Caught (Men of the Show Book 3) (21 page)

Matt watched her as she walked around the small living room twining her hands together, clear evidence of her nerves. He wasn’t exactly at ease himself, but curiosity as to what she had to say won over any nervousness.

He handed her the bottle of water he’d pulled from the fridge and drank out of his own. “What are you doing here, Shannon?” he finally asked. No reason to beat around the bush.

She had just taken a sip and half choked. “Right to the point, huh?”

He shrugged. “Sure, no reason not to.”

Shannon nodded. “I honestly don’t know where to start,” she finally admitted.

“Wherever you want,” he said as he sat on the arm of the brown leather couch that filled most of the room.

“Okay, um, where to start.”
 
She started to pace in the narrow space. “Let’s see, I guess that would be when I got back to Chicago…”

“Shannon.”
 
He put his hand on her arm, stopping her in mid-pace. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

Relief passed over her face. She turned to him and straightened her shoulders. “I’ve really missed you.”

There was no point in denying the surge of pleasure warming him at her words. However, it didn’t mean she’d changed her mind about her career being the number one priority in her life, in which he didn’t fit.

“I have too,” Matt said simply. She needed to reveal more of her hand before he showed his.

 
She took another deep breath. “All right. I’ve been miserable. I’ve done nothing but work since I left Arizona so I wouldn’t have any time to even think…about you.”

“And yet you’re here,” he said.

“Yes,” Shannon said. “I quit my job.”

A jolt of surprise hit him as that was the last thing he’d expected her to say. “What?
 
Why did you do that?”

“Well, it was either quit or be forced out. I tried to talk to the junior partner I worked with, Carol, but once I asked about reducing my workload, she made it perfectly clear it’d be better if I left.” She let out a gusty sigh. “It was hard and, I’ll admit, I’m still not quite comfortable with it, but I decided I needed to take some time to figure out exactly what is going on in here,” she said as she tapped her temple.
 

“But I thought your dream was to be a lawyer?” he asked her.

Shannon smiled. “It is and I do, but it turned out I have other dreams I was ignoring and I was starting to resent all the sacrifices I was making. One of them being you.”

Matt narrowed his eyes, not quite believing his ears. “What about your father?”
 

“What about him?”

“Shannon,” he warned, giving her a hard look at her attempt to avoid. “Does he even know?
 
He’s the one who got you the job.”

“Not yet.”
 
She at least had the decency not to lie to him.
 

“And what’s going to happen when he does?”

“He’ll be upset, but I’ll deal with him,” Shannon insisted. His doubt must have been obvious because she became adamant. “I will. I just have to work out what I’m going to say to him.”

Matt sighed, unsure what to think. On one hand, he was very happy to see her. The fact that she’d left her job said a lot. It definitely showed she was willing to make changes she’d hadn’t been open to before and perhaps her priorities were now different.
 

On the other hand, however, the situation with her father left him unsettled. He didn’t quite believe she would handle his disappointment as easily as she did. Although, since she’d quit, even if her father did become pushy, she couldn’t go back. He’d take that as a win and the rest they’d figure out together.

“So you quit and came down here,” he said.

“I figured it would be better now before the season started. But…” she dropped off and he followed what she left unsaid.

He smiled and reached out to tug her closer to him. “I’m really glad you came.”

Relief washed over her face again and she let out a breath. “Yeah?”

Matt pulled her flush against him. “Very much,” he said as he ducked his head to take her mouth with his. He proceeded gently, wanting to savor having her in his arms again.

His hands ran up and down her back, tracing the bones of her rib cage, her shoulder blades as well as what felt like each vertebrae. His tongue did one more tangle with hers, before he released her.

“You are way too skinny, Shannon,” he said.

She gave an embarrassed one-shoulder shrug. “I was stupid, I know. I totally immersed myself and if I ate, I ate but I didn’t go out of my way to find food.”

“We’re going to get some food in you,” he said as he started to head toward the kitchen, but stopped when she tugged on his hand. He glanced back at her and she gave him a small smile.

“In a bit, okay?
 
I’m not done saying what I wanted to say.”

“Okay,” he said, interested in what more she had to say.

Shannon took his other hand in hers and studied his fingers for a moment before she cast her gaze back to his, her blue eyes wide and searching. “I want to tell you what tipped it for me and then you can tell me if it freaks you out or not. You promise me you’ll tell me the truth?”

A small ball of uneasiness grew in the pit of his stomach, not liking the direction the conversation was going, especially if she worried he would freak out. “Okay, I promise.”

“Remember what happened in Arizona?
 
In the bathroom with the…”

He knew exactly what she was referring to, as he’d wondered himself, figuring she’d let him know if there was a need. “Yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”
 
All of the sudden, panic rippled through him. “Wait, are you trying to tell me—“

Shannon held out a hand and quickly shook her head. “No. Not that. I’m not pregnant.”

“Okay,” he said and took a deep breath. Not that he didn’t want a family, but he definitely didn’t want one with someone out of wedlock or with someone who, up until a few minutes ago, hadn’t wanted to be with him. “Okay, good.”

She eyed him for a second, unsure whether to say anything more, before finally blurting out what she was trying to tell him. “But I was disappointed.”

Matt puzzled over her words before he stepped back and sat down on the edge of the couch again. “You were disappointed you weren’t pregnant?”

“Yes, and before you freak out, let me explain.”
 
She eyed him and whatever she saw must have told her he was listening, even though his mind was very muddled. “I know we’re not in any position to start a family or anything, and it would be ridiculous to believe otherwise, since we really are not even dating, but it told me this was something I wanted and something I was ignoring. I don’t want to ignore it anymore and I don’t want to ignore how I feel about you anymore.”
 
She paused and took a steeling breath. “I’m in love with you.”

Silence fell between them as he processed her words. Everything had taken such a drastic turn from believing he had to move on and that Shannon was no longer an option. But here she stood before him, telling him they were still a possibility and not only that, but she loved him. He shook his head as if trying to clear out the cobwebs.
 

“Tell me what you’re thinking, please. I’m dying here.”

He cleared his throat before grabbing her to place her between his legs. “I’m honestly stunned, Shannon. One second I thought whatever chance we had was gone, that you didn’t want it. Then you show up, tell me you’ve quit your job, and not only do you not want that job anymore, but you want a family and you love me. Honestly, I can’t keep up.”

She swallowed thickly as her eyes dropped. “I understand.”

“Hey,” he said and waited until her gaze lifted. “I’m not done. Remember, I did just say I was glad you’re here. I knew in Arizona I had fallen in love with you and that hasn’t changed.”

“Yeah?” she asked with a shy smile.

Whenever she smiled at him like that, he would do anything in the world for this woman. Anything. “Yeah.”

She reached out to run her hand over his cheek, scruffy since he hadn’t bothered to shave in a couple of days. His eyes closed and he let the pleasure of her touch wash over him. Her fingers threaded into his hair before trailing down his neck, and she pressed her soft lips to his temple. When she leaned back, he opened his eyes and the love in her expression made his heart swell with happiness. Everything was finally right.

Chapter 16

A few days later, after Matt left for the ballpark, Shannon had to get off her butt and do something. Sitting around the apartment complex was getting boring and she needed to put her mind to a task. Matt had gotten a ride with one of his teammates, leaving her his truck, so she set out from the apartment to find the closest grocery store. The cupboards in the kitchen were bare since she and Matt had been holed up with him only emerging for practice.

As she drove, she thought about how not only was she going to take the time to find out who she and Matt were as a couple, but she also wanted to figure out who she was. She’d changed so much in the past few months and she had to make sure she was at peace with her choices. No regrets, as Matt always said, and she needed to be solid in her resolve because when she talked with her father—which she’d put off until she got her mind settled, though once the news spread from Mr. Barnes, he would surely blow up her phone—it was going to be difficult to avoid the pressure from him. She wanted to be with Matt and had no doubt in her decision to be with him. She had his full support in everything and he would never do anything to put what they had together in jeopardy. She was so lucky to have him and so thankful she hadn’t lost her chance with him.

Parking in a spot in front of the store, Shannon walked in and grabbed a cart. Wandering through the produce section, she was considering a clamshell of strawberries when she glanced up and a brunette standing next to her gave her a hesitant smile. Shannon had never seen her before, but she gave the stranger a friendly acknowledgement.

The woman’s smile grew as she closed the remaining gap between them. “Hi. I didn’t want to come at you out of the blue, but you’re Matt Buck’s girlfriend, right?
 
Shannon?”

“And you are?” Shannon asked, trying not to be creeped out and figuring there was a good explanation as to how this woman knew her.

“I’m Shelly.”
 
The woman held out her hand in introduction. “I’m Brian Woodsey’s wife.”
 
At Shannon’s obvious confusion, she continued. “He plays right field.”

“Oh, sorry,” Shannon replied sheepishly. “I don’t know all the players yet.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Shelly said with a peal of laughter. “He’s one of the quieter ones, doesn’t quite get all of the attention like Matt does.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that…” Shannon stammered.

Shelly laughed again with a wave. “It’s okay. We’re all used to it. We know who the stars are on the team. It doesn’t hurt that Matt is
so
gorgeous as well.”

Shannon wasn’t quite sure how to handle the wife of Matt’s teammate calling her boyfriend gorgeous, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Well, I wanted to introduce myself,” Shelly said. “Maybe we can get drinks or something one night. Hang out while the guys are at the park.”

“Yeah, great. That sounds nice.”
 
Shannon reached into her purse for her phone. “I’d been hoping to meet other people. Let me text you my number.”

“Oh, no bother. I have Matt’s. I’ll give you a call, okay?”

“Oh, okay.”
 
Shelly seemed to know a lot about Matt, which Shannon found odd, but perhaps dating a player on a team meant being included in a tightknit family of the teammates and their significant others, something new and foreign to Shannon. She had much to learn. “It was nice meeting you.”

Shelly smiled and walked out of the market, which was peculiar in and of itself since she didn’t appear to have purchased anything, but Shannon didn’t think any more about it as she moved deeper down the aisles to finish her shopping. She returned to the apartment and started to unload the car when Karen walked out of the one next to theirs.

“Where’d you go?”

“To the store, to pick up some groceries. Come on in. I’ll make us some lunch.”

“Thank God. I’m starving and there’s nothing in Jerry’s place.”

“Figured as much. Matt’s was pretty sparse as well. I didn’t think to ask if you wanted to go. Sorry.”

Karen waved her hand as she slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs around the small kitchen table. “Don’t worry about it. If I need anything, I’ll make Jerry go out when he gets back.”

“I met one of the player’s wives today, Shelly,” Shannon told her sister.

Karen frowned. “Shelly?
 
Who’s Shelly?”

Shannon shrugged as she walked over to the fridge to put the milk away. “I don’t know. She said she was Brian’s wife.”

“Oh, Shelly,” she said with a nod. “Yeah, Brian’s wife.”
 
Then she frowned again. “I didn’t know she came with him. I asked Jerry who was around and he didn’t mention her. She’s nice. I’ve met her before.”