Page 105 of Home Run

“Hey, say you love me back.”

“You love me back.” He grinned, which set Parker off into a fit of giggles.

“Noooo. Say you love me.”

He might have rolled his eyes beforehand, but he did as I asked. “Fine.I love you.”

This time the tears really did pour out.

“See, how hard was that?” I wiped my face and turned to Parker, shoving him with my elbow. “You love me, too, right?”

He lifted one very sleepy eyelid. “Sure.”

“Thank you.” I took a large swig of champagne. “Now why can’t Millie say it?”

Now,thismight have been to do with the alcohol consumed, but it was starting to bother me a teeny tiny bit that Millie was yet to admit to me how she felt. And I wasn’t just talking about love. She hadn’t told me anything.

Call me needy, but I wanted to hear it, because I knew it was there. I could see it in her eyes, I could see it in her actions.

I could almost see the words forming on her lips right before she hesitated and changed the subject.

“Duude. She’s having your baby.”

“We’re gonna be godfathers.” bellowed Lux.

“Or Godmothers.” slurred Parker. “When are you finding out what we’re having?”

“End of next week,” I shouted over the music as itchanged to Taylor Swift. All the girls on the dance floor shrieked, and all the ones who hadn’t been on the dance floor rushed over to join in. “It’s the morning of game five.”

“Only if we need five games.”

“I’ll drink to that,” I replied, and I did, then passed the bottle back to Lux.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it.” Parker sighed. “Payton loves Ace, Scout loves me, Radley loves Lux, and Millie—dude—” He threw his arms around me. “Can’t believe you actually got Millie even after how fucking salty she was, and now you’re having a baby.”

“I know.” I shook my head so hard my brain rattled. “But she’s not said she loves me. She’s not said it. I mean, you said it, it’s easy.”

“Sure, it’s easy. Idolove you, man. And Lux loves you. And Ace loves you.”

“And I loveyou.But Millie?—”

Tanner bolted upright. “Ohmigod, maybe she’s going to do it as a surprise, like in the movies. Maybe she’ll put it in skywriting.”

“Ooh,or on a cookie,” said Lux.

“Nope, that doesn’t sound like Millie?—”

“What doesn’t sound like me?” she asked, easing down onto the arm of the couch next to me as Radley fell onto Lux’s lap.

I was right, up close the shimmery stuff really did make it look like her eyes were sparkling.

“My beautiful mama bear!” I cried, shoving Parker off me, narrowly missing his head with the champagne bottle I was still holding, and I patted my knee. “Come and give me a cuddle.”

“How much have you guys had to drink?” asked Radley, her eyes roving over the table at the empty bottles of champagne, several of Parker’s weird-ass fruity shots, and the bottle of tequila.

“S’not all ours,” Lux informed her.

Millie shifted onto my lap and I pulled her further into me until she was fully enveloped in my arms.

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