Page 80 of Home Run

“How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days,” Scout replied.

Scooping up a handful of popcorn, I dropped a couple of pieces into my mouth. “It’s a classic.”

“I vote for more weekends like this now the season is ending, and I have school all week.”

“How is school?” asked Scout, through a slurp of hot chocolate.

“It’s okay, it kind of sucks being there without Millie, but I have some friends in class who make it fun. We all miss Millie though.” Radley smiled, snuggling down and placing my legs across hers. “But I’m bringing her all the assignments so she can feel like she’s still with us.”

Yeah, I wasn’t sure how much I’d be doing. I’d read through the first assignment Radley had been given—an essay on the symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe’s work—and decided I could wait another year before tackling it.

“When’s your Christmas break?”

“My last class is December tenth, and Lux has us booked for vacation on the eleventh.” She laughed.

Scout reached forward, taking a fistful of popcorn. “Where are you going?”

“Bahamas, I think. We went last year, it was so peaceful and private. Do you have any vacations? Do you have the offseason like the boys?”

“A little,” she replied. “Not as much as them because we use the time to pull all the plans together for the following year, but it’s more chilled for sure. Parker and I have vacation time planned for November, right after the World Series.”

“Where are you heading?” I asked.

“Don’t know, it’s a surprise. But he’s told me to pack a bikini, so I can’t complain.”

The idea of wearing a bikini and walking along a warm, sandy beach had me sighing softly. I probably wouldn’thave to work hard to persuade Tanner to take one, although given we’d only agreed yesterday to take things very,veryslowly on a trial basis, a vacation together seemed contradictory.

We were doing everything backward, sideways,all the waysexcept the one that made the most sense. We were having a baby together, and since yesterday we’d had more sex than I’d had all year. I was happily taking things one day at a time, but I was also struggling to separate what the baby wanted from what I wanted—namely to be around Tanner.

Have him with me, have him touching me.

It was almost impossible to believe he used to be the biggest pain in my ass, but I needed to be sure that I wanted to be with him for me, too, not just the baby. Like it or not, we were tied for life.

“Do you guys have plans?”

I rubbed a hand over my belly—which according to the app was lemon size this week—an unconscious movement of mine these days. “No plans, except to get prepared for this one.”

“Are you excited?”

“I think so.” I smiled. “It’s taken a lot of getting used to the idea I’m going to be a mom, but Tanner’s making it easier for sure. He’s been so helpful, and supportive.”

“Do you have names picked out?”

Ignoring the tightness in my throat, I replied, “Yes. If it’s a boy, we’re naming him after my dad.”

Radley’s eyes widened, and her soft smile spread over her face. “I love that idea.”

“Me too.”

For reasons I couldn’t work out, it hadn’t occurred tome to name the baby after my dad. I’d decided it was perhaps down to the fact that everything to do with the pregnancy seemed to be a surprise and I was still figuring it out one day at a time. One task at a time. But of course, Tanner had proved himself again and again that of the two of us, he seemed to be the one most capable.

His idea of naming the baby Brady meant more to me than he could ever possibly know, and when I’d called my mom to tell her, the emotion in her voice set off my own flood of tears.

We had less than a month before we found out if Brady Simpson was going to make an entrance. Or if Poppy would be gracing us with her presence instead.

“Have your families met yet?”

I shook my head. “No, we’re doing the family meetings once the season is over. Then we have until Spring Training to get everything ready.”

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