Page 96 of Wild Pitch
“Yeah, I’ll go. Wait for me, we can go together.”
She caught her sister’s eye, and the two of them had some silent communication happening. Kelsey approached and pulled me in for a hug.
“It’s good to see you, Luc. Are you coming by the house later? Did I hear that correctly?” she asked, looking sternly at her husband as he walked up to join us.
“I am. Sam decided to invite me while we were having our meeting on the mound. I figured if it was that important to him to disrupt the game, I had to go.”
“Yeah, Sam. What the hell was that?” Kelsey asked.
He shook his head and looked from Kylie back to me.
“Just clearing the air and setting some expectations.”
Kylie closed the gap between us, placing her hand in mine. She’d put two and two together. And she wasn’t happy that Sam had decided to speak for her.
“I think it’s my job to set expectations here on out. I’m firing you as my over-protective security guard. Got it?”
Kelsey giggled as Sam looked downright contrite. “It’s her life, Sam. Not your battle.”
Fuck, I loved her. I loved that she could handle a room full of people, take charge at work, and get a 6’4” athlete to back the fuck down with a word and a look. If she ever wanted to give up in public health, she’d be a great coach.
Her hand in mine caused a fresh burst of hope until she dropped it when Sam and Kelsey walked away.
On the walk to the car, Kylie laid out the parameters for how things would go.
“If anyone asks, we were together, but wanted to avoid conflict because of your relationship with Sam.”
“What do we say about what we are to each other now?”
“We’re figuring that out, but no matter what, we’re going to co-parent.”
I watched the tension in her jaw, and she parroted that sentence.
“Did you practice saying that?”
“All afternoon.” She sighed heavily. “Not everyone knew about the baby, but now they do.”
She’d stopped walking and turned to face me so I could get the whole picture. She pulled the loose shirt tight so I could see just how much her body had changed.
“Do you know how hard this is, Ky? Every cell in my body is aching to touch you. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, but fuck,” my hand reached for her, and she stared at it. Not an invitation. And not how Kylie once opened for me. I dropped it, wincing at the rejection.
“Is this your way of saying you have a breeding kink?”
Kylie attempted to lighten the mood. But it just further rubbed the salt in the wound.
“No, this has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the fact that I need you like I need air.”
“If that’s the case, Luc, how come you didn’t suffocate this winter?”
“I don’t know, Ky. I was half alive and on life support.”
She looked away from me, but slipped her hand back in mine. Small wins were wins, and I was gonna take them.
CHAPTER 49
KYLIE
God, I loved my family.
