“Katie, baby, we’re going to be late if you don’t hurry.” Gage had tried to get me out the door for the last ten minutes and had now resorted to sweet pet names instead of the silly ones he typically used. He didn’t have a clue how hard it was to move, much less shower, do my hair, get dressed, and put on shoes with a basketball in front of me everywhere I went.

“Gage, I’m thirty-five weeks pregnant. I’m doing the best I can.” I was on the verge of tears as it was. Having him yell at me didn’t help my current condition.

He must have heard the distress in my voice. Not a minute later, he came around the door to my bedroom where I sat on the mattress trying to get on my shoes. Thankfully, Ellie went with a baseball theme all around. It was probably trite, but it worked. All of the guys on the team had to play this afternoon and would be leaving the Kylers’ house to go straight to the stadium, so they’d all planned to wear their uniforms. Ellie had shirts made for the women and kids with their player’s number and last name on the back. So all I had to do was add a cute pair of capri jeans with socks and tennis shoes—just one problem…I couldn’t tie the shoes because I couldn’t get my feet anywhere near my hands, and even once I’d gotten them on, the tongues were wedged under the laces.

“You need some help?” he asked and knelt down before I answered. While he fixed and then tied my shoes, he glanced up. Gage finished the task at hand, and then he cupped my cheeks, wiping away the tears that leaked from my eyes with the pads of his thumbs. “Talk to me.”

He wouldn’t understand my apprehension. Gage Nix had never met a stranger in his life, yet I was terrified of them. I didn’t want to go and honestly didn’t believe anyone would care whether I showed up or not. These people were all Gage’s family, not mine.

“I don’t want to go.”

“The guys on the team already love you, Katie.” Maybe he understood a little.

“They don’t know me.” I couldn’t just let myself trust him and give in, knowing he wouldn’t drag me into the lion’s den.

He leaned forward, still on his knees, and pressed his lips to mine that were covered in tears. It had to be as appetizing as kissing a snot-nosed kid. “They don’t have to. All they needed to see was the way you brought me back to life after Granny died to know how good you are for me. And their families will love you, too. That’s just what these guys do. We don’t have any other choice. They’re all I have on the road, and if you take the chance, you’ll have the support of their wives and girlfriends when you’re home alone. You need a team, too.”

I wiped my face and knew my makeup was ruined, but I’d have to fix it in the car. “It sounds more like a cult.” I held out my hand for him to help lift me to a standing position.

Gage didn’t fire back with a smartass comment, and he barely snickered at mine. I could tell by the way he stared into my eyes that he knew this terrified me. “I promise. I’ve got your back…always.”

His gaze was intent and stoic, and his hand felt warm on my neck when he grasped it to pull my forehead to his mouth and plant a heartfelt kiss on the lines that appeared when I worried. Right then and there, I knew, Gage didn’t just mean he had my back today. He meant forever.

I placed my hand in his, grabbed my makeup bag from the dresser, and let him lead me down the stairs, out into the garage, and into Dick. I should have anticipated Gage’s mood changing drastically by the time we arrived since he didn’t do serious. I should have expected that he’d find a way to make this party his own. I also should have known that whatever I imagined would pale in comparison to reality.

The team bus was parked outside the Kylers’ to prevent everyone from bringing multiple cars since the guys all had a game this afternoon—Gage’s handiwork. And even with that caveat in place, the streets all over the neighborhood were lined with cars that all bore at least one Titan logo, including my own. Gage pulled into the driveway next door to Coby’s.

“Gage, you can’t stop here. This is someone’s house.”

He put the car in park, got out of the driver’s seat, and came around the car to help me down. “I gave the guy two tickets behind home plate for today’s game. We’re good.”

I would have stared at him in awe and thanked him for his thoughtfulness, but he didn’t give me a chance before dragging me across the lawn to the circus next door. My mouth hung open as it all came into view. I now understood the thought process behind the matching shirts for partygoers. It helped identify who belonged at this carnival and who had just shown up to play.

Never in my life had I been to or even heard of a baby shower with multiple bounce houses, a motorized carousel, an inflatable slide that dumped into the pool in the backyard, and of course…pony rides. The farther into the festivities we got, the more of Gage’s handiwork came into view: face painting, balloon animals, games for kids. Although the security detail was a shock.

“Security is in place for the team, but it’s also here for the kids so the parents can enjoy themselves without worrying that their kids took off—they can’t get out of the fence without an adult. I even brought in lifeguards.”

I was blown away by his thoughtfulness. Corinne was likely the prime motivator, but it didn’t matter—it took care of everyone. “You’re a good man, Gage Nix.”

“Age and Eighty! You’we hearwa.”

Gage dropped my hand to catch the brunette nugget who’d launched herself at him, expecting to be held. “Hey, Rinny.”

“I wode a howse and da side into da poo.” Her hair was wet, and the moisture from her swimsuit came through her clothes the longer Gage held her.

“Which pony did you ride?” he asked her after shifting her to his hip and retaking my hand.

I had to admit, seeing him with a little girl in his arms was just about the hottest thing I’d ever witnessed. And it dawned on me—he was right. Women swooned over men standing next to their bride while holding their child. That was a thought I didn’t want to ponder.

“Dat won.” She pointed to the carousel. “Wit da feaders on his neck.”

Sure enough, when the thing came back around, there was a white and gold horse bobbing up and down with a pink boa wrapped tightly around it. The kid had good taste; it was by far the prettiest one on the ride and certainly the most grandiose.

She popped a kiss on the side of Gage’s mouth and squirmed to get down. “I go pway.” Her little feet had no sooner landed on solid ground than she waved and took off.

“I see where I rank on her list of priorities.” He grunted.

“If you wanted her to pay attention to you, then you probably shouldn’t have stacked this place with wall-to-wall activities to occupy her time.” The Kylers’ house was more like Family Day at the stadium than a baby shower, but everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves, which took attention away from me.

“Good point.”

We couldn’t get more than two steps at a time without Gage stopping to introduce me to someone. I probably should have been more surprised than I was that he knew every kid here by name, and each one thought they were his best friend. It didn’t matter if they were teenagers or toddlers, they loved him. And with each child came at least one parent, although usually two, and they treated me like I’d been on the team with Gage since he’d joined the Titans.

It wasn’t until we made it inside that we found Coby and Ellie, and each one had an eye on one of the twins waddling around—I could sympathize…with the waddle. We joined them in the kitchen. Gage grabbed Max and blew raspberries on his belly, and I talked to Ellie.

“This place is amazing, Ellie. I don’t know how you did it all.”

She rolled her eyes. “The entertainment outside is all thanks to Gage. I about had a coronary when rental trucks started pulling up at seven this morning. But seeing all the kids have fun, I’m glad he did it.” Ellie hated to admit Gage did something well because she knew—just like I did—that it only gave him the green light to go bigger next time.

“Either way, I’m impressed.”

“Hopefully he hired a clean-up crew to come in after the security guards leave.” She gave Gage a playful glare.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head, LeeLee. I’ve got it all covered, so you don’t have to lift a finger.” Gage tossed the words over his shoulder while he played with Max.

“Hey, Ellie, you’re out of toilet—” Missy Mills came around the corner holding an empty roll. “Paper.” Her enthusiasm sputtered when she caught sight of me and completely died upon making eye contact with Gage.

I didn’t have a clue why she was here, but she didn’t have any right to be upset with Gage based on the rock adorning her left ring finger. Either that had been going on while they were still together, or she had moved quickly to tie the poor sucker down—I wasn’t sure which.

“Kathryn. Gage.” Missy addressed us both before continuing into the room to set the cardboard roll on the kitchen counter in front of Ellie—who didn’t have a clue that the density of the air just changed drastically.

“Oh, no problem. Let me get some.” Ellie opened the pantry and produced several rolls for Missy. “Would you mind putting those in there? I’m sure we’ll go through a lot before everyone heads out.”

“Sure.” She turned out of the room.

“I didn’t know your name was Kathryn. It makes sense, but I never put it together. Is that what your family calls you?” The smile on Ellie’s face started to fall when Gage fell quiet and then set Max down.

“Kyler, you got any beer around here?” Gage didn’t look at Ellie or me; he only addressed Coby, and his tone scared me.

“Ellie, can you guys watch the boys?”

She nodded, and Gage and Coby went to the garage. I knew there wasn’t alcohol out for everyone. These guys had a game in a few hours. But I trusted Coby to take care of Gage and not let him do anything stupid or put his career in jeopardy. What I didn’t know, was how to deal with Missy. Ellie and I had never spoken about her, so it wasn’t fair to assume she knew about our past or why we weren’t on speaking terms. Missy never came up in conversation, so I hadn’t had any need to air that dirty laundry—with Ellie or Gage.

Given the circumstances, I thought the best thing to do was try to play nice…and avoid her at all costs. I wasn’t quite sure how to do that with Ellie wondering what just happened and me not knowing anyone here other than the Kylers.

“Is everything okay?” Ellie asked, eyes darting from the garage door back to me.

“I don’t think he’s seen her since they broke up.” Blaming Gage made sense because it was expected…it also prevented me from having to tell Ellie that her best friend was a heinous bitch.

“Oh gah. I didn’t even think about that. I figured since you and Gage were together and she’s engaged that they’d both moved on. And I knew she was your cousin and thought it might be nice for you to have a familiar face hanging around. Her mom came, too. I wanted to surprise you.”

Ellie had certainly pulled that off. I was blown away. I plastered the biggest smile I could muster to my lips and told her not to worry about it just seconds before Missy reappeared.

She stepped into the kitchen and did what Missy did best, took stabs while feigning interest. “Pregnancy certainly looks better on you than stripes.”

Thankfully, Ellie didn’t pick up on the reference to my narrowly missed jail time. “Isn’t she gorgeous. She’s practically glowing.”

“I bet. She’s got quite the little setup going.”

I kept my mouth shut. Feeding into it, trying to banter back, wouldn’t do anything other than start a fight, and that was the last thing I wanted with all of Gage’s friends around.

“Aren’t they the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” Ellie was clueless.

“Yep. Quite a step up from Market Street.” Missy referred to the area of town my mother spent most of her time working—drugs and street corners.

I could only assume that Ellie believed the reference was from our childhood—it was, just not a fond memory.

Coby and Gage emerged from the garage, and Gage’s entire demeanor had changed. It was possible he’d downed a beer in the three minutes he’d been gone, but my best guess was that Coby had given him a pep talk and reminded him why we were here…and it wasn’t to hang out with Missy Mills.

Gage extended his hand to me as he walked closer. “Come on, Katiebug. Let’s go mingle.”

I smiled at Ellie and ignored Missy. “Guess we’re going to be social.”

“Try to wrangle up Corinne. It’s about time to eat, and then after that, we’ll do presents before everyone leaves.” Ellie called out to us as we went outside.

Gage shut the door behind him, and he immediately stopped in plain view of the kitchen and grabbed my face with both palms. He didn’t hold back in proving to Missy that he wasn’t pining away for her. I hated being used that way, but I also knew if I had any chance of quietly sticking it to her, I would.

When he finally released the lip lock he had on me, he dropped his hands to my belly and leaned in to whisper in my ear, “You two are the best thing that ever happened to me. Don’t doubt that for a second.” His voice was raspy and desperate, and it reminded me of the first night he’d made love to me.

His display hadn’t been for Missy; it was to reassure me that he was right where he belonged—where he wanted to be.

The two of us found chairs with a group of guys from the team, and shortly after we sat down with food, one by one, each guy gained a partner at his side. Most were married, a few weren’t, but they were all amazing and sweet. I couldn’t remember ever feeling a part of something this great. Not even my family had ever given me this kind of peace. Gage was right, they welcomed me with open arms, and not a single one treated me like a stranger. And the funny thing was, even though Missy had been in Gage’s life for years, there wasn’t a soul there other than Ellie that I saw speak to her.

I’d yet to see my aunt, but I wasn’t looking forward to that encounter any more than I was a repeat with Missy. They’d made a lot of assumptions over the years and never had my back. And I wouldn’t put it past either one to make sure they shared those stories with anyone who’d listen.

Gage stayed close to my side, so close that if he wasn’t touching some part of me to know I was within reaching distance, he’d stop what he was doing to locate me. I hadn’t intended to leave the group without his knowledge when Ellie came to find me. I thought for sure he’d heard her since she told everyone to come inside. The guys had to leave in about an hour, and she wanted to make sure Gage got to see the stuff for the baby. She gave him far more credit than he deserved. If it wasn’t something he could play with, it wouldn’t hold his interest—God forbid anything needed assembling.

Ellie had decorated two chairs to make them look like thrones and even made me a sash with the words Home Run Queen spelled out in glitter. It was black and gold to match the Titan gear we all had on, and I had to admit, it was cute…even if it called attention to my oversized midsection. The hot seat next to me remained empty, and I wondered why Gage hadn’t come in to help.

The adults stood anywhere they could find space or sat on the floor. The good seats were all taken, and I noticed my aunt and cousin managed to find a spot front and center right behind the couch. My heart raced as I attempted to maintain my composure, but if Gage didn’t show up soon, I might have a panic attack. Those two women were cruel, beyond hateful, and even looking at them made my stomach churn.

“Anyone seen Katie?” My king finally decided to join me…he just couldn’t see me from where he stood.

The group laughed and several pointed. Leaning forward as far as his son would allow, I wiggled my fingers, grateful to see him. And that’s when I heard it…

“He’s probably worried she took up her mom’s spot on the corner. You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can’t take the trailer park out of the girl.” Missy talked to my aunt, but everyone in the room heard her…including Gage.

“What’d you say?” he stepped in her direction.

I tried to stand, but it took more effort than normal since I had to scoot to the edge of the throne and then hoist myself up with my hands and arms. Once I was upright, I grabbed his hand. He turned his head to see me over his shoulder. I’d never witnessed the level of anger that currently resided in his features.

“Gage, it’s not worth it. Please, don’t make this worse than it is,” I didn’t speak loudly enough for anyone other than him to hear.

He ignored my plea and pulled his hand from mine. I watched each step he took and wondered when one of these men would step in to stop the showdown, but not even Coby budged. And the women said nothing.

“What. Did. You. Say?” He enunciated each word so concisely, I worried for her safety and prayed I didn’t have to bail him out of jail when this was over, although I’d do it without so much as a peep of a complaint.

Missy’s arms were crossed over her chest when she lifted one to wave it around her shoulder. “Nothing the world doesn’t already know.”

“I think you need to leave.” Gage hadn’t lost his cool, but it was coming—barreling down the road like a semi-truck without brakes on an icy mountain pass, and anyone who stood in its way would be decimated when it lost control.

“Oh, come on, Gage. It’s not like everyone here doesn’t know who she is. It’s been all over the news. You can’t fix white trash—it’s in her blood. My guess is the only thing keeping her from repeating all her mama’s mistakes is your money. Otherwise, she’d be a two-dollar whore selling her body for heroin, too.”

At that point, I didn’t have a clue who anyone was paying attention to. Coby jumped in front of Gage, and my gaze fell to the floor as tears flowed. It didn’t matter how hard I’d worked to put myself through college, or the lengths I went to in order to stay on a different path than the one I was born to. People would see me the way they wanted, and I couldn’t change their minds or the lies and hate they spread. And maybe part of what she’d said was right. Gage’s money had kept me from a very different life, not because he’d handed it out and lined my bank account, but through it, I’d found Granny.

I sat back down and did my best to hide my shame and embarrassment while all hell broke loose in front of me. I was helpless to stop any of it. And suddenly, the place went quiet.

“Get the hell out of my house!”

I’d never heard Ellie raise her voice much less yell. And when I dared to peek through my wet lashes, my eyes burned with the mascara running into them. But Coby and three other guys surrounded Gage, and Ellie stood nose to nose with Melissa Mills.

“I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re not going to deal with it here.” Ellie didn’t back down. She didn’t move an inch. She held her ground until Missy rolled her eyes.

“Whatever, Ellie. Just remember, you lie down with dogs, and you’ll get up with fleas. And that girl is infested.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and grabbed my aunt by the arm to leave.

With the entire room focused on Missy’s dramatic exit, I took the opportunity to excuse myself and slip down the hall. The first door I came to was Corinne’s, and I hoped she wouldn’t mind me borrowing it for a bit. The only good part about the scene out there was that none of the kids had witnessed my bloodbath. My humiliation was reserved solely for Gage’s teammates and their spouses.

There weren’t many options for places to sit, so I took one of the tiny chairs at the little table where Corinne and I normally shared tea. I pulled it out, and just before I sat down, I grabbed the googly-eyed glasses that Corinne promised made me invisible. If ever I needed a child’s magical imagination, now was the time. I didn’t have a clue how to get out of here without being seen, and even if I managed it, I couldn’t walk home. My cell phone and purse were in my car parked next door…and Gage had the keys.

Sitting in a chair made for a toddler when I was more than eight months pregnant was a mistake. Even if I’d wanted to get up, it wouldn’t be possible. As the house quieted down, a headful of chestnut curls came bopping into the room. Corinne was startled by my presence, but once she saw the glasses, she pretended like she hadn’t seen me. She tiptoed to her closet, quiet as a mouse, and opened the door. She’d disappeared, although things flying past the door gave away her whereabouts. When she emerged, she glanced at the mess on the floor and set what was in her hands aside to get down on her belly, arms wide open, and propel herself like a bulldozer to push everything she’d tossed out back inside.

She grabbed the red feather boa she’d scrounged around for and then stood on the balls of her feet to reach the plastic glasses with swirls on the lenses. She put them on, and just as I thought she was about to join me for one of her notorious chats, she wrapped the feathers around my shoulders.

“Age is scawed cause he can’t fine you. He’wl see da feadews, but he use da gwasses so you can hide togefer.” She patted my hand. “Done worwy, Eighty. He make it bedda. Pwomise.” Corinne pulled the glasses off and left them on the table before she ran out of the room. Somehow, in her little three-year-old mind, even if I was invisible, the boa wasn’t. And she’d left a trail for Gage to follow.

There was no point in trying to stop her; hell, I couldn’t get up if I wanted to. I sure as crap wasn’t interested in dealing with any lingering guests. A few minutes later, I heard voices coming down the hall. I was sure I looked like a fool sitting on a chair that was ten inches off the ground with dress-up accessories adorning my shoulders and glasses that’s springs had seen better days, but I just didn’t care.

I looked up when a figure stood in the doorway. Gage loomed just feet away, and Corinne clutched his hand. His tone was a dead giveaway that he struggled to stay in the character she loved so much, but he did it just the same.

“Good thinking with the feathers, kiddo. I’ll grab the glasses so I can make sure she’s okay.”

“Age?” She pulled on his hand and stared up the length of his body.

He never took his eyes off mine as he spoke to Corinne. “Yeah, Rinny?”

“I tinks Eighty is scawed, too.”

“I bet you’re right. You did an awesome job coming to find me. Can you be a big girl and go help your mama?”

She nodded and glanced my direction. Corinne held up her tiny hand and waved at me like she was hurt that I was sad, but she did the only thing she knew to fix it…and she was worried it wasn’t enough. I wiggled my fingers back to ease her mind.

As soon as she left his side, he stepped into the room, closed the door behind him, and sat on the edge of Corinne’s bed. Seeing it now, I realized it would have been a much better choice than the tea table. Gage held his hand out, and I removed my glasses and the boa before I took it. There was no point in hiding the mess my face was in—it wasn’t any better off than my heart.

“I’m sorry, Katie.” He spoke the words to the side of my head after he pulled me into his lap—which was no measly feat.

“For what?”

“Ellie didn’t know. And you’ve never said anything to me. Neither one of us had any idea there was that kind of bad blood between Missy and you. Ellie meant well.”

I nodded. I wasn’t upset with either one of them. “You guys didn’t have any way of knowing.”

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. “Do I want to know what all that was about?” Gage pressed a kiss to the top of my head and waited.

I shrugged as much as I was able to with his arms like a vise around my body. “Nothing to tell really. My mom was always the black sheep of the family. When my dad bailed, and she started doing drugs and stuff, they assumed I did them, too. It never mattered what I did to prove them wrong; nothing changed their minds. Then when I was arrested for prostitution, it solidified what they’d believed all along. There hasn’t been contact since.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t tell me all this when she found out you worked with Granny.”

“She never knew about the drug stuff with the hospital. And at the point you two started dating, I hadn’t spoken to her or anyone else in my family in years. There was very little contact even before all that happened.”

“I’ve never seen her act like that. I think Ellie was totally thrown off, too.”

“Funny how different someone can be depending on who they’re performing for, huh? That’s the only version of her I’ve ever known. She’s treated me like I was scum since we were kids.”

Neither one of us knew what else to say. Gage had no idea he’d taken on this kind of baggage when he fell into bed with me thirty-five weeks ago, and now it seemed he’d face this the rest of his life with me in the picture.

“I’m sorry all of your friends witnessed that. I really had hoped to fit in. Guess that got shot to shit, huh?” I let out a short huff through my nose.

Gage pulled back and released his hold on me enough to see my face. “My friends never liked Missy. The only person who’d remained cordial to her was Coby, and that was because Ellie was close to her. If anything, they now love you because they hate her so much. And Mark told me right before he left that this was the one time it would have been acceptable to hit a woman.”

“Don’t you have a game to get to?” If everyone else had already gone, he was playing with fire sitting here with me. “I don’t want you to get benched or fined or in trouble and have to add that guilt to this shit day.”

“I’m not leaving until I know you’re okay.” His eyes searched mine, and he tucked a stray chunk of hair behind my ear. “And I’d prefer it if you came with me.”

I pushed myself off his lap, stomach first with a pronounced arch in my spine. “I’ll be fine. I just want to go home…as long as you’re going to be there tonight.” It was pathetic, but I needed reassurance Gage wasn’t going to run at the last minute. We’d made it this far, and I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing it through together.

That was utter horseshit. It didn’t have a damn thing to do with being a single mom. I just needed him around and couldn’t bear the idea of losing him…especially not at the hands of Melissa Mills.

“Promise. Sure I can’t talk you into coming to the game?”

I shook my head. “You think Ellie would mind taking me home?”

“Nah, I know she wants to make sure you two are cool.”

Gage laced his fingers through mine and led me down the hall. Ellie looked as bad as I did, and I couldn’t even think about her house and yard. I glanced around and groaned. Even dead on my feet, I wouldn’t leave her with this mess to clean up.

“Don’t worry, people are coming to take care of it. All you need to do is go home and get some rest. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Kay.” I bit my lip, and he saw the worry on my face.

With a smirk on his mouth and a hint of mischief in his eyes, he whispered in my ear, “I promise, I’ll spend all night making you forget today ever happened.”