Chapter 24
CAM
“That’s my dad’s truck,” I pulled into a parking space reasonably close to the stadium entrance. “Last chance to back out.”
Emily laughed softly, the sound sliding over my skin. She had the sweetest laugh. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Come on then.”
It was all I could do not to take her hand as we walked across the lot.
Dad, standing by his truck holding the door open for Mom, spotted us. His face lit up. “Cam!” Then his gaze shifted to Emily and his eyebrows rose. “And who’s this?”
“Dad, this is Emily. Emily, my dad, Dale.”
“Emily!” He pulled her into a hug before she could even extend her hand for a shake. “It’s so good to finally meet you! The girls talk about you constantly, so it’s nice to put a face to the name.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Mom eased carefully out of the truck, smiling at my dad when he handed her the crutches.
“Emily, sweetheart, it’s wonderful to meet you.
” Her voice was soft, but her eyes were sharp as they took in every detail.
“I’m Janice. I’m sorry for not hugging you, these crutches make everything complicated. ”
“Oh, no problem. It’s so nice to meet you too.” Emily’s tone was gentler, more careful. “How are you recovering?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Slow, but fine.” Mom waved a hand dismissively. “The doctor says I’m healing beautifully, which means absolutely nothing when I still can’t walk without these things. But tell me about you. Cam says you’re taking art classes?”
And there it was. Mom’s signature move, turning the conversation away from herself.
We’d started making our way slowly toward the gate when I heard a child’s voice shriek, “Daddy!”
Alice came barreling across the parking lot at full speed, Audrey right behind her. They crashed into my legs, both talking over each other about something that had happened at Erica’s.
“Hey, monsters.” I scooped them up, holding them close and breathing them in for a brief moment. Man, I missed them when they were away.
“Emily!” Alice yelled, making me wince as she wriggled to get down.
“Hey there, Alice.”
“I didn’t know you were coming today! Are you sitting with us?”
“I sure am!”
“Yay!”
Erica and Devin came up next, pushing a stroller that looked more like a spaceship, followed closely by a very harried-looking Travis and Brooke, trailing their three kids behind them like a distinct weather system.
The noise level went up several decibels.
Emily looked a little overwhelmed, so I moved closer, somehow managing to keep my hand from going around her waist. “Everyone, this is Emily. Em, this is my sister Erica, her husband Devin, their baby boy Levi there in the stroller. That big lug is my brother Travis, and that’s Brooke, his long, loooong suffering wife. ”
“Hey now!” Travis objected, but with a grin on his face.
“Emily!” Erica stepped forward. “I have heard so much about you!”
Emily gave a nervous laugh. “Oh boy. That sounds scary.”
“No, no. It’s all good, trust me.” Erica waved a hand. “The reviews are glowing. I heard you’re a world-class face painter, that you know everything about baseball, and that you love to bake cakes.”
Cakes.
My head snapped toward Emily.
She looked at me at the exact same instant, a slow flush creeping up her neck.
Oh yeah, she remembered what happened the last time she’d tried to bake a cake.
I cleared my throat, forcing myself to look away before I did something stupid like drag her back to the car.
“I, um. I try,” Emily managed, her voice a little breathless.
“Alright, everyone. If we don’t get in now, we’ll miss the game!” Trust Dad to get everyone hustling.
Before I could even attempt to play traffic cop, the kids had swarmed. Audrey and Alice effectively hip-checked their cousins out of the way, positioning themselves on either side of Emily like a personal security detail.
As we headed toward the gates, I heard Leo whisper to Audrey, “She does look like a princess.”
“Hey, bro!” Travis pulled me into a one-armed hug, his grin huge. “Didn’t expect to see you here with company.”
“Yeah, well.” I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Emily’s a huge baseball fan.”
“Uh huh. And you just happened to offer her a ride.”
“She lives next door, of course I offered her a ride.”
“Of course.” He was still grinning, that knowing look in his eyes that made me want to punch him. “She’s pretty.”
“Travis.”
“What? I’m just making an observation.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “And speaking of observations, you haven’t stopped eyeballing her for the last ten minutes.”
I had been watching her. Couldn’t help it. “She’s good with the girls,” I said, because that felt safer than admitting anything else.
“Yeah, I can see that.” Travis followed my gaze. “Honestly, bro, she seems great.”
“She is.”
I braced myself for more ribbing, but to my surprise, Travis just said, “Gotta go help my wife. I’ll meet you in there.” With that, he wandered off to where Brooke was trying to get Annabella to put her shoes back on.
Getting the Rockford clan settled into a row of stadium seats was like playing Tetris with loud, moving pieces.
By the time we were seated, I was wedged thigh-to-thigh between my dad and Emily.
“Personal space is a myth in this family,” I told her, leaning close so she could hear me over the announcer. “You okay?”
“I’m great.” She smiled, and then the game started, and she disappeared into it.
I spent the next two hours trying to watch the field, but my eyes kept drifting to the woman beside me.
It wasn’t just that she looked beautiful, though she definitely did.
It was how seamlessly she wove herself into the fabric of my chaotic life.
When Dad passed a mountain of nachos down the line, she didn’t hesitate to grab a chip.
When Erica groaned about her back, Emily was the one who helped arrange her jacket into a lumbar pillow.
Every time something happened on the field, the kids climbed all over her to get her opinion, and she gave it, laughing and pointing, unbothered by sticky fingers or loud shrieks.
She fit.
It was terrifying how well she fit.
By the seventh inning stretch, the sun had dipped low.
The energy in the stadium was electric, the crowd buzzing with that frantic hope of a close game.
Amidst the roar, Emily went quiet. She was looking around the packed stadium, then down the row at my parents, who were holding hands, and Travis, who was wrestling a pretzel away from his son.
A strange, soft expression settled on her face.
I nudged her knee with mine. “What is it?”
She blinked, turning back to me. “I’ve never had this much fun at a game.” Her voice was quiet, just loud enough for me to hear over the crowd noise.
Something in her eyes made my heart squeeze. “No?”
“No. I’ve been coming by myself ever since my dad stopped. I didn’t realize how amazing it could be to, um, not be alone.”
Way to pluck out my heart strings. Jesus Christ.
I had no words for that. I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded, my throat tight.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said finally.
“Me too.” Her smile was sweet, genuine. “Thanks for bringing me.”
“Anytime.”
I left my hand on my thigh. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to reach over and take hers. The distance was nothing.
But the crowd roared again, a foul ball flew into the stands, and the moment broke before I became brave enough to bridge the gap.
After the game, we filed out with the rest of the crowd, the energy still electric.
Mom was moving slowly on her crutches, Dad hovering close in case she needed help.
Travis had Leo on his shoulders while Brooke wrangled Annabella and Oliver.
Erica looked exhausted, one hand on her belly, Devin keeping a protective arm around her.
“That was a great game,” Dad said, grinning at all of us. “Worth every penny.”
“Absolutely.” Mom shifted her weight on the crutches, then turned to Emily. “It was so lovely to meet you, sweetheart. You’ll have to come by for Sunday lunch sometime. I’d love to hear more about your art.”
Emily’s eyes went a little wide, her cheeks flushing. “Oh, I’d love that. Thank you.”
“Wonderful.” Mom patted her arm gently. “Just let Cam know when works for you and we’ll make it happen.”
We said our goodbyes in the parking lot, kids being loaded into various vehicles, promises to do this again soon. Travis clapped me on the shoulder as he passed.
“Good game, bro.”
“Yeah. Good game.”
He shot me a knowing look but didn’t say anything else, just headed for his car.
The girls climbed into my truck, still buzzing from the win. But by the time we’d made it out of the stadium parking lot and onto the highway, both of them had gone quiet. I glanced in the rearview mirror to find them both slumped against their seatbelts, mouths open, completely out.
“That was fast,” Emily said softly, looking back at them.
“Long day. They’ll be down for the count.”
The drive home was quiet. Just the hum of the engine and the occasional passing car.
Emily had her window cracked slightly, her hair moving in the breeze.
I kept my eyes on the road but I was hyperaware of her presence beside me, of the way she’d shift slightly in her seat, of how she’d glance at me when she thought I wasn’t looking.
It seemed like an eternity passed before I finally pulled into my drive. When I cut the engine, the girls didn’t even stir.
I undid my seatbelt, looking over at Emily. She was already moving, unbuckling her own belt with soft, careful movements so the click wouldn’t wake them.
“I’ve got Audrey,” I whispered.
She didn’t argue, just nodded and slipped out of the truck.
We worked in tandem. A quiet, synchronized dance that felt like we’d done it a hundred times before.
Alice’s head dropped onto Emily’s shoulder immediately, her small arms wrapping around Emily’s neck in her sleep.
Audrey was heavier, all gangly limbs and dead weight, but I managed to get her settled against my chest.