The motherfucker that he is, he holds on to her tight and doesn’t let go. Instead he looks over at me and says, “Did you hear that? Your girlfriend is hitting on me.” They part a foot but he keeps his arms on her shoulders and asks, “Want to go back to the locker room with me, Milly?”

  Before she can even answer, I tug on her hand and pull her into my arms. “You can leave now.”

  “What? Now that your girl is here? You don’t need me to hold your hand?” He turns to Milly. “Did you know he’s really nervous to meet your family?”

  “Dude.”

  “Like he cried to me last night, hoping he doesn’t make a bad impression on them. It was weird but I took care of your boy, told him he would be great and to not act like himself at all.”

  Milly glances up at me. “You’re nervous?” She tugs on my gown, concern growing in her eyes. “My family is so chill. They’re excited to meet you.”

  “He’s afraid they won’t approve of his mediocre talent.”

  “You can leave now,” I snap at Jason, who laughs and starts to walk away, but not before gripping my shoulder with one hand.

  “You’re going to do just fine. They’d be stupid not to like you.” And just because he’s an asshat, he grips my cheeks and plants a kiss on my lips before taking off.

  “What did I tell you about that shit?” I call out as he laughs like a hyena, making his way back to the parking lot. “Christ.” I wipe my mouth as I catch Milly’s surprised expression.

  “Is that not the first time he’s done that?”

  I shake my head. “Unfortunately, no. He’s the guy who loves getting a reaction out of people so he’ll do the most ridiculous shit, like standing on top of a counter and making you announce your pickle choice . . . and kissing his best friends on the lips with no warning.”

  She chuckles and looks back at the retreating Jason. “I like him. He’s going to rock some lucky girl’s world one day.”

  “Or they’re going to rock his world and put him in place.”

  She grips my hand tightly. “Oh, that would be even better.”

  Together we walk to the front of the stadium where Milly’s family is waiting. It was an easy meeting place since everyone is milling around the events center and trying to take pictures in front of the stone Brentwood University sign. Milly said she’d rather take a picture in front of the stadium where some of her best memories were created.

  “Are you really nervous?”

  “I mean, it’s your family, and since I like you sooooo much,” I say with a teasing tone, “I want to make sure they like me too. What if they thought I was a piece of trash, what would you do?”

  “Easy, dump you and move on to one of Cory’s teammates.”

  I halt immediately and she flies in front of me, our hand connection being the only thing that stops her. When she yo-yos back to me, she’s laughing—a little too hard for my liking.

  “Excuse me?”

  Through her laughter, she says, “You know I’m kidding.”

  “Uh, you answered that question way too quickly, as if you’ve been thinking about it, and that scares me.”

  “Please, we all know the single guys on the Storm don’t have good enough stats for me to even consider them.”

  My jaw works side to side.

  “This isn’t fucking funny.”

  But her boisterous laugh tells me otherwise.

  “Stop it. My family will like you because I like you. My dad and brothers will be thrilled you play baseball, and my mom will die over your blue eyes and probably say something really inappropriate like . . . ‘you two will have the cutest babies.’ So be ready for that. She’s said it to every one of my brothers’ girlfriends. It’s mortifying, so there’s your heads-up.”

  “Cute babies, huh?” We start walking again.

  “Drop it. We are not talking about that.”

  “But I mean, you want kids, right?”

  “Carson, we’ve been dating for a few weeks, we just graduated, why would you—”

  “You want kids, right, Milly?” I’m serious.

  Her face softens and she sighs. “Of course I want kids, but that’s grown-up stuff I don’t want to talk about yet. Which reminds me, my brothers don’t know about the proposal for their facility, so please don’t mention it.”

  I bring her hand to my lips and press a sweet kiss across her knuckles. “Wouldn’t dream of it. That’s your story to tell, but, back to the kids thing. How many?”

  “Carson,” she groans as we turn the corner and spot a group of guys standing together with an older but spitting image of Milly directly in the middle. Milly is her mom’s twin, while her brothers and dad all tower over her.

  “Cory?” Milly whispers, just before she releases my hand and takes off running. That’s when I spot him, Cory Potter, in a pair of blue Dockers and a light blue button-up shirt, sleeves folded to his elbows. With his hair styled short and to the side, his expensive watch and polished loafers, he looks like one of the classiest motherfuckers I’ve ever seen.

  I glance down at my worn-out dress shoes and feel embarrassed immediately. Shit, I should have bought something nice to wear.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” Milly says when she releases herself from her brother. “I thought you have a game tonight.”

  “Coach gave me the night off. I just have to be back in time for the first pitch,” his deep, refined voice says.

  “This is the best surprise ever.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen Milly this excited. She really does have a special connection with Cory.

  “What are we, chopped liver?” one of her other brothers says before pulling her in for a hug.

  From a distance, like the outsider I am, I watch Milly receive love and praise from her family including her mom and dad, who are probably overjoyed to have their last child out of college and gearing up for the real world.

  And even though I know my circumstances are different, I can’t help but feel a little pang of hurt from not having the same with my family. It’s just my dad and me, and even though I know he loves me unconditionally, I don’t think he’s ever hugged me like Mr. and Mrs. Potter hug Milly, nor have I ever seen him smile as wide like when her parents saw her approach.

  The day my mom passed away, a piece of my dad died too; he’s never been the same. He’s stayed strong-willed and hard-working, but affection disappeared. The occasional handshake and pat on the back has been my greeting when I’ve returned home, but nothing like the affection in Milly’s family. No wonder she’s as warm and incredible as she is. How could she not be?

  But my dad has shown his love differently. He saw my passion and helped me in every way he could to make my passion a reality. He sacrificed, he put his actual blood and sweat into his jobs so I could be where I am today. His love is different, but it’s still love.

  “Carson,” Milly calls out. I lift my gaze and see her calling me over. Throat tight, I try to relax and not let my emotions about missing my dad get the best of me. “Come here.”

  I plaster a smile on my face and when I reach Milly, I take her hand in mine and let her give introductions.

  “Everyone, this is Carson Stone. Carson, this is Cory, my dad, my mom, Sean, and Rian.” I reach out and go to give them a handshake, but Cory is the first to scoop me up into a hug, sending my mind into a tailspin.

  Fucking Cory Potter is hugging me, straight-up . . . hugging me.

  “Congratulations on graduation and the amazing season.” He pats my chest when he releases me.

  “Uh, thank you,” I say right before I go down the line of family members, getting a hug from each of them and unexpected words of encouragement. By the time I’m released from Rian, I’m an emotional wreck about ready to tip over the edge into boo-hooing my way through the night.

  Jesus. Get it together, man.

  Milly must see the emotion clouding my eyes because she quickly snags me around the waist and says, “Shall we go get pizza?”

  “Lead the way,” her dad says, motioning with his hand.

  “Wait,” her mom calls out. “Pictures first, then food.”

  Classic mom . . . from the brief interaction we’ve shared, my mom would have liked Mrs. Potter.

  * * *

  “Milly, what the fuck?”

  “What?” she asks, whispering back.

  “What the hell are you wearing?”

  We’re sitting at the table, as her family’s still parking their car, and Milly is sitting next to me looking fine as fuck in a yellow sundress I’ve never seen before. The sleeves are capped, showing off her toned arms, and the neckline scoops just low enough for me to catch some cleavage. And did I mention the dress is hugging every last inch of her body?

  She takes in her outfit and says, “It’s a dress.”

  “I’m aware, but why are you wearing it?”

  “Jerry helped me pick it out. You should have seen him at the department store. Kept telling everyone he was my Jerry godmother, getting me ready for my debut—I think that’s how he put it.”

  “Jerry,” I mutter. “Is he trying to embarrass me in front of your family?”

  Her eyes widen and she leans in even closer, her hand on my thigh. That’s not helping. “Oh my God, are you getting turned on?”

  “Uh . . . yeah. My girlfriend, who I’m crazy about, showed up for graduation in a dress that’s barely containing her perfect body and decided to reveal it right before we have to eat a meal with her family.”

  “Ah, you’ll survive.” She pats my cheek, her compassion at about a level two—not really giving a fuck whatsoever.

  “You’re a temptress, you hear me? An evil fucking temptress.”

  “Oh, is that how you really feel about me? Does that mean I’m going back to my dorm alone tonight? Such a shame, I had a new bra I wanted to show you.” She winks and then casually takes a sip of her water.

  I lean over and whisper harshly into her ear, “I don’t know what you’ve done with my shy and blushing girlfriend, but if you can return her, that would be great.” And I sure as hell hope Jerry didn’t help her pick out her new underwear.

  She laughs and doesn’t show one ounce of care for how incredibly turned on I am simply from the sight of her. I’m about to reprimand her again, let her know how difficult she’s making things for me, when her family walks up to the table and takes a seat. Sean and Rian sit at the end, her parents sit on the corner, and Cory sits directly in front of us.

  Seriously . . . Cory Potter is about to share a pizza with me. The guys at the loft are going to shit themselves and yeah, I had zero chill and asked for a picture with the guy in front of the Brentwood dugout. He put his arm around me and he smelled like fresh spring. I wanted to stuff my head in his armpit, live there for years, and breathe in his scent, his manliness, and his talent.

  Guy crush? Possibly, and I’m not even sorry about it. It’s Cory Fucking Potter. The dude just sticks his bat out over the plate and hits a home run.

  “Get whatever you want, it’s on me,” Cory announces, as Sean and Rian both start surveying the pitchers of beers.

  “Oh honey, you don’t have to buy,” Mrs. Potter says, a hand to her son’s forearm. “We can pay.”

  “Mom,” Cory says with a get real look. That’s all it takes, because Mrs. Potter backs off. I admire Cory more than before. There’s no doubt he’s very generous with his money. It’s the same way I want to be when I make it to the big leagues. I used to say if, but I know I’ll get there. I’ve worked too damn hard not to make it, but only time will tell how long it will take me.

  With Milly by my side though, I know I can make my dreams come true.

  Mr. Potter orders a few pizzas for the table that everyone agrees on. I was asked at least five times if those choices were good. Little do they know if they cut up their shoes for pizza toppings, I would still eat it. Sean orders a few local brews and fills up a glass for all of us. I’ve never drank with adults before, so it feels a little weird. Dad doesn’t drink, says it’s a waste of money. The man is incredibly frugal.

  Cory pins me with a stare and says, “So when did you first fall for my sister?”

  “Cory,” Milly says, almost groaning out his name.

  Sean and Rian both move closer and say, “We’d like to hear that answer too.”

  “Yes, please.” Mrs. Potter claps her hands and then says, “Can I just say, you two would make the cutest babies.”

  I hold back my snort while the rest of the table groans.

  “What?” Mrs. Potter looks around, as if she doesn’t understand what she said. “They would.”

  “Please, Mother. Don’t scare him away.”

  “Nah.” Cory shakes his head, looking me dead in the eyes. “This guy isn’t going anywhere, I can tell.”

  He’s damn right about that. I know our life moving forward is going to be hard, but I’m bound and determined to make it work, even if it means having a long-distance relationship, something we have yet to talk about, but something I feel confident Milly will work hard for, just like me.

  Under the table, I squeeze Milly’s hand and say, “Well, the first time I ran into her was in the dining hall and that wasn’t a pleasant interaction on both accounts. But the first time I was introduced to her was in the weight room, and I was a bit of a douche to her. I was in a shitty mood and brushed off her help.”

  “Is that right?” Cory asks, bringing his pint glass to his lips. I’ve seen this man play so many damn games of baseball, I’ve seen his lighthearted attitude, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the seriousness that passes over his face when I talk about his sister. Something tells me if I fuck this up, he’ll have my balls ripped from my body and shelved in a glass case with the rest of his monumental memorabilia.

  “For the record,” Milly steps in, easing her brother, “Jerry was being a dick and inadvertently told Carson how much he sucked and how I was the one person who could help him.”

  Cory nods and motions for me to continue. Jesus, I feel like I’m being interviewed by the head of the mob. All we’re missing is some gold rings and a dead horse’s head . . . well, and I guess some serious weaponry. But the intimidation is there.

  “Just wasn’t in the right headspace. Then after a game, Milly was still in the stands when I was walking back to the dugout. She told me I’d never hit the ball with the swing I was taking to the plate.”

  The boys laugh as Cory says, “That’s my girl.”

  “That was the moment.”

  “Really?” she asks, turning toward me.

  “Yeah. You might have been nervous and were stuttering, but you still had confidence in your knowledge and that to me was sexy.” Her face blushes, Mrs. Potter coos, and the boys all give me stern looks.

  “Sexy?” Rian asks.

  “Ehh, I mean . . . it was . . . uh . . . nice.”

  “Better.”

  “I can be sexy,” Milly says, defending herself, puffing her chest out. Yeah, she can be sexy . . . really sexy.

  Rian and Sean cover their ears but Cory doesn’t seem to mind. “Damn right, sis.”

  And fuck . . . I like him more with every second that passes. There are people in your life who help extract the power and confidence resting deep inside you, and Cory is one of those people for Milly.

  Not to mention, she seems different right now. Like she’s at home, and looking around at her family members, I can see how the atmosphere they create would make her feel that way. There’s no competition among siblings, no animosity, just love. Shows me where Milly gets her kind and loving spirit . . . also her teasing attitude.

  “She told me she wasn’t crushing on you, but you should have heard how much she talked about you on the phone.” Cory shakes his head and laughs. “I knew it was only a matter of time and if you were a smart man, which you are, I knew you’d make a move.”

  “You talked a lot about me?” I ask Milly, who is giving her brother her best murder eyes.

  He doesn’t even flinch. “So much. I would text Rian and Sean and fill them in on her hours of gushing.”

  “Oh yeah, we all knew she was a goner,” Sean says, carefully examining his beer.

  “She’s never talked about a guy like that before. Totally smitten.”

  “Will you guys shut it?” It’s cute how defensive she’s getting.

  “Aww, Coach.” I kiss the side of her head, loving that it’s my time to tease her, especially after the whole pickle debacle at the loft. “I knew you were smitten from how many times I caught you staring at my abs every time I dabbed my brow with my shirt. Ever wonder why I did it so much?”

  Her eyes widen. “You did not know. Don’t even put on a front.” Caught red-handed. I had no fucking clue. If I’d known she was “smitten” life would have been so much easier.

  “Did you tell your brothers how you shoved a cookie in my mouth because you were so nervous around me?”

  “Oh yeah.” Cory nods. “That was my favorite story. Fly-by baked good to the mouth.”

  “What kind of cookie?” Sean asks.

  “White chocolate macadamia nut. It was pretty good. The boys on the team kept putting packages of them in my locker after that, because of course, they saw the entire moment unfold.”

  “I need to go to the bathroom.” Milly goes to stand but I pull her back down by the hand.

  “If you leave, I’ll only tell more juicy stories about you.”

  “Oh, maybe she should leave.” Rian rubs his hands together. “We have some great stories to tell too.”

  She plants herself firmly in her chair and folds her arms. “Yeah, nice try. Why don’t we change the subject?” With a wicked smile, she says, “Cory, why don’t you tell us about your relationship with Cheryl?”

  “Yeah,” Sean says, “tell us.”

  “We really want to know about the mystery woman who keeps you in line,” Rian adds.

  Looking all too excited, Mrs. Potter asks, “Would you make cute babies?”

  This time I snort. I can’t help it, but it goes unnoticed thankfully as Cory shifts in his seat and takes a sip of his beer.

  Casually, he sets his pint glass back on the table and says, “Well, Cheryl is the woman behind the man, my backbone, the reason I’m able to function during the season and not lose my damn mind.”