Chapter 16
A man should always hold something in reserve, a surprise to spring when things get tight.
Javi loved Sunday early-start games. Some of the guys hated playing in the midday heat, but he liked being done early so that he could prep for the coming week, especially any class assignments with due dates that might clash with his playing schedule.
Lucky for him, this week he had nothing due and he was caught up.
So he had taken Cami to dinner and then brought her back to sleep over at his place.
They were going to watch a movie and chill, emphasis on the chill.
Ever since the first night she’d stayed over with him, they’d spent every weekend at his place unless he was away for a game. He was starting to hate away games.
He’d just come out of the bathroom with plans to join Camdyn in his bed when his cell phone rang. His mother was calling, which was no surprise. It was eight in Arizona so it was ten for her, and she normally called to check in before she went to bed, unless she knew he was at a game.
He snatched up his phone and answered. “Hi, mamá.”
“Hijo, you played well today,” she began as she went over her favorite plays from the game.
While she chatted, Javi climbed onto the bed and sat with his back against the headboard. Camdyn was already snuggled under the covers and reading something on her phone. He loved having her in his bed.
He looked at Cami and she gave him a sweet little smile before returning to whatever she was reading.
He needed to keep this conversation with his mother quick.
She didn’t know about his relationship with Cami yet.
And even though he knew Cami could hear, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to tell his mother.
He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t already. They’d been together for nearly a month now.
Javi interrupted his mother’s rambling. “Hey, mamá, I need to tell you something.”
“Oh, no. Are you being traded again?” she asked.
“No.” He laughed. “I wanted to tell you that I’ve met someone.” Cami looked at him with wide eyes and put down her phone. He knew she’d been listening.
“You’ve met someone?” his mother echoed questioningly.
“Sí. I’ve met a woman and I’m crazy about her.” He smirked at Cami.
“Javier, you have to be careful with women,” his mother replied seriously. “You’re in a position where a woman will use you for your money and your fame. She may not actually want you, just what she can get from you.”
He winced. That was why he hadn’t told his mother. He should have anticipated that response. “No, mamá, she’s not like that.”
“You can’t know that,” his mother insisted. “Does she know you play professional ball?”
“She knows,” he answered.
Camdyn placed her phone on the bedside table and sat up.
His mother doubled down. “Then you can’t trust that she’s not using you.”
“She would never—”
His mother cut him off. “Yes, she would.”
Javi sighed. “No, mamá. Listen to me. She is perfect.”
His mother groaned. “Javi, no one is perfect.”
“Listen,” he repeated more forcefully. “She’s perfect for me. She’s beautiful. She’s smart. She has a successful career. She comes from a good family. She loves baseball.”
His mother groaned again. “Javier, I should have moved to Arizona. Mothers have a way of telling—”
This time, Javi cut her off. “Mamá, stop. Stop worrying. You’ve already met her.”
That statement caused his mother to pause. “What do you mean I’ve already met her? I haven’t been to Arizona.”
He’d caught her off guard. He could imagine his mamá’s face contemplating what he’d said. “That’s right, you haven’t been, and you need to come visit me. When do you think we could make that happen?”
“I can’t come right now, but you’re changing the subject. Who is this woman I’ve already met?”
“Camdyn Gallegos.” And that exact woman moved to straddle Javi’s lap.
His free hand moved to her hip to stabilize her, and the large T-shirt she was using as a nightgown rode up her smooth thighs, like a fantasy come to life.
Why had he decided to tell his mother while Cami was in his bed? He needed to wrap up this call.
His mother pulled him back to the phone conversation but he kept his eyes locked on Cami. “The lawyer who is helping us get Lola? Is it not a conflict for her to date you?”
“No. Technically, we are being represented by Camdyn’s grandfather, though she’s doing most of the work for him.
She just transitioned back to her family’s law firm from the company she interned for and worked for straight out of college.
” His mother didn’t need to know that Cami’s ex’s father owned that firm.
His mother huffed. “Well, her brother has more money than you, so maybe she’s not using you for yours.”
Cami was close enough to overhear his mother and covered her mouth to keep from giggling, but Javi couldn’t contain his laugh. “Mamá, she’s successful in her own right. She doesn’t need my money.”
“I guess not. But what does her brother think? You don’t need an issue with a teammate.”
“He’s okay with it. I told him my intentions right after we first met with her about Lola. I knew I wanted her to be mine.” Camdyn rolled her eyes as she slid her arms loosely around his neck, but one side of her lips was also quirked up. She looked pleased, even if she was trying to suppress it.
His mother was quiet for a moment. She sounded hesitant when she spoke again. “You sound so certain, but you haven’t known her long.”
“The time doesn’t matter. When you know, you know.
I want her to move in with me.” He looked directly into Cami’s eyes as he said this.
It was the first time he’d spoken like this in front of her.
Kind of underhanded to tell his mother before speaking with Cami, but his woman was so independent that he’d use coercion if that’s what it took to get what he wanted.
As they say in Cuba, he could do things by the left.
“You sound like your father.”
“There is no greater compliment. It’s late there and you need to rest, mamá. Call me earlier tomorrow and we’ll talk some more. Maybe we can make those plans for you to come visit.” Cami was now nuzzling his neck and he was more than ready to end this call.
“Okay, hijo. We’ll speak tomorrow. I love you.”
“Love you, too, mamá,” he replied before clicking to end the call. He tossed his phone onto the bedside table and then lightly smacked Cami’s rear.
“You like being naughty, hermosa,” he said, more as a statement than a question.
She started laughing, so he smacked her again a little harder.
She leaned up and looked into his eyes while running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “I can’t move in with you. The commute from Oasis to Phoenix is too far for me.”
“I know,” he responded, “but during the offseason, I’d like us to get a place together in Oasis.”
“I’d like that,” she said before she lowered her mouth to his.
The next morning a sleepy Cami came into the kitchen where Javi was making them breakfast. It was too early and his woman had a three-hour drive back to Oasis ahead of her before even starting her nine-to-five.
“You should get one of those pod coffee makers,” she said.
“You don’t like what I make?” he asked as he watched her settle on a barstool. She had already done her hair and makeup but was still wearing his T-shirt and probably nothing else. It swallowed her frame and hung from her left shoulder like an oversized minidress.
“It just seems faster. Simpler,” she mumbled.
“Sacrilege,” he replied with a tone of disapproval.
“What?” she retorted defensively. “The brand you like makes the pods. I looked online.”
Javi flipped off the burner where he was cooking eggs.
Then he moved to pour her a cup from the Moka pot that was also on the stove.
He’d already frothed sugar in their cups with the initial drops.
“While I appreciate you thinking about me, I don’t plan to ever change my routine.
Morning coffee is something I shared with my dad from the time I was a small child right up ’til the day he died.
He taught me how to make it, and we always had this same brand, though I took it with less milk as I grew older. ”
“Oh,” she replied with her head cocked to the side like she was studying him.
He dished up their breakfast then took a seat on a stool next to Cami.
“You miss him,” she stated softly.
His heart wrenched because miss wasn’t a strong enough word, but he nodded while he finished a bite, then answered, “I always will.”
She placed her hand on his upper thigh and lightly squeezed before turning her attention back to the meal he'd prepared for them. “You’re a good cook.”
“Well, that's all because of my mamá. We mostly ate at home when I was a child.”
“We did, too, but that probably has more to do with the lack of options in Oasis. However, I'm not much of a cook,” she admitted.
He had noticed that she’d never offered to cook for them. “You don’t like to cook, or you never learned?”
She pushed her plate back, having devoured what he’d made. He’d make more next time. “Oh, Granna and my mother tried to teach me. I’m just not very good at it, so I avoid doing it.”
Javier smirked knowingly and teased. “You’re a perfectionist, aren’t you? You failed once, and decided it wasn’t for you.”
Cami’s glare as she hopped down from the stool was all the answer he needed.
He threw his hands up with a laugh. “It's okay. I can keep us fed.”
“Javier,” she replied in a tone of warning.
He reached for her and pulled her to him. “Don’t be mad, hermosa. I just like picking at you. I couldn’t care less if you ever cook.”
“I need to get dressed,” she replied, obviously still miffed with him.
No chance he was letting her go while upset with him. “Not ’til we’re okay.”
“We’re fine,” she said as she rolled her eyes.
He leaned in to nuzzle her neck. “Then let’s kiss and make up anyway. Don’t take the fun out of this.”
She tried to hold it back, but he could feel her shaking with laughter. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.
“What are you doing?” she shrieked while latching onto him.
He headed for the stairs. “Taking you back to my bed.”