Meant For Her (16 page)

Chapter 30

Thirty seconds later, his cell buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had a text from Sierra.

Welcome home, Evan
.

Blinking, his gaze moved to the wall separating his kitchen from her bedroom. He looked at the doorway where Geoff had just departed, then back at the wall.

Shaking his head and grinning, he typed,
Faked a date, did you?

IDK what you mean. I’m in the dark with a hot guy who’s panting all over me.

Leo doesn’t count.

Then I faked a date.

Bad girl. Come on over if you’re up to it
.

After typing that message, he unlocked his front door for her and headed to the dog cages. The moment Miller and Beck saw him, they started yelping. He opened the doors and squatted down so he could greet them. They bounced around like deranged monkeys. He was pleased to see that Beck was moving more easily on his injured forepaw.

“Did you guys behave yourselves?” he asked. “Tell me you at least got into a little trouble while I was gone. I live vicariously through you, you know.”

They panted and issued a couple of barks. He took that as a yes.

When the apartment door opened, he rose so he could greet Sierra and Leo. She carried something large and rectangular. He hurried forward to try and take it from her.

“Uh-uh,” she said, propping the paper-covered rectangle against the wall near his bag. “I’m going to work on convincing you to let me give this to you before I leave. But you don’t get to see it until it’s in its proper place.”

“I’m intrigued.”

“That’s a good start.”

He allowed himself a moment to just enjoy the sight of her as he bent down to pet Leo. She had on a dark blue sleep tank and coordinating shorts. No shoes, makeup, or jewelry outside of the diamond nose stud she always wore. The colored streaks in her hair were still red and dark blue, and were currently pulled back into a ponytail with the rest of her curls.

“I missed you,” she said, stepping forward and hugging him when he rose.

As his arms went around her, he leaned down to catch her scent. His entire body tightened in reaction.

“I missed you, too,” he said.

“Want to have a beer and catch up?”

“I’d like that.”

Smiling, she pulled away and walked to the fridge to grab a couple of beers. He glanced over her shoulder as she did so. It looked suspiciously like she’d replenished his supplies again. Apparently, sneaking into his apartment hadn’t completely fallen off her list of extracurricular activities. Funny how it didn’t bother him as much now.

“Balcony or family room?” he asked.

“Family room. The boys have missed you. They’ll want lap time.”

Taking one of the beers from her, he stopped resisting the impulse and leaned down to kiss her. He deliberately kept it light, guiding her chin with his fingertips, brushing his lips across hers a couple of times before pulling back. Anything more than that right then and he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop.

She squeezed his hand and led him over to the sofa. They were promptly trampled by three dogs seeking attention. He had to shift his weight or risk being caught in the groin by their prancing feet.

Sierra laughed. It took them a few minutes to get everyone calm enough to lie down.

“Told you they missed you,” she said. “They’ll be happy to be out of their cages tonight.”

“That’s what Geoff said.”

She took a sip of her beer and nodded, but he noticed that her expression changed when he mentioned the other guy. Curious, he took a sip of his own beer and thought about what could have caused the reaction.

“I was glad to see your hot streak continue once you hit the road,” she said. “Winning four of six games is great.”

“Can’t complain about it, that’s for sure.”

“You start another home stand tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

She reached over and patted his hand. “This is an exhausting stretch for you guys. How are you holding up?”

He twisted his hand so he could twine his fingers with hers. “Better now.”

She smiled. “Good.”

“What about you? Did you get things sorted with Bastian?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. We haven’t gotten to speak with Camille yet because she’s on vacation, but he was convinced by my evidence.”

“I’m glad.” He took a fortifying sip of beer. “Look, I shouldn’t have reacted like I did when you told me what happened. You were right.”

“I was right? I didn’t think guys were allowed to say that.”

“Let’s just say if you ever tell anyone I said it, I’ll deny it until my last breath.”

Laughing, she squeezed his hand. “Well, if it helps, all of my other friends and family members had similar reactions. You were right, too. I needed to call her out, no matter how difficult the potential confrontation might be.”

“I still think you should kick her ass.”

“I’ll give that some thought. Outside of that, you haven’t missed much around here.”

Finishing his beer, he set the bottle on the floor. Idly, he thought it might not be a bad idea to get a coffee table. Of course, that would be just one more thing to move, he reminded himself.

“What’s up with Geoff the dogsitter?” he asked.

Once again, her expression changed. She went from cheerful to something else. Wary maybe?

“What do you mean?”

“Well, let’s start with the fake date.”

Fiddling with the label on her bottle, she said, “You think I’m a terrible person for lying to him, don’t you?”

“No. I’m just curious why.”

“I wish I could tell you. I just don’t feel comfortable around him. He seems nice enough, so I can’t explain why I feel this way.”

“He sure does smile a lot.”

Her eyes widened and she nodded. “I
know
. Isn’t it weird?”

“Why? Just because he looks like a maniacal serial killer?”

She gasped, smacking his arm as she laughed. “You said that, not me.”

Shrugging, he said, “I think he’s just a nervous guy. He seems easily intimidated.”

“Why would I intimidate him?”

Dipping his head, he slowly lowered his gaze along her body, then lifted it just as slowly until he once again met her eyes.

“Oh.” She seemed to think about that. “Well, I tried to be tactful when I told him I wasn’t open to dating. I didn’t let him know that it was because I wasn’t interested in him.”

“No…according to him, you’re in a pretty serious relationship right now.”

She smiled. Much like he had done, she let her gaze slide from his head to his feet and back up. His heart rate spiked as he grasped what she’d meant.

Was it fear or exultation that caused his reaction?

“Do you remember that photography project I told you about?” she asked. “The one from a few weeks ago?”

He nodded.

“Well, I got it back while you were gone. Since you inspired it, I wanted to give it you.”

He glanced back at the rectangle propped against the wall. She wanted to give him another picture.

Did she know that hanging pictures and putting out personal effects was against his rules? That it equated with settling in and getting attached?

He thought she did. That was why this time, she’d given him the choice. He could either refuse the gift and stick to his personal path, or he could accept it and the changes it symbolized.

Meeting her green gaze, he said, “I’d like to see it.”

“I need a hammer and nails. I’d like to hang it before you see it.”

Deliberately looking at the pictures hung beside them on the family room wall, he drawled, “You know where to find them.”

She grinned unapologetically and got up from the sofa, jarring the dogs. Leo hopped down and followed her as she stopped to pick up Evan’s beer bottle and headed to the kitchen. He heard her rifling through the plastic tool chest under his sink. She emerged with a hammer, nails, a level, and a tape measure. It took her two trips to drop the items off in his bedroom and then get the picture.

Once she was out of sight, he asked himself what the hell he was doing. What had happened to his resolve? What if things progressed even further between them? Could he open himself back up to that level of potential pain?

After a series of hammer bangs and a pause during which time he imagined the picture was being hung, Sierra appeared in his bedroom doorway.

“Okay,” she said.

He moved Miller off his lap and got to his feet. It was just a picture, he reminded himself. Pictures could be taken down.

When he stepped into the bedroom, he realized she had hung it over his bed. At first, the glare from the table lamp made it hard for him to make it out, so he moved until he stood at the foot of the bed.

Then he just stared.

She’d captured the Atlanta stadium from a distance during the moment after a thunderstorm when the sun had started to emerge from between the clouds. Bright beams of sunlight broke through the darkness, bathing the field in an almost ethereal glow. Behind one of the high stadium lights, the hint of a rainbow shimmered.

He didn’t realize that he was holding his breath until his chest started burning. The physical reaction shook him. Nothing had ever affected him as powerfully as this photograph.

Clearing his throat, he managed, “I see why you got an A.”

“Thank you.” She approached him and took his hand, drawing his gaze down to her. “I made it for you, Evan. Will you accept it?”

He knew her enough to understand that she’d captured part of herself in the image. He knew that he wouldn’t only be accepting the photograph by agreeing to leave it on the wall. He knew that things would no longer be the same between them.

And still, he said, “Yes.”

Chapter 31

“How are we preparing these?” Sierra asked Everly, holding up a bag of carrots.

Everly snorted. “Are you kidding? This is poker night. Those are for me to eat during the week. The junk food and booze is for the guys.”

“Oh, right.”

Walking over to Cole and Everly’s gourmet fridge, she opened the door and placed the carrots in the veggie drawer. She accepted a few other cold items from Everly, who was unloading the bags from the grocery store where they’d just spent an obscene amount of money on poker night provisions.

“You have a housekeeper,” Sierra pointed out as she set onion dip on a shelf. “Doesn’t she usually do this kind of thing?”

Setting a bag of chips next to a bowl, Everly said, “Would you feel comfortable having someone else do every little thing for you?”

“Point taken.”

Sierra knew that Everly hadn’t grown up in a household anything like the one she’d married into. She’d worked hard to overcome humble and difficult beginnings before she met Cole. Although Everly wasn’t very forthcoming with the specifics about her background, Sierra had gathered enough from things that she, Cole, and her Aunt Caroline had said to piece it together.

Scanning the vast amount of food spread along the counter, she asked, “Just how many guys are going to be playing?”

“Eight,” Everly replied, placing her hands on her hips and also looking at the food. “Five of whom are baseball players who will be coming here straight after a game without eating dinner first.”

Sierra’s eyebrows rose. “Maybe we should have bought half a cow, too.”

“We might have one in the freezer,” Everly deadpanned.

Laughing, Sierra picked up a couple of bowls bearing unopened bags of snacks. “Where are these going?”

“Downstairs to the man cave.”

Sierra led the way. She’d only been through Cole and Everly’s house a few times, but she knew the layout well enough. When Everly had called to see if she wanted to get together for a girls’ night while Cole and Evan participated in poker night, Sierra had immediately jumped on board. They’d be meeting Zoe and Hannah for dinner and a chick flick later.

“You can set everything on the bar,” Everly instructed as she set her items down.

Following her lead, Sierra placed the bowls down and headed back toward the stairs to get more. She smiled when she saw Everly rub a hand over the growing swell of her belly. It was more obvious than the last time they’d been together. The cute maternity top she wore showed it off in the best possible way.

“Tomorrow’s the gender ultrasound, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yep. Cole got permission to travel on a later flight for the All-Star festivities tomorrow just so he can attend the appointment. I doubt I’ll sleep a wink tonight.”

Sierra nodded. She knew Cole would be participating in the All-Star game in Cincinnati that Tuesday. Evan had missed the cut this year, surprising a number of people in the sports world.

“You and Cole have got to be so excited. Are you hoping for one over the other? And don’t just say you want a healthy baby. I already know that.”

Smiling as they loaded back up, Everly shook her head. “I really don’t have a preference. Cole is so good with our nephew, Sam. I know he’d love to have a son to do all of the boy stuff with. But I think he’ll melt all over the place if we have a girl. My in-laws would be over the moon, too. I’m happy either way.”

“Well, I can’t wait to come up with your month-five shoot to incorporate the baby’s gender,” Sierra said as they descended the stairs again. “I’ve got some ideas I want to run by you.”

They filled the next hour with baby talk, preparing and arranging food on trays, and making sure the downstairs fridge was stocked with beer and mixers for cocktails. Once they were as ready as they were going to be, they sat up in the kitchen at the large center island to pass some time before leaving to meet Zoe and Hannah. Everly poured a glass of wine for Sierra and a glass of cranberry juice for herself. The ballgame played on a small television on the counter.

“So what’s the scoop with you and Evan?” Everly asked.

“What do you mean?”

Everly nudged her with her elbow. “You know what I mean. Have things progressed beyond the ‘Howdy, neighbor’ stage?”

Grinning, Sierra sipped her wine. “We’ve made progress, yes.”

“I’m so glad. Cole said he’s noticed a difference in Evan in recent weeks. He’s starting to smile again.”

“Yes. That’s the best change,” Sierra said, happy to hear it.

“Do you think things will continue to progress?”

“I’m going to make sure of it.”

She enjoyed talking with Everly. She was an intelligent woman with an objective mind. Unlike her other friends, she also knew when to press for more details and when to respect someone’s privacy.

They switched the topic as they finished their drinks. Thirty minutes later, it was time to go. Everly had offered to drive. She’d picked Sierra up before they went grocery shopping and would swing her back by her apartment after the movie.

As they stepped out into the garage to get into Everly’s Infiniti, the garage door opened to allow Cole’s Maserati entrance. Sierra paused with her car door open when she saw Evan sitting in the Maserati’s passenger seat. She hadn’t realized that he’d be riding with Cole, though it made sense. He climbed out and his gaze moved to her. She smiled.

“Hi, Evan,” she said as he walked over to her.

“Hi, Sierra.”

Since Everly and Cole were in the middle of their own greeting, she didn’t think twice about leaning up and kissing him. She kept it PG to avoid making him uncomfortable, though.

He had other ideas. By the time he finished kissing her hello—or was it goodbye?—she could barely remember her own name.

Oh, yes, she thought as she stumbled into the car. She was most definitely looking forward to making progress with him.

*     *     *

“Thanks for inviting me, Parker,” Larry Uhre said with a lift of his glass of scotch. “I promise not to hold it against you that I’m a last-minute fill-in for Copernicki.”

“Hey, you’re just an easier mark for the rest of us,” Cole said with a grin.

Evan focused on the cards he’d just been dealt and the body language of his opponents, considering strategy. Besides Cole and Larry, the other players at the table included Cole’s older brother, Wyatt, Wyatt’s partner, Rowan, their brother-in-law, Mike, Theo Oxley, and Randy Haviland. A steady flow of banter circled around the table, but Evan didn’t contribute much.

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, Parker,” Theo said. “Dorsey’s gonna send us all home cryin’ like babies.”

Evan looked up from his hand and saw everyone giving his sizeable stack of chips a stare-down. Shrugging, he returned his focus to his hand.

“Told you not to invite the Aussie to the table,” Randy grumbled, tossing a couple of chips into the middle. “I’ll call.”

“He can just buy us the first couple of rounds on the next road trip,” Cole said. Then, after giving Evan’s chips another study, he added, “Make that on every road trip for the rest of the season.”

“And next,” Theo agreed, tossing in enough chips to see Randy’s bet.

Larry added his chips to the growing pile and chuckled. “I doubt Dorsey will put up with us again once his contract runs out. Not after being snubbed in the All-Star voting. I’ll raise you.”

“No work talk,” Wyatt reminded them, giving Evan a knowing look.

Evan nodded in appreciation of Wyatt’s intervention. The last thing he wanted was to be the center of any conversation.

“I’ll see you, Uhre,” Rowan said with a toss of his chips.

They completed the first round of betting. Evan passed along two of his cards to Cole, who had dealt the round. After he was dealt the next two cards, he went back to strategizing.

“Not much else to talk about outside of work,” Larry pointed out. “Unless anyone has any stories about banging some hot chicks they want to share.”

“Fresh out,” Wyatt said dryly, earning a snort of laughter from Cole.

Larry flushed as he looked between Wyatt and Rowan. “Hey…sorry, man. No offense intended.”

“None taken,” Rowan said.

Evan saw the hint of fire in the New York Italian’s eye, though. It wasn’t the first time Larry had said something like that. The scotch was loosening his tongue and impairing his judgment.

“I’ll raise,” Evan said, moving some of his stack of chips into the middle of the table.

Mike took a look at the size of the bet and whistled. “I’ve learned my lesson. I fold.”

“Dorsey thinks he’s going to take it again,” Larry said. “This round might hurt.”

Play continued until it was just Evan and Larry. The pot had grown considerably. Evan saw the light coat of sweat on the other man’s upper lip.

“Moment of truth,” Cole said.

Larry revealed his cards. “A straight. Maybe that’ll make a dent in your winnings, Dorsey.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Evan said as he revealed his cards.

Theo hooted with laughter. “Damn. Full house.”

Evan collected the chips, listening to the swell of conversation as some of the guys got up to refill their drinks or grab some food. Deciding he could use another beer, he headed to the bar. Rowan was in the fridge as he walked up.

“Glad you kicked his ass,” Rowan said under his breath as he handed Evan a beer. “I swear I might hit on the guy by the end of the night just to see him squirm.”

Evan’s lips twitched. “And here I thought you’d be a sucker for my accent. I’m heartbroken.”

“You’re all right, Dorsey.” Rowan lifted his bottle and Evan clinked his to it. “And the accent ain’t all that hard to listen to, if you want to know the truth.”

“Glad I’m not losing my touch.”

When they got back to the table, Cole still hadn’t returned. Evan glanced around and didn’t see him.

“Where’d Parker go?”

“He’s talkin’ with his wife,” Theo said, rolling his eyes. “Guys’ night, my ass.”

Wyatt smiled as he shuffled the cards. “Cole’s neurotic now that Everly’s pregnant. I wouldn’t doubt that she organized this just to try and take his mind off of her.”

“Yet he’s on the phone with her instead of in here with us,” Randy observed.

Evan had noticed that Cole was fairly obsessive about his wife’s condition. He supposed that was what came of loving someone as much as they seemed to love each other. It was a level of emotion that he didn’t ever intend to experience.

“Isn’t tomorrow the big ultrasound?” Mike asked. “I think I remember Avery mentioning it.”

“Yep,” Wyatt confirmed. “Mom and Dad will have their cell phones glued to their hands all day waiting for the news.”

Larry downed the rest of his scotch. “Are your folks still in the old Marietta neighborhood, Wyatt?”

“Actually, they just moved closer to Cole and Everly. Sold the Marietta property to my mother’s sister, though, so it’s still in the family.”

“Yeah, we kept the house in the family, too,” Larry said as he got up to refill his glass. “Got a cousin living there now. Hey, it’s too bad you sold your old place, Dorsey. You wouldn’t have had to rent something for just the end of this season.”

The room got quiet. Evan heard his pulse in his ears as Larry’s comment prompted him to remember why he’d sold the house…the only home he’d ever lived in for more than a span of months. Although his gaze was trained on the pile of chips in front of him, he was aware of the looks exchanged by the other guys at the table. The only sound was of Larry filling his glass with ice.

Rowan put a reassuring hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I got this.”

They all watched as Rowan got up and approached the bar, where Larry’s back was to them. He got really close to Larry, who jumped like he’d been hit by electricity, and grabbed the bottle of scotch before Larry could.

“Please let me get that for you,” Rowan said with a smile, his eyes moving up and down Larry’s body like it was a delectable dessert. “I’ve been wantin’ to get you a drink all night.”

When Larry looked back at the table for help, he found everyone suddenly focused on a conversation about the upcoming NFL season. Rowan put an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m really lookin’ forward to playin’ with you over the next few hours, Larry. I really am.”

Evan looked at Wyatt, who winked and started dealing the cards. Evan nodded once. Rowan would play with Larry, all right…and so would he. The guy wouldn’t have a dime left by the time he finished with him.