Page 12 of Crossed Up

She sighs, glancing around us warily before leaning in and dropping her voice to a whisper. “I don’t know any of these guys, and they’re all staring at me. It’s just making me a little anxious.”

My back immediately snaps ramrod straight, and I turn to glower at my teammates. “Hey! Don’t you assholes have drills to run or somethin’? Back. Off.” My voice is a harsh bark, and I catch more than a few of the guy’s mouths opening in shock.

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve gotten onto my teammates like that, but even then, I’ve never felt the kind of irritation I do right now, knowing they’ve made her uncomfortable.

If this is how I feel after less than a week with the girl? I’m so monumentally screwed.

“So.” Rhodes’s elbow nudges my ribs a few hours later, effectively knocking me out of my transfixed stare. “Those two seem to get along well, huh? How’s it been at home?”

I turn to my friend with a frustrated huff and drop the mitt I’ve been ignoring for the last half hour. “Things have never been better at our house, honestly. Lyla does so much more than I ever expected from a nanny, and she and Crew get on like fleas and a bluetick hound.”

Every word is the truth. Lyla has been going above and beyond every day she’s been with us, going as far as cooking meals even on her day off and starting a load of laundry if I go more than a day or two without doing it. I’ve already mentally bumped up her salary to compensate for all the extra things she’s been doing.

Rhodes crosses his arms in smug satisfaction, no doubt hearing the awe in my voice. I collapse to the ground with a sigh, uncaring that my back is likely covered in dirt and chalk right now. “She’s incredible, Rho. She’s endlessly patient with Crew and constantly doing little things to make our lives easier. It’s been a blessing having her around so far.”

He nods like this is what he expected me to say. “That all sounds great, Aid. So why do you sound so miserable?”

I try to come up with something that won’t make me sound like a creep, but the truth comes tumbling out of my mouth anyway. “I’m miserable because Lyla is so goddamn gorgeous it physically hurts to look at her. She’s so sweet and smart, and I can smell her perfume in every room of the house, and it’s driving me fucking crazy. I haven’t been this attracted to someone in years, if ever, and of course, this perfect angel comes along, and she’s totally off-limits.”

It looks like he’s trying to keep a straight face, so I lift my hand off the ground and halfheartedly punch him in the arm. The pathetic attempt to cause him pain cracks his composure, and he bellows out a laugh, catching the attention of Lyla and Crew where they’re eating lunch on a picnic blanket she must have packed.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you, but Wren totally called it. She said you’d be half in love by the end of the first week, and here we are.”

I scoff, sitting up with a groan. My lower back always kills after hours of catching, and it’s even worse than usual today. Copeland isn’t here this week, so I’ve been practicing with our backup pitcher, who’s off his game. That means I’m constantly rotating in place to catch his pitches, and I’ll need to spend some quality time with one of the therapists and maybe even a heating pad when I get home.

“I am not half in love, you jackass. I just think she’s pretty and smells good. That’s all. Sue me.”

Rhodes snickers quietly, laying a heavy hand on my shoulder. “You know it’s not a crime to be attracted to the pretty girl, right? Just because you’re attracted to her doesn’t mean you have to act on it. You’ve been alone for a long time, Aid. Maybe this is your sign to jump back into the dating pool.”

The words aren’t even all the way out of his mouth before I’m shaking my head vehemently. “No fuckin’ way. You know me better than that. Casually dating is hard enough when you’re a professional athlete, but add in that I’ve got Crew to think about? It’s just not worth it.”

He shakes his head with a frustrated huff. I know he and Copeland are both tired of my resistance to dating, but I haven’t found someone worth putting myself at risk for. Even though Mia and I weren’t romantically attached, her leaving still fucked with my head. It was too soon after my father’s death, and I was feeling too guilty to handle it well.

“Aidan…”

“Stop, Rho. I know, okay? But I’m not willing to risk Crew’s happiness if things go south. He has to be my priority always, and he’s just starting to get comfortable with having Lyla around all the time. I’m not ready to upend his life again when we’re just settling into a brand-new routine. I have my boy, and that’s enough. Maybe one day I’ll meet someone who changes that, but for now, I’m fine with how things are.”

I can tell he wants to continue the conversation, but Coach saves me when he pulls Rho away for batting practice. Taking a few deep breaths to collect myself, I amble over to see what Crew and Lyla are up to, only to be stopped when her bright laughter rings out around us.

This is the first time I’ve heard her truly uninhibited with her laughter, and the only way I can describe it is arresting. The sound stops you in your tracks and makes you smile, even if you were frowning seconds before. I make a silent vow then and there to hear it as often as I possibly can.

Lyla must feel me staring because she glances up with a bright grin and waves me over. “You have a brilliant boy on your hands here, Aidan. Crew was just showing me how you taught him to tie his shoes.”

Between her complimentary words and my son’s toothy grin, I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face as I join them on the outdoor blanket they have laid out on the grass.

“He shows that skill off to everyone who’ll let him, huh, raptor?”

Crew nods with a giggle, and Lyla smiles fondly at him. “I can see why! It’s a great skill to have.” Turning to me, her smile gets a bit shyer but no less bright. “I packed extra if you’re hungry. You do high protein-low sugar, right? I made a modified version of our lunch so it would align more with your meal plan.”

I shouldn’t be surprised she knows I’m on a specific diet, but I am. I’m honestly stunned. “Lyla,” I choke out. “You didn’t have to bring me anything, let alone make a special meal just for me. I have a meal prep waiting in the training room.”

She shrugs. “I know, but I thought you might like something fresh, too. I know you have to microwave those trays to reheat them.”

Lyla says the word ‘microwave’ with so much disdain I glance at her in surprise. “I wasn’t aware you had such strong convictions about microwaved food, Miss Taylor.”

Her cheeks flush bright red at my words, and she ducks her head, letting her long hair cover her face. “I know it seems silly, but we had this French chef growing up who vehemently opposed them. So much so that we didn’t even have one in the house until I was well into my teen years. And that was only because I love microwave popcorn so much he finally caved and had my father buy one. I can still hear him cursing at me in French his first day when he caught little six-year-old me microwaving pizza rolls.”

I watch her expression closely because whether she realizes it or not, this is the first thing she’s ever willingly volunteered about her childhood. It’s clear she grew up with money, the complete opposite of how my brother and I grew up. If you didn’t know her though, you’d never be able to tell.

---