Page 62 of Out of Left Field

He nodded. “Not all the time. And not like Paredes. I did talk it out with Ev and my parents. They let me vent. And, eventually, I got used to being on the new path. Found a job I enjoyed and, like baseball, came with a roadmap for me to follow. I found myself exactly where I wanted to be ten years later. And then the path changed again.”

“But it didn’t make you angry this time.”

He threaded our fingers together and held my hand. “That’s not entirely true. Doing this? It’s terrifying. I’ve left all my systems, all the things I’ve learned to help me be successful, and jumped into the deep end. I’m very worried my mind will not be up to the task, but because I know what my weaknesses are, I’ve been concentrating on them, and with a little bit of that timing and luck, I might just do this thing.”

I already respected Isaac’s leadership and integrity, but now I was head over heels fangirling over everything about him from his struggles to his skills. “You’re a pretty incredible man, Isaac Anson. And very self-aware.”

He grunted. “It comes from years of failing spectacularly. Just be glad you weren’t around for them.”

“Oh, I’ll gladly reap the benefits.” I scooched over until my hips met his and dropped a kiss on his scruffy cheek. “I want to know all of you, Isaac. Even the parts you think are messy.”

He cupped my face. “I’m looking forward to discovering all of you, Kate. Even the greedy parts.” His eyes dropped to my lips and I could tell he was remembering the things we did two mornings ago.

It made me blush all over again. “We should probably head downstairs or we’ll miss the bus.”

Isaac moved off the bed and down to his knees, pushing mine apart. “Downstairs you say?”

He couldn’t possibly think we had time for this. “The bus, Isaac!”

He pushed up my skirt. “I’ll call a cab. Now, relax and show me how greedy you can be.”

22

Isaac

Every eyeball in the restaurant swung to us as we stepped inside. Every player. Every coach. Every trainer. The ones who suspected smirked. The ones who had been clueless up until now looked surprised and pleased. With my hand on her back and the taste of her still on my tongue, I guided Kate to the open seats by Gordo.

“Hey Cap!” Hunter Holland called out.

“Yes?” I sighed and came to stop in the center of the room. A room that had gotten incredibly quiet in a very short amount of time.

He pointed his finger and waved it between me and Kate. “You uh, dating the doc now?”

There was no point in denying it. “Yes I am.”

“Fuck yeah. Power couple,” Alex Anderson said loud enough for the whole room to hear it. Then the volume kicked up as everyone went back to their food and conversations.

Kate let out a breath.

“Was that all right?” I probably should have double checked before confirming our relationship status.

“I’m actually relieved.”

I pulled out the chair opposite Gordo for Kate and took the one beside her. Everett, Wes, Erik, and Rhett completed our table. Liam leaned over from the table next to us.

“Do I need to worry about my job?”

Kate’s eyes rounded in horror. “No! Trust me, your job is safe. I do not want your job.”

“Cool.”

“See?” I whispered in her ear. “Talking clears the air. He could have stewed on that and worried for weeks.”

“True. And I really don’t want his job, just to be clear.”

I kissed her cheek. “Just don’t go too far.”

“So you’re serious,” Gordo said without looking up from the menu. “That’s nice.”