Chapter 30
Sloane
I relaxed back into my seat, thankful it was finally cool enough that I could enjoy one of Rhys’s games without the sun basically melting my skin off.
June and July were always brutal in Boston. August was basically perfect, but early September held a special place in my heart.
The sun was out, but there was a light breeze, and the temperature always averaged around a pleasant seventy-five degrees. I wore my favorite pair of jeans, Rhys’s jersey like always, and a light jacket draped across my lap in case I needed it.
Literally perfect.
Just like everything else in my life.
Rhys winked at me from the field, and my lips twisted to hide the grin pulling at my lips.
“You are one sappy little bitch.”
I snorted in response, looking over at Cami as she stuffed more popcorn into her mouth. “It’s the honeymoon stage, you know?”
She rolled her eyes, wiping the butter from the popcorn off her lip with a napkin. “The honeymoon stage lasts like three weeks. Four max. It’s been three months of this shit. Can you guys start hating each other like normal couples?”
I pinned her with a playful glare. “Oh yeah? Name one thing you hate about Dom?”
“Easily.” Cami sat up straight in her chair. “He sheds like a damn German Shepherd. He plays videos on his phone way too loudly in the morning. He snores, and—” She cut herself off. “Do you need me to continue?”
“Okay, okay. Point proven,” I laughed, looking out on the field and watching Rhys as he concentrated on the batter challenging him from home plate.
Watching him play was mesmerizing.
Outside of baseball, Rhys was always such a happy-go-lucky guy with a good personality. And yes, sometimes he let that shine through in baseball, but the discipline he brought to this sport was amazing.
Maybe I was a little biased. But no one in the league held a candle to Rhys when he was having a good day. He seemed to be having a lot of those since we started dating.
He leaned forward, his chin dipping sharply as he okayed the pitch from Jasper. I watched as he stood straight, his right hand settling in his mitt while he twisted the ball around, adjusting his fingers for the pitch.
The count was three-two. Knowing Rhys, his change-up was too risky to throw with two outs on the line, so he was probably throwing a curve.
His biceps flexed against his jersey, the white material beginning to soak through with sweat. He took a steadying breath, his chest rising and falling slowly, and I was on the edge of my seat.
Rhys wound up the pitch, his left leg hiking up as he gathered momentum. I held my breath as he launched the ball out of his hand, smiling to myself when the sound of the ball hitting Jasper’s glove echoed through the stadium. Strike three.
A curve, just like I thought.
I grinned, framing my mouth with my hands. “Atta baby!” I called out, sitting back in my chair and feeling Cami’s eyes on me.
“Remember when this was for show?”
"Yes, Camille. I do. And now..." I paused, not sure why the words 'I love him' sat on the tip of my tongue. It almost... slipped out. My stomach fluttered at the revelation, Cami reading it all over my face.
Everything with Rhys had been nothing short of perfect. He worshipped me, he cared for me. Most importantly, he made me so unbelievably happy. I felt safe. I felt like... myself.
These past few months have made me realize just how dull my life was without him. When he distanced himself from me, he took a tiny piece of my heart, and every second that I lived without it, I died a little more inside.
But Rhys was back, and I was happy. The piece of me he stole was back, and I was stitched together. Each day, he showed me another reason there could never be anyone else.
Her mouth hung open, slowly stretching into a wide smile. "Oh my god! You– Rhys incoming!"
Cami squeaked and sank into her chair to make herself as small as possible as Rhys scaled the height of the dugout easily. His cleats dragged against the concrete as he made his way across.
He jumped over the small barrier between the dugout and the stands and closed the distance in two quick strides.
It wasn't until he approached me that I noticed I was plastered on the Jumbotron, a giant pink heart surrounding Rhys and me, with the words 'Kiss Cam' in red letters across the top.
"Hey, Pip." He crouched down in front of me, resting his forearms on my thighs.
"Hi?" I wondered if this was his doing. I hadn't had an encounter with the Kiss Cam since the first time it landed on me, and the frat boy next to me thought he was getting lucky.
Everyone knew we were together. There was no other reason it would be directed at me unless Rhys had something to do with it.
He grinned, the black grease stripes under his eyes crinkled and ran down his face with the sweat.
"Nice curve," I told him, swallowing hard. Rhys’s face was happy, his eyes gleaming in the evening sun. He was up to something.
"Thank you," he responded, Cami gagging quietly next to us. We both ignored her. "We're on the kiss cam."
"I think technically Cami and I are on the kiss cam," I teased.
Rhys shook his head gently, a grin still plastered to his lips. "Sorry, Cam, I think I'm gonna take this one. You can get the next," he responded, his eyes staying locked on me the whole time.
He leaned forward, his hands sliding up my thighs and gripping my hips as his lips met mine. Every emotion that Rhys felt lived on his lips. If he was sad, happy, or angry, I felt it in his kiss. And he felt so deliriously happy.
Cami might've responded to Rhys's comment, and the stadium might've caught fire. Who fucking knows? My hands tangled in his sweaty hair as I held him close, Rhys’s lips moving against mine softly.
Not enough to take the Kiss Cam off us, but enough that people were cheering and whooping at the intensity.
My heart slammed against my ribs at the emotion I thought I was feeling. Being able to read someone so easily really came in handy for moments like this. Rhys loved me. The smile he gave me as he kissed me said it all.
He pulled away, his forehead resting against mine.
I wanted to stay like this all night, close and tasting his lips on me, but unfortunately, we were in a baseball stadium filled with thousands of people, and Rhys was in the middle of a game.
His lips ghosted against my cheek so softly, I almost didn't feel it. "I love you, Pip," Rhys whispered just as softly as his kiss, only for my ears.
My breath caught in my throat as Rhys stood, smiling at the stunned look on my face. He winked, not even giving me a second to sort through my thoughts to say it back.
I loved him. I was in love with him. Hearing those four words whispered into my ear solidified the feeling in my chest.
I am in love with Rhys. My soulmate. My other half.
He was the keeper of all my secrets, the reason behind my smile, and the holder of my heart. I spent all these years refusing to see the potential of the man before me, but my eyes had been opened, and I was hopelessly in love.
Rhys retreated back to the dugout, a huge grin still plastered on his face. He knew I loved him. He had to.
There was no way that he would've said it so confidently if he didn't.
When he hopped down from the top of the dugout, he turned around, shooting a wink my way, and I knew he knew.
"He said it, didn't he?" Cami asked softly, smiling widely.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"And you?"
"So much," I answered, knowing she interpreted my vague answers for exactly what they meant.
***
He loved me… and he hadn’t given me a chance to say it back. The hectic nature of the evening hadn’t given us a second alone. As soon as his game was over tonight, both of us were whisked away, tasked with a list of things that needed to be done.
There was a charity event for Boston Children’s Hospital, and I was initially supposed to attend as his fake girlfriend. Hopefully, tonight, attending as his real girlfriend, I’d be able to tell him just how much I loved him.
I’d gone with a simple, satin floor-length black gown, one that hugged my curves beautifully. It accentuated my waist and lifted my breasts enough to make me feel confident and keep Rhys’s eyes on me all night.
I stepped out into the hallway of our apartment; my clutch trapped under my bicep as I clipped in a pair of gold hoops.
Rhys stood in the living room, tightening the tie around his neck, stopping in his tracks when he turned and saw me making my way towards him. He swallowed hard, and I smirked; this dress obviously accomplished what I wanted it to.
"Fuck, baby, are you trying to kill me?"
I laughed, walking over to Rhys, dropping my clutch on the couch on the way. "Obviously," I teased, throwing my arms around his neck. "You like?"
Rhys huffed out a laugh, his hands flexing on my hips like he was having a hard time keeping them to himself. "Christ, you have no idea."
"Thank you." I smiled softly, then checked my phone.
"Cami just texted me, they're out back."
Stu had been coming around more and more, waiting out front long enough for us to see him before speeding off in his car. He wasn't actually going to do anything, but he wanted us both to know that he was still around.
It always left me feeling a little unsettled and always tested Rhys’s willpower. He wanted to confront Stu, to handle it 'man-to-man', but Stu was a rat.
No matter what Rhys did, it wouldn't be a fair fight. Stu would always have the upper hand because there's nothing he wouldn’t do to get it.
Every time I left the building, I would exit through the employee entrance. Marvin didn't care; he understood the danger I was in and how little power I had in the situation, and we'd become friends over the time I'd lived here.
He wanted to help out in any way he could to keep me safe.
Rhys nodded, his hands running down his face as his eyes traveled the length of my body. "Okay," he answered a whole twenty seconds after my statement.