These road trips are really starting to be a pain in my ass.

Nearly a decade into my career, and I can finally say that all this traveling is finally catching up to me.

When I was younger, I lived for the days on the road. Seeing all the different cities, meeting all the different people, banging all the different women…

You get the picture.

But, now, each day out on the road becomes another day Liv could kick me to the curb. Each moment I spend away from Maple Lake could be the moment she decides I’m not worth the hassle. And every single second I’m away from those lips is another second for her to regret her decision to let me back in.

The other night was amazing. I’ll admit, I went a bit overboard. I thought her eyes were going to bug out of her head when I opened that door, and she saw the fucking carriage. I thought I’d made a colossal mistake, reading the few things I knew about her completely wrong, assuming she’d enjoy a cheesy carriage ride through town to something more simple, like dinner and a movie.

Lucky for me, Liv is every ounce the paradox I made her out to be. She’s feisty and derisive, her no-bullshit attitude is one of the first things that attracted me to her. But she’s also the biggest bookworm I’ve ever met, her entire life dedicated to that bookstore. And what bookworm didn’t grow up, wishing she lived inside one of those fairy tales she read every night?

I took a chance, and it paid off big time.

I can still feel her lips on mine, the soft pressure lingering long after we parted. They were gentle, delicately pressing against mine, as if testing the waters. I was ready to dive in headfirst, but I managed to hold back, letting her take it at her own pace.

The kiss was so different from our first night together. But the way her body melted against mine as she explored my mouth told me it was so much more. It wasn’t about pleasure. It wasn’t a frenzied fervor of tangled tongues and clashing teeth. It was only a kiss.

The sweetest fucking kiss of my entire life.

Carter claps me on the back, pulling me from my thoughts, as the Uber driver pulls up outside of the nightclub. We won again tonight, officially making us the hottest team in the MLB, and to celebrate, we’re all going out for a drink.

Tag decided to stay back at the hotel, opting to call Lexi instead of joining the rest of us. Seeing him plop down on the bed beside mine in our shared room, it was the first time I ever wished I could just stay in after a win.

But I knew I’d never hear the end of it if I tried to get out of going out. Tag had already started in on the questions about me and Liv. The last thing I needed was for him to get the whole team involved.

I walk into the club with Carter, several of our other teammates dispersing around us as soon as we hit the floor. I watch as each of them immediately sets their sights on a woman, not giving a shit if she’s there with someone else. Or that their own wives are waiting at home.

It makes my stomach turn a little, thinking about it, which is crazy because, a month ago, I would’ve been right there with them.

I hang back with Carter, glad I have the kid to chill with tonight. The two of us move to a table against the back wall, and a waitress comes over to take our drink orders.

We sit and people-watch until she returns with our beers, and I eye Carter as he takes a long pull from his. I study his face, deciding it’s time I know a little more about my new friend.

“So, what’s your deal, kid?” I ask as soon as the bottle leaves his lips.

He sputters a little, setting the bottle down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Wh-what? What do you mean?”

“I mean, what is your deal? You move out here, barely old enough to buy that drink, and become one of the youngest starting pitchers in recent history. You should be living the high life, taking advantage of the bevy of beautiful asses throwing themselves your way each night. Yet you’re sitting over here with me, drinking shitty beer and acting like just the thought of a woman touching you gives you hives.”

He shakes his head. “You’re full of it, Jeffers. I have plenty of fun.” His eyebrows lift on the last word, and I think it’s an attempt at an innuendo or some shit, but the kid fails miserably.

I crack a smile, hanging my head as I chuckle softly under my breath. “Carter, you couldn’t be any greener if you sprouted roots and planted yourself right alongside the other veggies in the garden. You ain’t fooling anyone, kid. So, just tell me. What gives? Is there someone back home?”

The way his throat bobs at my mention of home tells me I’ve hit the nail right on the head.

“You said you were single though,” I pry, knowing he’s not going to spill the beans without a little goading.

“I am.”

I watch him, brows raised and eyes wide, waiting for him to continue. When he picks up his beer and takes another swig, I smack my hand down on the table.

“Oh, come on. You’ve gotta give me more than that.”

Carter shrugs. “Don’t know what you want me to tell you. I’m single. End of story.”

I narrow my eyes. “Yet you don’t deny there’s someone back home. An unrequited love perhaps? Did some inbred bitch break my boy’s heart?”

Carter is from a small suburb in Wyoming, and while I know it’s not actually the hick town I’m making it out to be, I still can’t resist giving him shit whenever I can.

His eyes flash to mine, thinly veiled fury within their depths. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Jeffers, so just shut your mouth.”

I lean back, crossing my arms over my chest as I study him. Carter’s nostrils flare as he pushes from the table, mumbling something about having to hit the head before storming toward the restroom. I don’t miss the woman who tries to stop him on his way, his anger quickly fading as he stops to talk to her. A charming smile crosses his face as he stares down at the blonde, and I start to wonder if he’s going to try to prove me wrong and take her home. But my concerns are short-lived when she runs her hand up his chest. He stops the movement, giving her another smile as he removes her hand from his body. She looks crestfallen, but she doesn’t make a scene as she turns and leaves. Carter continues his trek to the restroom as if nothing happened.

When I was his age, I’d have had that woman pressed against the restroom door, my cock buried deep inside her before the lock was even latched.

I smile as I watch Carter disappear inside the restroom. He all but confirmed there’s someone he loves back home. And, considering how defensive he got when I called her an inbred bitch, I’m willing to bet those feelings haven’t dulled a single bit since he left town.

A weird sense of awe swells in my chest. Carter is a million miles away from whomever this girl is. And, based on what he says, she’s not even his in the way he wants her to be. Yet he remains faithful. I haven’t seen the kid with a single solitary woman the entire time he’s been with the team.

If Carter can stay true to some chick he doesn’t even have, then I can do the same for Liv.

She hasn’t come right out and said it, but I know she worries when I’m on the road. I mean, I can’t say I blame her. My track record isn’t exactly one I’m proud of. Well, not anymore anyway.

But none of that appeals to me now. The thought of going home with one of these random women holds no allure, not when I think of the woman currently waiting for me back in Maple Lake.

We haven’t even slept together again yet. But it doesn’t matter. Just spending time in her company is more fulfilling than any number of hours with a nameless face.

Liv is the type of woman I could fall for.

The sudden realization strikes me hard, my stomach bottoming out as I think about what this means.

I could fall for this woman. It’s the first time I’ve ever thought those words, and that only further solidifies their truth. I’m not one to throw around emotion. Hell, until Liv, just the thought of feelings made me twitchy.

All that has changed though, thanks to one pixie-like woman and the tiny life she’s carrying inside her.

As if summoned by my thoughts, my phone rings. I eagerly pull it out of my pocket, hoping like hell it’s Liv calling to congratulate me on another win. She’s been more forthcoming since our date the other night, even going so far as to call and text me herself without any sort of provocation from me.

My face falls though when I see another familiar name flash across the screen.

Jayne.

Fuck.

I haven’t talked to her since that disaster of epic proportions a few weeks ago. I never did send those flowers. Or that dildo. Tag told me to get to Maple Lake shortly thereafter, and the rest is history. I can honest to God say I haven’t even thought of Jayne since the night I left her place.

But I know I need to get this over with. Jayne might not have been more than a good fuck, but she still deserves an explanation. And I’m not the type to just run from my problems.

I press the Answer button, raising the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby. I was looking at your schedule, and it looks like you’re going to be only a few hours away from me next week. What do you say I meet you halfway?”

I sigh, knowing she’s not going to like what I’m about to say.

“Actually, Jayne, that’s not going to work for me.”

“What do you mean? I can come to you if you don’t think you’ll be able to get away for a couple of hours.”

“That’s not it. I just can’t do this anymore.”

“Can’t do what?”

I let out a heavy breath, deciding to cut right to the chase. “You.”

“What the hell, Brandon? You left me hanging last month. And, now you’re telling me you can’t do this anymore.”

“That’s what I said.”

“And why the hell not?” she shrieks into the phone.

She’s pissed as hell, but I can’t seem to bring myself to care.

Jayne is a good person.

But she’s not Liv. And I won’t risk Liv for anything.

“Because there’s someone else.”

She scoffs. “Oh, please. You don’t do relationships, remember?”

I think back to all the times I refused to take things further with her, telling her that there was no way I could promise myself to her when I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep true to those words. She always told me she appreciated my honesty, saying that she’d take me in her life however she could get me.

“Yeah, well, things change. People change.”

She lets out a sardonic laugh. “You change? Give me a break. Brandon Jeffers doesn’t change for anyone.”

My gaze lifts from the table, finding Carter as he dodges yet another woman coming on to him. I smile, once again reminding myself that I can do this.

“I’m sure as hell going to try.”

I disconnect the call before she can say another word and immediately delete her number from my phone.

Carter reaches the table right at that moment.

“This place blows,” he says, looking out at the crowd of sweaty bodies dry-humping the shit out of each other.

I nod. “Agreed. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

We slide into the back seat of a cab, and I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face, knowing that, as soon as I get back to the hotel, I get to talk to Liv.

This is the life, I think to myself as I ride away from my former paradise and toward my new destiny.