Winning With Him (Men of Summer #2) by Lauren Blakely

Most of all, there’s Grant.

The man I love wholeheartedly.

He tries to rein in a smile for me, but it’s futile. He grins big and wide. Crosby gives a loud hoot, Chance joining in too. Sullivan and Miguel do some kind of dance. Mom shouts at the top of her lungs, “Go Dragons!”

Maybe I’ll make a Dragons fan out of her after all.

As I regard all of them, my heart squeezes, then grows a little bigger as it tries to climb up my throat. The scene is overwhelming. A bit foreign. But it’s also energizing—not a single one of them is going to stumble drunk onto the field. None of them will cross lines. And, God forbid, if someone else shows up, I’ll know how to handle it now.

I’ve learned how to deal with the shit life throws at you.

Learned how to handle the hard stuff without losing the good stuff.

Like that guy who made all of this happen—Grant is the good stuff.

So are all these people. So is this game.

I wave to the crew then head to the dugout to wait for the announcer to call the starting lineup. First the visiting team. Now, the home team.

“And now, batting third, in his first game as a San Francisco Dragon, is the team’s brand-new shortstop. Hailing from the city by the bay, number eighteen, Declan Steele.”

I trot out to the field, glove in hand, and wave to the crowds. They all cheer. When I look to the first baseline, I find Grant, and our eyes lock.

The end of our secret love affair passes between us. The hidden tryst is over tonight.

The next part of our life together is beginning.

But first, I play ball.





I don’t want to disappoint anyone. Not my friends, or the new team, or my new hometown. I dig in at the plate in each at-bat, getting in the zone, putting on blinders so I’m One-Track Steele, impervious to distractions.

I nab a walk in my first plate appearance, pop out to center next, then hit a clutch single in the seventh inning, which gives the Dragons two RBIs. I pump a fist on my way to first, and I swear Grant cheers the loudest for me. When I reach the bag, the first-base coach pats me on the shoulder. “Welcome to the Dragons, Steele.”

I thank him, then toss a quick glance to the stands. My heart flutters when I spot Grant and he sends a wink in my direction. I try to suppress a grin, but it’s hard. So damn hard.

Since I want to impress my boyfriend.

Those are all new thoughts swarming my brain. But absolutely cool ones.





42





Grant





Declan’s on first, and Holden’s at the plate.

Chance is next to me, brow furrowed. He’s quiet, but his eyes are on me, brimming with one question.

Did you just wink at Declan Steele?

I grin like I have a dirty little secret. On my other side, Reese leans in closer, bumping shoulders with me. “You’re still in trouble but I love you. Mostly, though, I want to go on a double date with you guys,” she whispers.

I roll my eyes. “That’s so straight.”

“Newsflash—I am straight.”

“For you, then, I will,” I say, then redirect her attention to the field.

Holden takes a swing, then smacks a whopper of a double into the right-field corner. Declan runs his ass off, rounding second, hellbent on third, then he’s waved home as the center fielder scoops up the ball at last. Reese and I are both on our feet, arms in the air, cheering and double high-fiving because of what our guys just did.

“Yes!” I shout.

“Woo-hoo!” she seconds.

River joins in, hollering, “Go, go, go!”

Crosby’s brow shoots sky-high. Sullivan deals me a curious look. Reese and I just shrug and grin, wrapping each other in a hug, proud of our men. When we pull apart, I reach behind me and offer Declan’s mom a fist for knocking. “Pretty impressive, isn’t it, Cyndi?”

“Almost makes me want to be a Dragons fan.”

“Almost, but not quite.”

“You know it,” she adds.

My Cougar buds stare at me. I’m doing the worst job at faking not being interested in Declan Steele.

Ah well, fuck it. They’re going to find out in two hours anyway.





At the Spotted Zebra, Reese hangs out at the bar with Sierra. River took off for work, and Miguel said goodnight to go see his wife and their newborn, so it’s just the baseball guys in the game room, shooting pool.

It’s the former spring training crew, plus one—Holden is here, along with Crosby, Chance, Declan, Sullivan, and me. More than five years have passed since the day I met the guy who lives with me.

Our lives have all changed.

Chance was married and is now divorced.

Crosby, once single, has fallen in love with the owner of the city’s football team.

Holden’s new to the crew, and he’s met the love of his life in my best friend.

Sullivan is single, eyes and mind and heart open for the right woman.

As for me, I suppose the more things change, the more they stay the same. My heart still thunders for the same man. But Declan and I have both changed for the better. He’s broken down his walls to let me in. I’ve become the man I was meant to be, so that I could finally have the life I want.

And that life is this.

“Okay. I’m going with Matthew McConaughey,” Crosby declares as he lines up his shot.