Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Callie
I’m late to the game because I end up taking a call from a friend of mine from college on my way out the door. It’s already in the second inning by the time I reach my seat next to Leighton. Thankfully, she doesn’t have the kids with her, so my best-friend conscience is clear.
“Hey, you.” I sit next to her. “Where are the kiddos?”
“They’re not feeling great, so my mom came over to watch them.”
I cross my legs, raising my hand to the hot dog vendor before passing my money down the aisle.
“You couldn’t have stopped before sitting down?”
I shrug. “I was in desperate need to get to you.”
She hands me my hot dog as it gets passed down the row. “I should’ve messaged you. Sorry.”
“Foster delayed me. Marathon text exchange.”
“Can I just say I don’t like this? I don’t like not being able to tell you about Hayes, and I feel like I know nothing about what’s going on with you two.
You can tell me, you know. Hayes is kind of like, ‘Don’t tell me anything unless one of them is going to kill the other’ now.
” She swivels her body toward mine, turning her attention away from the game.
After what I just agreed to, I kind of don’t want to watch the game, but would rather talk to my best friend.
I glance around. There are a lot of ears here. “How much will Hayes freak out if you’re not sitting in this seat when he looks over?”
“I come to every game. I have three kids home sick, and I’m still here. He can deal with it.” She stands and takes my hand. “Let’s go up top.”
Leighton leads me up the stairs to the strip of pavement where we can lean against the wall and still see the game. People are walking by, but this is as much privacy as we’re gonna get here.
“So… what’s going on?”
“I slept with him again last night.” Might as well just get it out there.
“Callie!” she scolds, then draws back and runs her hand down her body as though that’s going to compose her. “Sorry. No judging. How was it?” She grins at me.
“Bad.”
Her eyes widen. “Bad?”
“I got in my head about having an orgasm. At the doctor’s office, he read this article and…” I tell her the gist of the story, and she shrugs and rolls her eyes as though she gets it.
“Of course, he’s surprised. Most men think they’re practically porn stars in bed.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, well, he wanted to try again, and before he got home last night, I was using my vibrator because the tension between us is insane, Leighton. Like…”
She smiles as though she knows exactly what I’m talking about, and I really want to do the immature thing and say ew over it because she’s thinking of Hayes, but I don’t say anything.
Eventually we have to figure out this topic.
Maybe I just need to pretend she sleeps with someone other than my brother.
“So you know… and then the vibrator dies.”
Her mouth drops open. “No!”
God, it feels so good to talk to her about this.
“Right? And not one battery to be found in his place. I searched everywhere. Then he came home. I’m all hot and bothered and begging the universe to let me come, and he brought up the second chance.”
“And then?”
“I said okay.” I shrug.
“Oh shit. Hold on.” She stops a beer vendor and asks for one. “What do you want?”
I shake my head and bite into my hot dog. “My new vice. Junk food.”
She laughs. “Okay, keep going.” She sips her beer.
“It was like out of a movie. I’m walking across the room, and he picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, and our lips just smash together. We’re talking no teasing of the lips, just open mouth, insert tongue. It was so hot…”
“Sounds like it.”
“Then the more we got into it, the more I got lost in my head, and I just couldn’t come.”
“That’s the worst.” She sips her beer again, then Hayes’s walk-up song, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes plays through the stadium. “Shit, hold on a second.” She turns to the field. “Let’s go, Hayes!”
I plug my ear closest to her mouth. “Jesus, Leighton.”
“Sorry. I’m a big talker, but I saw him glance at the empty seats. And he’s in a little bit of a batting slump, so I want to be extra encouraging.”
We wait for Hayes to step up to the plate. He does his usual setup. The first ball comes in as a strike, and he doesn’t swing. The next two are balls.
“Come on, baby,” Leighton whispers. “You got this.”
He swings and misses.
“Shit, that was fast. Like, hell, what does the radar say?”
I stare at her in disbelief. “Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”
She waves at me. “I’m the fiancée of a professional baseball player. Obviously.”
The next pitch comes in, and it’s a ball on the outside. She blows out a breath. You’d think she was the one at the plate.
“Full count. Way to work him up, baby, but if it’s over the plate, hit the shit out of it.” She’s whispering to herself, and I reluctantly find it cute.
I know she wants the best for him, and maybe because I’ve seen Hayes go through a lot of slumps over the years, I don’t think it’s that big of a thing.
The pitch comes in, and I swear Leighton holds her breath, but Hayes swings, connects, and the ball sails through the air.
She jumps up, her beer going with her and spurting out of the top, but she doesn’t even care. “Way to go!”
Hayes hits a double down the line to the left.
Leighton’s hand covers her heart. “Thank goodness. I don’t know if I can handle another night of watching videos of his swing, trying to decipher what’s wrong. I love the man, but…”
I laugh and smile at her.
She points at me. “One day, it’s gonna be you.”
“Yeah, doubtful. Anyway…” I tell her about Foster and how great he was. How amazing the orgasm was when he went down on me and how patient and understanding he was.
“Foster Davis?” She points toward the field although he’s in the bullpen somewhere.
“The one and only.”
“I knew he was a good one, just needed those edges filed down a little.”
“But then he messaged me a little while ago, and he wants to…” I glance around to make sure no one is paying us any attention. “You can’t tell anyone this.”
She zips her lips with her fingers and throws the key away.
I balk. “Okay, you’re hanging around my mom too much.”
“Well, at least Hayes doesn’t catch the key and put it in his pocket.”
“Yet.” I’m a little scared Leighton is going to turn into my mother. I love the woman, but… “Anyway, he wants me to give him sex lessons.”
Her forehead wrinkles. “He needs them?”
“No. I swear it’s a me problem, but he says he has no experience…”
She laughs.
I narrow my eyes. “Taking his time with a woman. Not like he hasn’t slept with enough women.”
“Gotcha. What happened to the whole ‘we’re just co-parents’ thing?”
“I guess we’re co-parents who sleep together?”
She doesn’t smile. Actually, inhales a deep breath before she speaks. “Be careful, Callie.”
My hot dog turns to lead in my stomach with her confirmation that this isn’t the brightest idea.
“It’s different this time. See, I know the score going in. That this is just sex, and once the baby comes, we’re both free to move on and do what we want. I’ll move out, and we’ll be good friends.”
“Friends?” She gives me a yeah right look.
“Yes.” I place my hand on her arm to reassure her.
Sure, I have my own qualms about this arrangement, but after the baby comes, let’s be honest, my life won’t be mine for a good long while.
I won’t be out dating or trying to meet guys I might have a future with.
And I’ve learned that hope is what leads to heartbreak.
I won’t hope that Foster will change, so I’ll be just fine.
“I’m not sure—”
“I’ll be fine. I swear. I mean, Foster Davis isn’t one to give false hope, so he won’t be doing any sweet little boyfriend things. It’s strictly about getting one another off. Enjoying ourselves until the responsibility for caring for this little one takes over.” I rest my hand on my abdomen.
She’s not saying anything, but I can read her expression. I don’t really want to hear her doubts, so I change the subject.
“Did I tell you I’m in stretch waist pants now?” I run my hands down my abdomen, pulling my shirt tight so she can see the swell of my belly.
“Oh, Callie!” Her hand goes to my stomach. “You’re showing.”
“Barely, but yeah… every time I walk by a mirror, I stare at it. A human is in there. Isn’t that crazy?”
She laughs and puts her arms around me. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
“I can wait for the delivery because now I’m thinking about how he or she has to come out. There’s no turning back. Another reason to sleep with Foster—my vagina might never be the same after I deliver this baby.”
She squeezes me. “You’ll be fine. Many women have gone before you.”
“Says the labor and delivery nurse.”
We both laugh, and even though Leighton doesn’t agree with my plan, I feel lighter having talked to her. It’s been a while since the two of us have been able to connect. There’s nothing like a little girl time to put a smile on your face.
We eventually go back down to our seats. Foster comes in the game in the ninth for the last two outs. He keeps looking up at the stands, and there’s no way he’s making sure I’m here. He never even asked if I was coming.
He ends up walking a runner, then giving up a double. The outing isn’t going well, and he’s stopped glancing up here altogether. The next guy pops out to Decker. And then Foster strikes out the last batter, ending the game, the Colts winning by two.
“Good way to start the series against Colorado,” I say.
Leighton talks to a few of the fans around us.
As we file onto the stairs to make our way up, a woman touches my arm. “Callie Carlisle?”
She’s sweet-looking. Roughly my height, a little over average for a woman. A brunette with her hair cut short, but it’s her eyes that tell me who she is.
“Hi, my name is Angela… Angela Davis.”
I have no choice but to stay next to her the whole time we climb the stairs.
“I’m Decker and Foster’s—”
“Mom. He has your eyes.”
She nods, and tears well in those eyes that match the blue of her son’s. I know absolutely nothing about their situation other than Foster moved away with his dad when he was eleven.
“I just wanted to”—her gaze falls to my stomach—“say congratulations. I heard the news, and Decker confirmed it. I’m not sure—”
Leighton is waiting for me at the top of the stairs. I’m not sure if she sees something in my face or not, but she swoops in, putting her arm through mine. “We should get going.” She smiles sweetly at Angela. “Sorry to steal her away.”
It’s a typical thing we do when people find out we’re the family of one of the players and a fan of the team wants to chat for too long.
“Um… are you here visiting?” I’ve never seen Angela, but I didn’t come to a lot of games last year since I was on my podcast tour.
“I’m thinking about moving here,” she says. “So, you two go. I’m sure I’ll see you around again.”
I nod, and Leighton waves at her. “I’m sure we will. Have a great night.” She tugs me, and my feet practically drag along the pavement. “You look pale. Are you feeling sick?”
“That was Foster’s mom.”
She stops and turns to look over her shoulder. “Well, that’s probably not a good thing.”
Suddenly, it hits me. The whole sex lessons thing isn’t the problem. It’s the fact that I’ve been inching closer to Foster for weeks… and his mom just reminded me there are parts of him I’ll never get to touch.