Page 38 of Wild Pitch
By late afternoon, Lily and I sipped our first glasses of champagne while we relaxed on the sofa. My mother and father joined us for a quick celebratory drink before heading out for dinner.
“Have you all met Sam?” Lily asked.
“We have,” my mother answered. “It all seems a bit surreal, and I can’t lie, I worry about Kelsey and Crew.”
“Did you show him your hunting rifles yet, Mr Colette?” Lily asked my father.
Dad shrugged, “I didn’t, but I doubt he’d be intimidated. I worry about all my daughters, and I worry even more with Crew in the mix here. But from what I’ve seen, he’s genuine. But Kelsey is way out of her league.”
“If it makes you feel better, Sam has kept a low profile since he joined the team,” Lily said in an attempt to reassure.
“The jury is out. But I hope, for everyone’s sake, that this works out and no one gets hurt,” Dad said.
And there it was, the main reason my family would never meet Luc. They had enough to worry about with Kelsey; I wouldn’t add to their fears.
I smiled when I saw several texts from Luc.
Luc: It’s going to be a long day.
Luc: Thanks for keeping me up all night.
Lily caught me as I read the texts and followed with a smirk. At some point, I would worry about protecting my feelings, but for now, I planned to soak in everything Luc could give me.
Me: Thanks to my parents, I’m all moved in.
Luc: I can’t wait to see your minimalism in action.
Luc: Can I have your e-mail?
Me: What are you sending?
Luc: A list of questions. I don’t think we should play too hard without covering the basics first.
Luc: Are your wrists okay? Still feel good about last night?
Me: And this morning?
Luc: Uh-huh.
Me: Yes. I feel great about it. But it’s short-sleeve season; my wrists might need something to cover the marks.
Luc: I’ll try not to leave marks next time.
Luc: I have to run, but check your e-mail if you have some downtime. I won’t be able to recheck my phone until after the game.
Me: Okay. Should I look for you in the dugout or bullpen?
Luc: Dugout. And Cannon is pitching tonight if you’re watching.
Lily watched as I texted but refrained from commenting in front of my parents. The banner on my phone indicated an e-mail from Luc had been received, which I made the mistake of opening. I quickly closed it. Nope, I wasn’t going to complete a BDSM questionnaire with my parents in the room.
“Whelp, I’ve got to get to Kelsey’s to watch Crew; if I’m lucky, he’ll sleep, and I can watch the game,” my father said.
“And I plan to do absolutely nothing and then fall asleep at a normal time tonight. I can pretend to live like the rest of the world with a normal sleep schedule.”
With Mom’s schedule, Dad often helped out with Crew. Mom either worked overnight or spent the few nights off from work trying not to feel like a zombie. Most nurses switched to day shifts once they had seniority, but my mother did not, even when the shift had been offered. She claimed that more babies were born in the middle of the night, but I suspected she liked working the overnights more than she let on.
