One of the things I’ve always prided myself on is my ability to block out everything else in my life, no matter how big, and focus on the game.

That time I thought I might have the herp?

Cool as a cucumber come game time.

The day I found out my piece-of-shit father had finally bitten the big one?

Rolled right off my shoulders as soon as I stepped out onto the field.

But finding out you’re only a few short months away from becoming a father yourself…

That’s a little harder to ignore.

To say I’ve been distracted these past two days is putting it mildly. Coach all but handed my ass to me on a silver platter at practice earlier this afternoon after I swung at a high one. It hadn’t even been anywhere near the strike zone, but my mind had been so far out in left field that I really didn’t even see the thing at all.

We’ve managed to pull out the win in both games since I left Maple Lake, but that sure as shit didn’t have much to do with me. Thankfully, I haven’t completely embarrassed myself, managing at least a base hit each time I stepped up to the plate. But it is a far cry from my usual ball busters.

I might have physically left Maple Lake two days ago, but my mind stayed behind.

With Liv.

We were only able to spend one full day together before I had to head back out on the road, but it was enough to leave me wanting more.

More of her smile. More of her laugh.

More of her gorgeous fucking body.

She didn’t let me kiss her when I dropped her off after our date in Grover, instead coyly smiling at me as she pushed open the door, swinging her hips from side to side as she stepped inside.

She tried to act all innocent and sweet, but something told me she knew exactly what she was doing. She knew the effect she had on me. And she was using every inch of it to her advantage.

I went home that night and got acquainted with my shower and my right hand.

Very acquainted.

Watching Liv as she let go of her defensiveness and just enjoyed herself was enchanting. The woman is always beautiful. But with her head thrown back in laughter as a prepubescent kid tried to take her hostage was something else entirely. I’d never seen someone look so…alive.

Liv intrigues me; that much is true. She has since the moment I laid eyes on her. But spending just a few hours with her—doing something other than the horizontal tango—has shown me just how complex she actually is. She is snarky as fuck ninety-nine percent of the time. But there is a softer side to her, too, a side I have a feeling she doesn’t let people see very often.

And I won’t rest until I break through those walls and see her for everything she truly is. Something tells me I might not recover from the sight.

Bring it on.

My head falls back on the headrest of the bus seat as we head back to the hotel for the night. It’s been a long-ass day, and I’m looking forward to nothing more than crashing face-first onto my bed and not moving until dawn.

But, before I can do that, I need to text Liv.

Just the thought of talking to her breathes a spark of life into my exhausted bones. A small smile passes over my lips as I pull my phone from my duffel.

I wonder if she might still be at work and therefore not able to answer my message right away. It’s seven p.m. in Maple Lake, but with the hours she told me she’d been pulling at the store in preparation for Charlie’s retirement, it’s not completely unfeasible to think she might still be there.

I’m going to have to talk to her about that eventually. It’s not good for her or the baby to be putting in such long hours.

I suppress the thought, knowing that me trying to tell Liv how to run her life will go over about as well as a polar bear in hell. She’s stubborn as fuck, but even she can’t deny that it would be better for the baby if she rested. At least until she gets further along.

I see the familiar bouncing dots, indicating she’s typing out a response, and the grin I’ve been wearing since pulling out my phone widens.

Goddamn. When did I turn into a chick?

I straighten my lips, hoping none of my teammates saw me beaming like a schoolgirl. It doesn’t last long though, the corners of my mouth turning up as soon as I read her message.

I chuckle softly. Leave it to Liv to completely disregard the fact that a major league baseball player is texting her after a win, instead busting my balls for using an outdated expression.

I try to imagine her sitting there, on her couch, smiling as she reads my stupid response. She might not be the type of girl I’m used to, but even she isn’t immune to my irresistible charm.

Or my overpowering obnoxiousness, as Tag likes to say.

Tomato, tomahto.

The three dots appear again, and I hold my breath as I wait to see what she’s going to say.

Huh. I didn’t expect her to bring up the game, let alone actually watch it. An overwhelming sense of pride floods through my chest as I think about her tuning in just to watch me play.

And then a crushing sense of disappointment takes over when I realize she watched the worst performance of pretty much my entire career.

I wince but decide not to bring it up. Liv isn’t exactly a baseball fan, so it’s not like she could tell the difference.

I hope.

I shove down my disappointment and type out my response.

I want to text back a snappy response, something about scoring and winning and a bunch of other bullshit like I normally would. But something tells me Liv isn’t just talking about baseball.

I chuckle again, glad we’re back on safer territory.

Well, fuck. That wasn’t the right thing to say.

I try to think of something to salvage the situation, but I come up blank. So, instead, I type out three simple words.

A few minutes go by without a response, and I start to wonder if she’s just going to blow me off, the reminder of my past too much for her to deal with right now. I lean my head back again and close my eyes.

It doesn’t make any sense, but I want Liv to like me. No, more than that. I want her to want me. To need me. To ask me to stick around and help her raise our baby.

I could lie to myself and say it’s just the baby that’s making me feel this way, but it would be exactly that. A lie. Because, no matter how much I try to deny it, Liv means something to me. I don’t know how or why. I don’t understand how, after spending such a short amount of time with her, I can already tell things with her are different.

My phone vibrates in my lap, and my eyes snap open.

My stomach does a little flip at that smiley face. Once again, two little characters from her feel like a win.

I mentally fist pump, feeling like I could get up and run a dozen miles with the renewed energy her text gives me.

A spark of something ignites in my head as I come down from my high. By the time I’m back in my hotel room, my exhaustion has set back in, but I have a fully formed plan.

I need to make sure Liv sees just how serious I am about trying to make this work.

I just need my man Charlie to help me out.