Page 98 of Stolen Bases

“Fuck you, Mase.” We make our way to the open concession stands as I not-so-stealthily search for Talia in the crowd.

“Aw, don’t cry about it. Fix it.”

“Easier said than done.” He’s right, but I just don’t know where to start.

Mason points to the left. “Start there.”

I watch Talia disappear as she turns the corner towards the bathroom.

Checking if the coast is clear, I turn to my brother. “Keep an eye out for me?”

He gives me a salute, and I do what I’ve wanted to do all day. I go after my girl.

twenty-five

Talia

I think I’m inshock. Frozen.

If someone told me I was going to have a front-row seat to my brother acting like a complete jackass, I wouldn’t have believed them.

Cam’s hazel eyes lock on mine, and what I see breaks my heart. I want to jump into his arms and hug him. Kiss him. Assure him we can get through this. But I can’t. Not here.

All I can do is mouth,I’m sorry,to the man I love.

My big guy is trying so hard to hide his hurt behind that fake smile on his face. My gut tells me he’s not hurting for himself, but for me. Something that I can’t make out flashes in Cam’s eyes as we stare at each other over my brother’s shoulder.

Is being with me too much trouble? Does he want to walk away before things get more serious? Nausea swirls in my stomach at the thought of Cam breaking up with me before we have a real chance of being together.

He breaks eye contact as his nephew pokes my brother in the stomach. I watch as my mom approaches and squats down to chat with Rhys. The only person brave enough to stand up to my brother is a sweet little boy who looks like his uncle. Cam just stood there while Nico taunted him in front of a group of children—at a family picnic for his team.

I truly thought Nico was going to join in and play too. He’s a sucker for kids. He’s a part of a charity in our hometown that helps pay for underprivileged kids to play baseball. Sure, he’s rough around the edges, but he has a good heart.

The person I witnessed is nothing like the Nico I know. My big brother is kind and sweet. Protective. That guy back there was a … total asshole.

I know Nico hates Cam, but this? This is out of line. What makes me sadder and sicker to my stomach is that what I just saw probably isn’t the worst thing my brother has said to Cam.

The muffled conversation and sounds around me don’t register until Zia Rose puts her arm over my shoulders and pulls me away from the disgusting scene that just played out.

“Oh, Lia. You’ve been a naughty little thing,” she whispers in my ear. “Do you understand what you’ve gotten yourself into?”

My nose tingles as my tears threaten to fall at her question.

Yes.A pain in my chest flairs, threatening to take me down.I fell for the one person my brother would never accept.

I glance up at her and nod. She lets out a loud, resigned sigh as she rubs my shoulder. Tears break free and stream down my cheeks.

“Not here,” she mutters under her breath, tugging me through the crowd of people. She leads me left, away from my mom and brother. “Go wash your face and calm down. I’ll help Cat with Nico.”

“How did you know?” I ask.

Cam and I stood as far away from each other as possible. There was no interaction whatsoever between us. The closest I got to him was right now when I followed Nico.

I took the chance to be near Cam, to watch him play with his nephew. They’re so cute together, playing catch and inviting other kids to take part when they started hitting. My lady bits went into overdrive watching Cam laugh and have fun surrounded bya group of children. I couldn’t help but picture him as a dad, all smiles and jokes as he played with our son in the backyard.

She sighs. “That man has watched your every move since we walked onto the field. He looks at you like you’re precious treasure that he wants to hoard to himself. Only a man in love would watch you like that.”

Her admission has my heart pinching in a mini explosion of happiness.

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