Chapter 24
I pull into the parking lot for Connor’s pickup game Saturday morning with all my besties and my lawn chair in tow. It’s covered in a light blue floral pattern that makes me feel like the perfect combination of girly and outdoorsy.
I get out of the driver’s seat and move to the trunk, grabbing my chair after my friends grab theirs. I push the button on the trunk for it to close, lock the car, and take a few steps toward the ball field when Mallory sidles up beside me.
“Um, since when have you had one of Connor’s sweatshirts?”
Heat rises to my cheeks. I look down, trying to act like I have no clue what I’m wearing. “Oh, is that what this is?” I shrug. “I’ve had this since high school.”
Her eyes narrow as she looks at me. I drop my gaze to my feet as we walk along the paved path, knowing I’ll spill everything like a toddler with a lidless cup if I look into her eyes for too long.
“Oh, I know.” Mallory snaps her fingers. “He gave it to you at his game when it was pouring. We were miserable, remember?”
I snap my head up and try to pretend like it’s just now hitting me. “Oh, yeah. You’re right.” I shove my hands into the front pocket. “I guess I never gave it back.”
“Wait, don’t you wear that all the time in the morning when you’re doing coffee or matcha runs?” Mallory’s brow furrows. “I can’t believe I’ve never noticed it before.”
She’s grumpy in the morning before she gets her caffeine fix. Plus, she’s usually at school and teaching already before I’m up and about.
“Maybe sometimes.” I shrug again. If I don’t stop this madness, my shoulders are going to be permanently stuck up by my neck. “You know I always sleep in sweatshirts.”
Mallory laughs. “No kidding, your hands are always like ice cubes.” She glances over at me. “So, there’s nothing going on between you and my brother?”
I pause for a moment. Having feelings isn’t the same as acting on them.
But with the way things went at the end of our date, I’m hoping Connor and I will act on those feelings very soon.
And I’d never be able to do that without talking to Mallory first. I would never go against girl code. “Maybe we could talk after the game?”
Mal grabs my arm as we reach the field and turns to me with wide eyes. “Wait, seriously? Tell me ev—”
She’s cut off by Mama Porter pulling us both into a hug. “Thank you so much for telling us about this game, Shayna. I wouldn’t dream of missing watching Connor play again.”
“Of course.” I smile, grateful for the change in conversation. “I’m glad we can all be here to support him.”
I glance around. It looks like me, my best friends, and Connor’s parents are the only people here, aside from those playing in the game.
Hopefully he’s not mad that I let this game slip in front of his family and that we’re all here, but I don’t see what’s not to like about loved ones at an event to support you.
While Mallory gets pulled into a conversation with her parents, I set up my lawn chair and look out to the field where the men are warming up.
I spot Connor immediately. Unfortunately for me, he isn’t wearing baseball pants.
It’s not a secret that he’s gotten more muscular over the years, so I’m sure his ones from high school no longer fit.
But lucky for me, Connor is wearing gray joggers that give off a sexy, laid-back vibe.
It’s ridiculous how irresistible men look in them.
But Connor Porter in gray joggers? That’s enough to scramble my brain to mush and make me say things I’d never be confident enough to utter without a whole lot of encouragement.
He catches the ball his teammate throws to him during their warm-ups, but rather than throwing it back, Connor looks over at the small crowd that’s come to cheer him on.
I swear, his eyes instantly find me, and everything about him softens.
His frown disappears, and his shoulders fall like he’s finally letting go of whatever stress was making him tense.
He offers me a small wave. I smile and wave back.
Connor grabs the ball from his mitt and throws it back to his warm-up partner like nothing just happened. But the racing of my heart is evidence to the contrary.
I’m in trouble if the slightest bit of acknowledgement from Connor can send my body reeling. I’m still patiently waiting for something to happen between us, but I don’t mind because my feelings for Connor Porter are the steady kind.
He’s no longer just the guy I had a crush on back in high school. Learning who he truly is over the last month has been a gift. So for now, I’m content holding onto hope. I know Connor’s scared because of his past, but what else do we have to live for if not for the hope of it all?
I move my chair between Alyssa’s and Kelsey’s, wanting to put some distance between me, Mallory, and her parents. I’m here to support Connor, and I can’t do that if I’m dodging questions about whether Connor and I are a thing.
By the time we’ve reached the ninth inning, Connor’s team is down by two runs.
With fully loaded bases and two outs at the bottom of the ninth, Connor is up to bat.
The first pitch is thrown high, but the second is a strike, right down the middle.
Connor takes a step back and readjusts his grip on the bat.
We’re close enough to home plate that I can see every detail as he returns to the batter’s box and looks over.
At me.
His gaze falls from my face to my outfit, and I inhale a sharp breath.
I promised him I would wash the sweatshirt and get it back to him on the plane, but I could never quite convince myself to. All morning, I debated whether to wear it. With the way he’s looking at me, I’m glad I did. The expression on his face is steely. Determined.
Connor steps back into the batter’s box and swings on the next pitch.
I hear the crack of his bat as it connects with the ball.
I push up from my lawn chair and hold my breath as the ball flies through the air.
When it hits the ground behind the fence, I throw my arms up and cheer. “Yeah! Way to go, Con!”
Connor rounds all the bases in a jog. When his foot touches home plate, he doesn’t pay any attention to all his teammates congratulating him. Instead, he looks over, and his eyes lock with mine. Then Connor Porter does the unimaginable in front of a crowd: he smiles.
I grin back at him so widely that my cheeks instantly hurt.
I’d take all the sore cheeks just to see this man smile on a more regular basis, because Connor’s smile is devastating in the most wonderful of ways.
Yep, I’m completely ruined. I’m confident there’s not another soul on the planet that could ever make me feel the way he does.
I hear his mother scrambling for her phone. “Oh, where’s a camera when I need one?”
Alyssa nudges my side. “Looks like someone got a little close to a certain Porter on their business collab if he’s letting you call him by a nickname.”
Kelsey peers around her, listening in.
A blush spreads across my cheeks. I was so in the moment watching Connor that I forgot where I was and who I was around.
“I’ve always called him Con,” I say. It’s true.
I bestowed the nickname on him back in middle school, but there’s more weight to it now after he told me he likes it when I call him that.
I mean, we love a man who knows what he likes.
“And have you always shared super-charged looks across the baseball field?” Kelsey asks.
“That has been a more recent development.”
Alyssa’s mouth gapes. “You’ve been holding out on us.”
“I promise I’ll share everything soon.” I keep my attention focused on the field as the other team gets the final out needed to end the game.
With Connor’s grand slam, his team officially won.
By the way our little cheering section is shouting, you’d think he just won the World Series, not a pickup game.
But that’s what I think it should always be like when we show up for our people at the exciting moments in their lives— we should come full force, all out, cheering our heads off, making fools of ourselves to let them know we care.
Connor jogs over, pulls his ball cap off, and runs his fingers through his damp hair. “Looks like you’re my good luck charm.”
As if the man couldn’t become any more handsome, he puts the ball cap on. Backward. His eyes flick down to the sweatshirt before slowly dragging back up to mine, filled with amusement and a flicker of heat. “Or maybe it’s just my hoodie.”
I play with the ends of the drawstrings, doing everything in my willpower not to freak out that he’s flirting with me. I mean, there’s no other explanation for his comments.
“What about me in your hoodie?”
His lips tilt up in another small smile, and it’s like a boost of serotonin straight to my veins. “I guess we’ll have to test that theory out some more. For scientific purposes.”
I nod along. “For science.”
He gestures over to his family. “I’m gonna talk to my parents, but I’ll see you tonight at their spring barbecue?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great.” Connor waves to Kelsey and Alyssa, who must’ve stepped away to give us our space. I didn’t even notice them move—not that I would’ve noticed anything else when I was fully locked in on Connor. “Thanks for coming,” he says to them before turning and jogging over to his family.
Kelsey and Alyssa walk back over to me as I’m putting away my lawn chair.
Alyssa bumps my hip with hers. “I thought firefighters were supposed to put out fires, but all I saw were sparks flying between you two.”
I let out an incredulous laugh. “Did that really just happen?”
They nod. “Girls’ night can’t come soon enough.” Kelsey smiles. “I need all the details.”
Alyssa tilts her head. “We need all the details.”
“You ready to talk?” I turn to find Mallory waiting behind me, a lawn chair bag hanging from her arm.
“Yeah.” I place the strap of my lawn chair on my shoulder.
Kelsey threads her arm through Alyssa’s. “We’ll leave you to that.”