Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (38 page)

“What else, Leen?” I ask, knowing there’s more. Arlene is a man hater and she approves of no male ever. Well, no man other than Rodney, but I think that’s because he reminds her of her son. Her first husband died in a car accident and her second husband almost beat her to death. Ever since she recovered from his last beating fifteen years ago and moved cross country, she started this shelter and has been recruiting members for her Man Hater Club.

She nods toward the corner of the room and I see a brand new commercial dishwasher. Arlene grins proudly and I shake my head, laughing. “He bought you a new dishwasher?”

“He sure did!” Arlene exclaims and lets out a loud whoop. She pulls me over to show me the new machine and rattles off the highlights of her new baby like I do my Corvette. When she has finally told me every possible detail of the high-powered dishwasher, she turns to me. “But honey, that’s not why I approve. I saw how he was with you. It’s something you’ve never experienced before, is it?”

I lean against the counter and nod. He’s exactly
nothing
like I’ve ever experienced before which is a good thing.

“He has no clue about Asher, does he?”

The heat returns to my cheeks and I try to talk my way out of it. “He knows he’s my ex, they actually used to play baseball together in college, but no, he doesn’t know anything else. There’s no need for him to.”

Arlene throws her hands up. “Baby girl, of course he needs to know! You have not fully broken free from Asher. He still has power over you, Mia. It’s time you cut ties with him and let Tate protect you!”

I stand up and walk back to the counter I was cleaning, hoping to drop the topic. Arlene doesn’t let it go so easy, not that I’m surprised. “Mia, I still remember the night you showed up on the doorsteps here. I couldn’t even see your beautiful face or understand a word you said. It took us three days to figure out who you were. Asher is serious business and if you plan on taking your relationship with Tate any further, he needs to know the truth…all of it.” Her eyes narrow and lock on mine, letting me know she’s serious.

“The less Tate knows, the better. I can handle Asher, things have been a lot better since the divorce,” I say, trying to convince not just Arlene, but myself that it’s the truth.

Arlene’s hands move to her hips. “Better, huh? Is that what you call it?”

I swallow hard and turn to Arlene. “Tate has a son.”

“Oh dear Lord,” Arlene mutters and wraps her arms around me. “Honey, you better leave him now or tell him the truth. If you don’t, I will.”

Resting my head on her shoulder, tears fall down my cheeks and I know she’s right. I have to protect Toby.

CHAPTER 20

Mia

Bills, fliers, bank statement. I pause as I browse through my mail when I get to this one. Tearing open the envelope, I quickly skim the bank statement and smile. Only a few more months and I’ll have enough money to tell Asher to take our business and be done with him for good.

Our divorce was messy and the aftermath even messier. He refused to let me drop his names off any of our bank accounts and he set limits on how much I could withdraw at a time, making it impossible to be able to survive financially without his help. Since he’s in charge of our payroll, he only deposits my paycheck into the accounts with his name on them. Every week, I withdraw as much money as I can without him noticing. I’ve been stockpiling it in a secret account over the last couple years so that I could finally break free from him once and for all. I knew he’d never go for the offer I’d presented him so I had to have a back-up plan.

I toss the mail on the kitchen table at my place. Other than to grab some clothes after work, I haven’t been here in a week and surprisingly, I don’t miss it. Is it odd that suddenly home is where Tate is? I shake my head at the thought and take a quick shower, trying not to dwell on what that means.

Wrapped in a towel, I dig through my swimsuit drawer trying to find a suit that’s family appropriate. I settle on a peach and white striped bikini that is about as modest as I own. Luckily, it covers everything it needs to and nothing will easily fall out. Throwing on a Tiffany blue cover-up with loose arms and a scoop neck, I tie the belt around my midsection then gather my hair into a high ponytail. A quick dab of lip gloss and blush and I’m ready to meet Tate’s family…I think.

I toss a few items into my beach bag then grab my keys and walk outside. There, leaning against my ‘Vette is
him
. I sigh and try not to roll my eyes, knowing he hates when I do that. Clicking the key fob, I walk toward the car, trying to let him see I’m in a hurry.

“Where’s my Amelia headed?”

With my back to him as I open the door and throw in my bag, I roll my eyes, knowing he can’t see me. Then I turn to him with a smile. “To the beach and I’m late.” Asher holds my car door open for me as I wait to get in, wondering why he’s here.

His eyes roam up and down my body and I shift uncomfortably. Stepping around the door, he positions himself directly in front of me. His hand possessively moves to my head and he pulls softly on my ponytail. “I’ve missed you, Amelia.”

Not moving, knowing I’ll wake the beast inside of him if I push him away, I sigh. “You see me every day at the office.”

His eyes narrow in on mine. “You know what I mean, sweetheart. It’s been a few months since we’ve had a date night.”

“Date nights” was another one of Asher’s stipulations for the divorce. We were supposed to go on a date night once a month to try and “rekindle” our relationship. The first few months after the divorce, Asher was so sweet and romantic, carefully taking the time to plan them out each month. When we picnicked at a waterfall and he fed me strawberries, I started to second guess ending our marriage. Then the date nights stopped as he found more women to sleep with and the dates only occurred when it was convenient for him.

“There’s a reason those ended,” I say boldly.

His grip on my hair gets tighter and my head is pulled back slightly. “I don’t know what you’re trying to imply. I’ve been busy with work.”

Time to play nice or buck up. I don’t have time for a fight right now, especially not with Tate’s family waiting for me. So I nod and agree with him. “I know you’ve been working really hard, Ash. I appreciate that; everyone at the office does.”

It’s a total lie though. Asher was a workaholic when we started this business and he still brings in the clients, but the rest of our staff and I have to do all the follow-through and hard work. He leans on me to pull us through financially and only shows clients houses when it’s someone he wants to meet. If only I could just control my own funds. Our business doesn’t need him and I sure as hell don’t either.

“Clear your schedule and let’s do dinner Wednesday,” he says in a sickeningly sweet voice but I know it’s a demand, not an option.

Thinking fast, I shake my head. “I can’t. I’m showing new clients around and they need to put a contract in before they leave town.”

He sighs and steps to me, pinning me to the car. “Fine, I’m traveling for a couple weeks, but let me know when you’re available…sooner rather than later.”

I nod and he pulls my hair again. His other hand moves up the back of my thigh and rises to my swimsuit. His finger runs inside the suit and he grins at me. “I need my Amelia fix.”

My stomach sinks. I can’t sleep with Asher, but that’s what he’s expecting. Our date nights always ended with one of us staying over at the other’s. Asher was always on his best behavior and I rewarded him for that. But now there’s Tate and I
cannot
tell Asher about him. My mind races as I wonder how am I going to get out of this.

Tate

Is it possible to wear a hole through granite? Because that’s exactly what Mia’s about to do. Her arm moves quickly back and forth as she scrubs the kitchen counter with a sponge. My hand covers hers as I move behind her and press my hips against her body. My lips graze over her neck and that mesmerizing scent of hers fills my nose.

“Mia…stop. The counter is clean, you’ve scrubbed it four times now.”

She sighs and her body relaxes against mine. “I just want to make sure everything is clean before they get here.”

I playfully bite her ear. “It’s more than clean. You’re just doing this now to calm your nerves.” I spin her around to face me and grin as my hands find their way under her sexy swimsuit cover. I love that she’s trying to be conservative, but it doesn’t matter, I can’t keep my hands off her. “I can help you relax some other way if you’d like.”

She glances at the clock and I smile as she considers my offer. With a quick peck, she pushes me away. “Your parents will be here any minute.”

I shrug and grab the sponge away from her. “Fine, but no more of this. Got it?”

She laughs and I take her hand, leading us to the deck. I grab us each a beer and sit beside Mia who has her feet dangling in the pool. I move my arm around her shoulders. “Babe, please relax. Everything will be fine.”

She nods and starts to open her mouth like she’s going to say something. At the same time, I hear the doorbell ring. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, I stand up and walk to the front door.

I can already hear Toby chattering away on the other side of the door. He’s been begging to come to the beach ever since I moved out here. Swinging open the door, my spiky-haired four-year-old looks up at me with his big blue eyes and squeals, “DAAAAAADDDD!!!”

Laughing, I bend down and scoop him up in my arms, holding him tightly against my chest. He wraps his arms around my neck and does the same thing. The familiar smell of Pop-Tarts hit me and I pull him back to see his face. “Pop-Tarts on the plane?”

Toby grins proudly while my mom nods. “You know that boy is addicted to them, just like you were at his age. And of course, it has to be strawberry, no frosting.”

I look at Toby and smile. I ball my hand into a fist and hold it up to him. “Good choice. Pound it, buddy.”

Toby makes a fist and hits it against mine. When our hands touch, we both open our palms wide and make an explosion noise while I tickle him and he laughs hysterically.
God, I’ve missed this kid!

Moving out of the way, I let my parents walk through the door, shaking my dad’s hand and giving my mom a kiss on the cheek. I nod toward the back deck. “Mia’s here and she’s really nervous.” I catch my parents as they exchange a look, a smile on both of their faces. “What?”

I set Toby down in the kitchen and my dad squeezes my shoulder as he laughs. “You’ve never introduced us to a girl before so we’re very interested to meet her.”

My mom nods. “Yes, honey, we want to know why she’s different than all the other women.”

Toby beelines for the fridge. I open the door and his grin widens at the sight of Gogurts and Capri Suns. I’ll have to thank Mia for that later. He hands me a juice and I open it for him. He pats my leg in appreciation as I shake my head. “Geez, Mom, you make it sound like there’s been so many.”

My dad shrugs. “Well, son, there have been a few… ”

Dragging my hands down my face as my cheeks heat up, I beg, “Please don’t say shit like that in front of Mia.”

“Tate James, watch your language in front of your son!” my mother scolds me.

Toby takes a break from his juice and looks at me. “Yeah Dad, you’re not supposed to say shit and other bad words.”

I stifle my laughter and nod. “Got it, son. I won’t say it if you won’t. Now, why don’t you and Pop go put on your swimsuits?”

Toby’s face lights up and he squeezes the Capri Sun, juice flying everywhere but he doesn’t notice. I smile, thinking about all the cleaning Mia did and grab a towel as he races out of the room.

“So, she’s the one?” my mother asks as she stares out the kitchen window onto the deck. There’s a bit of melancholy in her voice as she speaks.

I toss the dishtowel on the counter and walk to my mother. She’s almost a foot shorter than me as I drape my arms around her shoulders. On the deck, Mia is fidgeting again, which makes me smile. My mother and I watch her fold and re-fold all of the beach towels at least three times.

“I don’t know yet, Mom, but she’s the only woman I’ve ever thought there was potential. She loves baseball, but couldn’t care less who I am. She’s independent and strong willed, yet loyal and kind at the same time. She makes me want to be a better man.”

My mom doesn’t say anything at first. The silence is killing me. Finally, she looks up at me and a smile creeps to her lips. “I like her already.”

Facing my mom, I pull her into a hug as Toby comes running into the room wearing his Ninja Turtles swim trunks. As he gets close to me, he skids to a stop, running into my legs. He tugs on my own navy striped swim trunks, which aren’t nearly as fun as his.

“Dad, can we go to the beach now? I want to build a sandcastle!”

Well, shit, I didn’t even think about buying sand toys. He takes my hand and pulls us toward the deck. My heart begins to pick up speed as I slide the door open. Mia turns to us and, despite how nervous I know she is, a smile comes over her face as she walks our direction. Toby grips my hand tighter and Mia senses his apprehensiveness. She stops at one of the lounge chairs a few feet away from us and takes a seat.