Chapter 8: Chapter 7

WE ALL MET at Romeo and Demi’s house before the game, and Demi passed out the jerseys that she’d made for us all to wear. It was Cutler’s first game playing for the Magnolia Falls Ducks, and we were all going to be there to support him.

“These are so cute,” I said, as Kingston came around the corner wearing the white and light blue jersey that read Beefcake Heart #3 on the back.

He had on a pair of dark jeans, slung low on his hips, and his broad shoulders filled out the jersey like he was made for it. The buttons weren’t buttoned yet, and his golden-tanned abs were on full display. His gaze met mine as I was pulling the shirt on over my tank top, and he strode toward me.

“What’s up, Dandelion?” He kept his voice low so no one else could hear. The nickname had always been our secret. Something that just stayed between the two of us.

“Not much. Just excited about the game.” I sucked in a breath when he grabbed each side of my jersey and started buttoning the buttons for me.

I breathed him in. Mint and sandalwood flooded my senses.

We were so close that the back of my hand grazed his stomach, and I didn’t pull away as quickly as I should have.

He’d been working long hours at the bookstore, and I’d always go over at the end of my workday at Magnolia Beans to check on the progress.

I’d noticed he’d not been going out much at night lately. He said he was tired from the hours he’d been putting in.

“Me, too. Looking forward to seeing our boy shine out there today.” He finished buttoning my jersey but didn’t let go of my shirt. “This looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” I said, just as Ruby cleared her throat, and I turned to see my brother walk through the front door.

Kingston glanced over his shoulder before turning back to wink at me, and then he stepped away and started buttoning his jersey.

There was this strange pull between us.

Maybe it was our history.

Maybe it was an attraction.

Or what I feared was that this was just a one-sided pull.

Kingston saw me as a friend. Part of his family.

I needed to remember that.

“Let’s go, Ducks!” Hayes shouted, and Demi tossed him his jersey.

“Okay, let’s get going. I want to get the best seats,” Ruby said.

“Baby. It’s six-year-olds playing peewee ball. The stadium is not selling out. It’s wooden bleachers at the park, and if we show up on time, we’ll still get the best seats in the house.”

“I’m with Ruby,” I said. “We need to get there early. I promised Cutler I’d be in the front row.”

“Agreed. I’m not willing to risk it. Grab your water bottles and let’s go.” Demi high-fived me and Ruby. Peyton showed up just in time to grab her jersey as we made our way out the door.

We walked the short distance to the ballpark, and I slipped my hand into the pocket of my jersey and smiled when I felt the little flower that Kingston must have slipped in there.

I’d been trying to be slyer about doing the same to him. I’d gone to his office when he was at the bookstore last week and placed one on his desk. I’d slipped one on the dashboard of his truck yesterday when he’d been eating at the Golden Goose, and I happened to walk by and see his truck. Lucky for me, the man never locked his doors.

It was becoming a game more than ever now.

And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it was the highlight of my day when I’d find them.

He’d been real sly and left one in my bathroom the other day when he and River had come by to play board games with me and Ruby. He hadn’t said a word, because Jalen had been there, as well, but I found it after everyone had left.

“Is Coach coming?” Peyton asked as she linked arms with me.

The sun was shining above, and I loved the way it heated my skin.

“I think so,” I said, clearing my throat because I didn’t quite know how to handle that anymore.

“You don’t sound too excited. Is that why he didn’t meet us at Demi and Romeo’s?” she asked.

“No. He had to work this morning. Demi invited him, and I’ve got his jersey,” I said, holding up the shirt in my hand for her. “I’m just feeling bad because it feels more like a friendship.”

“You don’t have to feel bad. I still think if you’d just sleep with him, your feelings would change. You haven’t progressed from the make-out stage.” She shrugged.

Unfortunately, I just wasn’t attracted to him that way.

“Yeah, maybe,” I said, even though I’d already made a conscious decision to end things. It wasn’t going anywhere, and I knew it.

“You don’t need to force anything, Saylor Woodson.” Kingston popped his head between us, and we both startled and let out a squeal.

“Damn, King. You came out of nowhere, you nosy little bastard,” Peyton said over her laughter.

“It’s my job to know what’s going on.” He pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket and popped them into his mouth.

“There’s nothing going on,” I said, because I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell them I was ending it before I told Jalen.

“It’s the shorts, isn’t it?” he whisper-shouted between us, and Peyton’s laughter bellowed around us.

“No. There’s nothing wrong. The shorts are fine.” I didn’t know what it was, because Jalen Holt was perfect on paper.

“The Speedo? Come on, it’s got to be the Speedo.”

“Nope. Unlike you, I don’t judge people by their clothing, King,” I said, feigning annoyance, even though I’d hated the Speedo. “He’s great. We’re great.”

“Well, if you want my two cents…” My brother moved beside me and smirked. “The Speedo was a bit much.”

“Why are we talking about this? He’s a great guy,” I said defensively.

“I didn’t say he wasn’t,” Hayes said. “But you can’t force something if it’s not there.”

“Wow. That’s some sound advice, coming from you.” I smiled at him as we walked toward the bleachers. “You don’t think anyone is good enough for me.”

“And he’d be right,” Kingston said, popping a few more sunflower seeds into his mouth.

“See. We know best.” Hayes and Kingston pounded their fists like they’d just said something brilliant.

“Jalen is probably intimidated by you guys being this way with Saylor,” Peyton said.

“Tough shit,” Hayes said. “If he isn’t willing to put in the work, he can hit the fucking road.”

“No one is hitting the road. Everything is good. I’ve got this handled. Can we please stop talking about it? Because there’s nothing wrong.” I shook my head.

“Well, if you can get past the Speedo, you’re a better person than me,” Kingston said over his laughter.

Peyton dropped her arm as we approached the bleachers, and Coach was sitting there waiting for us. She nodded toward where he sat and waggled her brows at me. “Yeah, look at him. That is one hot dude right there.”

“He really is,” I said as Jalen waved me over.

I walked toward him, and he pushed to his feet and wrapped me in a hug. “Good to see you, beautiful.”

Damn it. Why can’t I be all in with this guy?

“Thanks. It’s good to see you, too.” I handed him his jersey and turned to look out at the field as Nash jogged toward us, while the kids all continued stretching in a circle.

He gave us all high-fives and thanked us for being here.

“How’s our boy doing?” River asked.

“Well, he wanted to wear his leather jacket over his jersey, so that was a whole thing.” Nash shook his head and turned to glare at Kingston. “And thank you for introducing him to sunflower seeds, you dickweasel. I’ve got shells all over my truck, and I’ll probably have a hefty dental bill if he keeps chomping on them.”

“It’s a freaking rite of passage. Sunflower seeds and baseball. It’s like country music and apple pie. They just go together.” Kingston smirked before popping a few more into his mouth.

“Country music and apple pie? Do those even go together?” River looked at his brother like he had three heads.

“Sure, they do. I always crave some apple pie after I get my dance on.”

We all laughed at the same time, and everyone turned in our direction.

“All right, it’s game time. I’ll see you after.” Nash jogged off, and we all took our seats.

Demi, Ruby, Peyton, and a few of the guys sat up on the second row, while I remained on the bottom row, because that’s where Cutler had told me he wanted me to sit.

Jalen sat on my right, and Kingston decided to sit on the other side of me, chewing his sunflower seeds like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Do you want some sunflower seeds?” he asked me.

“I’m okay, but thank you.”

“I’d love to try them. Are they an American thing, mate?” Jalen asked, holding his hand out, and I heard River bark out a laugh from behind us.

Kingston narrowed his gaze and stared at Jalen for a long moment before reaching into his bag and dropping three tiny seeds into Jalen’s large palm. “Are you not from Jersey, dude?”

Jalen stared down at the small offering and smiled. “Sure. But I consider myself a man of the world. I’ve traveled quite a bit and ingrained myself in many cultures.”

“Well, baseball and sunflower seeds are a thing. I don’t know if they chew on them everywhere, because I’m clearly not as worldly as you.”

What in the hell was he doing?

“Most are not. I’ve been fortunate enough to see the world at a young age. But there’s nothing wrong with being a small-town guy,” Jalen said, and his words made it clear that these two were in some kind of pissing match.

Obviously, there was no love there, but Jalen had never reacted like this before.

And for whatever reason, I felt defensive for Kingston.

“I haven’t been to many places either, and I’m most definitely a small-town girl.” I cleared my throat, my gaze locking with Jalen’s.

“That’s my favorite kind of girl,” Kingston said from the other side of me. “It’s game time. Beefcake is up.”

Before I knew what was happening, we were all on our feet, screaming. Cutler wore his uniform, a pair of gold aviator sunglasses, and his Ducks baseball cap turned backward as he walked toward home plate. He turned to look at us all screaming and cheering, his very own fan club, and he lowered his glasses and waggled his brows.

Everyone sitting on the bleachers started laughing because the kid just radiated magic.

“Let’s get after it!” River shouted.

“You’ve got this, Beefcake,” Kingston and Romeo called out at the same time, and then they turned to high-five one another.

I glanced over at my brother, who had his hands clamped together while his jaw ticked, like he was nervously watching his own firstborn try something new.

“Hey,” I said, leaning over Kingston to look at Hayes. “He’s got this. It’s just a baseball game.”

Hayes nodded, his eyes moving back to the field as Cutler gripped his bat and tapped it against the dirt twice before holding it up over his shoulder.

The slowest pitch of all time was tossed to him, and he swung at it way too late, his bat not coming anywhere near the ball, and we all cheered.

It didn’t matter if this kid never hit a ball.

We were proud as hell of everything he did.

We just loved him that hard.

Cutler turned and smiled at us, like he had zero concerns.

Kingston’s hand found mine and squeezed hard as the next pitch was tossed to Cutler, and he swung, missing it again. I didn’t miss the way Jalen’s gaze moved to where my hand was connected to Kingston’s. I gave him a forced smile. He didn’t understand the relationship that existed between me and King. Between all of us, really. Even my brother wouldn’t find it odd for our hands to be locked at this moment.

“One more try, Beefcake!” Romeo and Slade both shouted.

“You’ve got this!” Demi followed.

“Come on. Come on. Give him the hit,” Kingston said under his breath, and I turned to see the intensity in the way he was staring at the field. Kingston was a natural athlete. Always had been.

The pitch was thrown. Cutler’s bat shifted, and by the grace of God, he made contact.

It was a foul ball.

It shot straight up in the air and somehow lodged into the linked fencing in front of us.

But he’d made contact.

And our group erupted like he’d just won the World Series. He dropped the bat and turned to face us as he broke out in one of his hilarious dances. Nash hurried over to tell him it was a foul ball, but he didn’t care, and neither did we.

Kingston jumped up and climbed the fence like a freaking ninja warrior, knocking the ball free as it rolled toward home base.

Before I knew what was happening, Kingston had me off the ground and was spinning me around. Everyone was laughing as we all over celebrated the foul ball.

Well, everyone but Jalen was having a good time.

And I knew it was time to end things for good.