Shutout, page 21
The doc said it’d take some time, I’ve been going to physical therapy to regain my muscle mass since being down for a few weeks.
Shit is fucking aggravating as all hell that I can’t fuck my girl more than once every few hours and the fact that I can’t take care of her as much as I want to. I’m half dead at the end of the night while she’s busy on the laptop wanting to work and make as much money as possible for our future and the baby.
“That’s for touching my girl,” I seize. “Without permission. Touch her again and I’ll fucking break both your legs.”
“I oughta beat your fucking ass right the hell now,” Gavin leers, taking a step toward me.
I reach behind the wall, snatching the Louisville Slugger I came with in case Gavin wanted to throw down. It’s not my most prideful moment, but I’m not that big of a dumbass to know that I won’t win a boxing match with him right now, and any blows to my head might send me packing right back to the hospital.
Where Sawyer will murder me if I end up back in a coma.
“Take a step, old buddy,” I taunt. “I’ve been wanting to smash your head in with a baseball bat for years.”
“So you want me to just, what, leave her to be with you?”
“Yeah, motherfucker,” Ben chimes in from behind him. “Or I’ll be next in line to fully beat your head in.”
Gavin twirls around to see Ben walk through the front door, right on time.
“You of all people don’t scare me, Bennie Boy.”
“Then you must not have seen me very mad,” he retorts.
Ben comes along to stand at my side, and I grip the bat tighter because I just want to follow through with my threat and end him.
“I heard what you said,” Gavin conveys, adjusting his jaw. “She’s pregnant with your kid and shit.”
“And shit. She’s fucking mine, Sheston. I hear or see you fucking around with her and I won’t be so lenient.”
He perks a brow. “Anything else?”
“Yeah,” Ben chimes in. “Get the fuck out of town, why the fuck are you even still here anyway?”
“I was born here,” Gavin alludes. “Same as you.”
“I can’t run your ass out of town,” I state. “But I can make your life a living hell if you don’t stay away from us.”
“I got your so-called threats,” Gavin fumes.
“You sure? You were a little slow in high—” Ben’s hand lands on my shoulder.
“He got it.” Ben jerks his head to the door. “Let me show you out.”
Gavin makes sure to give me one more scowl before turning on his heel and swinging the door open to leave.
Ben follows, peeking his head through the door before saying, “You better get her out of there before she kills you.”
Right.
Striding for the bedroom, I inhale a deep breath before unlocking the door and whipping it open to a very pissed off and exasperated fiancé. Her chest draws air in and out with sharp breaths while glaring at me as if she’s going to scratch my eyes out.
“You,” she growls, pointing her index fingers at me.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I needed to do it.”
She looks me over quickly, landing on the baseball bat still in my hands. “Is he laid out on the floor of my client’s house?”
“No.”
“Where is he?”
I draw in my brows. “Don’t sound so concerned over him, Bases.”
“Where?”
“Gone.”
She takes a menacing step toward me, hands clenched at her sides and eyes glazed over in a smoldering look of all types of pissed off.
“You just screwed me bent over a dresser. Then you proposed to me, put a ring on my finger, just to lock me up in a fucking closet,” she berates, taking another step.
I hold up my free hand. “I know, baby, but I don’t want you around him or upset because we both know—”
“A closet, Colson.”
Shit, now I really feel bad.
“It wasn’t exactly the proposal I hoped for, I’ve had the ring in my pocket for days, I just didn’t know—”
Her finger pokes me in the chest. “Drop the bat.”
I do what she asks, letting it clink to the floor, and then she’s on me. Her lips find my mine, her tongue invading my mouth as my cock starts to harden.
“How are you going to make this up to me?” she asks, dragging my bottom lip in between her teeth. She’s not gentle, they dig into my flesh, and I try not to wince.
“Never do it again,” I reply as her hand finds my dick, rubbing it slowly through my pants. I stifle back a groan, letting her torture me through the fabric.
“And?”
“I’m sorry, Bases. You know I did it for you, and I don’t—”
“I don’t want to talk about him,” she croons, gripping me tighter. “I want a small wedding, for my husband to kiss me every morning and tell me how much he loves me. I want a walk-in closet so I can lock you in it every time you piss me off.”
I chuckle, but it’s quickly ceased when her hand grasps me again.
“Okay,” I reply, feeling all the blood leave my head. “What else?”
“I want you to call Bobbie and tell her I’m taking the rest of the day off. Then when we get there, I want you to eat me out until you pass the hell out.”
My lips quirk. “I can do that.”
I lean in to kiss her, but she averts her head. “And no kissing for the rest of the day.”
My eyes slit. “What?”
“Your punishment.” She shrugs. “Sucks to be you, Hayes.”
“Bases,” I growl. “There’s no way I’m not kissing the fuck out of you today.”
“There’s only going to be one set of lips you’re going to be kissing today,” she states with a look of indignation.
I inch closer until we’re chest to chest. “I think I can change that.”
She smiles. “Love to see you try.”
“You know I love a challenge.”
“Let’s see if you kept all that swagger since before the accident.”
“Uh huh,” I reply. “Might have gained some more.”
Her arms wrap around my neck. “Can’t wait to see.”
My mouth hovers over hers, feeling her breathing change from normal to swift. “So, you’re saying I can’t kiss you right now and I can start my punishment with going down on you right now?”
She nods, keeping her green eyes locked with mine.
My hands slide down her back until they hit her ass, giving her cheeks a soft squeeze.
“Damn, that’s gonna be hard, Bases.”
“You’ll be fine,” she breathes.
“I will be because you’re mine. I will be because Gavin is no longer a problem and won’t be because I’ll break his shit if he bothers you again. I’d do it repeatedly, Bases, having you discipline and torture me because I’d fucking do anything for you. Even if you think you can do it yourself, you won’t need to. Not anymore.”
She blinks then slowly removes her left hand from my neck, glancing down at the round diamond on her finger. My chest tightens as she twirls the white gold around her finger.
I haven’t let it fully sink in that she agreed to be my wife before I locked her ass in a closet.
“Do you still want to marry me?” I choke, watching her slim fingers play with the ring.
Her head jerks up then scans my face. “Why would you say that?”
“I just locked you up while telling your ex-boyfriend to go fuck off.”
Her lips crack in a weak smile, and she rolls her eyes. “Not shocking, to say the least.”
“I didn’t want you to face him alone. He fucking touched you while pregnant and—”
“Did Ben rat me out?”
“Yeah.”
She rolls her eyes again. “How do you think I survived without you for ten years?”
“I’d say barely.”
She scoffs. “Yeah, that’s about right.”
“I know you’re used to dealing with shit on your own but not with me around. Not with you being mine. I’d move heaven and fucking Earth for you, just tell me where to put it.”
She smiles. “I know you would. Which means I should probably tell you about Easton.”
My brows furrow. “What about him?”
“I spoke with Annabelle, told her I didn’t want all of us to be awkward and tense. That I wanted to speak with her about sharing custody and holidays so that Easton knew his dad. She agreed.”
“How did you get her...you texted my—”
“Baby Mama? Your ex-girlfriend?”
I frown. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“But she is, and it is what it is. But I won’t let that stand in the way because, in the end, I won anyway.”
Now I scoff. “Yeah, well, don’t get a big head over it.”
“Didn’t you say you were mine?”
“I am.”
“Good, then that means this works both ways. You don’t have to deal with this alone. I want to know your son. I want you to know your son. We’ll make it work.”
I wrap my arms tighter around her middle. “Yeah, we’ll make it work.”
“She’s coming back down next week to bring Easton to see you.”
My eyes practically bulge out of my head. “She is?”
“She is. And she wants Easton to know his brother or sister.”
I bow my head closer to her. “I want to fucking kiss you right now.”
“Too bad you’re on a time-out.”
“Bases,” I growl, my fingers pressing into the small of her back.
She beams, wide and fucking perfect. The most beautiful woman in the world, the one who owns my heart and soul is finally fucking mine.
“I guess we can start it tomorrow,” she alludes, standing on her tiptoes to brush her nose against mine.
“And forever after that.”
I press my lips to hers, getting the same tingling feeling that exalts from my body every time she touches me.
I’ll never get enough of Sawyer fucking Boyd. Not in this lifetime or the next. No one in this world will ever get to me the way she does and how possessive and selfish I am when it comes to her.
Because forever will never be enough.
“You got this, buddy! Just keep your eye on the ball!” Colson’s voice booms next to me as he holds my hand, his other laces within the chain-linked fence.
We watch Easton stand over home plate, bat hovered over his shoulder, perfectly set for his next pitch.
Instead of saying something back to Colson, he gives his dad a thumbs-up as he positions his hand on the bat, eyeing the pitcher like a pro. He’s as prideful as Colson, accepts the compliments but keeps his cool while he’s playing the game. Something my husband should know about but acts like one of the crazy people in the stands with their poster boards and blow horns.
“He already knows, Daddy,” Cal whines on the other side of Colson, his fingers laced in the fence as well as he watches his older brother.
Colson chuckles. “My bad, Son. I’m just reminding him.”
“Easton is the best,” Cal retorts. “He’s gonna teach me to pitch.”
Colson looks down at him. “What about me? I was a pitcher, you know?”
“I know, but East promised to teach me a trick.”
“What’s that?”
Cal looks up at Colson, the same dark hair but my green eyes. “I can’t tell you.”
I laugh, retrieving Colson’s attention as he wrinkles his nose at me. He wants to teach the boys all his secrets, to make them the best baseball players in Freemont. But the boys have a bond so strong that they like to play together while leaving Colson to coach and watch, making him a tad bit jealous.
“I’m still the damn coach of Freemont High, I don’t know why they don’t want my help.”
“Because they like surprising you when they do things you didn’t show them,” I reply. “They have a lot of pride, wonder where they get that from.” He rolls his eyes. “See.”
“Daddy,” Cal chimes. “The ump called a strike when it wasn’t.”
Colson lowers himself on his haunches to get on Cal’s level. “And how would you know that at your angle?”
“Because it was below his knees.”
Colson holds up a hand. “High five.”
They smack hands together as they continue to watch Easton dig his cleats into the dirt. Easton is the strong, mellow type, smart as a whip with a temper that flares like his father at eight years old. Cal is more like me, easy-going, talkative, takes things in stride. The boys balance each other out, when Easton gets mad, Cal settles him down. When Cal gets discouraged, Easton picks him up.
They get along more than I ever could’ve hoped.
Annabelle moved to Texas and started her own law firm. Easton gets to stay with us during the school year, goes home every other weekend, and spends half the summer with her. She wasn’t happy about it at first, but when her career took off, it was either paying for a babysitter or having us just take him. She does come up often, stays in the guest room that we made up for her, but recently, she’s been seeing someone, so she’s stayed at a hotel with him.
About two years ago, she got her heart transplant and is healthy as a whistle. I can’t say that I’m anything but happy for her. We’ve been getting along, she’ll text me once in a while to check in and see how everyone is doing. We’re not best friends, but we’re not full-blown enemies either. She even offered to take Cal for a few weeks in the summer so the boys aren’t separated the whole time.
“Cal Hayes,” their coach calls out from the dugout. “You’re up!”
I watch our little boy turn his head toward Colson, fear laced in his eyes.
“You got this, Cal,” Colson states, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about anyone else.”
Tears gloss his eyes, and I step forward, leaning over to align with his face. “Your brother is out there about to hit that ball into right field.”
Cal glances over his shoulder toward Easton and looks back at me. “How do you know?”
“He shifted his footing, his toes are pointed at an angle. But see you’re the special weapon, wanna know why?” He nods like a bobblehead, which gets me to smile. “You’re a switch hitter. You can hit with your right or left hand so no one knows where you’re gonna place that ball. They’re scared of you.”
“They are?” he asks, looking at Colson.
He nods. “Yep. I couldn’t do that.”
“I couldn’t either,” I add.
“I used to hate pitching against switch hitters,” Colson states. “Never knew where to place the ball.”
Cal averts his gaze. “Yeah, I can be a secret weapon. I’m a secret weapon!”
“Shhhh…” I chuckle, hovering my index finger over my lips. “It’s a secret.”
“Right,” he whispers. “A secret.”
Colson places his hands on his small shoulder and turns him around. “Go on and shake that pitcher up.”
Cal practically skips into the dugout, head held high, when his brother cracks the ball, sending it into the outfield.
Colson straightens, yelling and clapping as Easton makes it to second base with no problem.
Leaning against the fence again, Colson stands behind me, both of his arms blocking me in.
“How we doing, baby?” he whispers in my ear then presses a soft kiss above the crook of my neck.
I smile. “Doing good.”
“Am I doing good?”
I lean into his chest. “Yes, babe, you’re not turning into one of the town’s baseball groupies, so you’re doing good.”
“That spot is already taken, I can only be obsessed with so many things.”
I chuckle. “Mhm, so you’ve said.” Colson lowers his mouth to lick and press his lips along my carotid artery.
“Need me to show you, Bases?” He presses his semi-hard cock into my ass and sucks on my neck. “I’ve been craving you like a bad high all day.”
My cheekbones raise. “Now I know I’ve heard that one before.”
He chuckles, deep and low in his chest. Something that he’s done more and more as the years have gone on.
When we had Cal, he became a new man. He was home before dark, made a point to play with Cal and change his amount of diapers. He’d call Annabelle to see when she had her appointments so he could fly Easton home so she had time to get what she needed done. Now that we have both boys, he’s full, happier, and sometimes besides himself. He’ll pull me aside to tell me how much he loves me, how he couldn’t imagine life without me.
And I’d have to agree how blessed we are. How we get to experience our boys playing on the same exact field where we fought, practiced, and fell in love. Who knew that he’d be the one I got so close to. That Colson was the one who stole my heart, and I love him more and more with everything we go through.
“I have a secret,” I murmur as he continues to nustle his face into my neck.
“What’s that?”
“Remember how we’re having another baby?”
He scoffs. “I definitely remember that we’re having another baby and remember when we conceived the baby.”
“I found out what we’re having.” He halts, turning me around by my waist to face him.
“A girl?” His face looks half terrified, half elated.
“And a boy.”
“Huh?”
My mouth twists. “Twins, Hayes. We’re having twins.”
“A boy and a girl?”
“Yes.” I’m lifted off the ground as Colson twirls me around once in his arms, laughing and cheering when the whole field is quiet.
I look over to see the pitcher on the field and Cal standing at home plate, curious at what the hell his dad is hollering at.
“You’re having a brother and a sister,” Colson yells to our kids. The crowd hoots and shouts in excitement, fueling Colson’s happiness.
Placing me on the ground, my back hits the fence while he lowers himself to meet my face.
“I’m so fucking lucky to have met you right here,” he alludes. “Who would’ve thought we’d be standing here, with you being completely mine, with our kids.”
“Holy shit, I know,” I laugh.
