Page 93 of Home Run

“Whoa. Mildred.Chill. I was only kidding around,” he spat out, hands held up in defense. “Sorry, okay. Don’t cry about it, it was ajoke. That’s all. It’s only a bagel.”

Carefully inching toward me, as one would do a wild animal, he patted my shoulder.

Pat. Pat. Pat.

“It was thelastbagel.” I sobbed, swiping a hand across my eyes. “and stop fucking calling me Mildred.”

“Millie, seriously, I’m sorry. I’ll go and get you some more.” He stepped back one foot at a time, then turned and ran out, heading into the garage where his car was, shouting, “Won’t be long.”

“Was that your brother?” asked my mom, entering through the main kitchen archway, followed by Brinkley.

I nodded and blew my nose on a piece of kitchen towel.

“Where’s he going?”

“To the store for more bagels.”

Her brows dropped. “Why?”

“I was making one, and he ate it. It was the last one.”

My mom crossed the kitchen and opened the freezer door. “There are two more packets in here.”

“Oh.” I shrugged. “Guess he didn’t know.”

I also hadn’t known they were in the freezer, but I wasn’t about to call him back if it bought me some peace and quiet for half an hour. Plus, they’d get eaten anyway.

Did I purposefully start crying? No, I cried because I had no control over my hormones these days.

Was I in a mood? Possibly.

And did it involve my brothers? Without a doubt.

It started two nights ago on the way back from the Nats’ stadium after the Lions beat them in the first game of the series.

Up until the journey home, both of my brothers had pledged allegiance to the Nats and swore they’d never accept a New York Lion in their home. Not only that, Tanner would have to prove himself worthy if they were to accept him as a potential brother-in-law/father of my child, or something along those lines.

Now?

Matty and Josh worshipped at the altar of Tanner Simpson.

It had started out with Holiday’s star quality and how blown away they were she was his sister, even after I’d toldthem there was no way she’d date either one of them. Holiday had been their gateway into this new level of Tanner fandom, and it hadn’t taken long before the three of them were in a group chat I hadn’t been invited to.

I didn’t know why it bothered me so much that they were now BFFs. I wanted them to like him, obviously. He was the father of my child. Everyone loved Tanner so easily, and I could see why.

He was someone I could admit Icareda lot for, someone Ilikeda lot, which was not anything I’d have said six months ago. Quite the opposite.

Butlove? Love seemed like such a huge stretch. Even after all his sweetness and thoughtfulness. His generosity. Love was so absolute.

Even after all the incredible sex we’d been having. And the time we’d been spending together.

It was huge enough that I was beginning to wonder if perhaps there was something wrong with me. A problem no one else seemed to have.

And the question that niggled in my brain at two a.m. most nights, if we didn’t have a baby coming, would I have ever stopped giving him a hard time?

Then around and around my brain would go until it was morning.

“Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?” my mom asked, sticking two halves of a frozen bagel in the toaster. “I’ll speak to your brother, get him to tone it down.”

---