Blake (Season One: The Ninth Inning #2) (20 page)

“It’ll be okay,” Blake promises his mom.

The waiter brings our food, and the conversation moves to Mom talking about our trip to the Key West and the family photos. Dad and Harmony discuss a little bit of business and Blake looks the most relaxed that I’ve ever seen. It’s a good family dinner.

Blake tries to pay the bill, but Dad refuses and waves him away. Dad, Mom, and Harmony leave in Dad’s SUV. Blake and I follow his mom to her new place. It’s not far from my house. It’s a cute house and perfect for Caroline. Blake and I carry in her bags and boxes. The house is already furnished and smells of citrus.

“Mom, how did you get all this done already?” Blake asks, sitting down the boxes.

“I have my ways, Blake.” She gives him a small smile. “I’ve been planning this for a while.”

“You could have told me.” He sounds a little hurt.

“I’m your mother, not your burden.” Her voice is stern.

Blake hangs his head. “Do you have groceries? I can run to the store real fast.”

Caroline walks up to him and cups his face. “You’ve had a long, hard game and night. I know you’re in pain and don’t try to lie to me. Go home and rest. I’m fine. If I need anything, I’ll call you.”

I smile at the sweet mother-son moment. Caroline is almost a foot shorter than Blake, but he looks like a little boy in the hands of his mom.

“I’ll come by after the game. We’ll have dinner here, okay?”

“As long as Sofia comes.” She steps away from Blake and looks over at me.

“I would love to,” I answer her.

“Great.” She smiles with a wink. “Now, get out.”

Blake hugs her and whispers in her ear. She nods, releasing him, and hugging me.

“Thank you for everything, Sofia.” I don’t know why she’s thanking me because I had no clue this had been going on, but I nod.

When Blake and I are in the truck, he quickly grabs me and kisses me hard. “Stay with me,” he begs.

“Okay.” I smile and kiss him again.

I WALK INTO the locker room with a wide grin on my face. It feels as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that Mom has moved out. Sure, it won’t last long because Jack isn’t going to give up that easily, but for now, it’s good enough. Felix seems more relaxed today as well. Maybe he’s made amends with his good luck charm and she’ll be here today.

“Oh my God!” Hector dramatically shouts, holding a hand to his chest. “Grumpy isn’t being grumpy today. What the hell happened?”

Laughing, I shake my head at him. Once he’s standing next to me, I say, “Things are looking better for Mom.” He’ll understand what I mean.

His brows shoot up. “Really? That’s great. If you or she ever need anything, just let me know.”

“Thanks.” I would probably actually call him too, if needed. He’s helped me before, he knows the gist of things, and I trust him.

We finish changing for the game, stretch, and listen as the coach discusses a few tactics. There’s no doubt that today I love baseball. It’s also one of those rare days where I wish I had followed with
my
dream to become a pitcher. I’m itching to throw, work my shoulder and arm, but that will have to wait until I’m alone.

When we walk out onto the field for warmups, I glance around at our fans. They are loyal to the team as a whole and it shows. Otherwise, the stands would be dotted with empty seats after last season’s scandal. Fans who are there no matter what are the kind of fans I like. Usually, I don’t pay much attention to them, more focused on the game, but it’s like their energy is as good as ours seem to be today.

The smile that was already playing on my lips widens when I happen to see Sofia and Art sitting a few rows up behind home plate. She’s talking with her father and glances down, smiling when she sees me watching her. I pat my glove against my leg twice before crouching down to catch a few balls from Felix.

I know the moment his first pitch hits my glove that he’s on his game today. I’m tempted to glance over the dugout to see if his good luck charm is here. It’s almost comical how my first thought is that she’s here instead of how he’s finally gotten over his slump. But when we finish our warm-ups, I look and chuckle to myself because she is indeed in the stands.

Hector is bouncing on his toes in the dugout, ready to get the game started. Most of the other guys seem to be ready as well. It’s not long before we’re standing on the foul line and the national anthem is being sung. Usually when I’m Grumpy, Hector will slap me on the shoulder before we take our positions on the field, but not today. I don’t need a pat on the back of reassurance.

Felix strikes out the first batter without any problems. The next one gets a walk to first, and Spencer catches a fly out in right field for us to get another out. The third follows shortly after without a run being scored. My torso is feeling better today, but I know it’s going to be uncomfortable once it’s time to bat.

I roll my shoulders and take a few practice swings while I wait for my turn. It’s not too bad. I lean to the left and right and twist left and right, trying to prepare my muscles. Plus, Sofia’s attentive eyes are going to catch any reaction. She voiced a few concerns last night again about my bruises, and I’m not sure she believes I’m as fine as I say I am. Colby hits a double and then I’m up to bat. I glance up at Sofia, my features relaxed, and when she smiles, I give her a slight smile in return before stepping up to the plate.

The pitcher nods at his catcher and I tighten my grip on the bat. He throws one fast. The resounding crack of the ball connecting with my bat causes my heart to beat twice as fast with adrenaline. I take off for first, seeing the white blur of the ball still high in the air, and round for second. The fans cheer like crazy, so I know Colby made it home. The ball gets thrown in just as I halt on third.

God, that felt good. I know my grin speaks for itself on how I’m feeling right now. Trent, our second baseman, strikes out, but Roman, our left fielder, gets me home. Oh, yeah. Today’s game is going to be good.

Hector slaps on me the shoulder as I enter the dugout. “You’re hopeless, Grumpy.” I tilt my head at him, unsure of what he means. “You’re going to turn into a love sick puppy like Felix if you keep making googly eyes at your girlfriend every time you walk onto the field. You’re Grumpy, for God’s sake. You keep right on and I’ll have to think of a new nickname for you.”

For a moment, I don’t say anything because I’m a little distracted at his use of the word girlfriend. I hadn’t really given much thought about a label for Sofia and me, only that she’s mine and I’m hers. Snapping out of it because I’m not really bothered by it, I chuckle.

“Don’t worry, I’m still Grumpy at my core.”

He shakes his head at me and our focus shifts back to the game. We do really well, everyone being able to connect with a pitch, but the heat is sweltering. We’re down to the last inning and we’re ahead. There’s a runner on first and second. All we need is one more out and we win. Felix is standing on the mound, not agreeing with any of my signals. The runner on second keeps itching farther and farther away from the base, so I lift my chin slightly to alert Felix.

He glances at him before focusing on me as I flex my fingers for a fastball. Finally. Felix rears his arm back and throws. The ball is practically in my glove by the time the batter is halfway through his swing. The umpire shouts strike and I breathe out with relief at the game being over. We won and some cool air-conditioned air is waiting for us in the locker room.

The cold air doesn’t seem to help much and I already know a cold shower is what I’ll need for me to wash off all the heat and sweat. Hector slaps Felix on the shoulder and teases, “About time you learned how to pitch a decent game.”

Before Felix can reply, I chuckle. “He doesn’t deserve the credit. His lucky charm showed up. Give her our thanks,” I tell him.

He just smiles. I’m eager to get out of here, see Sofia, and have dinner with my mom. She hasn’t talked to me today and I want to make sure she’s still doing well. Before my shower, I text Sofia to see if she’s going to wait and just ride with me or if she’s meeting me there.

My answer is me finding her standing outside the locker room. I can’t help but grin.

“You played well and you’re smiling. I almost don’t know what to do with you,” she says.

“I’m sure we can come up with something later,” I reply, taking her hand and leading her outside to my truck. “Did you and your father enjoy the game?”

“Yeah, we did. It’s good to see y’all more in sync than you have been lately. You didn’t look as if your ribs were bothering much either.”

I laugh softly to myself.

“What?” she asks.

“I just knew you’d bring it up.”

The small talk continues until I reach Mom’s new home. She smiles as she opens the door and sees us. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a smile like that on my mom’s face before. I hug her and kiss her cheek before letting her hug Sofia. With one look, I know she’s feeling as relieved as I am to be away from Jack.

It doesn’t matter what’s coming down the road when he does find her. We’re enjoying the fact that she’s free right now. Mom laughs more than she has in years and if she wasn’t already smitten with Sofia, tonight seals it for her. I know because when she hugs me before we leave, she whispers, “Don’t let her go, Blake. She’s good for you.”

“I know. Call me if you need me, okay?” I tell her as I pull away.

“You know I will. Go on and get some rest.” She turns to Sofia. “Maybe we can have lunch soon?”

“Absolutely,” Sofia replies.

With that, Mom shoos us away. I worried about how she might do on her own without someone around, even if it was Jack, but she seems fine. Once we’re in the truck, I look at Sofia.

“Am I taking you home?”

“Yes, but only so I can get my car and some clothes. Then, I’ll come over.” We’re comfortably quiet on the way to her house and then she gives me a kiss before promising to see me shortly.

Sofia makes good on her promise, showing up about an hour after I get home. We’re sitting on the couch, some reality show she turned to on the TV, when she breaks our silence.

“What did your mom say to you? You said I know, and I’m nosey.”

I glance down at our hands, which are resting on my leg. “She told me not to let you go and that you’re good for me.” I turn my head to see her reaction.

“Aw, I’m touched. What do you think?”

“You heard me tell her I know, so clearly I agree. You might even be too good for me.”

“Wow, look at this. Blakey is opening up and all of these feelings are pouring out. Soon, we’ll be talking about long walks on a beach and having candlelit dinners.”

I laugh. “That might be a stretch for me. You might want to stop mocking me or I might never open up again.”

“I’ll just have Hector come over here and nag you into opening up.” She winks and I groan.

“Don’t do that.” I pause, thinking about the time I’ve spent with Sofia, how good my life has turned out since I met her. “You are good for me, Sofia.”

“Well, I hate to say it, but I think you’re good for me too. I really like how far we’ve come in the past few months. It means a lot to me that we both care for each other so much.”

I smile and lean over to kiss her cheek. Before I pull away, I whisper, “I love you, Sofia, and I’m happy you’re here with me.”

She tenses and pulls back from me. I can’t read her, which worries me. “Blake, you love me?” I nod. She doesn’t say anything for a moment. “I figured out that I loved you when I was on vacation. I didn’t want to say it because I didn’t want to scare you away. I’d rather you and I remain friends than never speaking to you again. You mean a lot to me, Blake. More than anyone else who’s come through my life. I don’t know what it is about you, but I love you, too.”

My heart soars with relief and happiness. I don’t know what it is about her either. Maybe it isn’t anything specifically. It’s everything.
She’s
everything. I smile at her, stand, and lead her to the bedroom.

I WAKE UP and I try to move, but I’m in my Blake cocoon. His strong arms are wrapped around me, holding me flush against him. I lift my head and he looks peaceful as he sleeps. His full lips are slightly parted and his long eyelashes sweep onto his cheek. He looks happy. I’m not sure if it’s because his mother is safe, the fact he expressed his feelings to me last night, or all the sex.