Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel (21 page)

She tossed him a look and shook her head. “No chance, JP.”

God, he was relaxed. He could barely muster the strength to lift his head to frown at her directly. Sonny was potent as hell. “I like the way you look without any clothes on. Your body was made for it.” He found the energy for a grin. “Especially that big freckle on your left ass cheek.” That he had big plans for in the near future. The sexy mark was seriously hot.

Sonny laughed softly. “I’m glad, but I’m still getting dressed.”

JP lowered his head back on the couch again. “Party pooper.”

“That’s part of my job description,” she quipped and planted a cajoling kiss on his lips. “Sorry, baby.”

Something inside him grew very still. The part that recognized that something profound had just taken place. It was the first time she’d called him “baby.” Or any other pet name, come to think of it. Could it be that she was falling for him?

How fucking sweet would that be?

Lightning-fast, he snagged her around the waist and pulled her across him, tickling her ribcage. Sonny burst out laughing and thrashed against him, trying to get away. With her giggling in his arms the whole world felt right.

He pulled back and looked at her, her blue eyes bright like diamonds, and that’s when he felt it, when it hit him. That’s when he felt his heart step headlong into love and it rocked the hell out of him. It wasn’t a gentle feeling. No, it felt like he’d been drilled in the chest with one of Pete’s hundred-mile-an-hour fastballs.

It took his breath away.

The smile on her lips began to transform into a frown of worry and he shook himself, trying to shake it off, even though he was still reeling. Lowering his head, JP kissed her with trembling lips. Emotion threatened to overwhelm him so he pulled back and attempted an easy smile. He dug for control.

“Are you all right, JP?” Apparently it wasn’t so easy.

He helped her sit up. “Yeah.” Nope. Not even close.

A wary expression overcame her, and he tried to explain by lying. “I think I pulled something during the game today, that’s all.”

Anxiety eased from her expressive blue eyes and he breathed a sigh of relief. What just happened had taken him so by surprise that he needed some time to process it. Then he’d figure out how to tell her.

Sonny inclined her head toward the kitchen. “Do you need any ice to put on it?”

Twenty minutes ago he’d have said yes. It had been so hot in the room, he was mildly surprised the place was still standing. “I think I’ll be fine. But thanks for the offer.” He looked around and asked, “I could use the bathroom, though.”

Attempting to re-braid the tangled mess of her hair, Sonny pointed an elbow down the far hall. “Second door on the right.”

Once inside, he took care of business and washed his hands. But before leaving, he planted his palms on the blue tile and looked at himself in the mirror. On the outside he still looked the same. Same annoyingly long eyelashes. Same eyes, same nose, same chin. Same chest.

It was what was inside that had changed.

In such a huge way that it was going to take a long while before he got used to the new setup. Wanting Sonny and falling in love with Sonny were entirely different feelings, come to find out. There was so much to it, so many nuances that he needed time to sort it all through.

But one thing was clear. Sonny was his and he had to put some thought into how he wanted to move forward.

Still pondering it when he entered kitchen, he found Sonny heating a tea kettle with hot water. She was once again braided and dressed, and she looked so sweet and soft that he couldn’t resist wrapping her up in his arms and breathing in the scent of her. “How did you know I’d want tea?”

Wrapping her arms over his, she squeezed gently and shrugged. “Good guess I suppose.”

Dropping a kiss on her head, he disagreed. “Nah. It’s more than that. You get me.”

She was quiet for a minute, contemplating. “You’d be the first.”

Deciding to keep it light because he could tell that statement was a loaded one, he said, “First is best, baby.”

That got a small smile from her. He’d take it.

Sonny spun in his arms real quick, surprising him, and planted a kiss on his lips. “You’re one of a kind.”

He grinned cheekily, “Good of you to notice.”

He
was
one of a kind. Maybe it gave him an ego that he believed that, but he didn’t think so. He considered it healthy self-love.

As he took a mug out from the cupboard, he asked, “You going to tell me what inspired that back there? Not that I’m complaining,” he added hastily.

Rifling through the boxes of tea, Sonny settled on one and shrugged. “I decided to be adventurous.”

Hallelujah. “I’m all in favor of doing what I can to encourage this new trend.” Anytime, anywhere.

She chuckled and held up two teas for him to choose from. “That’s real sweet of you.”

He pointed to the chamomile and she grabbed a bag. “Anything I can do to support a good cause.”

The way the two of them moved together was like a well-practiced dance. It was real nice just hanging out with her at night when the world was quiet, talking through the day. When he was with Sonny he was relaxed, and he found himself opening up about things he most often kept inside. He knew they had some work to do around her feelings, but he wasn’t going to let his fame be a deal breaker.

The tea kettle started whistling and she removed it from the burner. Pouring hot water into the tea mugs, Sonny then handed one to JP. “Random question for you.”

He inhaled and smiled because he could smell the chamomile under his nose and it made him happy. “Random answer.”

“What does JP stand for?”

“Just Perfect.”

She made a face. “I’m serious. What’s your full name?”

JP leaned his butt into the counter, crossed his legs at the ankle, and took a tentative sip of his tea. It didn’t quite burn his tongue, which he considered the perfect temperature, and he took another drink. “Jet Pack.”

She leveled a look at him and he held out a hand.

“All right. Okay you got me, I’ll confess. Are you ready?” He took a pause for dramatic effect and then said on a rushed exhale like what he was spilling was top secret, “It stands for Jumbo Penis.”

Sonny laughed outright and added honey to her mug. “Now, we both know that’s not true.”

He feigned injury. “Ouch.” She laughed again and he finally relented, “It stands for Jason Patrick.”

Turning her head, she considered him. “Jason.
Hmmm.
It suits you.”

“Yeah, my mom loves to use it when I’m home visiting. Makes her feel like I’m still twelve.” Only with less dirt on his clothes. Most of the time.

“Well. What should we do now?”

JP glanced around. Everything was quiet and in relative order. Charlie was at a sleepover and the radio had stopped playing a while ago. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.

JP glanced around the house like he was making sure they were completely alone. What he was about to say was a little embarrassing, even for him.

The hell with it. “Got any more episodes of
Hart of Dixie
?”

Chapter Nineteen

JP
HAD INVITED
Sonny and Charlie to another ball game at Coors Field. She settled into her seat with a soda and popcorn and waited for her son, who was still out in the aisle. He was trailing behind her in the giant Rush jersey that JP had surprised him with. Though it swallowed him whole, her boy wore it proudly like he was the Prince of Wales and it carried his royal crest.

Sonny shielded her eyes with a hand and looked up at the sky. It was another absolutely gorgeous and sun-filled summer afternoon along the Front Range. The weather forecast was calling for rain overnight, but there was zero evidence of it now. The sky was totally cloud-free and there was very little humidity.

But that was one of the crazy things about living in Colorado. The weather was unpredictable. It blew hot and cold so fast that it could leave a person in trouble if they weren’t prepared. And that’s why she always kept a survival kit and a few spare blankets in the trunk of her minivan.

It had come in very handy last winter when she’d been caught on one of the back roads during a big storm after a work delivery. She had run into a pickup truck in the ditch on the side of the road. The elderly woman had been stuck in the cold for hours after her aging Datsun had spun out of control on some ice. The blankets and energy bars she’d provided the woman had been a lifesaver.

But for now the weather was perfect and Sonny had taken advantage of it, wearing pink denim shorts and a halter top. Though it wasn’t exactly the most sporty of outfits, it had fit her mood perfectly. She’d completed the look with hemp bracelets and dangly earrings. And, of course, flip-flops.

Charlie made his way over, calling out, “I can’t wait to watch JP play today.”

Sonny assumed some of that enthusiasm had to do with the fact that the kid was sporting the ballplayer’s jersey today. He was feeling all kinds of proud. And she had to admit that she was too. It was interesting how different it felt watching JP play ball this time around versus the first game she’d attended after they’d met.

There was this feeling of investment that wasn’t there last time. Her nerves jittered and danced. But it was more than that. She’d slept with him. They had a relationship, and that made it more personal.

It mattered how he played because she cared how he was going to feel afterward. And if that wasn’t a telling statement about her feelings, then she didn’t know what was.

Holy cow.

Stunned by the implication of that statement, Sonny stared blankly at her son until he crinkled his nose and demanded, “What’d I do?”

Oh my
, was all she could think.
When had that happened?

When had she fallen in love with JP?

Reeling, Sonny stammered, “N-n-nothing, sweetie.”

Concern filled his deep ocean eyes. “Are you okay?”

Not in the slightest. Shaking her head, she plastered a smile on and said, too cheerfully, “Absolutely!”

Charlie’s eyes squinted like he didn’t believe her. “You look like you saw a ghost, Mom.” He put a hand on the front of his new jersey and added, “Please don’t throw up on me. I don’t wanna get it ruined ’cause it’s brand new.”

Ahh, the selflessness of youth.

Searching for composure, Sonny inhaled slowly while she counted to ten and let it out. “I’m not going to throw up on you, Charlie.”

The kid actually looked relieved. The next time she had an earth-shattering epiphany and he told her not to barf, she was going to do it anyway, out of spite. God, what was she supposed to do now? This is usually the point where her train went straight off track to locoville. She
sooo
didn’t want that to happen this time.

Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back hard. There was no need to panic, she reassured herself. No need to freak out.

Charlie sat down next to her and pointed. “Look, JP’s out on the field.”

With her heart pounding Sonny looked across the field until she spotted him. He had his legs spread and was bent over, ready to snag some grounders. Her heart leapt at the sight of him all athletic and fit in his baseball uniform. The way his pants clung to his thighs was highly distracting. She knew just how hard they were and how much power was there. Rough, raw, thrusting power.

Sonny jerked her eyes from JP and glanced around. If she didn’t control her thoughts she was going to embarrass herself. “He wants to have dinner with us after the game, if you’re up for it.”

Charlie nodded vigorously. “Totally.”

Because she saw an opening, Sonny said casually, “Seems like you think he’s pretty cool, sweetie.”

Her kid glanced at her quickly before returning his attention to the ballplayers on the field. “I really like him. He’s awesome.”

And that right there pretty much summed it all up from the perspective of a ten-year-old boy. It didn’t have to be any more complicated than that. Why was it so much damn harder for her?

“How would you feel if he hung out with us even after the baseball season was over?” Until she’d said it out loud she hadn’t known she had even been considering it.

Feeling the panic begin to claw its way up her throat, Sonny shoved at it frantically. No need to think about commitment already. She hadn’t even figured out how she felt about the other thing. “Never mind, buddy. Forget I said anything.”

Charlie looked at her, confused. “What do you mean? Like you guys dating or something? Why would you do that?”

She shook her head, misreading the look in his eyes. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” He looked upset to her. Like he wasn’t okay with her dating JP. And him not being okay with it made her feel sick inside.

Though his voice was soft, she still heard him say, “Why change things?”

What was wrong with her? How could she really date JP when her boy wasn’t okay with it? Hadn’t she sworn she’d never be like her mom? If she continued to date JP, even knowing it upset Charlie, wouldn’t that make her just like Grace—choosing a man over her own child?

Just then Charlie started waving to somebody down the bleacher seats. It distracted Sonny and she leaned back and looked around him to find out who it was. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she saw that it was Lorelei and Leslie. The two women were making their way through the crowd toward them, their hands loaded down with sodas and hot dogs.

Charlie said over his shoulder, “We got company, Mom.”

Goody. Just what she wanted after the revelations she’d just had. “Super, big C.”

He loved it when she called him that. It made him giggle every single time. On cue he snorted, and she could see his slender shoulders shaking beneath the huge jersey.

She really loved her boy.

Sonny was feeling perfectly distracted from her problems by sentimentality, bubbles of love bursting all around her for her son. Whatever she’d done wrong in her life, Charlie was the one thing that she had done right.

Wrapping an arm around his shoulders from behind, she pulled him back for a quick hug and kissed him on the top of his ball cap. “I love you, Charlie.”