” she said, “and that’s really all there is to know right now.”
“Okay.” Her friend smiled, apparently satisfied with that answer. “I think it's sweet, you know? That you're going outside your comfort zone a little.”
Everley smiled as she thought about lunch at the diner. She'd told him that she would tell him if he was pushing her limits, but he was so happy that she just didn't have the heart to tell hi
m to back off a little. “You noticed?”
“You may have been smiling, but I could see you were a little uncomfortable with all the attention he was giving you.”
“He needed it,” Everley said. “And it wasn't like it was painful.” In all actuality, it was nice to feel so wanted for a change. Even when they were at their best, Benny never paid attention to her like that in public. He wasn't even that way in the privacy of their own home.
“What are you thinking?” Harper asked.
“I was just wondering...” Everley mused. “I mean, I know now that Benny was a rebound, and that our biggest problem was that I couldn't love him the way he wanted me to. But now I'm beginning to wonder if he ever loved me the way he said he did, or if I was just some sort of conquest for him. We all know he hated Heath from the start.”
It was more than that though. The two families had been at odds long before Benny and Heath were born. Despite all the rumors and tall tales, no one seemed to truly know why. Still, with such animosity, there was no option but for them to hate one another.
“Yeah…” Harper nodded. “But I don't see how some stupid feud between their parents would make Benny hate Heath so much. It didn't even involve them. Heath never really seemed to care one way or another.”
Everley tried to recall the conversation they'd had about it, but came up empty. “But that’s Heath.” Aside from schoolyard scuffles when they were kids, he’d never really bothered with the hatred that simmered between the Mitchells and the Masterses. “Does anyone even know what started the stupid feud to begin with?”
Harper shook her head. “I don’t even think they remember.”
Whatever the reason was didn’t really matter anymore. The Mitchells had moved away, leaving Benny’s father with no one to argue with. “I don’t think Benny even has a fraction of the story. He always just kind of followed his dad’s lead… except when he ran off with me. Now that he’s back, I guess it’s only natural he’d try and pick up the fight with Heath again.”
***
“Why the hell did you even bother?” Benny was shouting again, this being what seemed like their millionth fight this week. “It's obvious you don't love me, so why didn't you just stay in Mer Harbor?”
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