Page 16 of Home Run

“Got it.” I grinned and dropped a kiss to the only part of her head visible. “Thanks, Hol, love you.”

I took her grunt to mean she loved me too.

Tanner: Good morning to you too. I can be there in thirty minutes.

Imade it in twenty-nine minutes.

And now here I was, walking into the diner where we’d had our first date (as I liked to think of it). I’d never been here this early, and it was surprisingly busy. But even though nearly all the tables were full, I’d spotted her the second I’d pulled up outside.

Because I didn’t see her on a daily basis, every time I laid eyes on her again felt like the first time I had.

My heart juddered against my rib cage as I soaked her in, even from this distance, through the slightly dirty windows. She sat in a booth by the wall, waiting, dark hair tossed over her shoulder and so glossy it looked like it had received a fresh coat of paint. In the six weeks that had passed, her golden skin had deepened to a luscious bronze from her July Fourth at the beach (according to Radley).

Eyes the color of milk chocolate kept flicking toward the door, but it wasn’t until she spotted me, her mouth forming into a nervous smile, that my heart really felt like it might burst.

I slipped in opposite her. “Hey.”

“Hi,” she replied, chewing on her lip.

“How’ve you been?” I asked at the exact same time she said, “Thank you for coming. Sorry it’s so early.”

I didn’t bother to tell her it could have been the middle of the night and I’d still have come. Holiday wouldn’t have been happy though.

“I was awake,” I replied instead.

“Are you hungry? I just got here. Do you want coffee?”

“Yeah, I’ll take a coffee.” My eyes moved up to Giuseppe as he walked over with two glasses and a pitcher of water. “Hey, man, how’s it going?”

“Better now you’re in here. I know with my breakfast we’re gonna win tonight. You flying out later?”

I chuckled. “Yeah.”

“And you, young lady, are you going to finish what I put in front of you?”

“Um…I’m actually not hungry yet,” Millie began as the color slowly leached from her face. “Could I just get a mint tea?”

I frowned a little. As long as I’d known her, coffee was her drink of choice. Every time she came into the apartment with Radley, she’d head straight for the coffee machine.

“I’ll take hers, Gui, pile up my plate.” I winked at him, turning back to Millie when he walked off.

The tiny diamond stud inside the shell of her ear caught the light as she tucked a strand of hair behind it. She thenwent about straightening up all the packets of sugar, tidying the salt and pepper, and lining up our glasses of water with the placemats.

“Millie.” I placed my hand over hers and stilled it. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yes.” She brushed her hair back again and nodded. “I…um…I wanted to, uh…apologize. The last time…I behaved so badly. I’m sorry for what I said to you about…um, and for making you leave.”

She looked so uncomfortable with her hands twisting into little knots, and so unlike the confident sassy girl I’d always known that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s not funny.”

“I know,” I replied, waiting as one of the servers returned with my coffee and her tea. “I’ve never been kicked out of someone’s dorm before. First time for everything.” I laughed, though when her face paled further, I decided it was perhaps too early to make jokes. “Hey, I’m kidding.”

“I’m pregnant.”

I wished she’d picked a different moment to blurt news of this magnitude, and not right when I’d taken a sip of coffee. Hot liquid spluttered in my face, sprayed all over her, all over our booth, some of the table next to us—basically, anything within the vicinity.

The dispenser of napkins couldn’t dispense them quickly enough. Millie was wiping herself down while apologizing, and I was too busy trying not to choke, or breathe in any more coffee.

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