Page 39 of Wild Pitch
And yes, her schedule had caused more than a few arguments between my parents. The women in my family were known for their stubbornness. My mother refused to move to the day shift because it would be easier, Kelsey took the hard road with Crew, Kendra never asked for help, and me? I walked blindly into relationships with no potential.
Actually, not blindly. It was clear as day that this thing with Luc would end up hurting me.
And yes, Luc might as well have held up a banner that screamed, “I’m going to break you!” But while being broken might hurt, I was tired of not feeling anything.
I kissed and hugged both my parents, then walked them out before rejoining Lily on the couch. I plopped down, only then realizing how exhausted I was, and fell asleep while Lily watched reality television.
CHAPTER 20
LUC
As much as Sam Drummond got all the press, our pitching crew went deep. Andy Cannon, our number two starting pitcher, would be the ace on any other team. And no, he had no issues sharing the spotlight with Sam.
His outing went deep into the eighth inning when we made the call to pull him. It was easy to make that call when we had one of the best closers in the league in Justin Graham.
Was I exhausted from travel and being up all night the night before? Fuck yes. Was it worth it? Also, fuck yes.
I had fought with Sky for the last ten years about baseball, and after all that had come to pass, I was even more thankful that I had kept my career. The year before we separated, I had considered leaving the game, if only because Sky had a point: traveling that often wasn’t compatible with trying to conceive.
The raging fights had led to accusations that I couldn’t let go of my baseball career and chose to coach instead of dealing with the emotional loss my injury had dealt me. After I trashed my elbow, I recovered with the help of my college baseball coach, and while I never pitched another game, that started my coaching career.
Sky’s accusations missed the mark, though. My pitching career had started as a replacement, but with it, I got so much more. She’d never been able to see that, or even see me. Was she selfish? More than a little bit, because I don’t think I could remember one time in our relationship or marriage when she’d ever considered my needs before her own.
In another world, would I see a future with Kylie? Yes. But I was no longer in that position. If I ever got the notion that she wanted something more permanent, I would end things.
But my God, she was fun. She was both innocent and sexy as hell. And submissive.
I sent her over a questionnaire before the game, though with her move today, I doubted she would have time to complete it, but fuck if I wasn’t dying to know her responses. Every kink that Kylie had hinted at mirrored mine. Kinks aside, I was drawn to more than just the sex.
Me: Are you still up for a visit? I’ll be leaving the stadium in a few minutes.
By the time I turned the light off in the office, the rest of the team had long left the stadium. While the single guys went out to party, I envied those who had families to return to at night. If things had worked out differently, I would have a family myself.
When my phone indicated I had received a text, I expected it to be Kylie and was disappointed to see my brother’s name.
Jack: Cannon looked good out there tonight. I’m jealous of all that young talent on the team.
Me: There is a lot of promise on the team this year.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and reluctantly headed towards my car. I should have checked in with Kylie much earlier; we were up half the night, and the odds were high that she was already asleep.
Her response arrived just as I shifted my car into reverse.
Kylie: Yes! Sorry, I fell asleep on the couch. Did you guys win?
Me: What? You didn’t watch?
Kylie: I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Do I need to check the news, or do you plan to tell me?
Me: We won. I’ll see you soon.
I had stopped at the liquor store next to the stadium and picked up a bottle of champagne as a housewarming present. While the champagne brought back memories of the night before, I wished I had more time to put more thought into the gift. I offered it before realizing that there wouldn’t be enough time to execute anything.
The street parking was slim, but I managed to find a spot within a block of Kylie’s apartment. She opened the door at the same time as I lifted my hand to knock.
“Hey,” she smiled impishly at me as I noticed she still wore my t-shirt.
I tugged her onto the stoop and crushed her mouth to mine; her lips parted immediately to let me in, and her fingers threaded into my hair.
