Rounding the Bases by Jaqueline Snowe
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brigham
I would surely be sent to hell. Sarah felt so fucking good against me, her little breaths tickling my arm, and I refused to move. I trailed my fingers over her shoulder, and after my heart slowed down, I turned onto my side and sighed. “You look good with the just-fucked hair.”
“I knew it.” She closed her eyes and gave me a drunk, sleepy look. “Is sex always like this? Wait—don’t answer that.” She shook her head and cringed, and I chuckled before moving my hand to her hip.
“Honestly? No.”
She peeked one eye open and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “Don’t tease me right now, Brigham. I’ve had a lot of orgasms and my brain is fluffy.”
“Not teasing.” God, this woman is perfect. My smile hurt my face, watching her cute expressions. The worry lines on her face disappeared when I kissed her collarbone. “It changes when there are feelings and trust involved.”
“Huh.”
“Why ‘huh’?” I asked, obsessed with her freckles and how her teeth weren’t perfectly straight. It made her features better, somehow, and I swallowed down the guilt of not telling her about the trial.
“Just thinking about my sex life.”
“With me, right?” I teased, but also needed her to confirm her statement for reasons that had anything to do with jealously. Right.
She giggled and met my gaze. “No, actually.”
“Sarah. What?”
She laughed harder and ran her fingers over my chest with a dazed look. “I always wondered why I waited. It wasn’t because I’m a prude. I’m not. It wasn’t because I didn’t try to put myself out there or anything, because I did. I think…sex, this physical stuff—I need trust there.”
“No regrets, right?”
“Obviously, you beautiful buffoon.” She leaned over and kissed me. “It was…awesome. I’m mad I waited so long to experience that, but that’s where you come in. I don’t think it would’ve been as profound if it wasn’t you.”
Tell her. Don’t be a huge asshole.
“I have something I need to talk to you about,” I said, my voice getting tight and my throat closing up like I’d run three miles without water. Her entire body stiffened and the happiness in her eyes faded. “Want to shower before we talk?”
“No, Brigham.” She sat up, naked and beautiful, and bit her lip as uncertainty crossed her face. “You don’t regret this, right?”
“Baby, last night, this morning, hell, yesterday too. Best twenty-four hours of my life.” I pulled her onto my lap so our skin touched. It comforted me to feel her warmth. “So get any ideas like that out of your blue-haired head.”
She blushed. “Okay, well, when you put it like that.”
“Yeah.” I tilted her chin up, kissed her softly because I was selfish and wanted another kiss without my future hanging over us. She smiled against my mouth before putting a hand on my chest and pushing. “Hey.”
“You cannot tell a human they need to talk before distracting said human with kissing. Speak your piece, Monaghan.”
“Right.” I sighed and my stomach twisted to the point it hurt. “The call I got yesterday…if the prosecutor wants to charge me with a felony, there is a chance I could go to jail for resisting arrest. I wasn’t going to tell you. At least, not yesterday.”
“I knew it.” She hit my shoulder and slammed her lips together in a hard frown. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because yesterday was about you. Your future, your dream. I didn’t want to spoil it.” I waited, tried reading her face and only took a calming breath when her expression softened.
“You are the sweetest man. Idiotic, sure, but sweet. If we’re together, like I think we are, then we should share that stuff.” She repositioned herself so she straddled me, both of us naked and sweaty, but I needed her touch. “Okay, so when would you find out?”
“When my lawyer calls. They might want to do a plea deal, which, if I accept, there is a chance Los Soles could trade me or drop me.”
“That’s the last thing you want, right?”
“Correct.” My jaw hurt as I ground my teeth, avoiding telling her the truth of it all. “I was going to end things with you.”
She blinked and pressed her lips together for a few seconds before narrowing her eyes at me with a bit of pride. “Because…you didn’t want me to be a part of that? Because you thought I would end it if you left? I think I understand your intentions, but I’d like to hear them anyway.”
Relief was a form of ecstasy. For a minute, I thought she would slap me or end it because of my shitshow life. But she didn’t. Not Sarah Blue, with her positive outlook and trusting nature. I crushed her against me in a hug. “Thank you. Fuck, I-I don’t deserve you. I really don’t.”
“We’ll see. Now talk.”
“Your life is just getting started. The business launch and opening, you going for your dream. Mine could be ending. If I’m traded, or let go, or in fucking jail, the last thing you need is me bringing you down. It’s asking too much of you to put in effort with me when it should go toward your business.”
“Admirable, yes. But, for the record, if we are going to continue this—which I would like very much—don’t make decisions for me.” She pursed her lips and arched one eyebrow, daring me to argue. I wouldn’t. I could show signs of intelligence sometimes. I nodded and took her hand again.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So what does this mean? A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours. A hell of a lot.”
“True.” I swallowed. “I don’t know. I know I don’t want to walk away from you, from this, because it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long time. But if I get charged…” My hands shook a bit and Sarah’s jaw tightened. “We can talk about it then.”
“I know this is easier said than done and I’m the queen of not leading by example, but let’s try not to worry about this stuff until it happens. What if the place I want more than air isn’t available anymore? What if my business goes bankrupt and I have to move in with my parents? What if it catches fire? What if I fail? All we can do is keep pushing forward. Like you are. Play your baseball and keep fighting.”
Play my baseball.“God, you’re the fucking cutest.” I stood and picked her up, carrying her to the bathroom. “We’re going to shower and I’m going to spend a lot of time cleaning your tits, then I want to hear about this place you’re looking at. Okay?”
She blushed and buried her face into my neck. “Okay.”
* * * *
The next day, Sarah paced the living room in her super-short denim shorts and a pale blue tank top, with two dogs following her every move. I could only smile at the picture she made—hair still wet but pulled up, and red cheeks from her constant blush. I adored her. She met my eyes, winked and went back to the call with her relator. “So if I tour tomorrow and like it, they want to wait until November to close? It’s August!”
She groaned and plopped onto the couch, crossing her legs only to get up again. “Fine. Yeah. That works. I’ll see you next weekend and we can talk next steps. Thanks, Mel.” She hung up and quickly jotted something down on her planner. “I get to see it tomorrow.”
“You sound confident it’s the right location.”
“It is. Look.” She moved the chair to sit closer to me and fired up her laptop. “It has an entire upper floor that could be my living facilities. Downstairs has four bedrooms that can fit kennels and the main room, obviously for reception, then this mudroom can be transformed into a grooming station.”
“And the back yard?”
“Oh, baby. It’s huge! And has a ton of trees for shade.” She clicked a couple of pictures and got to the back. “I’d need a doggy pool, though. It gets too hot for them to be outside without water.”
“You sounded frustrated on the phone though. Why is November bad?” I asked, watching her slim fingers hit the track pad a few times. She clicked her tongue before groaning.
“I’m done here in September. That means October and part of November, I’ll have to find somewhere to live. Don’t want to go to my parents, that’s for damn sure. Megan would probably let me bunk there for five or six weeks, though.” She nodded. “Yeah, I just talked myself into it.”
“Stay with me.” The words flowed out of me, like I’d been waiting for the right moment to say it. I didn’t hesitate or have a single regret. “You love the building, and Fernie.”
“Do you really mean it?” she asked, eyes wide and chest moving faster. “This is a big step. I’ve never lived with a guy. You know, besides my dad.” She blinked a lot and looked at my forehead, rather than my eyes. “What if it’s weird?”
“What if it’s not?” I put my arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “My sister and I were close and I didn’t drive her too crazy growing up. So if you’re worried about being messy, don’t worry.”
“Not worrying about that.”
“Then what?”
“What if we decide to end this? What if…I don’t know, you’re traded? There’s a lot that could happen!” She pushed out from the chair and put her hands on her slim waist.
“What if I stay and get to see you every morning? What if we can to wake up together all the time? I don’t see a downside.”
“And if things go south?”
“Baby, that won’t happen on my end.” My voice came out firm. Her eyes softened before she bit her lip and walked back to me. “I love who I am with you. I haven’t felt like this, like me, in years. So why don’t we revisit this when September ends.” I paused, raising my eyebrows. “Did I just quote Green Day seamlessly into my life?”
She giggled and nodded. “It really worked.”
“I’m kinda proud of myself.”
She rolled her eyes and moved to stand between my thighs. She brought her hands to my shoulders and tilted my face up to look at her. “Okay.”
“Okay as in, you’ll move in with me?”
“Ninety percent, yes.”
“And the other ten?” I teased, hooking my fingers into her beltloops and pulling her so she landed on my lap. “What’s with that?”
“Let’s wait and see, hm?” She had a hint of worry in her eyes, and it was my new goal to get rid of that worry.
And for that to happen, I needed to end this shit with the charges.
