Chapter 30
Quentin
I’d like to think I’m a rational man.
But seeing Teagan sit right above our dugout, wearing her brother’s jersey, all I can think is how I wish it were mine she was wearing.
Showing everyone how she’s mine.
I’m not pitching today, but the league requires all pitchers to show up on game days to show support if you’re resting, or work with trainers to get ready for the next time we have to pitch.
Coach Tran is a bit stricter, wanting the pitchers that are resting to be focused on the game, no distractions, to show respect for the teammates playing.
Which I’m finding impossible to focus on the game because Teagan is sitting above and behind us, right behind the dugout .
Usually, pitchers stay in the bullpen, but I made a request with Coach to be in the dugout today, and he obliged.
I can’t count the number of times my eyes have strayed to her, pretending to look out and wave at fans when I only have eyes for her.
To merely make sure she’s okay, and that no one is bothering her. And every time a foul ball is hit, my heart jumps into my throat as I watch, praying it doesn’t go anywhere near her and our baby.
Our baby.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, so I quickly look around to see that no one’s paying attention as I check it.
Teagan
Watch the game. I’m fine.
Me
I am.
Teagan
Bullshit. I’ve seen you look my way more than you have Ian’s.
Me
You are prettier to look at than your brother.
Teagan
Your coach is staring at you.
My chest constricts as I look up and find Coach Tran glaring at me, with a pointed look at my hands. The MLB has strict rules about no phones in the dugout even when we’re not playing.
Pocketing my phone, I force myself to watch her brother on the mound.
He communicates with our catcher via hand signals, winds up, and releases a dirty slider. One that the batter swings at and misses completely.
The crowd goes wild, cheering loudly as we’re one more out away from being done with this inning, with one remaining until the game’s over.
Last week, we were on the road in Cincinnati, having lost the entire series. So this near win today has our fans revved up and excited. As of now, we’re looking good to make the playoffs, unless we play as awful as we did last weekend.
Ian winds up again, releasing a fast ball that this time is hit by the batter, but instead of it staying in play, it’s instantly a foul ball.
I watch as the ball flies above my head, right where Teagan is sitting.
Moving as fast as I can, I pull myself on top of the dugout, ready to shield her when the man behind her catches it.
He’s clearly intoxicated by the way he moves, and instead of remaining upright, he stumbles forward as he leaned to make the catch, and falls right onto Teagan.
Red blurs my vision and anger like I’ve never felt before surges throughout my body. I push forward the few steps separating us, proceeding to lift and toss the man off her, shoving him back.
Teagan then stands up to face him. “You jackass, watch what you’re doing!” she shouts angrily, stealing the words right from my mouth.
I’m tempted to pull her into me and make sure both of them are okay, but there are far too many eyes on us and I don’t want to draw more attention to us. So, instead, I ball my hands into fists at my sides and stand protectively next to her.
“Relax, it was just an accident.” The guy waves off, swaying from side to side until he makes eye contact with me. “Holy shit, Quentin Laurent just threw my big ass around. Can you sign this ball?”
He holds it out to me with hope in his glazed over eyes, and I have no problem watching that hope dim.
“Not a chance. Don’t try to catch balls if you can’t stand upright. You landed on someone who’s—”
“Just happy that she’s fine and not injured,” Teagan says, giving me a pointed look. “So watch it next time, or I will throat-punch you, got it?”
As if he didn’t hear a word either of us said, his eyes widen as he stares at Teagan. “You’re the gymnast with the nice ass, am I right?”
If I thought I was seeing red before, now it’s a fire burning rage. A total blinding rage that consumes me and makes me step forward as I yank on the collar of his shirt.
“Apologize to her and get the fuck out of here, now.” My tone is ice cold, the opposite of the burning temper I feel within me.
He stumbles with a laugh. “Whoa, what is happening right now? I’m so confused. All I was saying is she’s got—”
“Apologize, now. Before I knock your teeth out and you can’t apologize.”
The guy next to him grabs him by the shoulder. “Dude, just say sorry and let’s go. You’re being an idiot.” It seems that his friend has brain cells thankfully, and his drunk friend shockingly listens.
“Yeah, sorry. Do you, uh, want this ball?” He holds it out to her.
“The only thing I want is for you to leave,” she says bluntly, not an ounce of fear on her face. She’s all confidence and strength. Truthfully, she doesn’t need me defending her. But I couldn’t stand there and let anyone disrespect or hurt her.
The two men take off instantly, and the entire crowd begins cheering. A look at the jumbotron shows me that it caught the entire thing on camera.
Which means Ian saw me and his sister…
“What the hell is going on?” he says as he comes up behind us, right on cue.
I remain silent, letting Teagan decide how she wants this to play out.
“Some drunk idiot fell on me. We exchanged words and now he’s gone,” she says casually.
“Jesus, Jen, are you okay?”
“Ian, I’m fine. Truly,” she reassures him.
Ian inhales and exhales deeply, then nods in my direction. “Why are you here?”
I narrow my gaze at him. “Because I know she’s your sister. We take care of the team’s family on this team. Something you’d know nothing about.”
“Oh really? Why did it look personal then, huh?” he fires back, stepping toward me. “She’s off-limits. Don’t even bother.”
Teagan steps between us, putting one hand on each of our chests. “Ian, enough. I don’t even know him. Like he said, he was just being a good human and helping. And, even if I were interested in him, it’s none of your business.”
If the context were different, I might’ve laughed at her saying she doesn’t know me, because we’ve seen each other naked and are living together. The total opposite of not knowing someone.
“The fuck it isn’t. This—”
“Ian, the whole world is watching right now. Finish pitching the damn game,” I cut him off, noticing the slew of cameras and eyes on us.
He takes a look around, then takes off, jumping down from the dugout to return to the mound.
The announcer plays off the minor interruption, getting the crowd geared back toward baseball as I remain rooted in my spot.
“Q, get back down there. I’m fine, I swear,” she says quietly, so that no one else will hear. “Plus, if you stay up here any longer, Ian is going to get suspicious.”
My eyes dart between hers, warring with my need to protect her and our baby while trusting her that she’s okay.
Without a word, I give her a nod and retreat back to my spot in the dugout. Coach Tran keeps his eyes on the field as he walks over to me, stopping right beside me.
“You want to tell me what’s really going on there?”
My heart leaps into my throat at his question.
“Nothing. I knew she was Ian’s sister, and I stepped in to help. That’s all,” I say as I lean forward and rest my forearm on the railing, doing my best to sound bored and uninterested.
“Son, you’ve been paying her more attention than the game,” he points out, making it known I wasn’t subtle with my “crowd” gazes.
“She’s pretty,” I try, not wanting to deflect nor confirm anything. Coach Tran has a weird way of knowing everything, and I’d rather not lie to the guy when the secret will be out soon.
He hums, sounding amused. “Sure. Listen, all I need to know is that whatever is going on isn’t going to ruin our team dynamic. You and Ian already have enough bad blood as it is. Do not mess with my team, Q.”
This time, I stand up tall and face him head-on. “You have my word, Coach. Nothing is going to happen.”
Or at least, I hope not.