Page 1 of The Baseball Player's Obsession

CHAPTERONE

Nate

I huffout a breath as I meander along the sidewalk. My latest conversation with my sister is still fresh in my mind.

Is this how I made her feel all those times that I busted her balls over closing herself off and not giving any guy a chance?

I used to harp at Ella, but always with good intentions. I saw how lonely my sister secretly was, and I'm so glad that she finally gave Jesse Hamilton, the renowned basketball star, a chance.

They're married now, and all is well in paradise with a baby on the way. My sister has even talked her husband into letting her have a cat. He's not crazy about the furry felines himself, but she has him wrapped around her pretty little finger. The six-foot-six giant turns to mush in her hands.

I can't stop the grin that twitches my lips. That's exactly what I wanted for her.

And I'm happy for her, but now that Cindy has found her own happiness, she's determined to make sure I do likewise. Almost every time we talk, she tries to have a heart-to-heart with me and tell me I'm just like she was—that I shut myself off from everyone.

That’s not true, though. I go on plenty of dates, and Cindy never even dated. There’s a difference.

But she is right when she points out that I never allow myself to get close to any one woman. About two weeks is a woman’s shelf life in my calendar. Once the fun is over, I put her back where she came from before things can get emotional and sticky. It’s not that I'm one of those asshole guys who just wants to play the field or sow his wild oats.

I know what it is. Deep down, I'm afraid of ending up like our father.

All Cindy sees when she thinks about our father is how he abandoned us. But I see the deeper picture. I see a man who loved so hard that when he lost the love of his life, it broke him.

When our mom died of cancer when we were just little kids, our dad died right along with her. He couldn't cope, so he turned to booze to black out his feelings, and in the process, he abandoned his children.

Yeah, I was bitter about it like Cindy for a while, but I can't even hate him for it anymore. Instead, I just feel a deep well of pity, and it scares me. I don't ever want to love so hard that it destroys me to lose the person. It’s better off to be alone than have that happen.

Whereas Cindy wouldn't date for fear that the person would abandon her, I don't like to get attached for fear that I'll end up just like my father. Loving so hard that it wrecks me.

I scowl to myself. I don't like dwelling on this shit. I wish Cindy would just drop it.

I feel a prickle of guilt when I realize this is probably exactly how she felt when I used to nag at her, but that’s different. I'm the older brother. It was my job to encourage her to take her happiness.

Cindy's issues lay within she didn't think she was good enough for anyone to stick around. Mine are more like trying to protect myself and others. It's not the same, right?

A little bell jangles overhead as I walk into the pet store where Cindy and Jesse buy their cat food. Cindy is a total psychopath about that damn cat. She will only buy this special food from this certain pet shop, and Jesse has a game tonight, but their little furball needs food.

So, here I am buying little Fluffy her food. Go figure. Looks like my sister has me wrapped around her little redheaded finger too.

Oh, well. I guess this is what big brothers are for. It’s not like I was doing anything else tonight. I’ve already had baseball practice, and our game isn’t until the weekend, so I'm free for now.

The shop is fairly empty. There's only one old lady browsing the shelves when I walk in. I don't know where the worker is. Probably in the back doing some stuff. It doesn’t look like the shop is overly busy with customers right now.

I walk over to the cat food aisle and look for the special food that Cindy claims is the only food that spoiled princess cat can eat.

Jesus, if she and Jesse are like this over a damn cat, I can only imagine what they’re going to be like over their child.

My eyes scan the shelves. There are so many different kinds, and I can't remember exactly what the brand my sister says it was. Kitten something or was it Fancy something?

Hell, I don’t know.

“Can I help you?” a sweet, feminine voice says from behind me.

I whirl around only to have my chest seize up like I'm having a heart attack.

I go completely still as my pulse stops and then skyrockets. I feel the blood rushing throughout my veins as I stare into a pair of midnight blue eyes. They’re so blue they almost appear violet and otherworldly.

I'm looking down because this girl is impossibly short and tiny, yet she's a curvy little thing with just enough flair of hips and generous mounds for breasts to drive a man wild. Her hair is raven black and flows down her back in thick, luscious waves—all the way down to that impossibly tiny waist.

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