Page 25 of Dare to Embrace
I shook my head to erase the sinking feeling in my stomach. “How’s your PTSD?” We hardly talked about her disorder. Since her grandfather had passed, she hadn’t had any symptoms, at least not that I knew of.
She knitted her brows. “Where did that come from?”
Lifting a shoulder, I relaxed back against the couch. “I had a flashback of you on the mound in high school when you blacked out.”
Her mouth opened slightly. “Why? My nausea has nothing to do with my PTSD.”
“But if you’re not feeling well, your reflexes aren’t sharp. You could get hit by a line drive or—”
She grasped my hand. “Stop worrying.”
I wanted to tell her to stop being stubborn, but I didn’t want to argue. I had to trust her. She knew her body better than me. On that note, my dick started to get hard, especially when I really took her in. Her nipples were poking out of her Sea Dogs T-shirt.
She followed my line of sight before she glanced up at me, biting her lip.
Sexy as hell.
Then in a flash, I was carrying her to bed, thinking only of the things I was about to do to her.
Chapter 11
Kade
Iloved the game of baseball. I’d played in my freshman year of high school, but after that I had never played any more sports. I’d been the caretaker to my three brothers while Mom was in a mental health facility and Dad was working or out of town on a business trip. So my free time had been nonexistent.
But sitting in the stands for the last three weeks, I was getting burnt out on the game. The only exciting part for me was watching Lacey pitch, and on some nights, her manager didn’t put her in. His choices of relief pitchers were all about strategy, the opposing team, the batters, and whether he needed a left-handed or right-handed pitcher.
I rested my elbows on my knees as the Sea Dogs took the field in the top of the eighth inning against the Hartford Yard Goats in Connecticut. After the game, I was tempted to zip home to Ashford to check on things. We really weren’t that far, and we could get home and back before Lacey had to play the next day. Not that anything required my attention. I just wanted to see my folks and see how Kody was getting by managing The Cave.
The catcher’s wife, who was sitting next to me, nudged me in the arm, shattering thoughts of home. “Your wife is taking the mound,” Nan Bradley said.
I zeroed in on my baseball beauty as she twirled the ball in both hands, glancing around the field then over at me.
I grinned as she beamed and nodded.
“Newlyweds,” Nan mumbled. “Oh, to be that young again.”
I didn’t know how old Nan was, but from what Lacey had told me and from what little I’d learned in my time in the stands, Nan and her husband, Steve, had been married for ten years. They had an eight-year-old daughter and lived in Portland year-round.
Nan was also extremely chatty and seemed to be the mother hen among the baseball spouses. I’d overheard her giving advice to one young spouse the other night about how the life of a baseball player was grueling and exciting all at the same time. But spouses needed to have an outlet while their husbands played the game.
I wasn’t one to eavesdrop or gossip, but I’d zoned in on listening. I thought her advice had been good for me because sometimes I forgot how much work Lacey put into playing the game, which had been eye-opening over the last few weeks.
I stared at my wife, hoping she was feeling better than she had that morning. She’d promised me she didn’t feel the need to puke when she left for the ballpark. I wasn’t sure I believed her because she still looked pale to me.
Lacey threw several pitches, warming up as the infielders tossed the ball around, as did the outfielders.
“I’m in awe of her,” Nan said.
I grinned proudly. “So am I.” Lacey was an inspiration. I’d had a chance to see the girls, young and old, wait for her after a game for her autograph.
“My husband talks about Lacey all the time. He, too, thinks she’s carving a great path for little girls. Our little girl wants to be Lacey when she grows up.”
I couldn’t lose the smile on my face if Nan paid me. I wanted our little girl or girls to be just like my wife too. I wanted them to be strong, vibrant, outgoing, and have every opportunity to live their dreams just like their mom.
Mom?I could hear our kids now, running around the house shouting for Mom or Dad. I grinned at that thought.
“When do you think you guys will have kids?” Nan asked.
