Chapter Twenty-Eight
Three Weeks Later
I walk into Andromeda with my head held high, coming to support my girl on her last night of work.
Two weeks ago, Indy made the hard decision to give Rosie her notice.
Continuing to work there was riddling her with anxiety, and she just couldn’t stomach it anymore.
Letting go of the bar hasn’t been easy for her in a lot of ways, Andromeda is her home, but sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is walk away.
So tonight she has the Bears to support her.
Austin, Jensen, Declan, and I grab a table near the middle of the room and settle in.
It’s a little before eight; the lights on the ceiling twinkle like the night sky while music plays through the speakers just loud enough to hum through you.
The bar’s not quite full, but full enough to keep Indy busy.
I angle my chair so I can watch her. My forearms resting on the table while I shoot the shit with the guys, waiting for Indy to have a free moment.
Finally, a good fifteen minutes later, she’s able to slide out from behind the bar, weaving through the tables to come see me.
Her smile is wide—eyes bright, cheeks flushed from working. She walks straight into my open arms.
“Hey, Golden Boy,” she purrs, pressing a chaste kiss on my lips.
It’s too quick for my liking. Not even close to being enough.
I catch her wrist as she pulls away, tugging her gently, bringing her back to me. My other hand finds her waist, clinging onto it so I can kiss her properly.
A soft moan slips from her before she can stop it.
“Need me to find you a seedy motel real fast?” Austin teases. “I think we’re on the right side of town for that.”
Indy pulls back enough to swat his arm, but I don’t let her go.
I haven’t seen her all day, and I missed her.
“If I wanted to fuck him right this second, I’d just drag him into the back room,” Indy quips, tone sweet and syrupy.
Austin's mouth slams shut.
Declan barks out a laugh next to me, shaking his head.
Before Austin can think of a retort, Rosie sashays over to us, hips swaying, smile radiating confidence. “What can I get for you boys?”
She tips her head at me in greeting, and I return it. A silent exchange passes through us. As much as she hates losing her bar manager, she’s been nothing short of supportive of Indy’s decision.
“Oh damn,” Austin says louder than I’m sure he intends, openly checking her out.
Jensen coughs into his fist, shoulders shaking with laughter.
“She’s married,” Indy scolds, giving Austin a pointed look just as her husband appears behind her, arm snaking around her waist as he pulls Rosie back against his chest possessively.
Austin leans back in his chair, lifting his hands in surrender. “I didn’t say anything.”
When our drinks are ordered, Indy kisses me again, letting it linger this time, before she returns to the bar, determined to finish her shift even though Rosie told her to take the rest of the night off and enjoy our company.
I watch her serve the people seated in front of her, effortlessly gliding from patron to patron. She laughs with a customer, reaching forward to take their empty glass.
Our eyes meet for a second and she smiles, biting down on her lip in a way I know is meant just for me.
“What’s her plan after this?” Jensen asks, nursing his beer. His eyes scan the room, looking at nothing in particular, but he seems distracted—like there’s something weighing on his mind.
“She’s thinking about going back to school for nursing.”
“That’d be cool,” Austin replies, distracted now too.
Indy drifts from one end of the bar to the other, checking on everyone and bringing them fresh drinks. Every time she glances up, our eyes meet. I glance at my watch, counting down the hours until she’s off and back in my arms.
Two to go.
My chest squeezes. I love her so damn much it hurts. The realization isn’t new, but after years of loving her in secret, it feels like a dream to love her out loud.
Across the room, a burst of laughter cuts through the hum of the bar, capturing my attention, and not in a positive way.
A few seconds later, three women approach our table, the drinks in their hands half-empty. Confidence rolls off of them in waves, whether stemmed from the alcohol or a lifetime of attention is left to be determined.
Her friends spread out amongst us, one eyeing Jensen and the other Declan, but neither of them notices. Jensen’s engaged with Austin, clearly ignoring the woman at his side, and Declan simply shakes his head at the blonde by his.
But the brunette comes up to me.
“I didn’t know there were any handsome men left in Ridgewood,” she says in a sultry tone. She’s leaning a little too close to me, her perfume overpowering and wrong.
I don’t move a muscle.
Instead, I glance past her, staring directly at the woman I love, who’s gone dangerously still behind the bar, her eyes locked on mine.
“Sorry. I’m taken,” I say calmly, never breaking eye contact with Indy.
The brunette laughs in disbelief, like she’s never been told no before. “I think I would have read about it in the tabloids if you were taken, handsome.”
“So you know who we are?” Austin asks, eyes shining with amusement.
“Of course we do,” the blonde says, giggling into the straw of her margarita.“We’d recognize players from the Bears anywhere.”
The brunette turns back to me with determination. “Can I buy you a drink?”
Before I can answer and shut her down for good, another presence presses into my side, familiar and warm.
Indy doesn’t make a sound, just slides onto my lap like she belongs there—because she does. Her arms loop around my neck, fingers sliding through the short hair at the base.
Then she kisses me.
Hot.
Claiming.
Unrestrained.
Showing everyone who owns my heart.
The bar disappears, and for a second, it’s only me and her. I kiss her back just as possessively, my hands gripping her waist tight enough to leave marks.
She pulls back, just enough to take a breath, then turns her head to the brunette with a sweet smile on her face. “He’s spoken for.”
Indy turns back to me and kisses me again. Slower this time. Deeper. Like she has all the time in the world.
This kiss is meant to be seen by everyone.
Behind us, a whistle cuts through the bar.
And another.
Cheers roar out around us, Andromeda vibrating with an excited energy I know is meant for me and Indy.
I smile against her mouth, laughing softly, my heart full and grateful.
“I love this woman!” I shout, lifting her arm and mine into the air. “Obsessed with her, actually. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’ll spend every day of my life making sure she never forgets it.”
The bar erupts, loud enough to rival the cheers at Coit Stadium after a game-winning play.
Indy’s breath catches and she presses her forehead against mine, eyes shining.
“I love you too,” she whispers, nudging her nose against mine before finding my mouth again.
The cheering fades, dissolving into background noise as I hold her close, our kiss lingering.
All my life I’ve played by the rules and chased wins. I’ve spent every season swinging for the fences, convinced that with one more victory, I’d truly be happy.
But my happiness had already taken a permanent spot in my heart when I was just a kid—long before baseball taught me how to distract myself from loving someone I couldn’t have.
Indy isn’t just the love of my life.
She’s my home run.