Page 77 of Playing With The Mountain Man

I squeezed her tightly, never wanting to let go.

With nothing happening, we went and grabbed a coffee before finding a shady spot high up in the bleachers. Tillie waved to a few other parents, but we kept our distance, caught up in our own bubble.

The game started, and River’s team took to the field. River was playing second base. He looked so small standing out there, but even from where I sat, I could see the infectious grin on his face.

Quickly, they got the other team out and lined up to bat. The game continued, and soon we were deep in the third inning, but it was finally time for River to bat.

“Widen your stance. Square your shoulders,” I whispered, recounting the advice I’d shared with him when we’d been mucking around in the yard. I don’t know if he heard me or just remembered, but a moment later, he shuffled his feet a little wider and straightened up his shoulders, squaring them with home plate. “Relax your grip.”

I held my breath as the pitcher lined up and released the ball. The first skidded through the dirt a few feet short of home plate. The second pitch, a perfect curveball that impressed even me, landed in the catcher's mitt with a thud.

“You can do it, River!” Tillie called out from beside me, where she was already on her feet, her hands clapped together.

“This is the one,” I muttered. I don’t know why I knew it or how, but I just did.

The pitcher turned to look at his teammate, stalling and trying to look cool. With a smirk on his face, he spun back to face River, yanking his arm back and letting the ball fly. I clenched my fists and held my breath. It was the perfect pitch, but River didn’t flinch. He swung through. The bat made a satisfying crack as the ball sailed through the air, right between first and second base.

My plan to keep quiet evaporated. “Run!” I cried out, jumping to my feet and waving my arms.

River’s little legs carried him as fast as they could. He rounded first base, making his way toward second.

“Keep going!” I encouraged.

The ball was tossed back into play, missing its mark and rolling across the grass. River just kept running. By the time he made it to third base, he was puffing hard, but with a grin from ear to ear. A grin that matched my own. Somewhere along the way, buried beneath the contracts and endorsements, injuries and expectations, and lonely nights in beige hotel rooms, I’d forgotten about the pure joy of the game. Something River, in the space of one game, had given back to me.

The game ended with River’s team victorious, and the coach insisted on taking them out for pizza.

I signed caps and bats and snapped more selfies than I can remember having done before, then I excused myself.

“You’re not coming for pizza?” Tillie asked as I loaded the empty box into the back of my truck.

“I’d better not.” I shrugged. “I think I’ve caused enough of a scene.”

“River was excited to have you here.”

“Not as much as I was to be here. I’d forgotten …”

“And now you remember,” Tillie finished for me. Her voice held no accusation, just understanding.

I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “See you back at my place?”

“We’ll be there,” Tillie promised, flashing me a smile that melted my heart.

I jumped in my truck and headed home, my heart pounding and my head spinning. I knew what I wanted and what I had to do to get it. Now I just had to pull my head out of my ass and make it happen.

Chapter twenty-six

Tillie

“Cody, we’re home,” I called out as we pushed through the door.

Somehow, River was still bouncing around, filled with energy, while I struggled to drag my tired ass up the steps.

When Cody didn’t reply, I kicked off my shoes and went in search of the man who continued to surprise me. I found him stepping out of his home gym, and my knees trembled. His shirt clung to him, his hair was slicked back with sweat, and his face was red. He looked completely wrecked, yet at the same time, he looked sexy as fuck.

“Hi,” he greeted, keeping his distance.

That wasn’t going to work for me. All day I’d watched him. He’d been perfect. Not one misstep. He didn’t allow anyone to make his celebrity more important than River’s team. His entire focus had been on River and making sure he had the best day. And true to his word, he’d done it. The whole car ride home, River hadn’t even taken a breath, gushing about how everything Cody had told him to do had worked.