Caught (Men of the Show Book 3) (32 page)

Matt had his shirt on as well as his uniform pants and everything was soaked, but he didn’t care. The champagne stung his eyes and hurt like hell, but he didn’t notice because they’d won and they’d won because he’d hit one out of the park. The sweetest home run he could remember hitting. Not only because the run cemented their place in the playoffs and was against the same team he’d failed to beat the year before, but mostly because he’d connected in the best way possible his first game back. He hadn’t been sure he had it in him, sometimes finding his timing was still off, but once he’d seen the ball coming straight at him, instinct had kicked in. He’d put as much strength behind his swing he could muster and watched as the ball soared majestically through the air. It was a thing of beauty.

Jason came over to him looking like a drowned rat, but a huge grin split his face from ear to ear. He pulled Matt into a one-armed hug. “Amazing night, my friend. Amazing. I knew you had it in you.”

Matt smiled. “You didn’t know I was going to get in.”

“I had a feeling that was exactly the situation Coach was waiting for. He knew you would be perfect.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m glad I pulled it off.”
 
Matt puffed on his cigar.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
 
Jason took a hit of his stogie. “You’re back, man.”

Matt nodded and couldn’t stop grinning. “Not all the way, but I’m getting there. Once I’m catching again, then I’ll be solid, but this is pretty damn good, that’s for sure.”

Jerry walked over to them and put his arms around both of them with a big smile on his face. “Here they are!
 
The two heroes!”

“It’s about time some of us minions got the spotlight,” Matt said to him. “You’re always hogging it because you throw a ball faster than one hundred miles an hour.”

Jerry hooted. “Glad to share the limelight, especially with that beast of a home run you hit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one go that deep in this park. That was a helluva long way!”

“Matt’s good at that, always had been,” Jason said. “Why do you think he’s consistently in talks for being the Home Run Champ or a possible Triple Crown contender?”

Matt gave a small shrug as his smile fell slightly. “Not this year…”

Jerry squeezed his shoulder. “You’re back, Buck. That’s all that matters. You’ll get it back and next year you’ll be right back in those talks.”

Matt nodded and took a sip of his beer not wanting to experience anything but elation at the moment, but some anger and frustration remained at all he’d missed this year. He would get past it, eventually. Time could only help.

Jerry tilted his head. “Come here, I want to show you something.”

“What?” Matt asked.

“Come on, I’ll show you.”

Matt didn’t miss the look that passed between Jerry and Jason, and he stopped. “What are you guys cooking up?”

“Just go,” Jason said with a grin. “It’s worth it, trust me.”

Matt frowned at Jason as he followed behind Jerry. His teammates patted his back, pouring more drinks over his head as they included him in their celebrations when he passed. He rubbed his eyes trying to keep the champagne out of them and stepped into a hallway behind Jerry.

“Where are you…,” Matt started to ask, squinting past the burn in his eyes, but then stopped when he stood face-to-face with Shannon. She was stunning and beautiful as always, but since this was only a friendly visit, her coming to congratulate him most likely, he kept his reaction neutral.

“Hi,” Matt said as Jerry patted his back with a smile and returned to the party inside the locker room.

“Hi.”
 
Her gaze passed over him from head to toe. “Did you shower with your clothes on?”

“Champagne, beer…and whatever else, I guess,” he said with a grin as he tried to find a dry spot on his T-shirt to rub his eyes with. “My eyes sting like hell.”

“They are red.”

“Worth the pain.”
 

“Congratulations, Matt. That was amazing. I’m so happy for you.”
 

“Thanks. Just doing my job,” he said, a bit shy from her praise.

“You did more than that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ball hit that hard before. Another one for your shelf?”
 

“Maybe,” he said with a chuckle. “If they can find the fan who caught it and bribe them.”

Shannon smiled and after an uncomfortable pause, she cleared her throat. “Um, I was wondering if we could talk.”

“Oh…sure,” he said. “Uh, right now?”

She glanced over his shoulder as if she could see the celebration through the closed door, and disappointment fell over her face. “Well, I guess not. I mean, you probably want to get back in there…”

“Yeah, I probably should.”
 
Part of him wanted to hear what she had to say, but part of him didn’t. If she was going to tell him sorry again or that she’d taken a job in New York or some other state, and only wanted to say good-bye one last time, he didn’t want to hear it.

“Okay, well, I’ll give you a call, then?” she asked, but Matt could tell she didn’t want to.

“Yeah, that’ll work.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later then,” Shannon said, wooden and formal, the awkwardness between them palpable.

“Okay, sounds good.”
 
He turned to the door when she started to walk away and, just as he opened it, she called his name, stopping him.

“Matt, wait,” she said.

He let the door close behind him. With determined strides, Shannon walked over to him and pulled his head down to hers. Her lips smothered his as she plastered herself to him, not caring that her T-shirt and shorts were getting wet. Matt dropped the beer bottle and cigar to wrap his arms around her. He pushed her against the wall and leaned into her as their tongues tangled. He’d missed her so much and she felt so good in his arms that he didn’t care she would soon walk away from him again. He was going to enjoy the moment before he lost it forever.

She squirmed against him and broke off the kiss, her breaths coming out in huffs. “God, I’ve missed you so much.”

He continued to kiss down her neck and along her jawline. “Me too.”

“I didn’t take the job,” Shannon stammered out in between kisses.

“What job?” he asked, with his lips against hers.

“The job, in the firm,” she said.

In order to understand what she was trying to tell him, he needed to stop kissing her and give her some air. Matt leaned back a bit, but still kept her pinned against the wall underneath him. Her eyes opened and her blues eyes were dark with lust.

“What job are you talking about?”

She took in a deep breath. “Any of them. I haven’t taken any of them. I don’t want any of them.”

He frowned, not sure where she was going with this. “Okay…”

She took another breath. “I need to start from the beginning.”

“I think that would be best.”
 
Matt finally stepped away from her and took her hand, leading her down the hallway to a quieter spot. “Okay, what are you talking about?”

“Well, let’s see. I was at this interview and overhead another attorney basically say she had no life with her kids or her husband and I realized that’s exactly where I would be headed. So, I had a fight with my dad and told him he needed to butt out, that I didn’t want a job like that, no matter what he tried to say, and he had to let me live my own life.”

Matt’s eyebrows shot up. “How did he take it?”

“He’s upset. He’s not talking to me and things are tense, but hopefully he’ll get it one day.”

“And that’s it?
 
He’s just backing down now?” Matt asked, not quite believing her father would give up so easily.

“I mean, he’s not happy, but he told me he’s done helping me, basically stepped out of my life.”
 
She waved her hand at him. “But that’s not what’s important.”

“It’s not?”
 

“No, even if he tries to tell me what to do again,” Shannon said, her eyes strong on his, “it doesn’t matter because I know now what I want and who I am. Before I was so confused since I didn’t want to believe my wants could be as simple as being a wife and a mother, that I had to be part of something bigger or more important to matter. But now I know that’s not what matters.”

“What matters?” Matt asked her, still trying to catch up.

“What makes me happy, that’s what matters.”
 

“And what makes you happy?”

Shannon smiled at him. “You.”

Matt still wasn’t quite sure what she was telling him. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be thinking here.”

“I guess,” she said with some hesitation, “I’m wondering if you still want to try…with us…”
 

“Shannon,” he said. “I never didn’t want to try, but it didn’t seem like it could work. Not including things with your dad, we both want two very different things.”

“I’ve worked that out.”

“What do you mean, ‘worked that out’?”

“Well,” she said as she cleared her throat. “That’s where I’ve been for the past few months. I’ve been studying for the bar among other things.”

“You already took the bar,” he told her, confused again.

“Yes, in Michigan and Illinois, but not in…Arizona.”

That stopped him. “You took the bar in Arizona?”
 

“Yes.”
 

He studied her for a moment. He finally asked, “Why?”

“Because it’s what I want. To be where you are.”
 
She hesitated. “That is, if you want me. Your dad is letting me rent office space for my own practice, and I’ve already reached out to local legal aid organizations in Tucson where I can volunteer my time and services. All that’s left is your decision. If you want me down there with you.”

Matt shook his head, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. “You’ve told your father to back off, turned down all the jobs around here, taken the bar in Arizona and worked out rent with my father for your own practice, all because you want to be with me, without even knowing if I still wanted to be with you?” he said, ticking each off on his fingers.

She nodded. “So, what do you think?”

He gave her a big grin. “I think you’re amazing, that’s what I think.”
 
He pulled her into his arms and took her mouth with his. “I can’t believe you did all that.”

“It took me a while to get my head straight, I’m sorry,” she said.

“Just as long as you got here.”

She kissed him before pulling back. “Are you sure you want to do this again?”

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. I’ve finally caught the girl of my dreams.”

Shannon smiled and let him sweep her off her feet. He kissed her again and held her tight against him.

“I love you,” she whispered in his ear.

“I love you too.”

 
“I was so worried I’d lost my chance.”

“You’d never lose your chances with me.”
 

“I don’t deserve it, but I’m going to take it.”

Matt grinned and pulled her in for another kiss before setting her down and holding out his elbow to her. “Shall we?”

Winding her arm through his, she smiled up at him with eyes filled with love. “Absolutely,” she told him and finally, everything in Matt’s life was right.

*
 
*
 
*
 
*
 
*

Other Titles by Rhonda Shaw

Thank you so much for reading
Caught!
 
I hope you enjoyed it. If you loved Matt, don’t miss meeting the other Men of the Show!

In book one,
The Changeup
, fall in love with sweet and sexy pitching phenom, Chase Patton.

Get to know the hunky prankster, the Ace of the team, Jerry Smutton, in book two,
The Ace
.

Intrigued by Jason Kirby?
 
His story is book four in the Men of the Show. Make sure to sign up for my
newsletter
to receive updates and the latest release information. You won’t want to miss it!

About the Author

Rhonda owes her love of reading to her mother who would read to her each night before bed and sometimes give into her pleads for more than one chapter. These days, if Rhonda doesn't have a book in her hands, it feels like something is missing. While romance is her true passion, Rhonda enjoys reading multiple genres.

Born in California, but transplanted to the Midwest, Rhonda is warm weather girl to the bone (even years later, winter and her are not on speaking terms) and loves nothing more than a balmy, summer evening. She and her husband are diehard fans of pretty much all sports, but especially for their hometown Detroit teams. Rhonda received a bachelor's in Human Resources Development and continued onto a master's in Marriage and Family Counseling before making a drastic career switch into computer technology. She started out as a website developer and made her way up into management where she now spends most of her days in meetings. Rhonda was a life-long dancer before her body told her she needed to come down off her toes and wrap it up. She also loves all animals–especially moose. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America.