Chapter two #2
We’ve each had two more drinks since Scottie sat down on the stool across from me over three hours ago, and both of us are beginning to slur our words.
It’s nearing one in the morning, and I have no desire to leave.
But the glares from the bartenders tell me that our time is coming to an end sooner rather than later.
Ricky’s has nearly cleared out. Scottie’s mom and her friends left hours ago, but I assured her mother I’d make sure she got home safe. Scottie is the spitting image of her mom and it felt nice to meet the woman responsible for raising her to be the spitfire I knew and the strong woman she is now.
“But you won, Grady.” She reaches over and squeezes my arm, touching me for the hundredth time tonight.
I may be reading this all wrong, and it could just be the alcohol talking, but Scottie’s made it a point to touch me any chance she gets, scooting closer and closer as the night goes on.
And I’d be a fucking liar if I said I wasn’t thinking about how this night could end if I give in to the same draw I feel toward her.
So much time has passed, and yet it feels like none has at all. The girl who offered me her friendship all those years ago is still in there, but she’s different too. I can tell her life trajectory has changed her, made her strong in ways she never knew she’d have to be for her and her son.
But as I sit here and stare at her, I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I had chosen a different path myself.
Would the ache of losing baseball even be there if I had never tasted a World Series title?
Would the extra time with my friends and family have made it worth it, not missing all those milestones and birthdays?
And what if I had gone after the woman in front of me? If I hadn’t held back and had let her know how I felt all those years ago?
These feelings are flooding my chest, my body humming with energy and making me feel alive for the first time in years—almost five years to be exact.
“I did. The team won, and it was a night I won’t ever forget.” Much like this one.
“Do you have your ring with you?” she asks, peering down at my hands even though she’s been touching them all night and already knows the answer to that question.
“No,” I scoff. “I don’t wear that thing around, Scottie.”
“Why not?” She throws her hands up in the air, nearly falling from her stool but I catch her before she hits the ground.
“Easy there.”
She shrugs me off. “I’m fine. But seriously, Reynolds? If it were me, I’d be flashing that thing in anyone’s face I could. You won a freaking World Series! Do you know how freaking amazing—”
“We close in ten minutes!” the bartender from earlier interjects, cutting Scottie off. The irritation on his face tells me he doesn’t give a shit if I won the World Series or not.
“Here.” I toss my credit card to him over the counter, then turn back to Scottie. “We’d better be going.”
“Yeah.” She stands from her stool, gaining her balance before brushing her curls from her face. “I’m just gonna use the bathroom.”
“You gonna be okay walking over there?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
My eyes trail her ass as her hips sway from side to side until she disappears down the hallway to the restrooms. While she’s gone, I order an Uber and settle our bar tab. I’m grabbing my coat from the back of my stool just as she reappears.
“Thanks for the drinks.” She reaches for her own coat, and I help her slip it on before putting on my own.
“Thanks for coming out tonight.”
“Yeah, who knew the night would turn in a completely random direction.” With my hand on the small of her back, I lead her outside, the frigid air hitting us the second we walk through the door. “Jesus, it’s cold,” she murmurs, pulling her coat tighter around her body.
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest to help keep her warm while we wait for our ride. “It’s almost Christmas, Scottie. Don’t you remember how brutal the winter air can be?”
She laughs, her breath forming a visible cloud. “I guess I forgot. Back in Georgia, I’m more inland, so the air isn’t as frigid…”
Her voice trails off as we stand there in the silence, nothing but the sound of the wind whipping around us and her eyes twinkling in the dim lighting outside.
But I don’t want to let her go. I don’t want this night to end yet.
Hanging out with her tonight has woken up a part of me that feels like it’s been dormant for far too long, and the most irrational part of me that woke up is my fucking dick.
He’s been ready to go since the first time Scottie touched my leg earlier.
I know I can’t be the only one that wants to cross that line. I’ve felt it from her all night. And hell, we’re adults now, right? I have no idea when I might see her again, and I think we owe it to each other to see where the rest of this night could lead.
“Don’t go home tonight, Scottie,” I say, breaking the silence, waiting on pins and needles for her response. If she turns me down, then at least I know where we stand. But if she’s feeling what I’m feeling, then trying to pace myself will be my next obstacle.
Please tell me you want this, Scottie.
“Give me a reason not to, Reynolds.”
A breath of relief leaves my lips as I press my cock into her stomach, backing her up against the building we were just in, showing her what the night can hold if she gives me permission. “How’s that?”
She hums and reaches down between us, rubbing her hand over my erection straining against my jeans. “That feels like a pretty strong reason, but I might have to take a closer look to be sure.”
“Oh, it’ll deliver. I fucking promise that.”
She licks her lips and says, “I hope you’re ready to prove it.”