Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Sloane
I’m gripping the steering wheel, but I can still feel the slight tremble in my hands. My heart is pounding inside my chest, and I know I need backup. Pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store, I put my car in park, grab my phone, and call Corie.
“Hey, miss me already?” she teases.
“Always,” I assure her. “But, I kind of need to chat.”
“Sure, what’s up? Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Nothing is wrong, but I need to get this off my chest.”
“Sure, Knox and I are headed home. He wants to take another shower there before we head to Baker’s.”
That’s her way of telling me she’s not alone. “Got ya. Okay, well, I’ll just say it, and you can think on it and hit me with your thoughts later.”
Corie laughs. “Sounds good.”
“Baker and I—I don’t know what we are, but we’re something. I think,” I confess.
“Do you have more than that?” she asks me.
“Glances, soft touches, and the three of us slept in Camden’s bed a couple of times, and he held me all night long. Kissed my cheek before he left to go to practice that next morning the first time, and then breakfast and the three of us spent the day together wrapped up on the coach the next.”
“And when was this?”
“The day after Natasha’s and Levi’s funerals, and then again a couple of weeks ago.”
“Sloane!”
“I know. I know that I should have told you, but I assumed he was just feeling vulnerable. Yet, the soft touches and the heated looks… they’ve never stopped.
Things like, I’ll be in the kitchen, and he’ll come up behind me, place his hand on the small of my back, and lean around me.
He’s kissed my cheek, my forehead, the top of my head more times than I can count.
He gives me hugs goodnight, and then tonight happened. ”
“What happened tonight?”
“Well, after the game, he took Camden from me, then hugged us both to his chest, and then he wanted to know why I was wearing Knox’s number instead of his. He kind of said that he knows I feel whatever this is between us, too, and I agreed with him.”
“I love this for you,” she says.
I pause. “Really? Corie, I work for him. He’s our friend. My friend. This could mess it all up.”
“Or it could be amazing. You remember when I first started seeing Knox, right? We tried to pretend it was just a hookup, and that got us nowhere.”
“Shhh, Knox is with you.”
“We’re home. He’s already upstairs in the shower.” She laughs. “Baker is a great guy, an incredible father, and he’d be lucky to have your attention. Just know before you dive into this thing, it’s more than just him. He’s a package deal.”
“I know. I love Camden so much. My heart is going to crack wide open when he replaces me.”
“Who says he has to?”
“Come on, Corie. I can’t keep working for him if I’m sleeping with him.”
“You can. But also, what if this turns into more? What if he’s your person?”
“Don’t go putting crazy ideas into my head,” I warn her. But what if she’s right? My heart starts to race, and hope wells inside of me.
“It’s not crazy. I never in my wildest imagination would have thought that I’d be married to Knox, and now, we’re starting a family. He’s my everything, and I never would have gotten to this point had I not taken the chance.”
“So, you think I should let this—whatever this is between us—happen?”
“Do you want it to happen?”
“More than anything,” I answer without hesitation. “But,” I quickly add, “I know that Camden is a part of this, and the thought of not being in either of their lives if this goes bad hurts my heart.”
“You’ve been practically living with him for two months, Sloane.
He knows you. You know him. Hell, you all have known one another for a few years now.
This isn’t sudden. It’s not like you just met the guy at a bar, and you’re jumping in headfirst. Toss out those fears, and just take it one day at a time.
Or you know, one kiss at a time.” She giggles.
“I love you, Core.”
“I love you, too. I’ll see you soon?”
“Yeah, I’m at the store. I stopped to grab some brownie mix for dessert.”
“The baby loves brownies,” she teases.
“Oh, does he?”
“He or she most certainly does. I can’t wait to find out what we’re having next week.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to do a big gender reveal?” I ask her.
“Nah, Knox and I are too excited to find out at our appointment. We’ll be sure to tell everyone as soon as we know.”
“Fine,” I concede. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Be safe,” she says, ending the call.
Grabbing my purse and keys, I head into the grocery store.
I’ve already taken too much time to sit and talk to her.
However, talking to Corie helped me realize that this isn’t wrong, even if it feels that way.
I want him, and he wants me. We’re consenting adults and can see where this goes.
I grab a couple of boxes of brownie mix, some chips, animal crackers for Camden, because he’s almost out, and a gallon of milk.
I can’t remember how much is left in the fridge, but that kid and his daddy drink milk like it’s their job, so I’m not worried about it going to waste.
Self-checkout is quick, and I’m back on the road, headed toward Baker’s. When I pull into the driveway, the garage door opens, and he’s standing by the door that leads into the house with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.
“I was starting to get worried,” he says, after pulling open my door for me.
“Sorry, I talked to Corie on the phone in the parking lot for a few minutes before I went into the store.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I—” I hesitate, but then decide that if this is going to work, honesty has to be present in all aspects between us. “I was kind of freaking out.”
“About?” he asks, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“This. Us.”
“Why are you freaking out? Do I scare you?” I can hear the concern in his voice.
“Yes, but emotionally. As in my heart is already so invested in your son. If I add you, too, and then I lose you both, I don’t think I would handle that well,” I confess.
A slow, sexy grin tugs at his lips. “That’s a fear I can squash.”
“How?” I ask, my voice gruff.
“Because I think about you all the time. When Camden does something and you’re not here, I want to call you to tell you about it.
I think about you as soon as I wake up. And you and my boy, the two of you, are what’s on my mind when I lay my head on my pillow to go to sleep at night.
I’ve never had a woman consume me like this. That’s how.”
He smiles down at me, and it has butterflies taking flight in my belly. “Our lives are so entwined, Baker, not to mention I work for you.”
“So what? Yes, you work for me. You take care of my son. The most important person in my world is in your care. That doesn’t mean we can’t explore this chemistry between us.”
“You don’t date, not since you’ve become a dad,” I remind him.
He grins. “Not since you,” he says, leaning down and pressing his forehead against mine. “We can take this slow, if that’s what you need, but, Sloane, I want this with you.”
I take a moment to breathe him in. My heart is racing, my palms are sweating, but there’s no doubt what my answer is, so when the words tumble past my lips, I’m not surprised. “I want to try.”
“Just us,” he says quickly. “This is exclusive, and you’ll be wearing my jersey,” he says, his voice firm.
“So bossy,” I tease. He’s so damn sexy.
“I know you have one, Sloane. You have one for each of us. Burn the others. You won’t need them,” he says, his tone telling me he's serious.
I laugh. “I’m not burning them.”
“Then pack them away in the back of your closet,” he says, his breath mingling with mine.
“Baker?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to kiss me or not?” I ask, as heat pools between my thighs. My heart beats for him, for the anticipation, and the rest of my body craves his lips on mine, his calloused hands tracing over my body.
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, before his lips press against mine. He slides his large, calloused hand behind my neck and positions me where he wants me, as his tongue traces my lips. My body is on fire for him, but now is not the time for this. We have guests coming over soon.
Pulling out of the kiss, I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him, burying my face into his chest. His arms band around me in a tight embrace, and we stand here for I don’t know how long just holding one another. This moment with him feels like the most natural thing in the world.
“Those brownies are not going to make themselves,” I tell him, easing back.
“I’ll help,” he says, kissing my lips one more time, just a quick peck before opening the back car door and grabbing the groceries.
I can’t keep the smile from pulling at my lips. I want more of his kisses, more of him, but that’s going to have to wait. “Is Cam sleeping?”
“Yeah. He conked out on the way home. He didn’t even stir when I put him in his bed.”
“He was so good today.”
“Good. Thank you for bringing him. Knowing that the two of you were there, it was highly motivating.”
“I’ve seen you play tons of times,” I remind him.
“Yeah, but that was before you were mine.”
Can he hear how he makes my heart race? “Is that what I am? Yours?”
“Damn right.” He kisses me again, another quick peck to my lips, before swatting my ass. “Go change, I’ll get started on the brownies.”
“I’m not changing. That’s just extra laundry.”
“Not if we toss that”—he points to Knox’s jersey—“in the trash.”
“Come on, you.” I grab his hand and lead him to the door.
Stopping to hit the garage door button, I lead us both into the house.
Quickly, I wash my hands and start the double batch of brownies.
As soon as I slide them into the oven and set the timer, I feel hands on my hips.
Turning in his arms, I smile up at him, and then I’m in the air.
He lifts me and places me on the counter.
“What are you doing?” I ask, swooning over his strength and the way he’s moving me where he wants me.