Page 29 of Grand Slam

“Will you get your panties out of a bunch, drama queen.” Liz rolls her eyes, and I swear Jerry’s face is getting redder by the second. “I don’t have time to deal with your hissy fit.”

Suddenly Liz is lifted in the air and tossed over Jerry’s shoulder. I have to give him credit. He has balls. Slapping her ass he carries her off, while she’s kicking and swatting at his back. By the way she is yelling and the words she chooses, he may want to run the second her feet hit the floor.

“She is going to kill him,” Emerson says with a laugh. I’m surprised by how relaxed she seems. I watch her watching Jerry and my sister walk off and I can’t control the nervous energy coursing through me.

Then when she looks over to find my focus is on her, I instantly notice the reddening in her cheeks.

“Did you listen to your messages?”

I only shake my head.

“Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”

“Because goodbye is too final, and it’s too hard.”

Emerson holds my stare, neither of us saying anything. The uneasy feeling in my stomach only worsens with each passing second. I expect her to say something like, did we honestly think this could work out? Or maybe, it was fun, but I have to get back to real life?

At least those are the things I don’t want to hear, but my mind has been playing fucking games on me since I left my apartment earlier. So when she finally does speak I feel like the weight of the world is being lifted and every muscle in my body seems to relax.

“Goodbye doesn’t have to be forever.” Em tucks her hands into her pockets, taking a step closer. “I know you overheard us earlier. But if I don’t tell myself all those things, giving myself a little nudge, then I don’t think I’ll be able to get on that plane.”

“Then don’t,” I say without a moment of hesitation and she smiles.

“I do have a life back in Chicago.” My shoulders tense once again. “But that doesn’t mean for a second that it isn’t killing me to know that you’ll be here and I’ll be there.”

“But we don’t have to be.”

“We do,” she tells me placing her hand on my forearm and chills cover me, as I fight the shiver. I miss her though and it’s been less then twelve hours since she was in my bed, cuddled up. If I feel like this now, how will I feel after a week, or even a month.

“Kelton.” I refocus, finding her watching me with concern etched around her eyes. She’s squinting, her head tilted slightly to the side. “Why can’t we just stop focusing on the bad and decide that we will make this work? Decide that no matter what one day we will be back here, together, or if you end up somewhere else, I’ll be there at your side.”

“I’m here for three more years, signed a five-year contract with a no trade clause.”

She smiles.

“Please tell me it won’t take that long to get you back here.”

“We’ll talk, we’ll figure it out, but what we don’t have to do is finalize every detail right now. I may be going back to Chicago, but I,” she places her hand over her heart and my own beats faster, “I,” Emerson repeats, “am not going anywhere.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Emerson

It’s been an emotional day,from the very second I opened my eyes. I knew when I fell asleep in his arms it would be my final night with him, at least for a while.

What I didn’t expect is that it would hit him this hard. He’s left before and it felt like he did it so easily, but now I am finding it different.

My chest burns with emotion as I stand before him confessing I love him without actually speaking the words. I’m too raw now, and it’s too soon to tell this man that there has never been another that makes my heart race the way he does. Since before he even noticed me, when I was the friend of his sister’s tagging along to all of his high school games he’s been a prominent part of my life.

Now here we are, staring at each other, and I know I feel like my insides are literally crumbling with sadness.

When Kelton finally steps forward closing the distance between us, placing his hands on my hips he pulls me in close. Leaning in he kisses my forehead and my insides melt a little more as he keeps his lips resting there. Then moving lower, dropping his chin, he rests his forehead to mine.

“I can’t pretend you leaving isn’t killing me. I’ve gotten used to the two of you being here. I’ve got used to not going home to the quiet. It’s not even a home really because it’s only ever felt like a place I lay my head to sleep. Until this week it’s never felt like more.”

I close my eyes tightly because his words hit me deep.

“The bickering, the banter, hell even the arguing, it’s giving me back a sense of family. I have the guys, I know I do, but when they go home and I go home, it’s lonely.”

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