Addison
From the time she’d been a little girl, Daddy’s girl, Addison had had a weakness for baseball players. She loved everything about the sport and everything about her daddy. She’d had her entire future planned from about the same age as Clair. She would grow up to be either a major league statistician or become the best baseball scout that ever was. She’d marry a baseball player, and she’d homeschool their kids so they could follow him all around the country during the season and not miss a single one of his games. So far, she was oh for three. From the look of her stats, they’d likely stay that way for good.
Addison had been born late in her parents’ lives, a sort of miracle baby who, after years of trying, they’d finally been able to have with the help of in vitro fertilization. Her mom did confess that, by the time one of the many tries took, she’d been ready to just give up and accept they’d never be parents.
With them becoming parents so late in life, by the time she’d graduated from high school at only seventeen, her dad had already retired from playing and moved on to mentoring and coaching. Back then, he was still mentoring in the minors, but it was perfect for her. She had access to meeting and being around up-and-coming young baseball players not much older than herself.
Having been such an academic loner her entire life, she knew little about socializing and even less about boys. When she graduated from high school, instead of a trip anywhere exotic and because she already had a brand new car, her parents had gotten her what she’d requested for her seventeenth birthday: a transformation. She’d been tired of being that bookworm with the thick glasses and reputation of a recluse. That was never going to land her the baseball-playing boyfriend she’d always dreamed of.
It was stupid and shallow, but she’d only been seventeen at the time. She was a high-school graduate and had never even held a boy’s hand, let alone been kissed by one. She’d been so ready and excited about the change: a brand new Addison.
Her mom, bless her heart, had been all for it. Addison got a new hairdo complete with highlights, contact lenses, a makeover, and an entire new wardrobe. She even finally took up her much more outgoing and popular cousin on her invitations to go out with her that summer, and Addison finally got that first kiss. The bad thing was she began to enjoy the new change too much, particularly the boys who took more than a liking to the new Addison. She was quickly out of control then discovered yet another character flaw: how easily her inexperienced heart fell for the wrong guys—especially baseball players.
It was a hard life lesson learned, but at least the lesson came early in life. It was also the reason why she’d decided to take the position in Chicago. After years of being away from all this, she felt stronger and wiser now.
Addison had known coming back to live with her parents was a risk. This weekend was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid all those years—getting back into the routine of meeting or getting close to any of her father’s trainees and players. Since they’d moved out here, she’d spent her time avoiding making it out to any of the games. Already she’d spent the better part of her first weekend back in her dad’s world mingling with the guys—guys she’d known from way back in their minor league days and she hadn’t seen in years.
Now here she was on her way to spend the rest of the evening with a bunch of them. After spending the last two days catching up with some of the guys and meeting new ones, she was beyond confident she’d conquered her weakness for ballplayers. Addison was older, wiser, and knew better now. More importantly, it wasn’t just about her anymore. She had someone far more important to think of now. She may’ve been careless when opening up her heart to anyone in the past, when it was just her own heart she was risking, but now she had Clair’s to think about. No way was she letting that little girl’s heart be crushed by some guy Addison brought into their lives, even if he was one she’d been lusting over for years. She hadn’t even been in the man’s presence longer than a weekend, and already he’d confirmed two things she’d feared might be the case with him.
He was as arrogant as she’d expected a superstar athlete like himself to be. And he was a lady killer, one who’d promptly stomp all over her heart if she let him.
Addison’s father and Clair spoke highly of the guy. Her father had often referred to him as a class act. Clearly, he was a different man when it came to women. She’d seen the way he’d checked her out, eyeing her from top to bottom at one point then sauntering away as if to make his point that he’d give her the time of day when he was good and ready.
She wasn’t sure yet if she believed that he’d had no idea she was his coach’s daughter. His insinuation about his being sure she knew all the players very well had left her so stunned and brought back ugly memories of being accused of that by Clair’s donor. Ironically, it was the only thing that had her believing AJ didn’t really know who she was. As close as her dad had described his relationship with the guy, she couldn’t imagine him wanting to insult his coach’s daughter and his best buddy’s mom that way.
Addison hadn’t been able to believe her luck, but then she should’ve seen it coming. The one player she’d known would be her biggest challenge was the one whom her daughter had immediately become closest to. Her best buddy? Really? Only Addison would have such stupid luck.
After today’s insightful moment that confirmed what she’d suspected all along—that even thinking about becoming friends with her daughter’s new best buddy would be a bad idea—she couldn’t chance it. Arrogant or not, the man was a sight to behold. Addison hadn’t been able to believe how much bigger he was in real life than what she’d imagined and seen on television.
Her father and Clair had warned her. Still, she hadn’t been ready for it. And, Jesus, did he have to be even better looking in person too? Those perfectly plump lips she’d stared at too often in magazines and online photos, often wondering if they hadn’t been photoshopped to perfection, were even more luscious up close and in person. As strong as she’d like to think her resolve would be about not allowing so much as a little crush on the guy, she wasn’t so sure after having met him in person. One thing was for sure. Addison would be sticking to her rule from here on. She’d be staying far, far away from her dad’s and now Clair’s world of baseball. She’d watch the games from the safety of her own television—at home.
One the biggest reasons her social life was almost nonexistent was because of her other big fear. Clair’s condition required meticulous attention. She’d read horror stories of what even a simple slipup or mistake could mean to people with allergies. Even leaving her with her parents, who assured her they’d take the utmost caution with her, made her nervous. So did the thought of becoming distracted with a social life. Even just a friendship with someone who she’d been so fascinated by for years would be too distracting and out of the question. She planned on staying away from all the players on the team—especially him.
But today was an exception. This was for Clair. Like so many of the other exceptions she’d made in her life, Clair was absolutely worth all of them. Addison’s father was right. Clair was going to love this. He’d done the same or similar rather for Addison a few times when she was a little girl, and those birthday celebrations were the most memorable she had to date. She’d get through this day and move on, unscathed by any temptation
They arrived at the zoo, just the four of them as planned. Clair was far too perceptive to not catch her papa getting directions to where her surprise would be. So he asked about the latest exhibit Clair had talked about on the way there in the car, the one she’d seen on the television commercials. He handed the lady behind the booth the note explaining about the surprise party, and the lady was on it.
As expected, Clair was thoroughly surprised when they opened the door to the birthday room and the whole team was there. So surprised her little face had scrunched and she cried. Since Clair had never been your typical little girl, it wasn’t often that she cried. Seeing her do so made Addison a little emotional too, until AJ approached them and her heart began to get a workout for other reasons.
“Don’t cry, Clair Bear,” AJ said as he squatted down and hugged her. “This is all for you because you deserve it. Besides”—he smiled sweetly, wiping her tears away gently with his thumb—“you know there’s no crying in baseball.”
Clair laughed. Of course even though the movie was way before Clair’s time, A League of Their Own would be one of Clair’s all-time favorite movies, one she’d seen so many times she had a lot of the lines memorized. It was no surprise she’d let her best buddy in on that. Addison’s heart had also swelled a little when she heard AJ call her daughter Clair Bear. It was what her papa called her. Surely AJ had heard him. She now saw that Clair hadn’t jumped ahead of herself when she’d told Addison AJ was her best buddy. She could see why too. Despite the arrogant first impression he’d made on Addison, seeing how incredibly sweet he was to Clair had her thinking twice about him. This was also so different from what she’d heard about his ticking-time-bomb personality. Addison’s dad mentioned he’d come a long way since he first stepped up to the big leagues years ago.
One of the things that had most worried Addison, even before formally meeting him, was she’d known about Andrés long before the whole world knew about him. He was also by far her father’s most intense apprentice. Her father had kept her up to date with everything about him. In the past year, her father had often invited her to come out and meet him. While tempted, Addison made zero attempts, but when Clair told her about meeting him, Addison had been even more worried. She knew it was just a matter of time. The closer Clair got to him, the surer Addison was she’d have no choice but to meet him sooner than later. Now here she was watching him give her daughter the royal treatment.
It felt as surreal as it felt nightmarish.
Another thing that was just a well-known fact was that he was single. He’d even recently made Sports Illustrated’s list of America’s most eligible bachelors, no matter what Miranda, who curiously wasn’t here with him, was trying to insinuate earlier.
For the most part, and Addison knew this from the time she was a kid, professional athletes had very busy schedules. It was why, when she was so young and clueless, part of her plan was to homeschool any kids she might have with her dream baseball-player husband. She’d hated how often her father was gone.
As the party continued, Addison watched the zoo attendants take charge of the party, moving things along: the lighting of the candles on Clair’s giant giraffe cake, passing out the cake, and then the games and shows they put on for everyone.
No surprise the young female snake handler, who’d brought out a few for the show, chose AJ from the audience to come up and volunteer. She’d already tried in vain to get the birthday girl up there, but while Clair could be ahead of her time when it came to many things and she loved animals, she was beyond squeamish when it came to the slithery kind.
The snake handler placed one side of the huge Boa she was carrying on her neck and arms on AJ’s shoulders, assuring him he’d be okay. The other players laughed nervously, watching AJ’s animated expressions as the giant snake’s tail curled, nearly touching his face.
“I’m gonna need another volunteer,” the snake handler announced, already surveying the crowd of players.
Clair lifted Addison’s hand. “My mom will!”
Addison’s hand recoiled fast enough, but the players, who were all likely relieved they hadn’t been picked, were already chanting and cheering her on. She glanced at her dad, who shrugged with a smile; then she glared playfully at Clair, who was giggling into her hands.
“You little stinker!” Addison said, kissing Clair’s forehead as she stood up then turned back to an uncharacteristically too giddy daughter. “But only because it’s your birthday.”
Unlike the lethal glares she’d initially gotten from AJ, he smiled at her as she approached him. Breathing in deeply, she smiled back, trying not to gawk too obviously at his big arms and shoulders holding up the snake. She’d always known that seeing him in person would wreak havoc on her will to resist giving into so much as a crush. Meeting him finally had confirmed it. Seeing him in his uniform and catcher’s gear had been impressive enough. But with him in jeans and snug T-shirt now, AJ’s tanned muscled arms and shoulders did strange things to Addison’s body. Things she hadn’t felt in years.
As she reached the handler, who got out from under the other end of the snake, which she was apparently going to place on Addison’s shoulders, she had to think quickly. Did she want this slimy-looking thing on her bare shoulders or her brand new white jersey? She quickly took her jersey off and placed it on the chair nearby. “It’s brand new,” she explained to the handler, who nodded.
When she turned to AJ for just a fleeting moment, she felt his eyes devour her, closing in on her chest, but he glanced away quickly enough. It was the only part of her she didn’t have to transform. She’d spent her entire middle and high-school years hiding how annoyingly top heavy she’d become almost overnight. For years, she’d hid her ample breasts behind baggy sweatshirts and T-shirts. The only thing she’d had to transform about them was her mentality and to learn to embrace them, which she had. And she’d since realized just how much attention she got from men because of them. She just hoped now AJ didn’t think she was flaunting them for his sake.
The roomful of people laughed when she let out a screech as the heavy boa was placed on her bare shoulders and neck. “Clair, you’re gonna pay for this.”
Clair giggled louder this time. Addison loved seeing her so happy. Watching her smiling little face not just then but throughout the day, had only confirmed that at least for Clair’s sake, she’d made the right decision moving back to California. All of Clair’s Chicago birthdays had consisted of just the two of them. Even though Clair seemed to have had a blast at the different amusement parks and museums Addison had taken her to each time, nothing compared to a party with all her friends in attendance, even if most were adult baseball players. But some had brought their kids along, so it wasn’t all adults.
Once the show was over, it was time for the gifts. First, the team presented Clair with a framed bat and ball both signed by the entire team and a certificate officially adding her to the team. The certificate was something many of the players and coach’s kids and grandkids were often presented with, usually the ones who were really into the team. Not all were. Of course, Addison had more than one.
Then AJ gave her his gift. Addison watched curiously as Clair ripped the small box open anxiously. It was jewelry, not expensive-looking jewelry that might be considered inappropriate, but cute little-girl stuff: a bracelet with what looked like little dog bones and circles and a cute little beagle that hung off the end, along with a matching necklace and earrings.
“Oh my goodness,” Addison said as Clair handed her each one by one so she could inspect them close up. She glanced up at AJ and his breathtaking smile. “This is the cutest thing.”
“I won’t take all the credit,” he admitted with a playful smirk. “I asked my sisters for advice on what to give Clair for her birthday, and one of them called from the mall a few days later to tell me what she’d found.”
Addison was still gazing at him when Clair nudged her. “Look!”
Clair was holding what appeared to be matching dog tags that were engraved. One said “Snickers” with all his information, something she gathered AJ must’ve gotten from her dad, and the other said “Clair Bear—Baseball Princess.”
“You can put his on his collar and yours on your backpack or something,” AJ suggested.
But there was more. Clair pulled out what appeared to be some kind of written receipt and read it. “Oh, look, Mom. I can take Snickers to get groomed for free.”
Addison glanced back at AJ, smiling curiously. “My sister’s a groomer,” he explained. “She owns a couple of those grooming vans. I’ve been telling Clair one of these days I’ll take her to check it out.”
Ignoring her thudding heart, Addison thanked him and watched as Clair hugged his neck when he knelt down and thanked him too. Slightly ashamed that her eyes would roam and take in his arms again as he hugged Clair, she cleared her throat.
“Okay, now mine,” Addison said, reaching into her purse and pulling out an envelope she handed to Clair.
Clair opened it quickly, her little eyes sparkling behind her thick lenses. Addison watched as her daughter’s already excited eyes grew even bigger. “Season passes to the zoo, Lego Land, and Sea World?”
Clair had been thrilled about going to the parks when Addison had told her about moving to San Diego. Well, second only to being able to hang out with Papa and the team. Addison squished her daughter right back when she thanked her profusely.
Addison’s dad stepped up. “My turn.”
Addison turned to him immediately. “Dad, no. You said this party was your gift to her. This is more than enough.”
“She’s my only granddaughter, and I’m entitled to spoil her,” he said, motioning to someone by the entrance of the birthday area. “Bring it around.”
They all stood there and watched as two guys wheeled around a trailer that held a Jet Ski. “No, you didn’t.” Addison turned to stare at her dad, mouth open, as her daughter squealed.
“I did. If she’s gonna be a California girl, she’s doing it the right way.”
With the gift-giving part of the party ending on such a high note, it took a while waiting for Clair as she jumped on her Jet Ski and touched every single gadget on it. Some of the players began to say their good-byes. They all had early flights to catch the next morning. So it was understandable that most of the single ones said they couldn’t hang around for the tram tour of the zoo.
Addison watched AJ talking to Clair, who was still sitting on the Jet Ski. Nick’s mouth so close to her ear so suddenly made her yelp like an idiot; then they both laughed. She felt stupid, but Nick apologized, laughing, as he leaned into her ear again.
“I was just gonna say,” he whispered, “that if you ever need private lessons, I own Jet Skis and go out all the time. I’d be happy to give you a few pointers.”
Why he was whispering or standing so close to her for that matter was beyond her. But she’d since established he was an insatiable flirt. Her father had also warned her about the outfielder. Only her embarrassing reaction to his startling her made her refrain from pulling away or making a big deal out of it.
“Thanks for the offer,” she said with a polite smile. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
Keith, one of the relief pitchers, nudged Nick, smiling politely at Addison. “You ready to go, man?”
“Yeah,” Nick said, turning back to the guy.
Addison thanked them both for coming and for their gifts. They began to walk away, but Nick turned around one last time. “I’m serious, Addi.” He lifted to fingers to his ear. “Call me.”
She nodded, feeling her face warm, wondering if AJ or anyone else had noticed the exchange. Most of the guys were saying good-bye to her dad and even stopping by to say good-bye to Clair.
One glimpse in his direction and she had her answer. That arrogant glare she’d been greeted with those first few times she’d seen him in person was back. Only it felt even harder this time.
She thought of what Nick said yesterday when she’d called out to AJ and he’d waved her off rudely. She’d felt so embarrassed she was sure she’d blushed and Nick caught it. “That’s probably more for me than you, Addi,” he’d said with an air of sympathy. “Don’t take it personal. Rage has never really warmed up to me. Seems the guy always has hair up his ass when I talk to him.”
For a fleeting moment, she had the insane idea her exchange with Nick might’ve been the reason for his hardening expression. Nick’s flirting so openly with her, with no regard to the possibility of her daughter hearing it, might’ve irritated Clair’s best buddy. Addison had already been touched by how he fawned over her and spoke to her. He was by far the closest to Clair of all the team’s players.
Addison started toward them, a bit apprehensively given how his expression hadn’t changed.
“Are you coming on the tour with us?” Clair asked as AJ turned that heavily lashed glare away from Addison to help Clair down from the Jet Ski.
It was probably just part of his raging personality, but Addison could actually see him work his jaw before responding. “I would if I could, but I have to get out of here.”
Clair pouted. “She is your girlfriend now, isn’t she?” she said as Addison reached them. “You should’ve brought her then. She could’ve taken the tour with us too.”
“She isn’t my girlfriend,” AJ said, bending over to kiss the top of Clair’s head.
The tenderness in his eyes as he straightened out immediately hardened again when they met Addison’s. “But since I leave tomorrow, I did promise to meet up with her one last time tonight.”
Of course. And even as the alarmingly disappointing comment settled into her now churning insides, she was glad for the reminder. No matter how sweet and perfect AJ was as her daughter’s best buddy and her dad’s apprentice, he was the worst kind of guy Addison should even be considering to let in her life.
“We’re in,” a few of the guys with kids she’d known from way back said with big smiles.
A couple of the single ones she’d spoken to earlier also said they’d hang around and take the tram tour with them.
“You see,” AJ said, and Addison turned to him at the sound of his voice. His thick lashes seemed to move in slow motion as he glanced up from Clair and met Addison’s eyes again. “You’ll have plenty of company without me.”
As much as it didn’t make sense, it felt like a jab again, like the one she was now certain he’d taken at her yesterday. And like yesterday, he’d stalked away before she could recover from it.