Sweet Spot: Homeruns #4 (13 page)

“Uh, okay. Yeah.” I looked down at Cody and all the pain faded away with the brilliant smile he flashed at me. Agreeing to stay at the house wasn’t just about convenience or even the opportunity to be close to him. With the number of people constantly parading in and out of the house, there’d be no way of hiding anything. And for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to. I looked to Sean, the man I’d long considered to be my idol on the field, and realized he could be the same off the field. Unlike his partner, he’d never made a huge deal about his sexuality. He’d proven he was the same man he’d been before their scandal game after game, right up until he retired.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Cody reassured me.

“No, I want to,” I promised him. This time, I did lean in to press my lips to his temple. After everything that’d gone down and the way I’d scared him, he was still trying to make sure I’d be comfortable. “I don’t want to be in the hotel anymore, and I was stressing about inconveniencing one of the other guys to stay with them. Most of my friends with places of their own are crashing with multiple other players. I’d rather not cram one more guy and his drama into their apartment.”

“Aww, you’re the one rambling now,” Sean teased when he made his way around to our side of the table. “I thought that was Cody’s thing.”

I glared at him, even though I wasn’t actually upset. “Why are you even here?”

“Cody texted to tell me you guys were going to be late,” he responded. “Then your dad called to tell me he’d gotten a call from the security company and the cops were on their way to the hotel because of an issue in one of our rooms. It didn’t take long for me to put the pieces together.”

I noticed we were starting to draw attention. Not because we were being loud, but because we were talking about the one thing everyone wanted to know about but wouldn’t ask. Sean must’ve seen it as well because he motioned for me to follow him away from the group. “I’m not going to ask you what happened. Not here. But we will be talking about it,” he warned me. “I know it’s still spring training, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re one of
my
players, and I need to make sure what happened tonight isn’t going to fuck with your play.”

“It won’t,” I assured him. “Other than me being an idiot and my hand hurting like hell, there’s no reason for you to think what he did will affect my play. It’s done. He’s on his way downtown. I’m sure he’ll make bail as soon as it’s set, but I’ll deal with it.”

“You really don’t understand what a piece of shit he is, do you?” Sean asked. I wished Cody had followed us to the dark corner of the bar. I needed him close to me. I wanted the security I felt every time he looked at me. “Again, not a conversation to have here, but you need to be careful.”

That sounded ominous. My heart rate spiked as it struck me there was a chance Mark would come back to the team. I didn’t see how he could, but I’d been foolish to assume this would somehow be the final nail in the coffin of his career. And if he came back, I had no doubt he’d have it out for me. “Let’s get Cody and get out of here. I’m not really in the mood to be around people.”

“I don’t blame you,” he said. “Why don’t you wait here and I’ll get Cody and your stuff. Do you have anything else in your hotel room?”

“Yeah. I just grabbed enough for a night or two,” I admitted.

“Give me your key. The two of you can head over to the house and I’ll go get everything. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay at the hotel. I’ll call your dad and clear it with him, but I’m pretty sure he’ll agree.”

“I don’t want him making exceptions to the rules for me,” I complained. Funny, that was the first time I’d thought about being given special consideration because of my dad since he and I had dinner. Fucking Butler, now I had another reason to hate him.

Sean raised his hand like he was going to cuff the back of my head and then dropped his hand back to his side. Hopefully, the only reason he did was because he worried about my head hurting from the fight with Mark, and not because he thought I was suddenly going to flinch away from any sort of physical contact. Because I wasn’t. No way in hell was I going to let Mark get in my fucking head.

“Do you seriously think he’d make any player go back to the room where they’d just been assaulted?” Sean asked brusquely. “Because I have to tell you, if that’s how you feel, you’re delusional. Your dad’s a good man. One of the best in the business. He looks out for all of his players, whether he changed their shitty diapers when they were babies or not.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I groaned. “Go get Cody for me. I want to get the hell out of here.”

I
didn’t know
how to act on the drive to the house. On one hand, I was overjoyed Nick was going to be staying with us for the rest of spring training. It was like a dream come true, knowing he’d be in bed next to me at night when I slept and again when I woke up in the morning. But that dream was wrapped in a nightmare, because the first time a teammate assumed him to be gay, Nick had gotten knocked around. It was like the closet door had creaked open, and now I was waiting for him to slam it shut again, convinced it was safer that way.

“Just say it,” Nick demanded when I kept looking at him without saying anything. “Whatever’s on your mind, get it out.”

His anger confused me. I didn’t want him to feel pressured to stay at the house, which was why I hadn’t suggested it or jumped in to support the idea when Sean had brought it up. I knew how he felt about bending the rules everyone was expected to uphold.

“It’s nothing,” I lied. It was everything. But putting a voice to my fears would likely send Nick running for the hills, and I didn’t want to lose him when we were just getting comfortable with the idea of being together again.

“Bullshit,” Nick challenged. “Look, what happened today was beyond fucked up. Mark’s an asshole, but I never pegged him for that much of a douche. But I’ll be damned if what happened in that hotel room is going to fuck this up. So if there’s something upsetting you, you need to start talking.”

“Everything’s going to be fine,” I promised him. I had to believe that. I smiled and reached for Nick’s hand. This man, the same one who’d once run away because things got difficult, had just said exactly what I needed to hear to put my mind at ease.

Sean was already home when I pulled into the driveway. I turned off the car and sat for a minute while I tried to figure out the best way to get into the house and upstairs without everyone bombarding Nick with questions. It wasn’t going to be easy, but I couldn’t imagine he was ready to recount all the details for everyone. I sure as hell wasn’t ready to relive it. The whole thing couldn’t have lasted more than a minute or two, but in my mind it seemed to drag on forever.

Nick rounded the front of the car as we got out and grabbed my arm, pulling me against his chest. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I asked, failing to hide my annoyance over him apologizing to me. He’d done nothing wrong. If anything, I should be apologizing to him. If I hadn’t been so comfortable and openly gawking at him while he changed, this might not have happened.

“You shouldn’t have been there,” he whispered as he dropped his forehead to my shoulder. “I should’ve let you stay in the car while I ran up. I should’ve just said fuck it to stopping by the hotel room at all.”

“You couldn’t have known what was going to happen,” I assured him. “And since it did, I’m glad I was there. If I wasn’t, there was no way Devin and Zach could’ve gotten in to pull him off you.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean I have to like you being involved,” he pointed out. The front door opened and closed, but I didn’t bother looking up to see who’d come out, if anyone. No one mattered other than Nick. “I don’t want my shit upsetting you. Right now, I just have to hope the team will do something to keep him in line.”

“I don’t think that’ll be an issue. He’s always been a bully, but until now, he’s always pulled back before he did something they could suspend or cut him for. That’s why they went for the maximum when he pissed dirty.” Nick and I separated when Drew spoke up from behind us. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you guys. I swear, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I just… I heard about what happened and wanted to see how you were doing without an audience.”

“No, it’s cool,” Nick responded as he smoothed his hands over his shirt. He only did that when he was nervous about something. Before the shit had hit the fan, I’d planned to tell Drew and the other guys Nick and I were back together, but this wasn’t how I’d wanted any of them to find out. I studied Drew’s face, looking for any sign he was pissed to see us like this, but there wasn’t any. He also didn’t seem shocked about this development. That meant either Sean had filled them in on what was going on or I hadn’t fooled any of them. “I was just apologizing to Cody.”

“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong.” Drew’s critical tone implied he agreed it was ridiculous for Nick to try apologizing. “Having been where you’re at, I know it’s natural to want to apologize, but you’re wasting your breath. And if Cody hadn’t been there, chances are it would’ve been much worse.”

“Well, if I wasn’t there, it probably wouldn’t have happened at all,” I pointed out. Both of them gaped at me. “It’s true. Mark walked out of the bathroom and caught me checking out Nick while he changed. Take me out of the equation and there wouldn’t have been a fight.”

Drew’s reaction was stronger than I’d expected. It was also not the quick rebuttal I was waiting for. He almost seemed to cower for a moment before recovering. “Let’s take this inside.”

Nick looked to me as we followed Drew into the house. I shrugged at the question in his eyes. I had no clue why he’d reacted the way he had. Or why he called out to Eric and Jason as he led us to my bedroom. Before we could reach the top of the steps, Sean had also joined our little group.

“Sean, why didn’t you tell me what started the fight?” Drew asked curtly. He cracked each of his knuckles one at a time. Whatever was going on, he was pissed. From my seat on the bed, I could see the tight set of his jaw and the way he swallowed repeatedly. “He did this because you’re gay? Did he actually
say
anything about it?”

“At first I thought it was just him being a dick like he always is,” Nick answered. He fell back onto the bed next to me and curled into my side. I loved that he felt safe here and he wanted to be near me for comfort as he ran through what’d happened. “I’m always giving him shit about breaking curfew every night and coming back smelling like stale beer and cheap women. I figured trying to make it sound like I’d invited Cody back for a booty call was his dimwitted retort.”

“Did you deny it?” That question came from Jason, who looked just as pissed as Drew and Eric. Bryce leaned against the dresser, as calm as always. Still, I could see he was thinking about what was happening and trying to process the information.

“No, I didn’t deny it,” Nick insisted. “I mean, we weren’t there to hook up, but Mark doesn’t need to know what I’m doing in my off time or who I’m spending time with.”

Drew crouched down at the side of the bed and swallowed again. I felt bad, knowing we were opening his wounds that’d healed years ago. “I need you to tell me what he said.”

“Does it matter?” Nick squeezed my hand and I knew this was tough for him. He wasn’t the type to talk about his problems, especially not while surrounded by a group of men he was still certain didn’t want him around.

“Yeah, it matters. A lot,” Eric added. “That fucker’s slick as a greased pig. He’s made talking shit an art form, but usually only when no one important is around to hear him. That way there isn’t anyone to substantiate any complaints.”

“So, he’s done this type of thing before?” I asked. Drew’s attack happened before I’d come into the picture, so I only knew whatever they’d passed on to me, which wasn’t much.

The guys looked at each other, as if they were trying to decide whether or not to say anything. I knew there was some sort of unspoken code of conduct in the clubhouse, but this was bullshit. Nick’s eye was nearly swollen shut, his lip split, and his stilted movements warned there’d be more bruising when he took off his shirt.

Jason was the first to break the silence. “It’s never gotten any more physical than a rough bump into the lockers as he walked past, but yeah. Like Eric was saying, the guy has a big mouth and hasn’t exactly been quiet about how he thinks allowing gay players on the rosters is bad for baseball.”

“Yeah, he might’ve mentioned that,” Nick scoffed. “Along with plenty of other choice words. He’s rather creative in his ideas about how a baseball bat could be used. At one point he said he was going to shove it so far up my ass I’d choke on it. I’ve heard plenty of—”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, noticing Drew suddenly looked ready to hurl. “You okay? You’re white as a damn ghost.”

“Are those the exact words he used?” Drew asked, his voice thready and weak.

“Yeah. I’m not exactly a dumb jock, but I could never string together something like that,” Nick responded. His gazed shifted from his lap to Drew. “Shit, Cody’s right. You look like hell.”

“I’ve gotta go,” Drew said, springing into action as he attempted to rush out of the room. Bryce took off after him, stopping Drew before he reached the door. “You’ve got to let me go.”

“Not until you tell us what’s going on,” Bryce informed him. Everyone stood around looking completely helpless. And we kind of were. None of us understood what was happening, other than something Nick said had Drew panicked. Bryce led Drew back to my desk chair while Eric ran to grab something to drink. Someone called up from the bottom of the stairs wondering if the rest of us were having some big, gay orgy without them. Cam and Mason’s voices joined in the jeers before Eric told them to shut the fuck up. Eric didn’t cuss often, so they took note and did as he said.

“Nick, I know you don’t want to, but you’re going to have to call your dad,” Drew said. The words were muffled because his head was resting on his forearms on top of the desk. Bryce stood behind him, gently rubbing his back and telling him to calm down. He did, in a way, but then the anger returned. With one swipe, everything from my desk wound up on the floor. “Goddammit! I don’t know why I didn’t fucking realize this sooner. I’ve been in the fucking locker room with him every goddamn day!”

It took about fifteen seconds before everyone who’d been in the house was in my bedroom. A barrage of questions broke out from everyone as they packed into the smallest bedroom, trying to figure out if Drew was okay. He wasn’t. In fact, he was scaring me a bit. In the almost five years since I’d moved in with the guys, I’d never seen Drew like this. I’d heard stories about him being angry following his attack, but I’d never seen it.

“Guys, I think it’s for the best if we have a bit of privacy,” Bryce suggested. Drew was doubled over in the chair muttering something none of us could hear. Eric raced to join his men and set down the bottle of water just out of Drew’s reach in case he went off again. Then, Bryce looked in our direction. “You two can stay.”

It wasn’t until everyone had filed out of the room that Bryce crouched down in front of Drew to try and get him to fill us in. Bryce tenderly ran his hands along Drew’s legs, constantly reassuring him it was okay. Eric took his place behind the chair and took over rubbing Drew’s back. It was awesome to watch how they worked as a cohesive unit to comfort him. That was the type of love I hoped to someday have. I leaned closer to Nick, offering up a silent wish that maybe I was lucky enough to have found the man who’d eventually be that person for me. “Can you tell us why you reacted the way you did?”

Drew tentatively lifted his gaze and looked directly at Nick. “Are you one hundred percent certain that’s what he said to you?”

I held my breath while I waited for Nick’s answer. This seemed like a pivotal moment. I replayed the entire fight in my mind and didn’t remember hearing that particular threat, but I’d been distracted at least part of the time.

“Yeah,” Nick confirmed. “Like I said, it’s not the type of thing I could come up with on my own. Why?”

Drew reached up and took Eric’s hand in his. Bryce leaned in for added support. “That night. I’ll never forget the guy who attacked me saying those exact words. It wasn’t so much the bat up the ass; that was the type of shit we threw around the locker room whenever anyone was being a dick. But I’ll never forget him saying he wanted me to choke on it. I don’t know how I didn’t figure it out sooner. He’s always had it out for anyone on the team who’s gay.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” Bryce said calmly. Nick reached into his pocket and quickly tapped out a text message. His brow furrowed as he waited for the response. I didn’t ask who he was texting. I knew. I kissed his cheek and squeezed his arm to let him know he’d done the right thing. It felt intrusive to listen to Bryce and Eric trying to calm Drew, but we were already involved. “He fooled a lot of people. You heard Jason. Even he said Mark never got physical in the clubhouse. You couldn’t have known he’d followed you the night you were attacked.”

“But if I’d put the pieces together, none of this would’ve happened.” Drew was beginning to sound like Nick.

“Or he might’ve gotten off since there were no witnesses, and then he’d have made your life hell,” Nick pointed out. “If me going through this gets some closure for you, it’s worth the killer headache.”

Nick didn’t like taking medication, but I still shook some ibuprofen from the bottle I kept in my nightstand and handed it to him. It was stupid to suffer if he didn’t have to. I wasn’t surprised when he initially resisted, so when he took them from my hand, the corner of my mouth turned up slightly. He smiled back and leaned in to kiss me softly. When we broke apart, we found the trio on the other side of the room watching us with rapt attention.

“Oh, come on. It’s not like the three of you are strangers to people kissing,” I quipped, trying to lighten the mood. “You should be thankful I didn’t take a page out of your playbook, otherwise I’d be stripping him without considering who’s in the room.”

“Fair point,” Eric responded. “I think we’re all still trying to wrap our heads around this.”

“There’s nothing to wrap your heads around,” I shot back. It wasn’t the time or the place for this discussion, but I’d be damned if they were going to bag on Nick because of the past. “Nick apologized, we’re back together, and this time we’re going to figure out how to work through whatever comes our way rather than run from it.”

To prove my point, I took Nick’s hand in my own, kissing each of his fingers before placing it in my lap. I wished it were possible to fast-forward through everything I knew had to happen tonight, because I hadn’t pictured having company in my room the first time Nick and I were in my bed together.