Page 59 of The Yips

“Not yet, but moving home is a giant weight off my chest. I figured I could drive Uber, but Sam isn’t comfortable with that. Sam is generous, but our worlds are so different, Dad.”

“I don’t want the stress of losing your job to push you into a relationship you aren’t ready to have.”

“All this,” I said, gesturing to the luxury hotel room, “it’s a lot. But Sam is much more real than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“You’ve never been one to get stars in your eyes. I’ve said this before, but I’ll be there to help you no matter what happens. I can’t offer you luxury homes, but you and Crew will always have a roof over your head. No questions asked.”

“You and Mom aren’t ready for your kids to grow up,” I joked. Since the day we left the house, they had been trying to encourage us to move back home.

“Yeah, well, I loved being a dad. Since you guys left the house, it’s like I lost that part of my identity,” he said sadly.

“Maybe you and Mom should take advantage of the time by yourself? Travel. See the world.”

“That’s the plan,” he said before getting quiet.

“Mom’s promotion was great for her, but it set back your plans together.”

“I’ve been working on a surprise trip to Paris for our anniversary. She thinks I’m planning two weeks in Maine, and she’s making things incredibly difficult. She doesn’t want to ask for the time off from work, and I don’t want to book things if she can’t get the time off.”

“Let me know if you think I can do anything to help. Doyou need to shower and change before we head to the game?”

“Just change, give me ten minutes. Oh, are you eating ballpark garbage with me tonight?”

“Ugh, I wish. I need to save some appetite for a fancy dinner later. But if you need someone to take a couple of chicken fingers off your hands, I got you.”

CHAPTER 52

Sam

As soon as I walked onto the mound, I searched the stands for Kelsey. When our eyes met, I smiled and winked, and she helped Crew clap for me. I wasn’t a stranger to hostile fans, but having someone here only for me? That was new. Family. The word ran repeatedly in my brain, and I couldn’t get over the sense of home those two provided.

I loved playing baseball, but tonight, I just wanted to make quick work of my opponents and get back to Kelsey. She even made the dinner with my father seem less dreadful, and I kept reminding myself that we had a sitter for the entire night. And just like that, there was a “we” and this baby in the picture, and I couldn’t imagine life without them.

I pitched well, fuck, I pitched amazing. Since Kelsey had been in my life and at my games, I had several games that would typically be considered career highlights. I felt almost invincible on the mound, but strangely enough, it had become one of the least important parts of my life. My career had suddenly paled compared to my relationshipwith Kelsey and Crew. Baseball had now just become how I funded my lifestyle, which increasingly embarrassed me when I realized how modestly Kelsey lived and how she was raised. My parents had always had more than enough, and I’d never struggled for money.

When she greeted me after the game, I hugged her and Crew and swiped him from her arms. We both looked up as a camera flashed in our faces.

“Sam, we must have missed the birth announcement. When was the baby born?”

I wasn’t in the practice of lying to the media, but I figured this part of Kelsey and Crew’s history was none of anyone’s business.

“That’s because there was no announcement,” I answered and walked away, shutting down further questions.

Kelsey squeezed my hand, silently communicating her appreciation as we headed out of the stadium together. Her father followed closely behind, trying not to appear starstruck by the rest of my teammates.

When we got back to the hotel, we got her father settled with Crew, and then Kelsey locked herself in the second bedroom in our suite to get ready. She had promised a surprise, and I hoped it had something to do with the charge on my credit card statement for Agent Provocateur. The total was staggeringly high and completely unexpected from Kelsey. I fucking loved seeing the charge.

I had showered after the game but left this morning’s stubble instead of shaving close. I dressed in Tom Ford slim-fit pants and a polo-style shirt and hoped Kelsey would pick the black Stella McCartney dress.

“Fuck me,” I rasped out when she finally met me in the living room of the suite.

“You like?” she asked hesitantly.

“I love, come here,” I beckoned her. She approached slowly until she stood inches away, her head cranked back as she struggled to maintain eye contact.

“You’re going to fuck up my lipstick, aren’t you?”

I kissed her forehead, sighed, and shook my head. “I can wait until later because I’m only going to be satisfied seeing your lips wrapped around my cock. We don’t have the time for that now.”

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