Page 86 of Baseball and Shifters

“I thought I’d feel… relieved. Or something,” my voice doesn’t sound like mine. “But all I feel is… worse. Like this just made it real. Like it’s only going to get harder now that everyone knows the truth.”

Bas squeezes my hand. “Maybe. But you’re not doing it alone.”

I glance around at them and nod. “I know.”

We’re quiet for another moment before Liam shifts forward, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “We should cancel the lunch plan. I don’t want any of us going off campus right now.”

“Agreed,” Derrick says without hesitation.

Lucas lifts his hand like a light bulb just went off. “Okay then, new plan. At-home date. Blankets, snacks, movies, cuddles. No shoes, no rules, just us.”

A soft laugh escapes me. It’s small, but real. “Only if I get to choose what we watch first.”

“Fair enough,” Derrick says, placing a kiss on the top of my head before heading for the kitchen. His fingers trail lightly down my arm as he passes, like he’s reminding me he’s here, even when he walks away. “But first coffee, then breakfast. If you want to go take a shower, you can. I’ll have breakfast ready by the time you’re done.”

I consider his offer for a moment. The idea of standing under the hot spray is tempting, too tempting to ignore.

Twenty minutes later, I step back into the living room, wearing one of Derrick’s shirts and my favorite new pair of soft sleep shorts. The scent of eggs, bacon, and coffee greets me like a warm hug.

Derrick hands me a mug of coffee, made just the way I like. “Perfect timing, Emerald. Come eat.”

We all settle around the island and dig into breakfast. Eating with all of my mates always makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It’s like we’re a real family. And I guess now we sort of are.

After we eat, Bas and Lucas put together a huge bed in the middle of the living room. They push all of the furniture to the edges and drag in the mattresses from their rooms, putting them in the center of the room and piling a ridiculous number of pillows and blankets on top.

Where the hell did they get all these pillows?

Bas moves with that same easy swagger he always has, tossing pillows like he’s casually tossing baseballs. Lucas, meanwhile, gets intensely focused, tongue poking out slightly as he fluffs a comforter like he’s preparing for a magazine shoot. When the floor bed is ready Liam and Lucas take up spots leaving room for me between them.

“I get to choose the movie, remember?” I sass at Lucas as I drop down into the mound of pillows between him and Liam.

Lucas throws his hands up in surrender, tossing me the remote. “All yours, Moonbeam. Just don’t pick the one with those creepy puppets again. I swear I had nightmares for a week after.”

“It wasn’t creepy,” I gasp in mock outrage. “It was art. Besides, you’re the one who said it was a classic and we justhadto watch it.”

Bas chuckles from his spot near my feet, his thumb brushing softly over my calves. “Pick whatever you want, Firefly. If it makes you happy I’ll even sit through that one with the dog that makes everyone cry like little bitch babies.”

“You said you weren’t crying,” Derrick teases from the kitchen. “You said it was just eye sweat.”

“Theyweresweating,” Bas says indignantly, while a smile tugs at the edges of his mouth. “That pup sacrificed everything to find his boy. Don’t try and act like you weren’t tearing up when he laid down on the porch.”

“I did not,” Derrick huffs, but the sparkle in his eye says otherwise.

“You totally did,” I add. “You even did that thing where you try to hide it with a cough. Like we wouldn’t notice our big bad dragon misting up.”

A round of chuckles spreads through the room, some of the tension from earlier fading away. I scroll through our movie options for a few seconds before landing on a ridiculous comedy that’s sure to make everyone laugh.

“How about this one?” I ask, glancing around.

Lucas nods immediately. “Oh, yes. We need stupid humor right now.”

“Definitely,” Liam agrees. “This is one of my favorites, when they find that baby… hilarious.”

The opening credits roll, and we all settle in. Derrick claims his usual spot at my back and I lean against his chest. Bas shifts and lays so his head is resting on my lap.

“This okay?” he asks, peering up at me, his eyes more green than brown today. His lashes are unfairly long, fanned out against the soft flush of his cheeks.

“Perfect,” I say, brushing my fingers through his dark hair.

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