Hey friends! Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! I promise, no more waiting! I had some huge gigs I had to do, and I'm still doing them. But yes, I'm back for weekly updates!
If any of you have any good fanfics to read, please let me know, I need some new ones! And if you have any suggestions or ideas for my current books or potential future books, please, feel free to bring your ideas to the table.
And thank you all for the reviews! The more I get, it motivates me to write faster to ensure of a weekly update!
Hope everyone had a great Easter last weekend!
"Erin," He pulled her into his embrace, feeling the warmth of her skin against his. "You're looking amazing." She really was. The way her jean shorts defined her curves were unbelievable, and her shirt hugged her chest just right.
Erin stepped back from the hug she was just embraced in. She smiled nervously, "Thank you." She really wanted to see Jay right now, and not Stephen.
"What can I say? You're breathtakingly beautiful." Stephen smiled genuinely, but Erin saw right through the innocence of his smile. There was nothing innocent about him. "How have you been?"
"Good." She replied short handedly, wanting this encounter to be over already. She glanced around her, attempting to recognize any faces to get her out of this situation, but failed.
"How's everything with Jay and you? He hasn't really talked to me lately. I think he's mad at me." Stephen shrugged his shoulders, looking into her brown eyes. They were so precious. He wanted nothing more than to feel her lips at the moment.
Erin narrowed her eyes, knowing he knew why Jay didn't like him. "He doesn't like you because you tried to have your way with me. And it's going great, thanks for asking." She rolled her eyes, preparing to walk around him to find Jay, or at least a familiar face. She took a step to the left, Stephen following her lead, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Can you get out of my way." Erin started to feel anxious, and wanted nothing more than someone to come into the vacant hallway.
"Erin, just stop," Stephen rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "Let's go talk somewhere. Let's have dinner or something, I think-"
"Stephen, back the hell away from her," Erin felt a wave of relief cover her body as she recognized the booming voice. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" The voice got closer, and Antonio's hands were pulling his body away from Erin's. "We've been over this. Don't make me confront Mike. It won't end well for you." Antonio let go of Stephen, turning to Erin and walking her down the hallway, towards the food area. "Are you okay?"
She nodded hurriedly, smiling at the man who had stepped up as a brother to her. "Yeah, yeah. He just won't leave me and Jay alone." She walked with him towards a door, and Antonio closed it behind them as tables of food were displayed.
"This is the food court for players and their families. You need to wear this," He grabbed the pass from her pocket, looping it around her chest. "It'll get you anywhere you need to go. A lot of us know you, but our Spring Training staff don't. With this pass, they'll know you're a family member."
"Thanks," She grinned, grabbing a plate and filling it with fruit. "How did you find me?"
"Sylvie sent me a text and said you had been gone longer then you should have. And Stephen went to go get food, and I figured I better fix it myself before your boyfriend finds out." Antonio smiled, grabbing an apple himself before following Erin back out the door. "What's going on with you two? Jay said you had to talk to Sylvie. He said you said everything's fine, but he can see through you."
Erin shook her head, not wanting her thoughts to be spoken. "We're too different, Antonio. It won't work," She looked to the floor as they walked, and continued when Antonio remained silent. "My dad can't stand him. It's not going to work. I think we both know that. We're just living in the moment." She has these thoughts since he left. She didn't want to break his heart or vise versa. They were too different, and had different tactics of life. She still wasn't over the fact Luke almost beat her to death, and she sensed there was a whole other side of Jay's life he had failed to tell her.
"Where is this coming from? Erin, that man loves you so damn much. I don't think he's going anywhere." Antonio suggested, stopping Erin in her tracks. This was something Sylvie should be doing, but he felt he should have some say in this, especially since he was in the same place Jay currently was a decade ago.
"Antonio, we are so different. I have so much baggage and so many trust problems. It'll never work. We both know it." Erin couldn't help but fight the tears in the back of her mind, knowing this relationship would end badly. "He's away most of the year. That won't stop him from finding another girl." She couldn't believe the words that had just left her mouth, but they had to be said at one point. Erin knew Jay wouldn't cheat on her, most likely, but it could always happen. It could happen with the both of them. One night at a bar could turn into a disaster. That's how she met Luke for the first time, and look where it got her.
Antonio's eyes flew open, wide, at Erin's statement. "You're joking, right? You know how much this man adores you? He literally wouldn't go to the bar until I made him get out of bed because he missed you so fucking much. And this is what you think of him? Really? Really Erin? I know Jay doesn't doubt you like you are right now. And if he does, he hasn't said a word about it to me and he tells me everything. You need to sit down and have a talk with him. Because if you don't think this relationship is serious, then you need to pack your bags and leave right now." With that, Antonio left her, and disappeared into the two double doors that Erin could only assume lead to the clubhouses.
The tears actually glossed her eyes, but damn her if she let them fall. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, and continued to walk back to her seat, with the help of two employees who directed her the way back. She found the team already warming up on the field, and she waved to Sylvie as Emma and Hudson were both engrossed in coloring books. "You're s good mom, do you know that?" Erin complimented Sylvie as she turned to her.
"I try my best. Antonio really is my backbone, though. The kids adore him, and since we travel about to every game out of town, the kids adore their time with him." She replied, running her fingers over her youngest's hair.
"It's always good when you have a backbone, that's for sure. But seriously. They both have their heads in coloring books. Most parents hand their kids an electronic to shut them up, but you both have it mastered. Marriage and parenting." From the outside, it did look like they had it mastered, and Erin believed they basically did.
Sylvie laughed at Erin's comment. "Honey, you never have anything mastered. When you and Jay tie the knot and have kids, you'll know how hard it is. But it's worth it all. And when they're younger, it's easier. Because when you hit the age these two are at, all they want to do is sports. And that messes up traveling, and being away from dad a lot."
"I didn't know they played sports." Erin recalled.
"Oh trust me, they do once we fly back to home for the season next week. Em is in soccer and tennis. I don't think tennis will last, but you never know with her. Huds is in soccer for now. They're going to be so busy, I'm not sure how many games we will make it to this year." Sylvie studied Erin's facial expressions. Something told her Erin was uneasy. "Honey, what's going on?"
Erin shrugged her shoulders, not sure what to say and what not to. "I'm doubting Jay and I." The words were a slap to the face. "And I really don't want to, but, I am. I don't think it'll last."
"What's brought all of this on?" Sylvie questioned, resting her hand on top of Erin's.
"I don't know," She shrugged her shoulders again. "I'm giving up my job for him, I've moved in with him. He's always going to be gone. I don't know if I can do this." She covered her mouth as the tears burning the rims of her eyes threatened to fall.
"Erin, we all go through this stage of doubt. Every single one of us have. And you just have to ignore it. I know, it sucks, and it's scary, but nothing will change. You have to let Jay in all the way, or trust me, it'll all go downhill."
"Where are you taking Erin tonight?" Antonio asked his best friend as they got changed from their uniforms. The game went by without a hitch. Spring training was more of a learning experience for the rookies brought up from Double and Triple A. The last few games were designated towards the starting roster, and today was a mixture. Antonio played two innings, and Jay played half of one. The game was a tie with the St. Louis Cardinals, and in Sprig Training, if it's the ninth inning and it's tied, that's the final score.
"I don't know. She brought casual clothes, and nice clothes. I haven't decided if I want to take her to a nice restaurant, or a casual bar and grill," Jay mumbled, putting on a clean shirt and shorts from his uniform, throwing it into the laundry basket in the middle of the room along with the other players. "What do you think?"
Antonio, knowing Erin's feelings, had thought for a minute as he tied his shoes, throwing his cleats into the locker. "It's Florida. Take her to Captain Ron's. It has a nice view of the water, and isn't to classy, but she could still wear a romper or dress, and you could wear khakis. Also, they have bud light, and not that fancy shit nobody likes."
Jay considered the thought, accepting it. Captain Ron's had a killer tracer tenderloin, and Erin loved catfish, and they had some amazing ones. "You're brilliant," Jay smiled, clasping his shoulder. "We going to be here a while?"
"Yeah, I figured another hour. I need to talk to cos h about a few things."
Jay nodded, walking out of the locker room, beginning the path to see his girl. He turned a corner, running into someone, sending them both to the ground. "I am so sorry," He looked to the person's eyes and felt his whole body freeze.
"Jay!" The blonde cheered, clasping his hands as they stood up. "Just the man I was coming to find." Her rosy lips widened as she looked her ex in the eyes.
"Allie?" He questioned, clearly not expecting this. "How did you, uhm, why are you here?" He had broke things off with her a year ago, and never expected to see her face again.
"I came to see you silly. I knew you played and the guards still remember me from last year, so I thought why not fly down to see my favorite man on Earth," She grinned, bringing her hands to link around his neck. "I missed you!" She rested her head on his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat.
Jay raised his eyebrow, clearly baffled by this encounter. After he broke things off, he never expected to see her face again. He had no idea what to do, his mind was frozen with the fact she was right here in front of him, so he did the natural thing to do, and brought his hands to wrap around her back, giving her a hug. "I missed you... too?" It was said more of a question than a statement, Jay still blinded by the fact she was here. Nothing even registered through his mind. He didn't see Stephen walking by with his phone in hand, pointing towards the two adults, and he didn't register the kids Allie pressed against his neck. He didn't think that his ex girlfriend of five years would be standing here, in front of him. How did security even let her in? How did nobody warn him?
"How have you been?" She asked, taking his hand and leading him to a more private area. They both sat down on a couch, Jay much more reluctantly, but his brain was too busy spinning for him to notice the wrongness of this.
"Good," He replied. "The team is looking great this year. We have some talented kids from Triple A this year." He explained.
"That's great, babe!" Allie scoped down the man in front of her. From the last time she saw him, he had gotten much more muscular. He had always been muscular, and built just right, but he had gotten better over the past year. His face was much more chiseled, and his biceps were more muscular. Even though he was dressed, Allie could only imagine that he had gotten better underneath. She rested a hand on his bicep as they talked. "The team isn't the only one looking great, Jay."
Jay blushed, and stared at Allie. Why isn't his brain telling him to stop? "You haven't changed either." He grinned. Allie tilted her head, her blue eyes widening and she brought one of her hands up to cup his jaw. She moved in, bringing her lips to his. As they were about to touch, the sound of the door opening snapped Jay back to reality, pushing Allie off of him and moving to stand up, exiting the room.
He shook his head, not believing what he almost did. Jay jogged to the bleachers, finding Erin sitting with Jenny, both engrossed in their cell phones. "Hey, babe!" Jay grinned, latching their lips quickly. "How'd you like it?" He asked, taking a seat next to her. He forgot everything there was to forget about with Allie, and focused on his girl sitting right in front of him.
"It was great! You played great for that half of the inning," She giggled, moving to rest her hand on his. She looked into his blue eyes, seeing something was wrong despite the grin sketched onto his face. "Is everything okay?"
Jay shook his head. She definitely didn't need to hear what had almost happened. "Yeah, yeah, of course!" He smiled, looking down at his watch. "I have reservations for Captain Ron's at seven for us. So you can wear that dress you brought if you want."
"That's so awesome! Sylvie is waiting for me in the car, so I'm going to go. I'll see you in an hour?" She asked as she stood up, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.
"Sounds good. Love you. So much." He pulled her back to him one last time, mashing their lips together. "I'll see you at home, okay?" He kissed her cheek as he watched her walk down the bleachers towards the exit.
"That's who I'm up against?" Allie questioned as she watched Jay lean into Erin and kiss her, her voice coated with a hint of disgust.
Stephen laughed as the two of them lurked in the announcer box, looking down at the couple below. "She's breathtaking." Stephen whispered as he watched her walk away from Jay.
Allie laughed, turning to sit down. "So all I'm doing is getting Jay to do something with me so they break up and you have Erin?" She laughed again, covering her mouth, eyeing a hopeful Stephen. "You realize Erin won't want you, right?"
It was Stephen's turn to laugh. "I'll be the one to break the news to her, pumpkin. And I'll be there to comfort her. She won't be able to resist me. Besides, I liked you with Jay. I've always seen you as a sister to me. Why did he even break off the engagement with you?" One day last year Jay announced the wonderful news everyone had been expecting for a year, then three months later, ended it out of the blue, and nobody but Antonio's family seemed to know why.
"He said it wasn't working out, I guess. Said I deserved better," She rolled her eyes, curling her finger around her hair. "But today, if you didn't walk into the fucking room that soon, I would've had him. He was so dumbfounded by my presence I don't think he knew what he was doing."
"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't realize it. But, do we have a better plan?" Stephen asked his accomplice.
"Yes. Next week, you guys always go out for opening day. Erin won't want to go to your house for the after party, and coach says everyone needs to go unless it crucial since it's Opening Day after party. And I dated Jay for five years, so I know how it works. So, I just need to get him the slightest bit of tipsy, and then he won't realize right from wrong with me. If you mix vodka and some type of whiskey, it makes him blackout slightly. It's happened before, trust me." Allie mentioned. "And then, he'll be so drunk, he'll forget he's not with me anymore and boom, you can get us in a bedroom. And they're over." She fake pouted.
"You're brilliant," Stephen smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Then, we'll both have who we want," He fantasized how amazing Erin would be as a girlfriend to him, and in bed. "But, get me that whiskey. I'll use it. And, even if she is there, get them both drunk and we both will have our happy ending in one night."
"You're brilliant. And I knew taking that class junior year on the effect of alcohol in med school would pay off for not only being an ER doctor like I am today, but also as an individual." She smirked, her mindset ready to get back the man she lost for no reason thirteen months ago.
Don't kill me y'all! Hope you enjoyed!
Please leave me a review on what you think, and I'll be back next weekend for a NEW chapter!
xoxo, Emme.