Chapter 54
GRAYSON
I’ve done some dumb shit in my life, but this might top it all. Or it might be the best fucking decision I’ve ever made. And I did it live for everyone to see.
I’m certain my father is blowing up my phone. Not to congratulate me, of course, but to demand an explanation. Truth be told, I don’t give a fuck what he thinks.
While I purposely put him in an impossible situation, he’ll honor it regardless. He has to. Anything else places him at a disadvantage because perception is everything to him. He can’t afford to lose face.
Which means if The Rhodes Foundation is funding and supporting organizations mom would love and getting good press at the same time, then I can accept the fact of not running it myself. It’s something I would never have contemplated in my wildest dreams, if not for Selena.
When we were talking, she said I was my mom’s legacy. She said it matter-of-factly, like her words carried no weight, but they threw me for a loop. I had never thought of myself that way. No one had ever said it. Maybe because it was something so obvious to others, but not to me, not in my world.
The decision to step away from the life my father had planned, was made the day Selena got hurt.
The harrowing moment stripped away all hesitation.
I knew then and there I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, live without her.
It’s fucking wild! I never imagined I was capable of feeling this way about anyone.
And once the idea took root that I could possibly be worthy of her, not simply until graduation, but long after, my mind was set.
With adrenaline from the game, from the choices I’ve made, from my feelings for Selena rushing through my veins, all I can think about is finding her. I called her my girl. Nothing I’ve ever said has felt more right. Wonder what she’ll say when she hears about it.
I don’t get a chance to find out because the coaching staff is dragging me and other players back to the locker rooms for our end of game meeting. Hell, this would be the end of the season meeting, the end of my college career meeting. I can’t believe I’m getting emotional.
The walls I’ve spent more than a decade building around myself were in place to keep others out. That should’ve included her. But it’s all crumbling into a path forged by everything she’s ignited within me, allowing her right in.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to vocalize any of this, but I want to try. I want to share it all with her.
“Coach Martinez,” I call, “I’ll be back in five.”
I slip away before he can argue. Still, it’s difficult to get anywhere because half of those in the stands have spilled onto the field. It’s as crowded as a goddamn music festival.
People pat my shoulder and shake my hand. They’re excited, I get it. I’m excited too. We just won the College Baseball Championship. It’s the second year we do so and it’s a big fucking deal. But all I can think about is finding Selena among this sea of people.
I spot Big Mike being escorted to the dugout. Letty’s with him, which means Selena might be there too. I push through a shit ton of people to get to them.
“Gray-Gray, that was awesome!” Letty cries, jumping up and down and high-fiving me.
“You were very impressive,” Big Mike adds, wrapping me up in a giant bear hug.
“I thought you were going to wait until after graduation to say something?” Letty asks and she’s right, that was the original plan. She’s the only one I talked to about this.
“It couldn’t wait.”
While Selena was recovering from the concussion, I approached Letty to take her up on her offer to represent me. She might’ve been even more excited than I was at the prospect.
The truth is that I was not prepared for my reaction to Selena getting hurt.
It fucked me up, but it also made everything so clear.
In that moment, waiting for her to wake up, get up, somehow convey she was alright, I realized nothing else mattered more than she did.
Nothing. And while I don’t know if she feels the same way, I sat with the realization for days while she recovered.
I came to the conclusion that so long as I’m next to her, so long as she’s okay, I’m okay. It’s jarring, almost frightening, how she makes me feel things I’m not used to. She’s the reason I’m dealing with emotions I’ve never dealt with. It’s strange. And yet, I don’t mind because it’s her.
And that’s when I understood without a doubt what I wanted; I choose her. I choose us, if she’ll have me. I just have to find her.
“Do you know where Selena went?” I ask them, scanning the surrounding area.
Letty smirks. “You’re actually looking for her this time?”
“I am,” I admit, knowing this is so unlike me. But perhaps I’ve always been looking for her.
“Sammy is near the first base line,” Big Mike says, frowning as he does so. “But, she is not there.”
“Who are we looking for?”
When I hear her voice, I spin in place. Selena’s standing a foot away. Still wearing number 22. Smiling. Eyes full of longing. My girl. I scoop her up in my arms before I lose her again.
“I’m about to compliment you, okay?” she warns and I try to hide my smile. “You pitched a really good game,” Selena whispers and I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Maybe it’s not my place, and it might not even matter, but I’m so proud of you.”
It is her place. And it’s the only thing that matters.
I hold her so tight, so close, trying to convey the many things I can't find the right words for. The best part is she holds me with the same intensity, the same passion and warmth.
“You’re actually wearing my jersey, princess?” I ask, teasing her in the hopes she’ll grace me with that pretty blush coloring her cheeks.
“You actually changed your walk-up song?” she counters, making me laugh.
“I did.”
“I am.”
Relieved to have her in my arms again, I bury my face into the curve of her neck. “Where’ve you been?” I ask.
She wraps her arms around me too. “Looking for you,” she whispers.
My throat constricts.
“Grayson…are we playing along?” she asks and I pull away.
“What?”
“I saw Lila and—”
“No,” I shake my head. “No more playing.” As I say the words, the last remaining fragments of the hesitancy holding me back, break away.
She’s watching me, intently, like she did from the stands.
She looked gorgeous then too, but that wasn’t the only reason I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Selena was there cheering for me. Not for my name or my position, for me.
She’s the first person who’s put me first. The first person who’s had my back without expecting anything in return.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” she whispers.
“I’m saying this doesn’t have to end when we graduate. This doesn’t have to end ever.”
Chewing on her plump bottom lip, she cups my jaw gently in her hands.
“But you’ll be disinherited and disowned.”
I love that she’s worried about me.
“I’m not giving up anything that matters,” I reply.
“But-”
I tighten my hold around her. “All that, Selena, is nothing compared to you.”
Her blush intensifies.
“What about The Rhodes Foundation?”
That’s the one thing that was holding me back, but as I look into Selena’s stunning green eyes, I know I can’t give her up. I can’t. I don’t know how I manage to exist without her by my side for so long.
“The foundation will still be in a position to do good work.”
She furrows her eyebrows, still concerned about me. When she nods once, I know she has my back. Again.
“During your interview you mentioned—are you really going to keep playing after graduation?”
“I am.” I gaze into her eyes. “I also mentioned my girl.”
“I heard that,” she smirks, blushing that pretty mauve shade.
“And what do you think?”
“I think it has a nice ring to it.”
“Nice?” I growl. “I’m going to fuck that word out of your vocabulary, princess.”
She giggles in my arms, but I don’t get a chance to say anything more because she presses her lips to mine. Everything else fades away. The noise, the crowd, all of it. It’s just Selena and me. Her mouth, her tongue. Her legs around my waist, her hands in my hair.
I groan as I trace the fullness of her breasts. My dick twitches as I dig my fingers into her sensuous hips.
Someone clears their throat. Fucking forgot where we are.
“You know we’re still here, right?” Letty says, not an ounce of remorse in her tone at interrupting us. “So are a couple thousand other people.”
Selena and I break away, breathing heavy, still holding on. Unfortunately Letty’s right and there’s too many people. Many staring at us. Others taking pictures.
As easily as I carried Selena, I place her gently back on the grass. My eyes travel the length of her body. Can’t believe she’s wearing my jersey. She’s adorable and so fucking sexy.
“You know what you look like right now, princess?” I inhale as I watch her.
Tilting her head to the side, she gives me a playful little smirk. My breath gets stuck in my throat at the sight.
“What do I look like?” she asks.
I pull her into my arms and dip my head to her ear. “You look like you’re mine,” I whisper and her smile could light up the night sky.