Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (42 page)

Shaking my head, I grab his hands and pull him to me again. “I was thinking Toby could come to visit again in a few weeks.”

Tate’s grinning ear to ear as he nods. “Great idea, baby. He’ll just need to be home before the fifteenth to start kindergarten.”

I glance down at where our fingers are laced together then slowly look up into his eyes. “Maybe he could spend the school year here…with us.”

Tate’s eyes go wide and if his grin could get any bigger, it does. “You want him here…with us…permanently?”

I nod, biting my lip, wondering if I’ve gone too far. Tate lifts me off the ground, pulling my legs around his waist, and spinning us in circles. I laugh as he moves us to the bed and lays me down gently. His lips kiss along my leg, working his way up to my waist. His fingers hook my panties and he starts to pull them down, but stops and looks me in the eyes.

“So this is it?” he asks with a grin. “The start of our life together…”

My stomach flutters quickly and I nod. Ready or not, I’m about to start my new life with Tate and Toby James. A new life free of Asher Tomko.

CHAPTER 25

Tate

My knuckles are white as I grip the armrest of my plane seat. God, I hate flying and this flight has been nothing but turbulence. I take a deep breath and try to focus on anything other than this bumpy flight because I’m about to jump out of my skin.

“How are things with Mia?” Grant’s voice breaks my concentration.

I nod and mutter good.

“Tell me about it,” he says.

I look at him out of the corner of my eye, hands squeezing tighter on the arms of my seat. I raise my eyebrow as I answer. “I don’t think Colie, nor Mia, want me to talk about what goes on in our bedroom.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Not the sex, man. You’re way too anxious. You should have taken some meds before this flight to chill out. So tell me about Mia, take your mind off it.”

I swallow as the plane hits another bump and my stomach flies into my throat. Grant’s right. Think. Focus. Keep my mind on anything other than plummeting to my death. Mia…Mia…I smile, Mia. She’s always the perfect distraction. Nodding, I close my eyes and say in an even voice, focusing on my words. “She’s amazing, just told me this morning that she’s going to sell her house and move in to my place at my request.”

“Sounds like a step in the right direction.”

I open my eyes and stare at the headrest in front of me. “We’re going to start Toby in school back in L.A.”

I hear Grant lean forward beside me, but I don’t take my eyes off the headrest. “Wow, so it’s that serious, huh?”

I nod, not breaking my gaze. “I’m going to marry her.”

Grant chuckles. “She know that?”

“I’ve told her, haven’t officially asked yet.”

Grant slaps my leg. “Good to hear. Now, let go of me before Colie gets jealous.”

Looking away from the seat in front of me, I glance down. Sure enough, I’ve been squeezing Grant’s arm the entire time. I laugh and nod. “I think meds are a good idea for the flight home.”

Mia

Taking a deep breath, I walk into Asher’s office. In my hands are the papers for my house to be put on the market, all that’s missing is his signature. It’s taken me a few days, but I’m ready to face him. I’ve stood up to him before. I convinced him to divorce me, I can convince him to let me sell my house. I’m just not sure I can tell him where I plan on moving.

Asher taps away on his keyboard although I know he’s probably not doing work. I imagine he’s planning his next “business trip” by the way his lips are turned up. I clear my throat and he glances in my direction, his smile turning into a grin.

“Amelia, I haven’t seen you around lately,” he says and stands, making his way to me.

It’s true. I’ve been avoiding him, checking his schedule to make sure we aren’t in the office together. It’s a relief that the tabloids haven’t picked up on Tate and my relationship, but Asher knows me well enough that if he were around me, he’d know something was going on. His hands slide around my waist and I grip the papers tighter as he kisses my cheek.

Playing it off, I nod. “Seems like our schedules just haven’t matched up lately.”

Before I realize it, he grabs the papers from my hands. “What’s this, Amelia? A proposal to make us money?”

I scoff, trying not to show my cards. I walk to the window, looking outside. “Asher, I’ve brought in over two million in profit in the past two months alone. What more do you want from me?”

Asher grins and slaps my backside. “Sweetheart, you know there’s no such thing as enough money.”

I jump at his contact, startled as he took me by surprise. I spin around and move to his desk, leaning against it so he can’t do it again. Looking at the papers, he frowns and looks at me.

“Amelia, this is a contract to sell your house.”

My heart races as I try to read his thoughts. I grab the desk to hide my trembling hands and nod. “You know that house is much too big for me. With the market today, I can sell it for a higher profit than what we bought it for.”

His grin returns as he moves across the room to me. “Ready to move back home?”

My stomach tightens at this thought. I never imagined he’d draw that conclusion and I hate the memories that households. Finding him in bed with our housekeeper, lying in a ball on the floor as he took out his aggression on me. The only good memory is of when I marched out of the house, broken nose, fractured ribs and all, and found my angel Arlene who saved me from going through that hell again. Well, at least from that extreme again.

Asher moves one hand to my waist, squeezing it tightly. The other moves gingerly to my cheek as he looks into my eyes. “I knew you’d come to your senses, Amelia. You and I are meant to be together.”

I swallow hard, not sure if I should tell him the truth now or later. I can let him think what he wants if he’ll sign the papers, then tell him about Tate later with him by my side. Of course, that means telling Tate the truth about my fears of Asher. The alternative is to tell him the truth now and he’ll refuse to let me put it on the market.

Slowly, I nod. “I haven’t thought about it yet, but possibly…maybe buy a condo.”

Asher pinches my waist, obviously not happy with my answer. He tosses the papers on his desk. The hand on my cheek moves to my hair which he pulls hard and looks into my eyes.

“I’ll think about it,” he says smugly and brushes his lips across mine.

I pull back and put my hand on his chest, thankful I left the door open. “Asher, not at the office.”

He grins and nods, remembering our deal of no public displays of affection in front of our staff. “Let me sleep on it and I’ll stop by your place in the morning with an answer.”

My heart races. He didn’t say no, but he didn’t say yes either. Thank goodness Tate’s out of town. Tonight will be my first time at my place since we got together five months ago.

CHAPTER 26

Tate

Grant slaps my back as we part ways in the garage at the airport. “Much better flight home,” he teases.

I laugh. “Thanks, that anti-anxiety medicine really worked.”

Colie, Grant, and I caught the redeye back from our game so we could have an entire day off rather than get back late in the evening with the rest of the team. I’m anxious to see Mia and work out plans to get Toby registered for school. Plus I want to take her ring shopping. My heart jumps at that thought, but in a good way. I dreaded this move to L.A., but next to Toby, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

The taxi drops me off in front of my house. I drop my bags and take a quick shower. I wish Mia were here, but she text me last night letting me know she was staying at her house to start packing things up. My stomach squeezes as the realization that this is really happening hits me. I want it. I want it more than anything, but it just seems too good to be true.

I tug the knit jersey fabric of my shirt over my head and zip my jeans. Sliding on a pair of loafers, I grab the keys to my Corvette. The engine purrs, reminding me of Mia’s delighted noise and I rev it once more, eager to hear her purr-moan again. After reversing, I shift into gear and speed down the street.

My mind is lost in thoughts of what my life will be like this fall with Mia and Toby. He’ll finally have a mom and dad, someone to share in all his school excitement with. Sooner than I realize, I pull into her driveway, surprised to see Asher’s Ferrari parked beside me.

I don’t have a good feeling as I climb the stairs to her front porch. My finger hovers over the doorbell, but my gut tells me to stop. Taking a step to the side, I look through the window and clench my fists at the sight in front of me. The asshole is kissing my woman, my Mia. No, his wife, ex-wife, whatever. It’s obvious she’ll never be over Asher. At this moment, it hits me like a punch is the stomach that Mia will never be mine.

Mia

Asher’s lips devour mine as he pins me against the table in my front foyer. My hands struggle to push his chest away, trying to get him off me. His tongue slides between my lips, parting them as he invades my mouth. His hips push tighter against mine and he grabs my wrists in his hands, easily overpowering me as I can’t move against him. I’ve fought this battle before and I know the more I resist, the worst it will be. Once Asher realizes I’ve given up, he pulls away, smirking.

His index finger runs down my cheek and under my chin. “I think it’s a good idea to sell the house.”

I can feel my heart in my throat and a smile spreading across my face. “Really?”

With a light kiss to my lips, he nods. “I ran the numbers and you’re right, I’ll make double the money.”

My stomach drops. “You’ll make double the money?”

He nods with a cocky grin on his face. “I rewrote the contract so I’ll earn the seventy percent from the sale of the house.”

I push his chest lightly, putting some space between us since he’s loosened his grip on me. “Asher, it’s my house. You may have bought it, but I’m the one that’s put
my
money into it to fix it up.”

“Amelia, it’s always been our money. Besides, what do you need it for?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

My heart races as I get the sinking feeling that he knows. Maybe he doesn’t know exactly what I have planned, but he knows something is going on. I can’t fight him on this, because if I do, I’ll blow my cover. I need the money from the sale of the house to start my own business, but what’s a few more months at this point. Once I start my new business and build up clientele, I’ll more than make up the money from the sale so it won’t matter.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, along with my pride, I shrug. “You’re right. Let me see the papers so I can sign and get it listed today.”

Asher’s grin widens as he takes a step away from me. “They’re on your desk at the office.”

I smooth out my skirt and nod. “Great.” I force a smile and kiss his cheek. “I’ll take care of it as soon as I get in.”

Quickly picking up my purse, I walk to the door opening it, not wanting to spend another minute alone with him. He slinks toward me, planting a kiss on my neck before he goes outside. I follow him and watch as he backs out of my driveway. Sitting in my Corvette, I take a deep breath and text Tate:
House on market today.

I toss the phone in the passenger seat, knowing Tate probably won’t answer right away since he’s still with the team. Turning up the radio, I switch the station from talk radio to the local pop station. Katy Perry fills my ‘Vette and I grin at how things are finally headed in the right direction. I’m sure this is just the calm before the storm, but soon enough, the storm will be gone.