He laughs and tucks my hair behind my ear. “You hurt my ego.”
“Good.” I laugh right along with him, but his eyes turn from happy to sad. “What’s wrong?”
“Tonight, I let my temper get the best of me. I did exactly what he tried to do years ago and punched him. I’m pretty sure I broke his nose, which means he’s probably going to press charges.”
“Oh, shit, Hawk. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, he deserved it.”
“But still.”
“Thing is, I don’t even care if he sues me. I had to call my manager and the boss tonight to tell them before Brett goes to the media or cops.”
“Are you in trouble?”
He nods. “If he presses charges, I’ll be suspended.”
“But you’re already missing so much time.”
He sighs, leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose before moving to my lips. “I never believed in love at first sight until I met you, Bellamy Patrick.”
I lay there, stunned, as a million thoughts go through my mind. Until this moment, I would’ve never thought that love would find me again. “Hawk . . .”
“It’s okay if you’re not there yet. I’ll show you that I’m worth it.”
I cup his cheek. “I’m there and I know you are.”
He smiles and kisses me deeply. I’m about to climb on top of him, to show him just how much he means to me when he stops me.
“I have something else to tell you. A few weeks ago, Annie asked me to meet her out by her grandparent’s farm. Do you know it?”
I nod and swallow hard. If he says he slept with her . . . I don’t know what I’ll do. “I’ll never forget it. My mom called me while I was in college to tell me everything. It was so sad what happened to the Millers. What did she want?” My voice squeaks.
“She asked me to leave town and to never come back.”
“Why?”
He inhales and exhales slowly. “At first, I thought it was because of Brett and this deep seated jealously. I know he blames me for ruining his career and now he thinks I’m trying to take over this Little League stuff, but there’s something else. Annie was adamant that I go and now I think I know why.”
“Are you going to keep me in suspense?”
He shakes his head. “I think Matty is my daughter.”
Twenty-Three
Hawk
Bellamy stands at the stove, fixing the three of us breakfast, while Chase and I sit at their dining room table waiting. It’s a small table compared to the one my mother has, but again, Bellamy is feeding two to three people at a time where my mother could have a whole platoon come through for any of the meals she offers. Still, for as small as it feels here, Bellamy has been a trooper when it’s come to getting the Mini Renegades off the ground. She’s hosted every meeting, pasta party and gathering we’ve had and hasn’t batted an eyelash about it.
I had every intention of being gone before Chase woke up, not because I’m trying to keep my feelings for his mom a secret, but mostly because the dude is ten years old and doesn’t need to see some guy coming out of his mom’s room. Except, that’s exactly what happened. At five a.m. I opened the door to do the proverbial walk of shame and he was standing in the hallway. Seems he had to go to the bathroom, heard a noise in his mother’s room and was about to knock on the door. Surprise! Thankfully, Bellamy knew what to do and ushered Chase back to his bedroom while I stood there, completely dumbfounded. Afterward, Bellamy and I talked about it and decided I would stay for breakfast. I think she wanted this, so she wasn’t the only one answering all of Chase’s questions. Now, almost two hours later, I’m being securitized and stared down by a fifth grader.
Every time I pick up my mug, he eyes me. Prior to now, I considered us friends, but I may end up leaving the Patrick house an enemy today. The awkward silence is killing me. I don’t know what to say to Chase. It’s not like I planned for this to happen, nor have I ever been in this situation before. Yet, here I am with all these fumbling thoughts running through my head. Avoidance is easy though. I take my phone out and click the icon to bring up yesterday’s sports scores. I purposely avoid the Renegades. I know I shouldn’t, but seeing their highlights really plays with my psyche. They brought in two more pitchers, as they should’ve, but after last night I can’t help but feel replaced. Even after I return, I still have a mountain to climb until I’m back to throwing one hundred pitches consecutively.
A video pops up of one of the league’s mascots doing something funny. I laugh through the whole thing and by the end, I feel the chair next to me slide away from the table and the small body of Chase pushing against my arm. I know better than to make this a big deal, so I turn slightly and show him my phone.
“Do you have a favorite mascot?” I ask him.
“The one for the Astros is pretty funny.” Of course, he would like a Renegade rival. Not that I can blame him, they’re a hot, young team, and they’re doing very well. Many have picked them to be the American League Champions. If I hadn’t liked our prospects going into the year, I’d say the BoRe’s would definitely give them a run for their money. Their starting lineup, both defensively and offensively is hard to compete with.