Page 33 of Safe at Home

I rolled my eyes but laughed. “Not you, too. Just because he’s the shortest on the team…”

Pen laughed. “I bet Ty made a short joke, too, didn't he?”

“Of course, he did,” I said with a shake of my head, but I had a smile on my face.

Meadow laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it, either. I can see it in the shape of your nose, and he has freckles, right? I’ve only seen a few pictures of your parents, but he definitely favors your dad.”

“For someone who didn’t know who Dominic was a minute ago, you sure have him memorized,” Pen commented.

“I’m looking at his picture on the Raptor’s website as I talk to you,” Meadow said with a laugh.

I had to laugh, too. “You girls are crazy. To answer your question, Meadow… I don’t know why Mimi didn’t tell me. I’m trying not to feel like I’ve been lied to my whole life and upset with her until I know all the facts. And Pen, yes, it’s Dominic. I agree that I think we have the same nose, too. That was the first thing we both said.”

“How long until the test results come back?” Pen asked.

“Three to ten days.”

“Where is your hottie husband now?” Meadow asked. I had to laugh when Penelope groaned.

“I was pretty emotional when I told him everything I told you guys. I guess I fell asleep in his arms. He snuggled with me on the bed all night, and I seriously got the best sleep ever. Anyway, he left a note that he went for a run, and he’ll be back soon.” The motel door opened, and a sweaty, shirtless Tyler appeared in the doorway. I bit my bottom lip and gave him a wink. My husband really was a hottie! “Speaking of my hottie husband, he is back now. I’m going to let you girls go. Meadow, talk to you soon. Pen, see you soon.”

“Were you really just video chatting with Penelope? I just saw her on her apartment balcony as I ran by her place.”

“Well, I wanted to fill them in about Dominic, and it was just easiest to tell Pen and Meadow at the same time.”

“That’s fair,” Tyler said and leaned down to give me a kiss. “I’m gonna jump in the shower. Want to join me?”

I had to laugh, “As tempting as that is, I saw how tiny the showers are here. I don’t think there is any way we’d both fit. When I talk to the contractor, I am going to see how much extra it would cost to get an extra large shower and soaker bathtub.”

Tyler laughed along with me and said, “Speaking of showers, we need to discuss our bet from the other day. Who would have thought it would have been Alec and Ivan?”

“I know, right?!”

“The Raptors leave for an away game in two days. Maybe we could sneak into the stadium then.”

“Do you not have to go with them?” I asked.

“Nope. They want me as the face of the tornado relief, so they’ll want to do some clips of the cleanup and show how everything is going here. Oh! But guess what?”

“What?” I asked.

“Snyder is going to fill in for Mack while he’s with his son and asked if I might help by being the pitching coach for home games while I’m here!”

“Have you ever even pitched before? Wouldn’t you be a better hitting coach?”

“I did try my hand at pitching a few times in high school, but I wasn’t very good. As a catcher, though, it’s my responsibility to know all the pitchers’ strengths and weaknesses. Snyder and Collins, the pitching coach for the Lightning, both rely on me to recognize if the pitcher is having any issues or if they are good to continue pitching. So I’m basically like an assistant coach out there already.”

“That’s awesome. Maybe someday you’ll be a manager of your own team,” I said, thinking of all the possibilities.

“Ivan, Hayden, and I actually talked about that during our run. That’s actually a future goal of mine now. Once my career of playing baseball is over I would love to be a manager or a coach.”

“But after you have a good major league career,” I added with a grin.

“What the fuck did I do to get so lucky?” he asked as he pulled me into a big hug. “Most wives would want you to quit playing and get into coaching now. Not my wife. She encourages me to keep moving up.”

“Of course! It’s your dream, and I’ll be with you every step of the way!” I said, then felt his sweaty back under my arms as I hugged him and pushed away from him. “Ew! You need to go take a shower!”

“This is your last chance to join me!” Tyler said with a laugh as he made his way to the bathroom.

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