"Thank you for being there for me, Ter." I ran my hands down her arms as we stood in front of one of the private jets the club owned. "You fed me and my baby girl, loved on us, cleaned up after us. What can I do to pay you back?"

"Make love to me again?" She moved closer, her eyes filled with desire. "I need to feel you against me."

"Inside of you?" I closed the gap and slipped my hand into her hair as I pulled her down for a long, hot kiss. The sounds of the other players oohing and ahhing were almost too much. I nipped at her lips and moved back. "Come on my flight with me."

"No. I need to talk with Joe about a few things." She ran her hand down my chest and cupped my dick, hiding her tight grip on me with her body. "But this is mine tonight."

"Baby. That's yours every night." I leaned in to taste her one more time before turning and walking to the players’ plane. Fucking her in the middle of the air would have been a serious treat, but it simply wasn't meant to be. I needed her as much as she needed me for sure. After the last two days of moving around like a zombie, the intensity of a long fuck with my girl was in order.

"Hey man. You dating the boss lady now?" Rodriguez motioned for me to come sit by him.

"She's always been mine, man. You didn't know?" I sat down and buckled up. Jeremy walked onto the plane next, surprising me a little. "Hey, man. They let riff-raff like you in here?"

"Fuck yeah. About damn time too." He sat down across the aisle from me. "I was starting to lose my celebrity status and shit. I was actually having to try with women. I didn't spend all those years playing ball and busting my ass to have to come up with a pickup line." He sat down and smiled over at us. "Hey. I'm sorry to hear about your dad, Danny."

"Thanks, man." I glanced around as the guys took turns giving their condolences to me over my dad's death. It was still painful as fuck, and I probably shouldn't have been leaving town, but the family gathering was over, and my mom was visiting her sister in Oregon with Lyndsay. It was a good time to get back with the team and try and pull my life back together.

"So, you and Terra have been a thing since back in the day?" Rodriguez asked.

"Oh yeah. She was my first girlfriend."

"And your first lover?" Jeremy wagged his eyebrows and let out a cat-call.

Everyone laughed and joined in the fun. I nodded, letting them think what they wanted to. In my mind, the memory had been re-grafted to include her. She was everything to me and should have been my first. That was good enough.

* * *

"Take a picture of the man on the mound tonight, folks. It's hot and heavy and he's not even breaking a sweat." The announcer's voice was loud over the speakers in Oakland, but I loved it.

The pitcher’s mound was where I'd lived most of my life. It's where I sorted out my mistakes and found the best parts of myself. Not smiling in front of a camera or pretending to be the cocky asshole I'd become over the years thanks to the life I'd lived. It was just me and the ball. The way life was meant to be for a simple guy like me.

I reared back and put the ball into Gary's glove, putting the third batter in the bottom of the eighth down. We were going to win the game if I had anything to do about it.

The crowd in the stands grew silent as I walked back to the dugout.

"Great job, McAdams. You in for one more tonight, or are you ready for us to bring in the relief pitcher?" Joe patted my back and reached over like he was going to call down to the bullpen to get Jeremy up and ready.

"Give me a second to think about it." I moved down into the dugout and put my glove up before standing near the opening on the far left. I'd put a lot of batters down and been given more accolades than I could remember. A smile touched my lips as my mind went back to the first night Terra and I found the courage to sneak into the baseball field after it closed.

"Your dad is going to fucking kill us, you wild thing." I reached for her hand as she took off toward the crimson dirt.

"No. He'll understand." She spun around and jerked my hand, pulling me close to her. "Kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am." I leaned down and closed my eyes as she stepped up and kissed me instead. The girl was so fucking forward, and yet I loved it. It made me feel alive like I was the only guy in the world she saw.

"You know one day you're going to play in a place like this." She leaned back a little as her long red hair billowed in the wind around us.

I clasped my hands together as I held her, my arm wrapped tightly around her waist. "And where will you be, baby?"

"Up there." She pointed to the owners’ box and laughed. "Serving drinks and flirting with the rich guys."

"The old rich guys." I pulled her back up and kissed her again. We couldn't have been more then fifteen. "You like old guy balls? Pretty nasty, Ter. Even for you."

"Maybe?" She smiled and the world seemed brighter.

I released her and pretended to gag as she jogged toward the pitcher’s mound and got into position. "Do you think you'll ever grow tired of me? Like, find someone with bigger boobs or maybe a prettier smile?"

She was so unsure of herself, but I made it my job to remind her of what I saw in her, not the fucked up lies she told herself. "No, baby. There's no one for me but you."

She yelped as I pulled her back into my arms and we stumbled, rolling onto the soft green grass. I positioned myself between her legs and leaned down to kiss her again.

"Are you sure about that?" She pushed at my chest, denying me the warmth of her lips.

"I'm an ass-man." I wagged my eyebrows. "Keep that ass and we'll always be in business."

"Daniel?" Joe moved up behind me. "We've got one more batter and we're at the top of the ninth."

"Send in Jeremy. He needs a redeeming moment." I glanced over at our head coach and smiled. "I've already got mine."

"I would agree with that." He patted me on the back and picked up the phone, calling down to the bullpen and telling Rick to send in a relief pitcher. I dropped down on the bench and leaned back, taking in the moment.

Terra and I were going to be fine, and before I knew it, we'd be married. I'd make sure to take things as slow as she wanted me to up to an extent. Lyndsay needed a brother or a sister, and I was ready for another baby in my life.

I stood back up as Jeremy jogged out to the mound. He put the first two batters down, no problem. Paul Thompson was up last. He glanced over at me in the dugout and gave me a look.

I just smiled. I had nothing left to do or say where the bastard was concerned. He didn't end up with my girl, and he was shit out of chances. I wasn't letting her go again. Not ever.

It felt good knowing that I didn't have a damn thing left to prove to him or anyone else.

I could simply be me. For the first time in a long time.