Caught (Men of the Show Book 3) (20 page)

“Wait, what?
 
Why are you going?” Shannon asked, confused. “Plus I don’t have a ticket.”

“I only have a short time left where I can travel, so I’m going to head down to surprise Jer. Once things get going with their games, I won’t see him much. So, I made plans to visit him and I got you a ticket as well. Just in case.”

“Well, that was pretty cocky on your part?
 
So sure I was going to go?” she said with a grin, which Karen returned with a shrug. “So I’m just supposed to show up with you?” Shannon asked and at Karen’s nod, she grimaced. “Yeah, I don’t know.”

“Why not?
 
How else would you do this?”

“What if he doesn’t want me back?” she whispered, putting voice to her biggest fear.

Karen titled her head. “Aside from being his loss and a drastic change in my opinion of him, then you’ll move on, but you tried, and that’s what matters. But what’s most important is you’re learning something about yourself and what you want and don’t want.”

Shannon eyed her unusually subdued sister. “How did you get all calm all of a sudden?
 
Where’s the bitch session in this?”

“Oh,” Karen said with a wave of her hand. “I’m mad about you ignoring me, don’t get me wrong, but I’m working on keeping myself calm. This baby doesn’t need to hear me swearing all the time. I slip every once in a while and Jerry gives me a look, but I’m trying.”
 
She collapsed back in the chair with a gusty sigh. “Plus, I’m starting to get so tired that I don’t really have the energy to yell at anyone for too long.”

Shannon smiled. “Well, that’s a good thing, I guess.”

“Yeah, good for everyone else, but I’m the one bottling everything up inside.”
 
They made eye contact and started laughing. “I just want you to be happy, little sis, and I can tell you’re not.”

“I know,” Shannon said. “And I appreciate it, I really do. It’s just scary, especially when I think about telling Dad.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Karen said. “I’ll help you through this and dealing with him, and then you get to help me through this kid. I’m going to need all the help I can get, I can tell. If this baby is anything like his father, then I’m in deep trouble.”
 
She kicked back and propped her feet up on the chair next to her. After a few moments of silence, Karen broke it. “Well, finish up what you need to so we can get out of here and get something to eat, and then you can get back to telling me how cute I am with my little belly.”

Shannon laughed, feeling much better after talking with Karen, which only emphasized how idiotic she’d been for pushing her off for so long. Karen only wanted the best for her, and she’d forgotten that. Now Shannon needed to put things into action. She had to figure out how to break the news to her father, which downright terrified her, but Karen was right. Shannon had to think about herself and only herself. This change didn’t mean she wouldn’t stay in the field of law. It just wasn’t going to be in this law firm nor in some other big, prestigious firm. She needed a balance as she had other dreams, some she hadn’t even realized, and she refused to give those up. She was determined to find a way where she could have everything.

Chapter 15

Crouching behind home plate, Matt eyed where Jason stood in the infield. Throwing drills took priority on the agenda for the day, and Matt was working on his throws to second with Jason, who was working on covering second base from his position at short in a steal situation.
 

The pitch came in away from the left-handed batter. Matt shifted his weight as he caught the ball and threw it to Jason, who moved toward second base. Jason fielded the toss cleanly, placing his body in front of the bag in order to prevent the imaginary runner from being able to sneak in a hand or foot, as he dropped his glove to simulate the tag.
 

“Nice and quick, Buck, and right on the money. Perfect,” Jason yelled out.

The next one crossed inside the plate, causing Matt to step back to throw behind the hitter. His momentum carried him too far, however, and he fell toward the dugout, causing his line to be off.

“Goddammit.”
 
He grimaced as the ball sailed between Jason and the third baseman into the outfield.

“Come on, Bucky. You’ve got it,” Jason said in encouragement.

“Of course, I do,” Matt yelled back as he arranged his mask over his head. “Make sure you’re ready, Kirb.”

“Always ready, baby. Ready is my middle name,” Jason replied. “You just need your fat ass to get it down here.”

Some of their teammates chuckled and Matt sent Jason the middle finger, triggering Jason’s hoot of laughter, before crouching down. This time, he made sure to tighten his shuffle as he threw hard. As promised, Jason stood ready and waiting. He leaped to snatch the ball out of the air above his head, before dropping down to graze the ground with his glove.

Jason popped upright with a big grin on his face. “You’re an asshole. I know you threw it up there so I’d have to jump.”

Matt chuckled as he bent down to pick up his helmet. “Don’t worry, Kirb. You’re still growing.”
 
Jason stood a tad under six feet, a good deal shorter than Matt did, and Matt loved to tease him about it.

“Girls, girls,” Jerry said as he wandered over to them from the dugout where he’d been watching. “Do I need to separate you two?”

Matt and Jason met in the infield and grinned at each other. They’d been giving each other shit for years.

“Nah, Matt just has his panties in a bunch. Girl problems, you know,” Jason said to Jerry.

Matt’s smile immediately dropped. “Fuck you.”

“Things not going good with Shannon?” Jerry asked.

Matt glowered at Jason for opening his big mouth. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

The last thing he wanted to do was think about her, let alone talk about her. He’d come to Spring Training determined to put everything behind him. Embarrassed, pissed and hurt, he simply wanted to move on. His story was something had come up at work requiring her to get back to Chicago, but Jason knew him better than anyone else and called his bullshit. He never asked directly, however, instead made the occasional snide comment, trying to trick the story out of Matt. So far, Matt wasn’t biting.

Jerry glanced at Jason. “He’s not saying.”

Jason nodded as he narrowed his eyes at Matt. “Yeah, he’s good at that. Stubborn ass.”

He wasn’t saying because he still couldn’t wrap his head around what had happened. He didn’t understand how she claimed she wanted to try only to suddenly declare she’d tried, it wasn’t going to work and she would be returning to Chicago. All this before things truly got hard. He could handle all of it and quite possibly learn to accept it, except the not wanting to try. That he didn’t understand at all.

But it didn’t matter that he didn’t understand. It didn’t matter that they got along great, connected and enjoyed each other. It didn’t matter that he loved how passionate she was, how dedicated she was or that she was just as competitive as he was. It didn’t matter that he respected the hell of out her, that he loved that she had her own goals, dreams and aspirations. He’d said what he’d needed to say, and she ignored him. Time to move on.

Spring Training had been the perfect answer. Away from the house and any reminders of Shannon, entire days filled with baseball, leaving no room for anything else. Most nights he simply collapsed into bed, exhausted, not allowing any moments for his mind to wander. The last thing he needed was these guys trying to stir up some gossip.

“We still going to dinner?” Jerry asked Matt.

“Yep, sounds good,” Matt said as they all walked together off the field and into the locker room.

Leaving the stadium with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder after they showered and changed, Matt put his aviators on as he headed out into the afternoon sun. Jason walked next to him as Jerry followed behind, all of them slowed a bit as they made their way down the sidewalk lined with fans asking for their autographs. They tried to oblige as much as possible, signing bats, balls, even stopping long enough to have their picture taken, before stepping over to the other side of the fence, which separated them from the autograph seekers.

“Oh, man.”
 
Jerry turned his face up the sun. “I was so ready for this warmth. It was a brutal winter this year.”

“I have no idea how you guys deal with that winter crap,” Jason said.

Jerry shrugged. “Hey, man. My baby wants to live in Michigan, so we live in Michigan.”

Matt glanced at him over his shoulder as he walked around to the driver’s side of his truck. Since a few of them had rented apartments in the same complex, they had driven together in Matt’s car. “Karen won’t move?”

Jerry opened the back door and tossed his bag onto the floor before climbing in. “I don’t know, to be honest. I’ve never asked, but I assumed she wouldn’t want to move. I mean, that’s where Maddie is and that’s where her mom is. Plus, I’m fine with Michigan.”

“I don’t know,” Jason said. “If some girl I was with wanted to live in a place where the temps dropped below sixty degrees, I think I’d have to leave her.”

Matt chuckled as he started the car. “Says the guy who’s never been in a relationship.”

Jason gave an easy shrug as Jerry laughed from the backseat. “Never saw the need. There are a lot of women out there who have yet to enjoy my company.”

Jerry gave another hoot. “Ah, man. You’re priceless. I can’t wait to see the one girl who’s going to bring you down on your ass. That’s going to be beautiful.”

Matt laughed and nodded in agreement. “That is going to be entertaining and we’ll be right there calling you whipped just as you do to us.”

Jason only grinned. “Whatever. Not going to happen.”

Pulling into the complex, Matt parked in his assigned spot. Each apartment had their own private entrance, which sat back from the road, and you had to pass through a landscaped courtyard to get to them.
 
When they came around the corner, Jerry exclaimed, “No way!” before he pushed Matt off the sidewalk.

Jerry rushed ahead and caught a female throwing herself at him with a squeal. It took Matt a second before he recognized Karen.

Jerry tried to hold her in his arms, but with her protruding stomach, he struggled for a minute before he finally set her down. “What are you doing here?” he asked ducking his head again to catch her mouth with his.

“I wanted to surprise you,” she said when they broke apart.

Swallowing the jealousy building within him, Matt tried to disappear quietly, allowing them a private moment. He stepped around them to head to his place when Jason cleared his throat.

“Uh, I’m guessing she’s here for you,” Jason said.

Following Jason’s gaze, Matt started when his eyes connected with Shannon’s. She stood behind her sister, hovering near the door to Jerry’s place.

He was floored. Having not expected to cross paths with her anytime soon, if ever, a gamut of emotions rolled through him—surprise, happiness, excitement, anger, frustration, and resentment all being the first he recognized.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Guess I’m on my own for dinner. I’ll catch you later, man.”
 
Jason turned up the sidewalk to his place and went through the front door.

Matt gave a distracted nod, not able to look away from her. She walked slowly toward him, her steps short and timid as she sidestepped Jerry and Karen, who were still wrapped around each other. Her eyes passed over him, taking in his long-sleeved navy athletic shirt and training shorts, and he didn’t miss the way they darkened before coming back to his face.

“Hi,” she said quietly.

Shannon was dressed in a slim pink T-shirt topping white skinny jeans, which made her legs look somehow longer than they already were, and with her hair pulled back into a messy bun, he could tell she’d lost some weight. She was too thin, the lines of her face too sharp, her blue eyes almost too big, and her collarbone too pronounced. Anger pushed through at what she’d done to herself, but she was still so beautiful that it took his breath away.

“Hi,” he finally said.

She glanced over her shoulder at Jerry and Karen before turning back. “Can we go to your place?
 
I think I’ll be in the way right now. Besides, I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m doing here and I’d like to explain.”

He nodded and pointed to the door straight ahead. “That’s me.”

“Okay.”
 
She returned to the small patio in front of Jerry’s place. “Would you guys get inside?
 
You’re nauseating.”

Karen and Jerry finally separated. “You okay?” Karen asked her.

Shannon nodded as her eyes flitted over to Matt’s for a second before she embraced her sister. She smiled and gave Jerry a hug before she headed toward Matt.

Opening the front door, Shannon stepped in behind him and glanced around. The apartment was nice and furnished, but small. All Matt cared about was the privacy the place provided at the end of the day.

“Can I get you something?”
 
He shoved his thumb toward the cubby of a kitchen.

“Water would be great, thanks,” she said.