Page 36 of Fielder's Choice

“You’re not gonna see your girl?” Cole asks.

“She’s not my girl. She’s my friend.”

“That you clearly want something more with,” Rory smirks.

“I don’t know what I want,” I sigh. “I know that the more time I spend with her, the more I like being with her. She’s incredibly sweet, and she already has a great bond with my daughter. But I don’t know if I know her well enough yet to say that I want to be with her, especially when I’ve been out of the game for so long. I haven’t had a girlfriend since Double-A.”

“Which means you’re giving this actual thought,” Cole states. “That’s a good thing. That means that if and when you do decide you want to be with her, it’s because you actually thought it through.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” I reply. “We’ll just see how this goes.”

That’s all I can really do anyway.

My penthouse is way too damn quiet tonight. Sage has only been gone for a few hours, but I already miss her like fucking crazy. I know she’s having fun with Rory and Cole, though.

I’ve spent the time I’ve had to myself by straightening up all the toys Sage didn’t put away, wiping down my counters of all the residue from her sticky fingers, and vacuuming the carpet to get rid of all her crumbs.

When I finish that, I decide to just relax in bed and watch a movie. I figure I’ll watch one I haven’t seen yet, so I choose a new-to-me title—Black Swan.

Yeah, yeah. I know it’s a ballet movie.

I’m fucking predictable, okay?

Now down to nothing but a pair of boxer briefs as I wind down and prepare for an early night, I lean back against my headboard with my hands behind my head and just enjoy the movie.

About an hour in, my phone buzzes next to me on my nightstand. I grab it and smile, seeing a message from my own Ballerina.

Olive

Hey, Lane

Lane

No Hotshot?

Olive

If I called you Hotshot all the time, it wouldn’t be special

Lane

Ooh, am I special?

Olive

That’s absolutely not what I said

Lane

You’re gonna break my heart, Livvy

Olive

You’ll be alright, Hotshot

Lane

Much better now

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