AJ
Throughout his young career AJ owed a lot of people for his success. First and foremost was his entire family for their love and support as he continued to follow his dream. Many coaches along the way made an impact on his game and his confidence—his ability to continue to believe in himself as a leader, even when things got tough. One of the coaches that made the biggest impact on him was a relatively new coach to him: Coach Lara, his major league team’s catching coach. The man was a former major league catcher himself, recently inducted into the Hall of Fame and wise beyond anyone AJ had ever known.
He also had the patience of a saint. When AJ came into the majors, everyone already knew about his legendary temper. It’d been well-documented and discussed by sportscasters even before he moved up from the minors and even more so his first few years in the big leagues. Lara had told AJ from the moment he took him under his wing just over a year ago that it didn’t have to be that way. He could use that anger as energy—use it as a driving force to push his passion for the game and make it work for him, not against him.
Up until AJ met Lara, it’d been suggested that he attend anger-management classes on more than one occasion. In some cases, it’d been mandatory after some of his worst explosive moments on the field. The classes were always lame. AJ never got anything out of them. Maybe if he had, he might’ve done so with more enthusiasm. He wanted to be able to conquer that part of him. It always felt like a weakness.
Lara, however, suggested other forms of mental training. He said lack of mental training was the number-one cause of underperformance, and he’d been right. AJ had attended and done all the training Lara had suggested.
After the first three years of AJ’s career in the big leagues, he was finally making some major progress, and it was even noted by the press. His first year he’d been a mess: bringing on the attention and reinforcing his nickname in the media, something that exasperated his brothers.
His teammates suggested he embrace the notoriety. His moments of rage on the field excited the fans.
“Hell, it’s part of the reason some of these people come out to watch you,” his good friend Sabian, the starting short stop and one of the other superstars of the team, had said. “They’re not just coming for the game; they’re waiting to see if they get to see a Rage show.”
AJ got how it could be exciting for the fans, but it made him feel like a fucking clown. He was there to impress them with his talents as a player, not amuse them with the show he put on when he lost his cool. Not to mention there were fines and time on the field he could lose, which, during those first years, happened a lot.
It was spring training of his fourth year in the big leagues, the year Lara had come into his life and with him his adorable six-year-old granddaughter, Clair. AJ had seen photos of her in the coach’s office before, but in most of them, she was still a baby. She looked nothing like the pictures he remembered seeing. While Coach Lara often spoke of her, AJ had never met her because she lived out of state.
“My daughter Addison and Clair are moving in with us for a few months while she gets situated here in San Diego,” the coach had explained previously. “But she has to make a few trips back to Chicago to get all her stuff moved out here. In the meantime, the Mrs. and I are on Clair duty. Clair started following the team pretty closely in the last year, so I promised to get her out here first chance I got. She’s been dying to meet with you guys, but especially you.”
The day Coach brought her over AJ had been lifting weights in the team’s gym at the stadium. AJ had eyed the coach walking around and introducing her to some of the other players. She was a tiny little thing, a bright-eyed brunette wearing glasses in a Padres jersey, who held her grandpa’s hand as he walked her around the gym.
“Meet my pride and joy, Clair,” he said with a big smile when he finally brought her over to AJ. “Clair, this is AJ, our superstar catcher.”
“Of course I know who he is, Papa.” She’d already been staring at him wide-eyed, but now her big brown eyes actually sparkled. “Nice to meet you, AJ. I’m a huge fan.”
“Nice to meet you too,” AJ said, surprised how well-spoken she was for such a little thing.
“My full name is Synclair McKayla Lara,” she said without hesitation. “I was named after my grandparents, only my first name is spelled with a “Y” not an “I” like Papa’s. I know your full name.”
“Do you?” he asked, surprised to hear it. Not that his full name was top secret or anything, but for someone that young to even know who he was—profess to be a big fan—had already impressed him.
She nodded with a smug but sweet smile. “Andrés Josiah Romero.”
AJ’s jaw dropped, not just because she’d nailed it, but because she’d rolled the r’s perfectly in all the appropriate places like he’d only ever heard his parents and the Spanish broadcasters do. “Wow,” he said, smiling big. “That’s very impressive.”
“My mom has your same initials, only no one has ever called her AJ.” Without waiting for him to respond, she continued just as quickly. “I read somewhere you don’t like the nickname Rage, but I do. It’s better than some of the other cheesy names your teammates have.” She glanced around subtly, making AJ chuckle, and then lowered her voice. “Like Double S,” she whispered. “How’s that cool for an athlete? At least you can say you bat or throw with raging force or something. It doesn’t have to be about your short temper.”
“I’d never thought of it that way,” he said, nodding. “I’ll run that by my brothers first chance I get. They’re actually the ones that dislike the nickname. I really don’t mind it so much.”
Her little brows pinched, and she brought a finger to her mouth. “I can’t remember where I read it, but maybe you were misquoted.”
AJ had laughed again. I can’t remember where I read it, but maybe you were misquoted. What six year-old said stuff like that? He later found out she’d skipped a grade already. She was also in a gifted program back in Chicago, one she was blowing through like a boss and impressing the hell out of her instructors, according to the coach. And he said she’d already been accepted into a similar program there in San Diego.
“She gets her brains from her mom,” Lara later told AJ when his granddaughter hadn’t been around. “I just hope she turns out to be smarter in matters of the heart than Addison is. Was anyway. We’ve never met Clair’s dad. The deadbeat’s never wanted anything to do with her, and I told Addison to leave well enough alone. She didn’t need to be going after him for child support. We could all take care of Clair ourselves without his help and always have. The last thing she wants is to give him is any entitlement over Clair and to risk his asking for custody. Making him pay would do just that, so I’ve never met the son of a bitch, and I hope I never do. A delicate child like Clair is a lot of responsibility. We trust very few people to know what it takes to deal with her, least of all a deadbeat dad.”
AJ hadn’t wanted to ask much more, but as time passed, he learned a little more about the situation and what the coach meant by delicate. Clair had never met her dad either. This made AJ as sad as it made him mad. Both his parents were gone now, but he’d had them there growing up with his older brothers and two sisters. There’d never been any shortage of love in his family, not that he thought Clair wasn’t loved. Clearly, her grandparents and mother loved her. But the more he got to know her, the more he couldn’t believe her asshole dad wouldn’t want to be a part of her life. She was the most brilliant little girl he’d ever met. And just as sweet.
As quickly as Clair had grown on him, he was almost afraid to ask why she was so delicate. Turns out it was just allergies. The poor kid had a slew of food allergies. The coach had mentioned it was why his family suite at the stadium, where his wife and now Clair and his daughter would watch every home game, was in the peanut-free section of the stadium.
Clair had started to come in on days she didn’t have school to watch the team work on drills and practice. She had a lot to say about the drills and stats and had advice to give AJ about certain players he should be looking out for more than others. Her grandpa wasn’t kidding when he said she was an old soul who followed the team closely. She knew more about the sport and AJ’s stats than his own full-grown sisters did. Within a few weeks, she’d declared AJ her best buddy.
Since they mostly talked baseball whenever she’d come around, the subject of her mom rarely came up. All AJ knew was that she worked for the government and she worked a lot. She’d yet to make any games. Clair had also told him her mother was a statistician. The most AJ could make out by the title was that it had something to do with statistics. It was almost embarrassing because at only six, Clair seemed to understand exactly what her mother did for a living. It made sense since, from what he knew so far about Clair, she was a math whiz. She was amazing with all the stats about baseball.
“My mom started out wanting to be a statistician for sports,” she’d told AJ. “Baseball in particular. But she changed her mind along the way, and now she works for the IRS instead. I haven’t made up my mind yet, but I think I may finish what she started. I like gathering the stats for the team.”
AJ had laughed once again, assuring her she had plenty of time to decide what she’d be doing when she grew up. He couldn’t know for sure, but he was fairly certain she was the only six-year-old on the planet to declare she wanted to be a statistician.
Anytime the subject of her mom happened to come up either from Clair or Coach Lara, AJ always pictured an older version of her genius baseball-nerd daughter, glasses and all. He remembered seeing a high-school graduation photo on the coach’s desk a while back of a dark-haired bookish-looking girl with thick glasses similar to Clair’s. He still didn’t know what a statistician did exactly, but he imagined she had to be pretty damn smart and it probably involved a lot of math. Something he’d never been great at.
Clair kept saying her mom would make it to one of the games eventually.
“Papa said she used to be a big fan. Like me, when she was younger, she loved coming out to meet with the players and collect stats and all. But she’s just too busy now.”
Something about the way Clair said it was sad. He’d heard of workaholic people and how their jobs took from their relationships with their loved ones. It’s why he tended to go out of his way to spend as much time with Clair as he could—on the field during warm ups at home games, that is. He’d yet to do anything with her off the field; though he had told her one day he’d have her and her papa over to his sister’s. Aside from baseball, the only other thing Clair spoke of with the same passion was Snickers, the beagle she’d had since she was born. From what he could tell, aside from AJ and some of the other guys she’d gotten close to on the team, Snickers was her only friend. So she was big on dogs and animals in general. AJ’s sister Olivia owned and ran her own pet-grooming business. He was pretty sure Clair would get a kick out of Liv’s pooch mobile and her own dogs.
She also mentioned the sad irony of her beloved dog’s name. Her mom had named the dog before they knew of Clair’s peanut allergy. Because of it, Clair would never know what a Snickers bar actually tasted like. AJ couldn’t imagine why she couldn’t at least nibble at it. So she’d develop a slight rash or sneeze a little or whatever it was that happened if she ate a peanut. She’d get over it. But she was adamant she never would.
AJ walked down to the coach’s office just before his game. The coach had texted him to meet him there before heading out to the pre-game batting practice.
As he made his way down, he saw Travis, the team’s self-proclaimed playboy, hamming it up with what was likely a groupie just outside the fenced area that led to the infield. She was your typical made-up, turbo-tits, flirty-looking girl. He and Travis exchanged smirks as the groupie turned to see who Travis was smiling at. AJ almost turned away but had to do a double take when he saw the girl’s big smiling eyes grow even bigger and more attentive when it seemed she realized who he was.
It wasn’t the way her eyes seemed to recognize him. Travis may have been the playboy of the team, but of the two, AJ was by far one of the most recognized on and off the field. It didn’t surprise him that she’d obviously recognized him. She even stood up straighter with that same star-struck expression AJ was so familiar with. But something about those eyes had him doing that double take. As expected, they were sexy, but there was also something else. They were sweetly familiar? He couldn’t put his finger on it.
“AJ Romero,” she called out, but he waved her off, pointing as if to say he was in a hurry and couldn’t stop for a picture or autograph or whatever else she might want from him.
“Sorry, hon,” he said under his breath. “I don’t do sloppy seconds.”
The girl was hot enough, and he was certain the groupies he’d had under him weren’t the most wholesome of girls. But he was not about to get caught up with anyone his teammates had been with, least of all Travis’s leftovers. Travis was an outfielder who often flirted, even with the girls in the stands. The guy was already smug enough about the amount of ass he got. AJ didn’t need the guy rubbing it in that he’d picked up on his scraps.
AJ met with Lara in his office. He let him in on a surprise birthday party they were having for Clair the following day at the zoo. AJ knew all week that Clair’s birthday was this weekend, but the coach had said they’d already made plans to celebrate with her when they all met up in Toronto during the team’s next road trip. The coach said Clair wanted to see Niagara Falls and had even passed up Disneyland so she could watch the Padres home games this weekend.
“She’s a kid for crying out loud.” The coach frowned as he explained about the party he planned for her at the zoo the next day. “Her mom is always so worried about planning something with too much variety of food involved because of Clair’s allergies. But seven is Clair’s favorite number. And you know she’s a numbers girl. This should be a big one for her, so I took the liberty of planning something for her, and the zoo and the caterer I contacted can accommodate all her needs. I’m inviting the whole team, but I know she’ll be most excited about seeing you there. It’ll be right after tomorrow’s game. I know it’s last minute, but you think you can make it for a couple of hours?”
“Absolutely,” AJ said without hesitation.
“Great,” Coach Lara said with a relieved smile.
They discussed the details a little more before AJ headed out to batting practice. Along the way, he spotted Travis’s groupie again, this time chatting with another player. She had a smoking hot body, he’d give her that. When she turned and caught him sizing her up, their eyes met for a fleeing moment, and once again, he was caught in those sweet doe eyes. They were definitely a contrast to her sexy appearance, but he caught himself before smiling at her.
“Hell no,” he muttered to himself as he turned away and walked in the opposite direction of where she was.
A few minutes later AJ was more than glad he’d ignored her again because he noticed the doe-eyed groupie had made it onto the field and was now surrounded by three other players as she chatted and laughed with them.
Her attire was typical of a groupie: short denim shorts, an open petite Padres jersey with a snug tank underneath, and high wedge shoes that showed off a pair of legs that went on forever. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she wore a Padres ball cap. The only difference between her and the usual groupies was the guys seemed to be falling all over themselves to impress her rather than the other way around like it usually was with these girls.
AJ stretched as he took a few practice swings, glancing around. A few other groupies were talking to some of the guys on the other team. He shook his head, glancing one last time at the one with the group of players still surrounding her.
She was less obvious than some of the other girls as far as she wasn’t sending out clear signals that she’d gladly head back to their hotel rooms after the game. Her body language, however, was sending out a different all-too-clear sign. She was enjoying the attention she was getting from the guys.
His turn up to batting practice drew the usual attention of the exclusive journalists, photographers, and VIP guests on the field who lined up for his autograph, including some of the other groupies he’d seen strolling around. When he was done with his turn at batting practice, he obliged his fans with a few minutes of autographs and photos.
“Will you be at the VIP gathering Nick is having at Shea’s Bar and Grill tonight?” one of the girls posing for a photo with him asked.
AJ turned to take in the pair of bright blue eyes as she fluttered her lashes.
“It’d be the only reason I’d go,” she said, licking her lips then sinking her teeth into her bottom lip before adding, “It’s the only reason why I’m here now.”
“I didn’t even know about it,” he said truthfully with a smirk. “I must not be on the VIP list.”
“Oh, but he said he was telling everyone on the team.” Her wide eyes sparkled with hope. “I’m sure he just hasn’t had the chance to tell you. I can’t imagine him not wanting to include you. He did say it was last minute.”
“I’ll see if I can make it,” AJ said as the next girl stepped up to take her photo with him.
Once done with his photos, he excused himself, saying he had to go gear up for the start of the game. He had no intention of going to Nick Travis’s VIP shindig. For the most part, AJ got along just fine with all the players on the team, but a few rubbed him the wrong way. Travis was one of them.
As if on cue, laughter erupted and AJ glanced up from where he stood getting his catcher’s gear on. Travis had joined the circle of guys fawning over the groupie. Once again, she glanced up to catch him gazing her way just as Travis reached over and touched her ball cap playfully.
AJ slipped on his mask and walked away to do some practice catching. He’d had enough of the doe-eyed groupie who seemed to have his teammates all vying for her attention. No thanks. He’d sooner take up the blue-eyed sweetheart who at least claimed she was only here for him.
~~~
Rushing out of the locker room, AJ muttered under his breath. Against his better judgment, he’d gone to that stupid VIP thing the night before after all. Miranda, the blue-eyed groupie who’d told him about it, was there. As promised, she kept him busy, not just there, but after the party, back at his hotel room. He’d stayed up way too late and then had trouble getting rid of her in the morning. Now he was running late, and, worse, he got the feeling she might become a clinger because she said she’d be at the game again today. He was glad he’d had the presence of mind to get a room and not take her home since this was a home series and they could’ve easily gone back to his place instead.
As he turned the corner in a hurry, he nearly collided with someone who gasped and froze like he did in an effort to avoid the collision. Seeing the doe-eyed groupie this close was a bit breathtaking. Neither said anything for a moment; then she finally spoke.
“I know you,” she said with timid smile.
This wasn’t the first time he’d heard a girl or even a guy he’d never met say these words to him, but it was by far one of the most electrifying. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why. Gazing into those sweet eyes this close, he was already giving into the temptation to smile big with appreciation.
“Addi!” Someone called out, making her turn, and AJ’s eyes followed.
Travis, who also appeared to be in a hurry to get to batting practice, waved, smiling big. “I’ll see you tonight, right?”
“Yes, of course,” she said not quite as loudly. “I’m so glad you’ll be there.”
Her response and the way she smiled at Travis wiped the smile off AJ’s face. He was instantly reminded of why he should not be getting any ideas about this girl. Least of all be smiling like an idiot just because she said she knew him. Of course she did.
When she turned back to face him, she was obviously surprised to see the scowl replacing the smile AJ wore just seconds prior.
“Yeah, I’m sure you know all the players on this team very well.”
Before he could get caught up in the adorable way her eyebrows pinched together at his comment, he circled her and rushed out into the field, feeling like a dumb ass. He hated to admit it, especially minutes later when he saw her on the field again yapping it up with other players, but the only reason he’d gone to the stupid VIP thing the night before was out of curiosity. His curiosity about her. He figured since this was Travis’s thing she might be there.
Watching Travis behave like the douche he could be, was what made him leave earlier than he’d planned with Miranda. Addi hadn’t showed up yet. But every time Travis said something annoying, AJ was reminded that he couldn’t tolerate being with someone the guy had previously nailed, especially because AJ rarely felt that curious about any girl.
Something told him that his ignoring his usual rule of not socializing outside the field with Travis and some of the other douches on the team was a sign. If he did give into his curiosity about the girl, she might not just turn out to be another notch on the bedpost that he shared with one of the other guys on his team.
Knowing she was going to be somewhere with the guy later tonight had just confirmed he made the right call last night. He knew nothing about her except that something about her eyes had caught his attention: something more innocent than your typical groupie.
Clearly he’d been wrong.
It irritated him that, even knowing this, he still couldn’t fight the annoying urge to glance her way when he heard the laughter erupt again. She was wearing something similar to what she’d worn the day before, only with her hair down today, she looked even more provocative. More like a damn groupie. The moment their eyes met, she said something to the group of guys and started toward him on a mission.
Amused by the disdain in her eyes as she continued toward him, he smirked. “Can I ask you something?” she said the moment she was close enough.
“You can, but if it’s something you’ve already asked all the other guys on the team, I’d save my breath.”
“What?” she asked, upping the disgust already present in her glare.
“So I see you finally got to meet my mom,” Clair said as she walked up from behind AJ and slipped her hand into Addi’s.
AJ’s insides bottomed out as his eyes shifted from Clair’s smiling eyes to her grandmother’s standing next to her and then to Addison’s—the coach’s daughter—Clair’s mom. That’s when it hit him. Those eyes. He’d recognized them but hadn’t put two and two together. All three pairs staring at him right then had that same familiar sweetness. The coach’s wife’s eyes were well worn while Clair’s were, as usual, full of curiosity and adorable. Addison’s eyes were breathtaking. Only at the moment those sweet eyes were glaring at him.
Well, shit.
“Not formally,” he said in response to Clair’s comment. He took off his batting gloves and turned to Addison. “I had no idea,” he said, praying she wouldn’t say anything about what an asshole he’d been to her in front of Clair and Coach Lara’s wife.
He held his hand out to Addison. “I’m AJ Romero. I really had no idea you were Clair’s mom.”
Her brow rose, but mercifully, she shook his hand. “Yes, I know. I’m Addison Lara, your coach’s daughter. I tried to introduce myself yesterday and again today.”
“Yeah,” he said, shaking his head and feeling like a bigger douche than Travis. “About that, I was under the impression that . . .”
He glanced down at Clair, who was sucking on her Popsicle and looking up at him inquisitively. No way could he admit what his first impression of sweet Clair’s mom had been. This was not how he’d pictured Clair’s mom to be at all. He’d expected older—much older. Given the coach’s and his wife’s ages, AJ thought for sure late thirties, early thirties at the youngest. Addison couldn’t be much older than AJ, and he was only twenty-five.
“I just . . .” he said, meeting Addison’s eyes. “I had you mistaken for someone else. I apologize.”
Addison’s expression softened a bit; though her brow was still arched as if she were still unsure what he meant exactly by mistaken her for someone else. But she didn’t ask.
“You look just like Clair,” he said, gazing into those sweet eyes as something else suddenly dawned on him.
Travis must’ve been talking about the birthday surprise for Clair after the game, not a date. At least AJ could hope, not that he was getting ideas about her even now.
“Technically, I look like her,” Clair pointed out. “When they put photos of us together when mom was my age, we could pass for twins.”
“It’s the eyes,” AJ said, breathing in deeply as he turned back to Addison, whose gaze had definitely softened now. “You both have the same big dark eyes.”
He stopped short of saying they were beautiful for the same reason he wouldn’t start getting any ideas about her. Staring into her eyes now reminded him of something. Those same eyes had sparkled just as beautifully as she’d chatted with all the other guys. He may’ve been way off when it came to who she was, but one thing he’d been certain of even when he’d watched her from afar. Her body language had said it all. Not only was she comfortable around all these ballplayers noticeably competing for her attention, but she enjoyed the attention. Too much.
Refraining from frowning, AJ glanced down at her hands casually. At least she wasn’t wearing any rings. But just because she was the brainy daughter of the coach—a man he had the utmost respect for—and she was doing a damn good job of raising one of the most amazing little girls he’d ever met, it didn’t make her a good girl by default. Brainy or not, she’d already gotten knocked up once by someone who didn’t care to stick around. Judging from her age and Clair’s, she’d been pretty damn young when it happened too.
As much of a curiosity as she’d been even before he knew who she was, AJ could admit the fact that she was the coach’s daughter and that alone should make her off limits, made her even more intriguing. Still because she was the coach’s daughter, or rather especially because she was, not to mention his best buddy’s mom, he’d have to take extreme caution before considering anything with Addison.
Her friendliness with the guys earlier made him curious about something else suddenly. “Why haven’t I met you until—?”
“There you are.” Miranda cozied up next to him. “I’m glad you made it on time. I was worried after our long night last night you might be late.”
Feeling the heat of annoyance rise up his back and neck, AJ turned to Miranda, not sure how best to respond to her comment.
“Are you AJ’s girlfriend?” Clair asked, curiously tilting her head.
“No,” AJ responded a little too quickly but couldn’t even look at Addison now, so he focused on Clair’s curious eyes. “No, she’s not.”
“Not yet anyway,” Miranda winked at Clair. “I’d say after last night we’re at least more than friends now.”
Feeling every muscle in his body tense, AJ had never in his life felt the urge to tell a woman to shut the fuck up. Things only got worse.
Miranda laughed softly then offered Clair her hand. “I’m AJ’s friend and you are?”
“I’m Clair, AJ’s best buddy,” Clair said, shaking Miranda’s hand. “This is my mom and my nana,” she said, doing the introductions.
“Oh, nice to meet you Nana and Mom,” Miranda said, reaching her hand out to both.
“McKayla,” Mrs. Lara said as she shook Miranda’s hand.
“Nice to have met you both,” Addison said without offering her name but shook Miranda’s hand.
She didn’t bother looking at AJ again. Instead, she turned to Clair. “We gotta get Nana up to the suite. Her leg wasn’t feeling so good earlier, remember?”
“Have a good game, AJ,” Clair said as she began walking off with Addison and McKayla through the crowded infield.
AJ took a deep breath as he finished buckling his catcher’s gear, not just to calm down from being too rude to Miranda when he dismissed her, but because Addison hadn’t gone straight to their suite like she said she would. Clair and her nana did—without Addison. She seemed in enough hurry and concerned for her mother’s leg when they walked away, yet she’d easily been sidetracked by a few of those same players she’d been chatting with earlier.
Within minutes, she was giggling again in that way that shouldn’t but irritated AJ to no end.