23. Lance
twenty-three
Lance
Present
Never thought hearing Gwen utter the words your wife would send my dick into overdrive, but here I am, hard as a rock.
As I make my way to the passenger door to help her out of the car, I pull my dick up, tucking it into the waistband of my boxers.
I need to get my shit together.
Gwen is freaking out, and I need her to stay calm. Getting through a meeting with my friends is going to be a cakewalk compared to the scrutiny we are going to be under with her family.
My boys already suspected something happened between me and Gwen months ago; this is just us confirming it.
Reaching for Gwen’s hand, I lace our fingers together as we walk the path to the restaurant entrance. Her small hand is hot and shaky, giving away her nerves. I run my thumb over the ring on her finger. My ring.
Fuck, I love the way it looks on her finger.
“Relax. The guys are going to be on our side,” I say, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Gwen exhales a deep breath as I push open the door and lead her inside.
From what I know, Nico’s mother and aunt co-own the restaurant. I’m surprised at how beautiful and modern the space is, while simultaneously giving off rustic, you’re-eating-at-home vibes. Cream walls boast distressed wood accents and black industrial metal finishes.
The bell above us rings, drawing every pair of eyes at the table.
“Hey, guys.” With a shy wave, Gwen greets my friends and their significant others first.
I hate that she’s self-conscious. These assholes wouldn’t say a damn thing. Well, Reed might, but I’ll punch him in the dick if he does.
Nico dives in without skipping a beat and welcomes us. “Nice to see you, Gwen. Come in, you two. Grab a seat. We still have plenty of food.”
I notice a variety of dishes on the table have already been tucked into. The food looks and smells delicious. My stomach growls from hunger and nerves. I suppress both feelings and clear my throat. “Actually, I was hoping you guys might be interested in taking a little road trip with us.”
No hesitation, Cam asks, “Where are we going?”
“Vegas.” I lift Gwen’s left hand into the air, flashing them the big-ass sparkling diamond ring that now encircles her ring finger. “We’re getting married.”
You could hear a pin drop with how quiet Nico’s family restaurant gets before everyone starts talking at the same time.
“I knew it!” Reed shouts. He points to Blake. “You owe me fifty.”
Cam and his wife, Talia, are the first out of their seats to congratulate us.
“Ohmigod, this is so amazing.” Talia, who knows Gwen, pries my soon-to-be wife’s hand from mine to inspect her ring. Talia shoots me a wide, approving grin. “Way to go, Lance. You did good. Real good.”
“He did.” Gwen smirks, making my chest tight.
I didn’t even think of asking her if she liked the ring. As soon as I saw it, it reminded me of her. Pink, sparkly, and round like the donuts she loves so much.
Gwen is tugged away by Talia, leaving me slightly miffed and missing my girl.
“Quit glowering at my wife,” Cam says.
I turn and come face-to-face with his menacing, green glare. He cracks his knuckles, waiting for me to say or do something.
I lift my hands in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t know I was making a face.”
Cam’s scowl transforms into his usual goofy grin. “Hey, I get it. I don’t like being away from Talia either.”
The phrase “it’s not like that” sits on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it back.
It is like that.
The moment I saw that ring and held it between my fingertips, I knew marrying her was the right thing to do.
“I see you worked everything out with Gwen,” Nico says, sidling up beside Cam.
“We did.”
Reed steps into the fold with Blake and Heath and lowers his voice. “I knew you two were hooking up, but married? What the fuck did I miss?”
“A lot.” I glance over in Gwen’s direction. This is not a conversation I want to have without her. I want to do this together so that we are on the same page. A united front. Us versus them. “Let’s all take a seat, and I’ll explain.”
The guys head to the table, whispering to each other like a bunch of nosy gossips.
I walk over to Gwen where she’s standing with the group of ladies. Some I know and some I don’t, but seeing as they all have jet-black hair and olive skin, I assume they are the rest of Nico’s family.
“Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but I need Gwen for a minute.” I place my hand on the small of my fiancée’s back, and her body shivers beneath my touch.
“Is something wrong?” she whispers when we are out of earshot.
“No. But the guys want an explanation. Do you trust me to do the talking?”
She stares into my eyes and, after a long second, nods. “Yes, I trust you, Lance.”
Gwen’s whispered words fill me with pride. She trusts me.
“Thank you.”
Unable to stop touching her, I take hold of her hand again and guide her to the bustling table filled with my closest friends.
I pull out her chair, and once Gwen’s seated, I take the spot beside her, sitting as close to her as I can.
Reed, Blake, Cam, Talia, Heath and his wife Grace, Nico with his girlfriend Savannah, and his mother, aunt, and cousins lean in with excited smiles, ready to hear our story.
All eyes are on me, and I hate it. Being the center of attention is my least favorite thing. My heart rate shoots through the roof. I decide to rip off the band-aid and move this along so we can get the hell out of here.
“Gwen is the woman from the night of the World Series,” I confess.
“Tell us something we don’t know,” Cam says.
“Yeah, lurker,” Nico teases.
Gwen looks up at me with her aqua eyes, curious about Nico’s comment. I don’t need Gwen to know how obsessed I’ve been with her these last couple of months.
“I knew it!” Reed interrupts.
“You were so obvious, Mr. Moony Eyes,” Blake teases, batting his eyelashes.
The table erupts in laughter.
I point to the corner of the restaurant. “Shut it, or I’m going to make you sit over there alone.”
Blake scrunches his nose in disgust. “Rude.”
“Ignore him. Please continue,” Talia says.
“And don’t bullshit us,” Cam says.
“Yeah. If you want us to have your back, then you owe us the truth,” Nico follows up.
I glance down at Gwen. “Do you trust me?”
She nods. I look back at my friends and tell them the truth.
How Gwen and I met and hooked up the night we won the World Series and then lost contact, and I was surprised to see her at the stadium weeks later. I’m marrying Gwen to help her get the promotion she deserves.
I also fill them in on the story we plan to sell to Ted, the team, and the media, as well as the plans I have arranged for tonight.
Every single one of them is on board. Not that I had doubts. My teammates have my back, and now Gwen’s.
Sadness washes over me for a second as I realize how much I miss my family. But it’s quickly replaced with gratefulness. My teammates are my best friends. These guys would do anything for me, and I for them.
My brothers in baseball.
As promised, Gwen trusts me to tell my friends the full story. I find it interesting that she doesn’t bring up how our marriage is temporary.
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“Always. There’s no one else I’d want to pretend marry,” she whispers, her pretty aqua eyes shining.
Her cheeky comment irks me, grating on my skin like sandpaper.
Needing to shove that irritation away, I place a tender kiss on her forehead, relishing the way chills race up her spine and the skin on the back of her neck pimples.
Pretend marriage, my ass, little witch.
“Same, babe.” I smirk, placing my hand on hers and running my thumb over her ring again.
Hope you’re ready for the truth to set you free.