Stopping Short (Pit Bulls Baseball #6)

Harper

“Hey, Harp, how are you?” An image of Jackson fills my screen and I can’t help but smile at him.

He’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember. The one person I can turn to no matter what is going on in my life. It never mattered that he’s seven years older than me or that we’ve lived hours away from each other for the last four years. He’s always been there for me.

“Well, I’ll be great if you come see me next weekend for my birthday!” I bat my lashes at him, I'm not above begging to get him here. He would be the best birthday gift in the world. The only thing I really want from anyone.

“I don’t know if that will work…” His voice trails off as he thinks about it. He grips the back of his neck and I instantly know his answer will be one I won't like. He hates disappointing me.

“Please! I know you have a really busy schedule, but this is my birthday, Jackson! It only comes once a year.” I stick my bottom lip out in a pout, hoping it will do something to convince him to come.

I miss him. Being on the other side of the state from him makes it difficult to spend any sort of time together. I'm in Pittsburgh and he’s outside of Philadelphia. We might as well live in a different country for how little we get to see each other.

“Listen, I'll talk to Owen and see what I can do, but I make no promises. You know we’re in the middle of the season and it isn’t easy for me to miss a game, let alone three.”

“I know,” I whisper, dropping my attention to my lap. I don’t want to make him feel bad about missing my birthday. I know if he could make it, he would. I just… I want to see him.

I want to feel Jackson’s arms wrap around me in a tight hug. I want to curl up next to him while we watch a movie or talk late into the night. I don’t even care what we do, as long as I'm with him, I’ll be happy.

“Don’t go getting sad on me. I haven’t given you an answer yet. I’ll do my best to convince Owen I need to miss the games. If I can get him to agree, I’ll be there on Friday night. If I can’t… the next break I have, I'm all yours.”

“You promise?”

“Cross my heart.” His smile lights up his face.

“I miss you,” I say softly. “It’s weird being away from you for so long.”

“I know. It’s the worst. I feel like I'm in the minor league again.” He runs his hand through his wet strands, messing up his locks.

Jackson doesn’t care about his appearance as much as most guys I know.

His light brown hair is always sticking up a little more than what he’d like.

There’s normally a little bit of scruff on his jaw, not because he’s trying to grow a beard, but because he doesn’t like to shave.

His brown eyes and gorgeous smile? They always light up his face when we’re talking.

It’s one of the things I love the most about him.

“What else is new with you?” He lays back on his bed and tucks his arm behind his head. He looks absolutely gorgeous like this. His bicep bulges, reminding me exactly how much he works out. How he’s completely out of my league. How he can never be mine.

He looks exhausted, yet he’s still making time for me. He never misses our weekly chat and sometimes he surprises me and calls me twice. Those are the best weeks.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I finish finals in two weeks, then everything is up in the air.”

“Are you coming home?” The hope in his voice has moisture gathering in my eyes. As much as I want to go home, there are some things keeping me here. I have some unfinished business, and I need to deal with it before I can leave.

I have to decide what I'm doing next. Am I going back to school and becoming a lawyer or am I looking for a job? I don’t know! I can’t decide.

“I don’t know. I’ve applied to a few jobs, but I'm waiting to hear back. I’m lost.”

“And where are these jobs located, Harper?” He arches a brow.

“Everywhere,” I whisper.

“I don’t like the sound of that. You should just move home. Get a job in Philadelphia so I can see you whenever I want to.”

“Maybe you should move to Pittsburgh.” I grin. I’ve teased him for years about this. If he would just move, everything would be easier.

“And play for the Piranhas? No, thank you. I like playing for the Pit Bulls. Owen’s awesome and our starting line-up is the best in the country.”

“They do have Wyatt, Cord, Smithy, Covey, Schmidt, Leo, Holden, and Wheeler,” I sigh dreamily.

“And me. They also have me,” he grumbles under his breath.

“But Wheeler? That man is gorgeous.” I grin, knowing this will get under his skin and drive him crazy. He hates when I talk about how attractive his teammates are, which of course, makes me want to do it even more.

“I'm going to hang up on you.” He glares at me through the camera.

“No!” I giggle and shake my head. “I'm sorry. Don’t hang up on me… But do you think Wheeler would come to my birthday? I could definitely use some eye candy to look at.”

I burst out laughing when Jackson clicks end and my screen goes dark. He’s so easy to mess with. So easy to rile up. And I love every second of it.