CHAPTER 20
Dallas
Paige and I are sitting together, wrapped under a blanket. I’d like to say that I am busy doing naughty things to her, but Catherine and Mikey are beside us and my parents are one row behind us. We’re in my theater room, watching an old rom-com that I can’t remember the name of, but it stars some dude with a British accent who makes all the ladies sigh. Romanov or something like that is his last name.
“You need anything? More popcorn?” I ask Paige.
She shakes her head. “I’m so stuffed that I’m pretty sure Layton will have to grease me so I can get through the door.”
“You can always stay here.”
“Not with your family here.”
“I have a six-bedroom house, bright eyes. Take your pick.”
She gives me an odd look. “Your house is that big?”
“You’ve been here often enough to have noticed how big my house is.”
“I’d say you’re right, but someone has constantly distracted me with all his other big stuff.”
Oh, yeah. I like where this is heading. “You’re the one demanding I give you the big stuff.” I raise the tenor of my voice. “Oh, Dallas, give it to me. Give it to me hard. Spank my ass.” Paige’s eyes grow so round that I start snickering. Her mouth starts opening and closing like a fish gasping. “You know you do. Don’t act so innocent.”
“That is not funny. I can’t believe you’re saying this in front of everyone.”
“They can’t hear me,” I insist.
“Shh,” Mikey says. “We’re. Watching a-a movie.”
“Sorry,” Paige whispers and mimes zipping her lips.
“Not you, Paige,” Catherine says. “Dallas has to hush up about his big stuff.”
I almost choke on my drink and Paige buries her face in my chest, groaning.
“I forgot about her bat hearing. Sorry.” I kiss the top of her head. “Let’s go in the living room so we can talk.”
Paige bolts out of there like I’ve set her ass on fire. I take my time and gather our stuff so I can put away the trash and recycling.
“Is it time for Paige to head home?” Mom asks as I move past their row. “I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“She’s not leaving yet. I told her she could pick one of the guest rooms if she wanted to stay longer.”
“That’s nice of you, son,” Dad says, his mouth twitching. “But don’t change things on our account.”
“Trust me, I’m not the one who… Never mind.” No way will I embarrass Paige by finishing that sentence. “Enjoy the movie.”
It takes me about ten seconds to put everything away and find Paige. She’s sitting on the sofa, her legs curled up to one side as she plays on her phone.
“Texting Layton to come save you?” I ask, joining her. I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. I liked sitting there in the dark with her. Just sitting with her head on my chest while we watched a movie that made me want to tear out my eyeballs was almost as good as sex.
Almost.
“No. I was checking out my schedule for next week.” She smiles and puts her phone down. “I have off next Friday and Saturday. Nolan must really love that sweatshirt or he’s hired more staff.”
“Don’t you need the hours?” I ask.
“Not really.” She shakes her head. “Um… so there’s something I haven’t shared with you.”
I glance at her. Red paints her cheeks. “And that would be?”
“Remember me sharing about my mom’s seven marriages?”
I nod.
“Well, one of those times was to a major league baseball player who went on to actually own the Texas Stars. The owner is my dad. When he found out I was his daughter, he… um… set up an account for me so I could have a better adult life than I did as a kid without him or his money. I don’t live off of it but it’s there for me to use when I need it, like the safety net I never had growing up.
“It’s not a secret and he didn’t ask me to keep it a secret, but we really don’t talk that much. He has another family—not that I blame him for moving on. My mom separated from him once he made it in the league. It’s her thing,” she adds, her shoulders drooping.
For a moment, I don’t say anything, because I don’t know what the hell to say. What I should ask, or not ask… Shit, I’ve never been in a situation like this before. “Her thing?” I ask, banking that talking about her mother instead of an absentee father is safer territory.
“Did you ever watch Bull Durham?”
“The question is how often do I watch Bull Durham.”
“Then you know Susan Sarandon’s character basically thinks it’s her job to help those boys find their way in baseball. That’s my mom—not Susan, but the character is almost identical to my mom in every way.”
“Fuck, bright eyes. I don’t what to say.”
She shrugs and looks away from me, but not before I spy how watery her eyes have gotten. “Most people don’t, so I don’t share it that often. Sorry to unload all this on you now, but being with a normal family made me think about my lack of one.”
“Don’t apologize for something—hold up. You think my family is normal?”
“Very normal. Mom, Dad, two kids… football and s’mores.”
“You didn’t happen to notice that my brother’s face looks like it’s been through a meat grinder, he talks really slow, or that he uses a wheelchair?” I ask incredulously. While I didn’t expect Paige to be a jerk or stare at Mikey like he was a freak show because of his scars and deformed face, I sure as fuck didn’t dream she’d call any of us normal. “Mikey is the reason my foundation even exists. The first time Mikey was diagnosed with leukemia, he was a sophomore in high school and I was in sixth grade.”
“The first time?”
I swallow hard, hating all the memories that come rushing back. All the crying, praying, and wondering if my brother would live to see the next hour, much less the next day, but I remind myself that he’s sitting in the theater room, Catherine at his side.
“It came back three more times, each prognosis worse than the last… My parents couldn’t afford the medical bills, or the gas to John Hopkins, until some private organizations got wind of what was going on and made the burden go away.
“But wouldn’t you know it, as soon as Mikey got the all-clear that he was in remission, his car got T-boned by a drunk driver. Mikey was on the way home to celebrate with his wife, and he never saw it coming. It’s a fucking miracle he’s alive. They had to cut him out… I wasn’t there. I… well, I was doing my job, you know? But as soon as I got the call, I flew back on the first flight home.” I blow out a shaky breath and wipe my hands on my thighs. “That’s when I decided to start taking life a little more seriously. Stopped pushing my luck between my last drink and when I drove home. Started pushing my foundation more.”
“Oh, Dallas, I’m so, so sorry.” Sincerity glows in her pretty blue eyes, and it makes me feel both uncomfortable and comforted because I don’t do well with pity. Except she doesn’t pity my brother or my family. She thinks we’re normal.
“Lookit, I didn’t mean to insult you and spill my guts. You just took me by surprise with the normal label.”
“Two parents who actually know of your existence and stick around to raise you—that’s my definition of normal.” Hurt shines in her gaze. “I had half a parent and Finley raising me. I helped raise Bond. My mother is a kind and loving person, but she has serious issues that she refuses to address with therapy. But I’m not her, and I refuse to be her.”
She adds with a soft smile, “But you can spill your guts to me anytime you want.”
Other than taking her in my arms or to bed, I can’t do anything to make Paige feel better. Maybe that’s not my job. Maybe it’s only times like this that she feels bad.
But I have to do something. I’m the clown of the family.
“I don’t know… fucking my brains out to help me improve my game seems like a good deed.”
She gives me a ‘you are out of your mind’ look.
“Too soon?”
“Too everything.” Looping her arms around my neck, she leans up to kiss me. “Too you, but I like it.”
“I thought it was a very romantic moment for us.”
“Fucking your brains out is romantic?”
“Sure it is. How about this—next time you want to ride me like the goddess you are, I’ll put on a wet shirt first and you can pretend I’m that pansy-assed Darcy who makes you have to change your panties.”
“He’s not a—you know who he is?”
I grin. “I asked around. Figured I could do you a solid some time, and we can watch every version of Pride and Prejudice that you want.”
She sighs thickly and smiles. “Now that’s romantic.”
“So romantic you’ll consider using next weekend’s time off to go to Miami with me?”
“Dallas, I told you—”
“Not for a game. For bye week. I have off and want to go someplace where I can get you in a bikini, since our first trip to the Keyes was cancelled,” I explain, even as irritation rises like acid in my throat.
“That does sound fun, but what if—”
“We’re going to a private house. No press, but I can’t help what anyone else puts on social media.”
“How many people are going to be there?”
“A few teammates. The place is huge. Some socialite who Aiden knows is letting us use it.”
“Aiden will be there?”
“Yes.”
She makes a face. “Goody.”
“I’ll beat him up if you want, but I’d planned on staying in our room, in your sweet pussy, for most of the time.”
“I like your plan a lot.” She licks my lower lip, and I nip at hers. “Also, don’t worry about beating him up. I’ll pretend he’s not there.”
Red clouds my vision. “Did he hurt you?”
“Nope. But he might be on my shit list soon for potentially hurting my best friend.”
“Okay, I’m confused. I thought this was about Finley, then you, and now you’re telling me Layton is involved?”
“Layton heard from the biggest gossip in our old town that Joe is cheating on her, so she’s asked Aiden to help her. He agreed.”
That doesn’t sound like something to merit a shit-list status. “And that’s bad because…?”
“If Joe is found to be cheating, then Aiden says he wants one night with Layton in payment.”
Layton is a grown woman who can make up her own mind, but since Paige is worried, that makes me worry as well. “Tell you what, bright eyes. He fucks with her, in any way, you tell me, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.” She kisses me again and it turns deeper, frantic, until her hands are in my hair and her fingernails are scratching at me. I shove my hand down the front of her jeggings, as she informed me they were called, easily pushing her panties to one side. She’s wet and spreads her thighs, willing and wanting my touch.
“Need to come, baby? I can help you out.” My fingers glide through her wet pussy as I find her clit.
“What about your family?”
“Guess you’ll have to be quick.”
“What about you?” she gasps as I hit a sweet spot.
“I’ll finger fuck you as fast and as hard as I can.” Then I make good on both fronts. And when she comes, I cover her mouth with my free hand while she moans my name around it.
Music to my ears.