“Oh fuck, really?” Cory asks, leaning in. “So, is she married?”

  I shake my head. “No. She wasn’t even in love with the guy. They were engaged because she was pregnant.” I grip the arm of the chair, remembering what she said last night. “She had a miscarriage. The fuckhead pushed her and she flew into a coffee table, lost the baby a few days later.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Cory asks, his anger spiking just like mine.

  “Honestly, I can’t talk about that part, because I’ll black out in rage.” I take deep breath, taking a second to center myself. “They broke up, her career was over, and she got a job at Brentwood coaching the men’s soccer team.”

  “Damn, good for her. Let me guess, you saw her?”

  “Last night.” I nod. “I was pissed she didn’t tell me she was in Chicago and even more pissed when she didn’t text me her address after I told her we needed to talk. I messaged her mom and got her address. Let’s just say the evening didn’t start off great, but then it ended in . . .” I shake my head, “Hell, it ended in the best way possible.”

  “Ah, you got some.”

  I chuckle. “We reconnected.”

  “And judging by the sour look on your face, she freaked out this morning?”

  “Yup,” I say with a pop. “Big time. Left before we could even talk. I barely had my eyes open. She apologized, said it was a mistake, and took off.”

  “A mistake? Damn, that’s rough, man.”

  “Yep.” I’m a man of many words today.

  “And that’s where you left things?”

  “Yeah.” I prop my legs up on the coffee table in front of me, slinking into my seat. “Now I have this empty ache in the middle of my chest, and I’m hell, I’m feeling depressed, man. Even though Maddox knows more about our relationship, I don’t want to tell him. You and I both know he’s going through his own shit with Kinsley . . . and is currently unstable. I don’t know what to fucking do.”

  “You said you have this ache in the middle of your chest.” He looks to the side and then finds my eyes again, “Dude, are you in love with her?”

  I look at my hands, noticing the calluses on my left hand from the seams of the ball I’ve rubbed against for years. Am I in love?

  I blow out a long breath. “I think I’ve been in love with her for a very long time, but couldn’t admit it to myself.” My eyes find Cory’s as I say, “She’s all I fucking want, all I’ve ever wanted.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? Tell her how you feel.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “How? You only have everything to gain by telling her you love her. Trust me, I know. I blew up on Natalie, broke up with her for no reason, and I fucking groveled my way back into her life by telling her how I felt.”

  “But Natalie was never afraid of commitment. Indie is terrified of it.”

  “Is she?” Cory raises an eyebrow. “Because from where I’m sitting, she’s committed to having a lifelong relationship with you and she committed to marrying someone on the premise of having a baby together. I don’t think she fears commitment. I think she might fear the magnitude of the love she harbors for you.”

  “Man, you don’t know that.”

  “I don’t.” He picks up his water bottle and takes a drink. “But from what you told me about her, I would wager that she has some pretty strong feelings for you and has no idea how to face them head-on.” He smiles at me. “Time to not take no for an answer, Linc. Fight for what you want. If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. I wouldn’t take long to think about it. She’s a female coach for a men’s team. She’s going to get a lot of press and there will be people knocking on her door. Don’t miss your opportunity to finally make your move.”

  I drag both of my hands down my face. “I think I’m going to throw up.”

  “Then that means you’re about to do the right thing. Isn’t love fun?” He tosses more seeds into his mouth and smiles.

  * * *

  Hopping on my feet a few times, I rub my hands over my knuckles and then wrap them on the wood door in front of me.

  Christ, am I really going to do this?

  The door unlocks, and I don’t bolt.

  I guess I’m doing this.

  The door opens and I’m greeted by red, bloodshot, and teary eyes. There’s no denying what she was doing right before answering the door.

  “Lincoln, it’s late.”

  “I couldn’t wait,” I say, knowing damn well it’s late. I couldn’t come visit her until after our game. “Can we talk?”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  I press my hand against the wood of the door. “Do not shut this door on me. After everything we’ve been through, do not shut this door on me.”

  Her lip trembles and she nods, opening the door for me to step in. I shut it behind me and she makes her way over to the living room where she curls up on the couch and brings her knees in close to her chest. A tear falls down her cheek and she quickly wipes it away, her oversized sweater acting as a tissue.

  “Why are you crying, Indie?”

  She leans her head against the couch and looks past my shoulder, her lip trembling again. I can see she’s trying to compose herself, so I give her time. I have all the goddamn time in the world to make this right. I’m in no rush now that I’m here.

  Finally, she says, “I’ve made some mistakes in my life, mistakes that have shaped me to be the person I am today, but I think my biggest mistake, one I can never take back . . . is you.”

  Talk about a motherfucking gut punch.

  Maybe this was a bad idea.

  A really bad fucking idea by the way nausea rises up my throat.

  I press my forearms to my thighs and clasp my hands together in front of me. “I don’t really—”

  “I’m not finished,” she says, her eyes cast down.

  Okay.

  I watch as her breath evens out and finally, her gaze meets mine. “I should have known being just friends with you would never work out.” She shakes her head. “I thought keeping you in my life as my friend would be enough, because I’d always have you. No matter what . . . I’d always have you. But then I didn’t.” More tears fall down her cheeks. “And if this last year has taught me anything, or last night for that matter, it’s that I can’t be friends with you, Lincoln.”

  Christ.

  I suck in a sharp breath. Taking blow after blow. Cory was so fucking wrong.

  “It feels impossible to be friends with you, when I’m . . . when I’m in love with you,” she says and my eyes shoot to hers. Did I just hear her correctly? Love? She’s in love with me? “And I know that’s not what we said this relationship was about. We put rules and limits on what we’re supposed to be, but I can’t have you coming over here, visiting with me, fucking me, and then leaving.” She catches a tear on her finger. “It’s too hard to walk away when all I want is to have you all to myself.” She sucks in a sob and steadies her breath. “I’m sorry, but I thought I should be honest with you.”

  When she’s done, I move over to the couch and slide her legs over mine so I’m sitting right next to her, my arm draped over the back of the couch.

  “Indie.” She doesn’t look at me but buries her head in her hands. I reach out and lift her chin. Tears stream down her face and I lean in closer, keeping her eyes on mine so she hears me loud and clear. “I am so in love with you, it’s painful. So fucking in love with you.”

  She shakes her head, almost as if she can’t quite comprehend what I’m telling her.

  “You don’t have to say that, Lincoln.”

  “Hey, I listened to you, now it’s your turn to listen to me.” And now I know why I’m here. I know exactly what words need to be said. “If we’re talking about mistakes, I have a few. First, never pushing for more when I first met you. Then when I left after the draft, never asking if you would do long-distance with me. And every time we met up after that, never finding it within me to assess how I honestly felt about you. And when we met up for dinner, a year ago, never calling you and begging you to reconsider, to give me your heart instead. And then this morning, allowing you to walk out that door without telling you how much I love you. How much I don’t want to go through another goddamn day as only your friend. I want to be your man, your person, your goddamn everything.”

  “You already are,” she says on a sniff. “You’re everything to me, Lincoln, and I’m so mad it took me this long to figure it out, to admit it.”

  I grip her cheek, brush a tear away with my thumb. “Babe, it took me just as long.” I can feel my uneven breathing as I hold her close, our foreheads touching. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Mayhem. Will you please, after all these years, go on a date with me?”

  A bubble of a laugh falls past her lips as she lightly nods. “I don’t think I could ever say no to that.”

  Gently, slowly, I lower my mouth to hers and capture her mouth with mine. Sweet and innocent, we move our mouths, finally closing our friendship chapter and turning us into so much more.

  What started out as two meddling moms attempting to find love for their children, turned into the longest, but most brilliant love affair. And even though I hate to admit it, my mom picked right.

  She picked so fucking right.

  Indie is it for me. My one and only. My forever setup.

  Epilogue

  LINCOLN

  “Three orders of potato skins?” Mom asks. “Are you insane?”

  I lean back in my booth, looking at my two moms, who I met at Boondoggles for dinner. “Mom, I can afford it.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I know you can afford it, but you know they don’t reheat well, despite what your mama might think.”

  Mama stuffs her napkin in her Rebels shirt and says, “I am more than happy to take these down with my son. I haven’t had these potato skins in a really long time and didn’t eat lunch. I’m ready.”

  “Self-respect, Michelle,” Mom says while fluffing her napkin on her lap. “So, to what do we owe—”

  “Hey, I didn’t know you were going to be here,” I call out to a very unsurprised but rather smirking Indie, whose mom is trailing behind her, hands over her ears. Beth hates Boondoggles, so it was a feat for Indie to get her to come.

  “Lincoln, is that you?” she asks, pointing her finger at me. “Wow, look at you.” Indie and her mom come up to our high-rise table. We give each other a quick side hug and then she pulls away.

  “Beth, you remember my mom, Laura, right? And this is my mama, Michelle.”

  Confused and possibly a little scared, the meddling moms all exchange timid hellos.

  “Crazy running into you here,” I say.

  “Yeah, I was just telling my mom, who started her own salon, that she needs a website.”

  “No way. Well, my moms just finished up a job. Maybe”—I point to the three of them—“maybe you guys should, you know, talk or something.”

  “Oh honey, that’s not necessary,” Indie’s mom says, looking startled and very unsure. It takes everything in me not to bust out in laughter.

  “Don’t be silly. My moms wouldn’t mind helping. Here, take my seat, we just ordered potato skins, so you can talk over spuds.”

  My mom smiles. “Lincoln, honey, I thought you were just here for the night.”

  “But, Mom, it’s not every day you see an old friend.” I move out of my seat and Indie forces her mom to sit down.

  All three pairs of eyes look at us confused, and that’s when I wrap my arm around Indie’s shoulders and say, “I think I’m going to take my girlfriend to the arcade and play some games. What do you say, babe?”

  She looks up at me with a sweet smile. “Kicking my boyfriend’s ass at air hockey seems like a perfect night.” I bend down and kiss her, totally not sick of her calling me her boyfriend.

  We turn to walk away when all three moms call out, “Hold on a second.”

  Indie and I laugh as we turn around.

  Mom has her hand clutched to her chest as she asks, “You two are dating?”

  I nod. “For a few months now.” I kiss the side of Indie’s head. “Head over cleats in love with this girl.”

  “Oh, dear Jesus,” Beth says, fanning herself with a drink menu. “Seriously?”

  Indie nods at her mom. “Yeah, really, truly in love with this guy.” She squeezes me tightly and our moms all stare up at us, tears in their eyes—even Mama.

  “Looks like for the first time, your meddling actually paid off.” I wink and say, “Call us when the potato skins get here. We’ll celebrate after I beat this girl in air hockey.”

  Beth claps her hands together.

  Mama holds up her drink to me and then takes a sip.

  And Mom . . . well, she just gives me a tearful smile and watches us walk away.

  Who knew a setup by two nosey moms would end in a happily ever after? I didn’t . . . but I’m so fucking glad it did.

  THE END

  Do you want to find out what the future holds for Lincoln and Indie? Click HERE

  Thank you for reading The Setup! You can read all of my other books for FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Keep flipping to read an excerpt from the start of my Brentwood baseball books, The Locker Room, and be sure to read up on all of my Brentwood boys here:

  Maddox and Kinsley: The Change Up

  Cory and Natalie: The Trade

  Jason and Dottie: The Lineup

  Carson and Milly: The Dugout

  Knox and Emory: The Locker Room

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  Standalone Sports Romances

  (Baseball Romances)

  The Locker Room

  The Dugout

  The Lineup

  The Trade

  The Change Up

  The Set Up

  Standalone, Laugh Out Loud, Romantic Comedies

  The Modern Gentleman

  The Wedding Game

  Millionaire Romances

  The Secret to Dating Your Best Friend’s Sister

  (A friends to lovers contemporary romance)

  Diary of a Bad Boy

  (Sassy and sweet romance with an Irish rebel)

  Boss Man Bridegroom

  (A romantic comedy intertwined with an office romance)

  Port Snow Series

  (Small Town Romances)

  That Second Chance

  That Forever Girl

  That Secret Crush

  That Swoony Feeling

  The Duets

  (Complete Box Set compiling The Blue Line Duet and The Perfect Duet in one place)

  The Duets

  The Romance Novelist Chronicles

  (Hilarious, laugh out loud romantic comedies)

  **The Virgin Romance Novelist, The Randy Romance Novelist, and The Parenting Romance Novelist are all combined into one book The Virgin Romance Novelist Chronicles**

  The Virgin Romance Novelist Chronicles

  The Virgin Romance Novelist

  Co-Written with Sara Ney

  (A sexy, smart, heart swooning office romance with the boss)

  Love Sincerely Yours

  The Perfect Duet

  (A heartfelt romance that will leave you breathless)

  The Left Side of Perfect

  The Right Side of Forever

  The Blue Line Duet

  (An epic romance with many twists and turns)

  The Upside of Falling

  The Downside of Love

  The Dating by Numbers Series

  (Adventurous dating series full of laugh out loud moments and very heated scenes)

  Three Blind Dates

  Two Wedding Crashers

  Back in the Game

  One Baby Daddy

  The Binghamton Series

  (Full of heart, humor, and heat and some HOT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS)

  Co-Wrecker

  My Best Friend’s Ex

  Tangled Twosome

  The Other Brother

  Standalone Novels

  (Full of heart, humor, and heat and some real laugh out loud moments)

  The Mother Road

  Newly Exposed

  Dear Life

  The Stroked Series

  (HOT sports romance with plenty of humor)

  STROKED

  STROKED LONG

  STROKED HARD

  The Jett Girl Series

  (Sassy, erotic romance with a gorgeous, protective alpha male)

  Bourbon Sins

  Bourbon Deceit

  Bourbon Kingdom

  Bourbon Truths

  The Love and Sports Series

  (New Adult, Football sports romance with plenty of twists)

  Fair Catch

  Double Coverage

  Three and Out

  The Hot-Lanta Series

  (My first series ever. Baseball sports romance with lots of drama!)

  Caught Looking

  Playing the Field

  Warning Track

  Hit and Run

  Excerpt - The Locker Room

  EMORY

  Rule number one in college: don’t lose your friends at a house party . . . especially when you’re drunk.

  Technically this is a loft party though, so . . . am I really breaking the rule?

  My head falls back against the wall, my empty red cup rests in my hand and is clutched to my chest as I scan the giant loft space on the third floor of a renovated warehouse. I climbed up a fire escape in heels to get here, risked the safety of my ankles to be a part of something special, because apparently this is the place to be on the weekends.