Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
FIVE YEARS AGO
“We fucking did it!”
Champagne coated us as my teammates celebrated our victory, popping bottles like there was no tomorrow. And honestly, for us, there really wasn’t. We’d still work hard and be consistently training during the off-season, but as the newest World Series Champions, we’d earned a few days of rest.
Okay, now that I thought about it, rest was probably the last thing on anyone’s mind this weekend. When my teammates suggested a bunch of us fly out to Las Vegas, I was hesitant. Not only because I wasn’t really into partying, but because I was burnt. This season had been challenging in the best ways. It was only my second on the Rebels, and I was still adjusting to life in the major leagues. I’d gotten a bit of a break earlier this year, when one of the veteran pitchers was out for surgery. Nothing major, but it meant he’d be out for a few games, giving me a chance to show my skills.
Luckily for me, I’d pitched a no-hitter during my time on the mound, cementing myself in management’s eyes. When our winning streak continued, they thrust me into the spotlight, and I could no longer hide behind the rest of the team.
My mom even sent me a photo of me on a magazine cover back home. As much as I loved the game, the attention was another story. My manager had already begged me for more events and interviews, but it wasn’t going to happen.
I shoved that conversation into the back of my mind. We were only here for a few nights, and I was determined to push myself out of my comfort zone. After all, what better place to let off some steam than Las Vegas?
“Oh man,” one of my teammates said at my side. “You see that girl? Fucking smoke show.”
I couldn’t help but follow his chin tilt, trying to find the woman in the crowd. It wasn’t like I was hurting for company, but lately, everything had felt so hollow. After my name took off, a lot of the women who hit on me wanted a story to tell, to talk to their friends about the major league player who’d warmed their beds. Very few wanted to stick around after.
Not that I was looking for that. Not since?—
“Devyn?” The blonde turned her head, and all my thoughts died. I had to close my eyes, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating. But when I opened them again, there she was: my former best friend, Devyn Winters.
When we left for college, we’d promised we’d keep in touch, that distance could never come between us. But as time passed and our phone calls became less frequent, it was clear we were drifting apart. I’d even driven down to the city one weekend to surprise her, but when I got to the dorms, a guy answered and said he was Devyn’s boyfriend. I didn’t even know she was dating someone. I left without a word, heading back to school to lick my wounds. It was almost six weeks until she called again. I let it go to voicemail.
But seeing her now, all those hurt feelings faded away. I was too busy staring at the woman in front of me. God, had she always been this gorgeous? My teammate, Damien, who’d spotted her first, turned to me. “You know her, Anders?”
“Yeah,” I said, climbing out of the booth to find her before she disappeared into the crowd. “She’s my best friend.”
I could hear my teammates clambering for details behind me, but I didn’t care, not when I was the closest I’d been to Devyn in years. She rushed through the crowd, and I had to hurry to catch up. She was dressed professionally, as if she just stepped out of the courtroom. I knew from my parents Devyn had gotten a job at a major firm right out of law school. It didn’t surprise me. The girl had more determination in her left hand than the rest of us had in our entire bodies.
Once I got close enough to reach her, nerves kicked in. Would she even want to see me? Even though there’d never been a defining end to our friendship, it had ended. It had been years since we’d last spoken. Maybe Devyn preferred it that way? No. I refused to believe that was true. If she felt at all like me, it was like someone had ripped out the other half of my soul. I wasn’t complete without her.
Before I could second guess myself, I reached out and touched her elbow lightly. “Devy.”
She instantly froze, hearing her name despite the echoes of the surrounding casino. As she turned around and her big, brown eyes met mine, it was like time had stopped. The air was sucked out of the room, and nothing else mattered but her. The world could be crashing around me; even so, all I would see would be her.
Gone was the girl I’d grown up with, replaced with the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Her pale blonde hair was curled around her shoulders, her brown eyes wide with shock. Deep red colored her plump lips, and all I wanted was to kiss it off her.
I always knew there was something between Devyn and me, an instinct that hinted we were meant for so much more than friendship, but I’d never allowed myself to consider it, not until now.
My heart pounded in my chest as she stared at me, as if trying to see if I was real. But after a long moment, a slow smile crept onto her lips. “Hey, Grayson.”
I stepped closer, matching her wide smile. “What did I say about calling me Grayson?”
“The same thing I told you about calling me Devy,” she retorted, still staring up at me. “What are you doing here?”
“Celebrating with my teammates. Our team won?—”
“The World Series,” she answered for me, a blush coloring her cheeks. “Yeah, I saw.”
I dared to step closer. “You watched the game?”
She nodded, tucking her lip between her teeth. “I watch every single one.”
The quiet admission broke the dam inside me, and I needed her so much closer. I pulled her into my arms, holding her against my chest. She settled in my embrace and wrapped hers around my neck. That familiar scent of jasmine and sandalwood filled my senses, and I instantly felt at ease. This. This was what I was missing for so long. While everything else in my life was going well, nothing had seemed quite right until this moment, until Devyn was in my arms again .
She cleared her throat and stepped back, nodding behind us. “I think your teammates want you back.”
I glanced over my shoulder, suddenly not giving a fuck that I was supposed to be bonding with the guys. I looked back at Devyn. “Come hang out with us.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “I shouldn’t.”
“Devyn,” I sighed, shifting so close, she had to tilt her head to meet my eyes. “I’m not taking no for an answer. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, and I miss my best friend.” I held out my hand. “Say yes, Ace.”
She rolled her eyes but placed her hand in mine. As I pulled her into our roped-off area, she bumped into me and said, “So you missed me, huh?.”
I looked down at her and smiled as I led her inside. “You have no fucking idea.”
A couple of hours later, the drinks were still flowing, and most of my teammates were ready to move on to the next club. I didn’t care where we went—as long as Devyn stayed at my side.
When she first joined our group, she was her usual standoffish self. Most people thought it was because Devyn was cold, but I knew her better than that. She was always apprehensive around new people, taking a while to let them in. But my teammates were a stubborn bunch of assholes, and they decided from the moment she came over that she was going to be their best friend. I had to give them credit—it was working.
Devyn laughed at Damien’s side, and my instincts flared. He brushed something away from her shoulder, and I saw red. We were friends and spent many early mornings practicing together, but right now? I was one move away from breaking his throwing arm.
I walked over to Devyn’s side. When she smiled at me, her pose a little wobbly because of all the drinks, all my anger rushed away. I glanced down at her, placing my hand on her back. “You okay, Ace?”
She beamed back at me. “I’m always good when you’re here.” She turned back to Damien. “Did you know I’ve loved this guy almost my whole life?”
He smirked back at me. “Is that so? This asshole?”
Devyn smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t call him that. Grayson is the best guy in the entire world.”
But I barely heard any of that, too busy fixating on the words that had just come out of Devyn’s mouth. I shifted, blocking Damien from her view. “You loved me?”
She rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Gray. You knew that. It’s not like I was very subtle about it.”
“No,” I said, shifting closer to her. “I didn’t. I thought you just wanted to be friends.”
Devyn rolled her eyes again. “C’mon, Gray. You knew I was crazy about you. But then you dated Calla, and I…” She placed her hands over her face. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Now, we’re not even friends. And you’re with Kelsey?—”
“Who?” I spluttered.
Her brows furrowed. “Kelsey. I saw her on your Instagram.” She flinched. “Okay, I might social media stalk you from time to time, but that’s not the point.” Waving her hands in the air, she continued, “You’re with someone, and if she makes you happy, I am so happy for you.”
“I don’t have social media,” I grumbled. “My manager set up an account, but I’ve never used it. I sure as shit didn’t post a picture with a girl I barely know.”
“Really?” she said, her smile wider than it’d been all night. “Does it make me an awful friend that I’m relieved to hear that? Seeing that picture…” Devyn shook her head. “I thought you found your person.”
Her words echoed inside my chest, giving life to a feeling I’d tried to bury for so long. But standing here, with Devyn, after so many years apart, everything I’d tried to ignore became clear. She was the one I wanted, the one I had wanted for so long, heartache was an old friend. I had missed my chance before; shit, I had fumbled so many chances, I didn’t deserve one now. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to risk her walking away without putting it all on the line, once and for all.
“Yeah, I did,” I said, finally realizing it myself. “Years ago, on this beach, back home. She was so mad because these birds kept flying away when she was trying to draw them.”
Devyn’s eyes widened with recognition. “Gray, what are you saying?”
I reached out, pressing my hand against her neck. Her pulse flickered under my touch, the rhythm even more intoxicating than our drinks. “You’re my person, Ace. It’s you. It has always been you.”
She pulled me in by my shirt, not caring who was around us. The first touch of her lips to mine was tentative, almost unsure if she should have done it. Fuck that. I practically growled as I pulled her hips closer to mine and slotted my mouth over hers. She let out a little gasp but sunk into the embrace, her fingers in the nape of my neck.
When I pulled back, I stared at her. “Holy shit, Ace, that was?—”
“Pretty incredible,” she answered for me. “This doesn’t even feel like real life right now.”
I reached up and brushed her hair away from her forehead. “You’ve always been the most real thing in my life, Devyn. I hate that I’ve wasted so much time with you.” I kissed her once again, already consumed by how she felt pressed against me. “But I’m done wasting it.”
Devyn giggled, the sound lighter than anything I’d heard from her before. “That sounds good to me.”
“Yeah?”
She reached up, pulling me down until our foreheads touched. “I don’t want to waste any more time either.”
I couldn’t help but kiss her, wanting to hear that little gasp from her again. Devyn was my dream woman—my best friend and the sexiest woman I’d ever seen, all bundled up into one. As she groaned against my lips, I pulled back. “Shit, can we get out of here?”
My team cut off her response when they started cheering behind us. “‘Bout damn time Anders met his match,” Damien called out.
I flipped him off behind my back, kissing Devyn once again before turning around to face them. Devyn curled into my side, and I put my arm around her shoulders, holding her close. “You never answered me, Ace,” I whispered in her ear. “You want to get out of here?”
“I do,” she said. “But this is your night with your teammates. We should celebrate with them first.”
“The only celebration I want is my head between your legs while you scream my name.”
Devyn’s eyes widened, but the flush on her cheeks told me she was open to the idea. Thank fuck. But as my arm tightened around her, she paused me. “Later, Gray.”
Several of my teammates’ wives came over, pulling Devyn out of my arms to join them for a drink. She rolled her eyes, probably knowing the truth, just like I did. After two years of trying to set me up with all their single friends, they were probably dying to learn all about Devyn, the girl who owned my whole fucking heart.
Damien came up to my side and passed me a beer. “That was a hell of a kiss for friends, Anders.”
I glared in his direction, not needing anyone else’s input on my relationship with Devyn. We both knew friends would never fully encompass what we meant to each other, and that kiss sealed our fate. All my life led me to this moment—to complete clarity that I was in love with Devyn Winters, and I had been for a long time. And while that love had taken many shapes and roles over the years, it was always there, as steady as the beat in my chest. She was mine, and I was done waiting.
“Damn, you really got it bad, don’t you?” He laughed and nudged me with his elbow. “You know, there’s a twenty-four-hour chapel around the block if you want to make this thing official.”
I choked on my drink, but for the first time, the idea of being married didn’t raise red flags. Not when it was with Devyn. “Give me some time,” I said, never taking my eyes off Devyn. “But it is fucking tempting.”