Spring Training (16 page)

Before he knew what he was doing, Garrett yanked her to him. She choked back a sob, her nails digging into his chest.

“Just a job, huh?” He gripped her ass, ground his hips against her, letting her feel how hard he was. For her and her sassy little mouth. “Does that feel like a job to you? Even pissed as hell I’m hard for you.” He nipped at her ear and she shoved him. Pushed herself away and moved for the door.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going,” he demanded.

“I’m going home.” Anguish bled from her voice. “There’s nothing left for me to do here.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Garrett. I’m sure you and my father will be very happy together.”

And there was the real reason for this entire argument.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he muttered as she opened the door. She was about to walk away from him because she was jealous. Jealous!

The best few weeks of his life reduced to this, this mess. After all the time they’d spent together, she still didn’t get it.

Anger and hurt were like acid, burning through his veins, leaving nothing but ash behind.

She’d trusted him with her body, but she didn’t trust him with her heart.

He should stop her. Tell her they could figure something out, that it wasn’t as bad as she thought. He should tell her he cared about her. Instead, he stood there.

And watched her walk away.

Chapter Eighteen

Garrett hurled his glove into the lockers, the action not near enough to satisfy the anger that had been on a slow boil the last month. He needed to kick the shit out of something. He needed to bleed. He wasn’t sure it would be enough to mask the pain in his chest, but at this point, he’d be willing to try.

He collapsed onto the bench, his arms resting on his thighs as he contemplated the floor.

How the fuck had he gotten here, to this pathetic version of himself?

Spring training was over and he was headed to New York. The house he’d rented was ready to go, his things moved up last week. His family was safe and secure, as was the farm. He’d handed his mother the deed himself, when she’d come to visit last week. He should’ve been ecstatic. One less thing for him to worry about. But none of it mattered. He still felt empty.

Jessa.

God, he missed her something fierce.

Sheer will and determination had gotten him through the last four weeks. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d dialed her number. The need to hear her voice almost overriding his fury at her misplaced jealousy and exit from his life.

They weren’t done. Garrett had seen the look in her eyes that night. Even through her tears, lust glimmered. The same driving need that tore through him whenever he’d touched her. She was responsive, always responsive, her nipples hard against his chest when he’d provoked her.

She’d been hurt, angry. But, she’d also been aroused. And he’d be the one to give her what she desired.

They weren’t done at all. They were just getting started.

It was the only thing that kept him grounded.

Friend, lover, boyfriend … husband. Garrett didn’t give a shit about labels. It was inside him. Deep. Powerful. A part of him he hadn’t known existed until Jessa.

He loved her with a force so primal, it rocked him.

In two short weeks, she’d become the first person he wanted to talk to in the morning and the last person he wanted to see at night.

And the nights were the worst. When he closed his eyes, her face haunted him. Her hungry cries rang in his ears. Their time together stuck on instant replay in his mind. He’d wake up hard and burning, his hand a poor substitute for the velvety warmth he craved. It was enough to drive a man crazy.

Garrett sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.
And she left me.

No. She’d kicked him in the proverbial nuts, blamed him for something he had no control over, and
then
left him.

He could’ve gone after her. Probably should have. He had every intention of setting her straight, making her see she was wrong about him. Again. If that didn’t work, a good, long spanking of that fine ass of hers might do the trick.

Focus, control. These were things he was familiar with. He wasn’t used to his emotions being all over the playing field. One minute, he’d wanted to forget her completely. The next, he’d wanted to blow off his job and go after her. Neither were options, leaving him aggravated and feeling helpless. More fuel for his anger.

It was a vicious cycle.

Sonofabitch! He raked his fingers through his hair and ground out a frustrated snarl.

“I see the mood is contagious. There’s a lot of that going around.” TJ’s voice drifted from behind him.

Garrett stiffened, his muscles tightening, flexing as if preparing for a fight.

Just fucking perfect.

“Sir?” Garrett eased to his feet, turning to eyeball Jessa’s dad, keeping his expression blank.

Not quite as tall as Garrett, TJ was dressed in a dark blue polo shirt, jeans, and boots. He could’ve been anybody. No fancy watch, no ten-thousand dollar suit. Nothing to indicate TJ Montgomery was worth billions. Or that he held Garrett’s future in the palm of his hands.

“Come with me.” TJ didn’t wait for an answer as he turned and walked away, leaving Garrett to catch up.

Garrett hesitated a moment, offering nothing more than a shrug to his interested teammates, before following.

They walked through the training area to the rooms at the back. TJ opened a door and peered in before motioning Garrett inside. The med room resembled the one he’d been in with Tyler over a month ago. Felt like eons.

Garrett propped his ass against the counter. He crossed and uncrossed his arms. He didn’t want to appear defensive, but damn if he didn’t want to get this over with.

TJ paced around the room, finally settling against the exam table in a stance that mirrored Garrett’s. “How you doing, son?”

Garrett offered him a passive smile. “Won the last five games. I’d say that’s pretty good. I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

“Don’t we all.” TJ pinned him with a stare. “I’m happy with your performance on the field, Garrett. I hadn’t expected any less from you. It’s not every day I personally recruit a player. You have a gift.” He sighed, his shoulders lowering the slightest bit. “But I’m not here to talk about that.”

Of course he wasn’t.

“My daughter hasn’t spoken a word to me since she left Tampa.”

Garrett held his tongue, content to let the silence surround them. If the man had something to say, he could come out with it, without Garrett’s help. TJ wasn’t the only one Jessa hadn’t talked to.

The last month had killed any guilt Garrett had over his relationship with Jessa, leaving only anger and resentment. At himself for allowing things to get this far out of control. At Jessa for not giving him a chance. At TJ for his damned rules.

If the man wanted sympathy, he’d come to the wrong clubhouse.

“I assume from that look on your face she hasn’t talked to you either.”

“Not a word,” he snapped, harsher than he’d intended.

TJ’s eyes narrowed, his scowl causing deep lines to form around his mouth. “I know you and Jessa got … close.”

Garrett adjusted the cap on his head and bit his tongue. He still didn’t know where this was going, but he figured it wouldn’t be productive to tell Jessa’s dad that he didn’t know shit. Close, his ass. He’d been buried so deep in the paradise of Jessa’s body that they’d practically been one person. Wouldn’t be productive to share that bit either.

“Feel free to speak your mind. You don’t have to hold back. I can see you’re angry. Probably hurt, too. You have the same look in your eyes that Jessa’s had every time she’s looked at me over the last month.” His expression turned sad as he shook his head. “I know my daughter, Garrett. And I know you. Why do you think I put the two of you together in the first place?”

“So, it’s true then?” Garrett’s heart picked up the pace, thrumming in his ears. The line between boss and man blurred as he saw red. He didn’t give a good goddamn who this man was. His boss, Jessa’s dad, the fucking pope. No one had the right to play with his life, with Jessa’s life. No one.

Fuck it. Let TJ trade him. He was damn good at his job. Garrett wouldn’t make it to his rental car before the offers started to pour in. He didn’t care anymore. He rubbed his shaking hands down his thighs in an effort not to wrap them around TJ’s neck.

“Relax, son, and let me explain.” His gaze implored him for understanding, but Garrett wasn’t feeling all that charitable at the moment.

“Talk.”

TJ shook his head with defeat. “I’m sure you’re aware by now that Jessa hasn’t dated much. I blame myself for that. She should’ve had a mother. Someone to give her the feminine influence girls need at a young age. Someone to encourage her and to help her understand that not all men are out to, well, you know.” He cleared his throat, his discomfort obvious in the strain on his face. “Instead, she had me. A no-nonsense kind of guy who’d rather be at the ballpark than anywhere in the world, even if that meant dragging my young, blossoming daughter all over hell’s creation to do it.”

“You’re the one who warned her away from dating ball players. Tell me, TJ, if she spent all her time in ballparks, who else was she going to meet? Her lack of maternal influence isn’t the problem.”

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes. You’ll know what I mean someday when you have a daughter. There’s no rational thought involved. You’ll want to protect her and keep her safe. You’ll want to put her in a goddamn bubble.”

Garrett didn’t need a daughter to understand it. He’d give his life for Georgia Grace. He might only be her uncle, but he could foresee a talk or two with the boys who showed interest in her.

TJ blew out a harsh breath. “I taught her to be strong and independent. But, she doesn’t trust people. Guess I taught her that, too. Lord knows I didn’t encourage her to develop relationships. I wanted her to be cautious. I didn’t want to see her hurt.”

“How’s that working out for you?”

TJ chuckled, unfazed by Garrett’s hostility. “My intentions were honorable, I assure you. My only wish was to see my daughter happy. And she wasn’t. She’d closed herself off from the world. All she did was work. So, when you came up, I thought the two of you might hit it off, being the same age and all.”

Garrett held on to his temper by the thinnest thread. “You lied to your own daughter. Used her like a fucking puppet master, guiding her where you wanted her to go. Jesus fucking Christ! To what end, TJ? Is she happy now? What makes you any better than anyone else who’s tried to use her over the years?”

Surprise filled his expression. “I’m her father.”

As if that was enough. “A father who thinks he can plan his daughter’s life!” Garrett raged.

TJ’s lips thinned. “I wasn’t trying to plan her life. I’d hoped she’d find her own way. I put the two of you on the same path, hoping you’d be friends. Jessa needs people her own age to spend time with. I trusted you’d look out for her. I didn’t anticipate what happened between the two of you.”

“You didn’t anticipate.” Garrett ripped his cap off his head and sent it hurling across the room, his curse echoing around them. “We’re young and single. Jessa is beautiful and you —”

“Whatever happened between you and Jessa was none of my doing, Garrett.”

Garrett seethed at the irony. They’d all played an intricate game, hadn’t they? TJ may have maneuvered their initial meeting, but he was right. Garrett had made the decision to go along with Jessa about keeping their relationship a secret. For him. He’d agreed in order to protect his own ass when he should’ve been protecting hers.

TJ wasn’t the only asshole in the room.

“I love my daughter, Garrett. I’d never do anything to hurt her.”

Garrett blew out a breath. “But you did hurt her, TJ. That’s the point. You hurt us both by not being honest.” The pain in Jessa’s voice was fresh in Garrett’s mind, even now. “For the record, she never distracted me. If anything, she kept me focused. How could you blame her for something that didn’t happen? Where’s the logic in that?”

“Logic doesn’t come into play when it’s your daughter, Garrett. You don’t understand. I never expected Jessa to fall in love with you. I never expected her to fall in love with anyone.”

Garrett stared at the man, incredulous. Did he even
know
his daughter? Garrett may not have a long history with Jessa, but even he saw it. Sweet and kind, full of fire and passion. His Jessa was made to love. “Then you’re a fool. And she could do worse. At least with me she’d be cherished.”

She’d be loved.

There wouldn’t be anyone else. Not for him. And as long as Garrett had breath in his lungs, no other man would touch her. Jessa belonged to him and soon, very soon, she’d know it.

“You have every right to be angry.”

“You’re damn right I do. My relationship with Jessa aside,
you
hurt her. You made her feel like I was more important to you than she is. I don’t give a shit how you treat me, but nothing, no one, is more important than Jessa.”

TJ’s back went rigid, his jaw clenched. “I accept that I didn’t handle things well, but Jessa is my daughter. She knows what she means to me.”

“Does she? No offense, but from where I stand, there seems to be some confusion.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Let me draw you a fucking map then. How many times have you taken Jessa shopping?”

“What? What does shopping have to do with anything?”

“How many times?” Garrett forced his voice to calm. “Or to get her nails done? Or any other girly thing?”

“Jessa doesn’t do those things. We spend a lot of time together. So, I don’t take her to the spa —”

“Where do you spend time with her? At a ballpark? At work? At home? And Jessa
does
do those things.”

“What are you getting at? I’ve always treated Jessa like —”

“A son?”

He scowled. “I was going to say like she was the most important thing to me.”

“Ah, if Jessa really believed that, then we wouldn’t be in this situation, would we? How can you not know this?” Garrett shook his head in shock. “She’s always wondered if you’d wished she was a boy. Someone you could raise to be like the men who play for you.” He held his palm up, not interested in what was about to come out of TJ’s mouth. “It’s my turn to talk. Jessa said you blamed her for our relationship. That she was distracting me from my job, which we’ve already determined is utter bullshit. But did you, even once, give Jessa any indication her welfare was more important to you than my ability to play baseball?”

The idea that TJ believed Garrett wouldn’t give his all to the team insulted the hell out of him, but he’d get over it. This wasn’t about him.

Confusion, followed by denial, dawned in the man’s eyes as Garrett’s words hit their mark.

TJ spun away from him, moving across the room. Garrett watched his knuckles turn white as he gripped the edge of the counter, leaned in as though it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. Silence hung heavy in the air as Garrett gave the man space to draw his own conclusions.

“Jessa loves the ballpark.”

“She does. But, did you ever give her the choice not to?”

“It’s who I am.” His voice was so low, so quiet, Garrett almost missed it.

TJ’s fist slammed into the counter before he turned back to Garrett, his face filled with regret.

Garrett made an effort not to look smug as he relaxed against the counter. “Exactly. You love her, but you ensured the destruction of your own plan by ignoring her feelings. She walked away from me because of it.”

“I’d always worried I’d mess up Jessa’s life. Kids don’t come with a manual, you know. I tried to be a good father. I should’ve trusted her. And given her more reason to trust me.” TJ slumped into a chair and leaned forward, cupping his face in his palms. “Now, she’s miserable.”

“Yeah? Well that makes two of us.”

TJ looked at him, studied him. “Do you love her?”

“All due respect, sir, any feelings I have or don’t have for your daughter are between me and her. Jessa deserves to be the first to know.”

Garrett was still pissed. He didn’t know if he and Jessa had a future together. But if they did, he was setting the boundaries now. This relationship, whatever it turned out to be, was not a threesome. Garrett would give the man his due as her father, but he wouldn’t tolerate any more interference.

TJ scowled. “I respect that. Don’t say I like it much, but I respect it. You’re a good man, Garrett. I’ll trust my daughter is in good hands.”

Yes, well. That remained to be seen, didn’t it?

Garrett looked TJ in the eye, gave him fair warning. “I’m still angry.”

TJ nodded once. “Anger is a funny, vile thing, son. It dissipates. It lessens over time, eventually leaving you all together. Question is, what will it leave you with? A forgiving heart? Or a hole in your gut so vast, you’ll never feel complete again?” His hand circled Garrett’s shoulder and squeezed, sadness brimming in his gaze. “I’m truly sorry, Garrett. Don’t let my mistakes dictate your future. For your own sake, and for Jessa’s, don’t let anger rob you of the chance for something beautiful.”