Page 72 of Wild Pitch
“I’ll go,” Kylie said.
“Ooh, Sam, wanna go?” Kelsey asked.
“Your mom and I can watch Crew back here. Kenny, you should go too.” Their father offered to watch the baby without any hesitation.
“No, I have some work to do. The boys have time off, but I work year-round.”
Kendra had started to work in the corporate office late in the season. From what I could tell, she’d made herself indispensable and caught the attention of the executives. The Minutemen organization made great strides in changing the gender divide, from hiring more women in the C-Suite roles to their charitable foundations specifically targeted to help Boston women.
Kendra was an Assistant Director, but she had impressed the right people and would likely advance quickly.
We wrapped up the game of cribbage, and Kylie’s parents won easily.
Kylie: I’m going to take the meds. But meet me by the pool.
Me: Wear the black bikini.
Kylie: Yes, sir.
Now I had to sit by the pool and pretend I wasn’t imagining what my girlfriend looked like underneath that black bikini.
CHAPTER 35
KYLIE
During the sunset, Kelsey and Sam had slipped away for privacy. This afforded Luc and me a few moments to ourselves.
Kelsey and I hadn’t confirmed whether anything had happened with Luc, and I assumed that was because she didn’t think Sam would be on board. But it was also possible that she had been too distracted in her life. God she was on top of the world.
Upon our return to Boston, would introducing him as my boyfriend be more readily accepted? Did I care? Nope. The excitement and butterflies far outweighed any potential negatives. Luc understood that this stepwasa commitment from me. We might never have rings and a license, but that didn’t mean I valued our relationship any less without those things.
For the last several months, I worried about what other people would think of my relationship. I held back from introducing Luc to my family, my father, and I essentially lied to everyone. I was done with that—but I could continue pretending for the remainder of this trip.
“Do you need another drink?” Luc asked, watching for Sam and Kelsey’s return.
“Yes, please. Bushwhacker.”
Alone, I continued to watch the sunset as I sat on a stool on the deck, waiting for the rest of the party to return. Last night kept running through my mind. Luc loved me, and I loved him. Sounded simple.
No more bullshit. Admittedly, some of that bullshit was my fault.
Could I imagine a life without children? The broken condom messed with my head. Add Luc and his calm, cool demeanor, and it got even worse. Why was he so calm if he never wanted kids? I mean, fuck, he had never once pushed me to get on a more effective birth control. We needed to have a more serious discussion and I would be willing to try other more permanent options that limited our risk.
Reflecting, Kelsey’s emotional wedding made sense—Sam and Kelsey’s happiness was clear. My sister deserved it. Sam deserved it, too. Luc and I deserved to be happy, in whatever way we decided that looked like. And I had realized that I didn’t need the traditional trappings if I had him.
Did we still need to talk? Yes. Saying I love you didn’t erase the rest of our problems. But I felt better about where we were than I had in weeks.
Luc returned with our drinks, followed by Sam and Kelsey. I raised my eyebrows at my sister’s state. Her lipstick was all over her face—Sam was more than a bit flushed.
She blushed and winked before whispering, “Oh, come on. I’m married now.”
“Were you in the bathroom?”
Fuck, I’d been in that bathroom—it was a tiny little wooden shack.
“A girl never puts her knees on a dirty floor. I used the ground—like a goddamned lady.”
Laughing, I watched as Luc took his seat on the other side of Sam, and they started talking baseball. Spring training was around the corner, and they were amped up, but I could see the tension building with Kelsey.
