I flash her a smile as we board the elevator. “I’m nothing special,” I say, waving a hand.

  “That’s not what my husband would say!” she says. “He’s a big fan.”

  The elevator opens on the second floor and we step off into the busy hospital hallway.

  I smile. “Well, you be sure to tell him I said hi.”

  She blushes. “Oh, I will! And thank you for coming out here today. I’m sure she’ll really get a kick out of it.”

  “It’s my pleasure.”

  It’s also not my choice. When a fan gets knocked out by your home run, you go visit them in the hospital to make sure they’re okay. That’s just good manners.

  The nurse pauses by a room and points inside. “This is it!”

  “Thank you,” I tell her. “You wouldn’t happen to know her name, would you?”

  “Daisy.”

  I pause. “Daisy? Really?”

  “I remember because it sounded so pretty.”

  “Yeah, it does.”

  “Have fun.” She giggles. “Go, Bearhawks!”

  I chuckle as she walks off, but my feet refuse to take me inside. Quick flashes of memory pop into my head. Blonde hair. Blue eyes hidden behind long lashes. Tongue as seductive and wild as a snake.

  But what are the odds this is the same Daisy?

  I take a few steps in and those small details of her come roaring back as I see her face. She lies asleep with a white bandage wrapped around her head, but I’d recognize those cheekbones anywhere. Her sharp nose. That thick eyeliner around her lids.

  This is definitely the same girl I brought home with me that night in November.

  Jenny.

  Daisy.

  “Hello?”

  I flinch at the familiar voice and turn around to see her standing in the bathroom doorway, too.

  “Hello,” I say, sliding my baseball cap off.

  She looks at me through thick-framed glasses. “Can I help you?”

  Daisy had a twin.

  “I’m Hunter Novak,” I say, extending my hand to her. “I’m the player who hit the…”

  I point at my head.

  “Ah!” she says. “You knocked my sister unconscious.”

  I wince. “Yeah.”

  She steps forward to shake my hand, not appearing too upset about it. “I’m Rose.”

  “Rose.” I smile. “And Daisy.”

  She smirks, rolling her eyes. “Yeah.”

  I laugh and turn toward the bed. “So, is she… okay?”

  “She drifts in and out. The doctor says she’ll be fine, but if the ball had hit her straight on instead of sliding off that guy’s glove first… she may not have been so lucky.”

  I exhale hard. “Good.”

  Christ, I nearly killed her.

  “You’re welcome to stay until she comes around again,” she says. “It shouldn’t take too long and I’m sure she’d like to meet you. She’s a big baseball nerd.”

  Daisy likes baseball.

  She wants to be a sports photographer.

  “Thanks,” I say, smiling at the memory. “I will.”

  Rose grabs a purse off the bedside table. “I’m going to find a vending machine somewhere. There are only so many peanuts and crackerjacks a girl can take — no offense to your sport.”

  “None taken.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She leaves us, taking one last glance at Daisy before disappearing out the door.

  How weird is this?

  I sit down in the chair beside her and stare, gently shaking my head at the absurdity of it all. Without thinking, I lay my hand beside hers on the bed, careful not to disturb her. A one-night stand and now this?

  So fucking weird.

  After a minute, Daisy stirs. I draw my hand away from hers, placing my arm in my lap as her eyes flutter open. I sit forward and smile, patiently waiting until she finally realizes I’m here.

  “Hello, Jenny.”

  She squints, sitting still for a long time. I wonder if she drifted off again, but then her eyes grow a little wider.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” she asks.

  “I thought the same thing.”

  She pushes up into a sitting position. Pain washes across her face as she moves.

  “Hey, maybe you shouldn’t—”

  “What are you doing here?” she asks again.

  I grin. “I hit the ball that hit you.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “You’re a bartender.”

  “In the off-season.”

  She pauses, her bright eyes blinking once per second. “Okay, wait—”

  “Oh, hey! You’re awake.” Rose returns with a soda and a few snack cakes in her hands. “I see you’ve met Hunter.”

  “Hunter?” Daisy repeats. She shakes her head but instantly regrets it. “You’re Home Run Hunter?”

  I flash her a wink, but that just pisses her off.

  Her mouth sags. “You lied to me?”

  “Hey, you lied to me first,” I say. “I was just following your lead.”

  “You little bastard!”

  “Daisy, hey. Calm down.” Rose rests a hand on Daisy’s shoulder and chuckles awkwardly at me. “I’m sorry. She must be a little confused right now.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were a baseball player?!” Daisy spits, ignoring her sister.

  “You didn’t ask,” I say.

  “But I told you what I did.”

  “Well, I asked.”

  Rose furrows her brow. “Okay, what’s going on?” she asks.

  Great question.

  A man in a white coat barges in and smiles as he looks at Daisy. “Oh, good! You are awake.” He pauses at the foot of the bed with a chart in his hands. “How are we feeling right now, Miss Daisy?”

  “My head hurts,” she says, her eyes firing daggers at me.

  “Sorry,” I whisper.

  “That is to be expected,” the doctor says, “but I have some good news for you. You only have a slight concussion. X-rays show nothing else out of the ordinary, but you’ll want to take it easy for a few days. Use some sick days, if you can.”

  “Sure.” Daisy keeps her ire pointed at me. “Sounds peachy, Doc.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Rose says, making up for her twin’s shortness. “That’s really good news.”

  “So, I can go home now?” Daisy asks.

  “Not just yet.” The doctor smiles, but keeps a pair of serious eyes. “Dr. Jones is on her way down to examine you. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a precaution after a fall like that. Mother is okay. Now we need to check on baby.”

  Daisy and I flinch. She breaks eye contact with me to gawk at the doctor instead.

  “What baby?” she asks.

  CHAPTER 8

  DAISY

  “Your baby,” Dr. Whatever says.

  The word echoes off the walls of my brain, bouncing around so much it makes me want to vomit.

  “I don’t have a baby,” I say.

  He pauses. “You didn’t know about the baby?”

  “What baby?”

  I look at Rose, but she holds up her hands.

  “Don’t look at me,” she says.

  Hunter stands up from his chair. “So, I should go…”

  I point a stiff finger at him. “Don’t you move!” He freezes, and I look at the doctor again. “What baby?”

  Rose rubs my shoulder. “Honey, I think he’s telling you that you are pregnant.”

  “No, I’m not!”

  The doctor grins. “Blood work like this doesn’t lie. It seems congratulations are in order here.”

  I drift back to Hunter. He shakes his head.

  “Daisy, no—”

  “You knocked me up?!” I say, officially out of calm.

  “I did not!”

  “Yes, you did!”

  Rose eases closer to me. “Daisy, honey, you know you can’t get pregnant by being hit in the head with a baseball, right?”

  I exhale, my head pounding. “Gee, Hermione, just how did Harry and Ron survive without you?”

  Hunter’s eyes flare with panic. “I didn’t do this!” he says, looking at everyone at least once. “There were condoms. Lots of condoms!”

  I chortle. “An IUD, too, and yet!”

  “You have an IUD?”

  “Yes!”

  “You didn’t mention that.”

  “Big difference it made, anyway!”

  The doctor chuckles. “Well, no method is one-hundred percent effec—”

  “Shut up!” Hunter and I shout in unison before glaring at each other again.

  Rose scratches her head. “I’ve definitely missed something here.”

  “That’s condoms and an IUD.” Hunter waves his arm. “Must be a false positive.”

  “Right! No sperm is that lucky.” I nod at Dr. Dude. “Run it again.”

  “We ran it twice,” he says.

  “Well, shit.”

  “I’m sure Dr. Jones will address your questions and concerns when she gets here,” he adds, clearly wanting to pass us off to someone else.

  “I have many concerns,” Hunter says. “Lots of questions, too.”

  I look at him, trying to ignore the throbbing between my ears. “It couldn’t be anyone else,” I say.

  He opens his mouth to argue, but stops. His eyes soften. His shoulders sink. He exhales slowly, letting it all out before he finally speaks again.

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  “Yes. I’m sure.”

  Hunter stands still for a few moments more before collapsing onto his chair.

  “All right!” The doctor glances at his chart. “Daisy, Dr. Jones will be here soon. You’ll definitely want to tell her about that IUD. Don’t want it to get too crowded down there!” he says, trying to lighten the mood.

  I shrug. “Yeah, okay.”

  He spins on his shiny heels and bolts out of the room. Silence falls between the three of us left. My head pounds. Rose fidgets. Hunter stares at his hands.

  “Rose, can you give us a minute?” I say. “Please?”

  She looks at him, then me, her expression as subtle as a bullhorn.

  “We’ll be fine,” I assure her.

  “Okay,” she says, taking a step back. “I’ll be right outside.”

  “Thanks.”

  Silence drifts in again as she leaves. Chatter echoes in from the busy hallway, feet and gurneys pushing back and forth. Nurses laugh. Doctors murmur.

  So, I’m pregnant.

  I’m having a baby.

  I’m having his baby.

  I look at Hunter. He sits with his head between his knees, harsh breaths cutting in and out with quick, controlled bursts.

  How weird is this?

  Finally, he sits back. A few dark strands fall over his forehead as he looks at me.

  “Are you sure?” he asks again.

  I roll my eyes. “Did I mention the headache?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just…” He shakes his head. “This is crazy.”

  “I know.”

  “I mean, I never thought that…”

  “That what?”

  “That I’d ever see you again.”

  I pause. That’s not what I expected him to say. “Did you even want to?” I ask.

  “It wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world.”

  “No, I guess not.” We stare at each other. “So, I’m pregnant.”

  “Apparently,” he says.

  “And you are a baseball player?”

  He extends his hand to me. “Hunter Novak.”

  I smile, exhaling hard. It feels a little absurd to shake the hand of the man whose already knocked me up, but here we are.

  “Daisy Hawthorne,” I say.

  He holds onto me and his body heat tickles my fingers. Crazy doesn’t even cover it. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see this guy again, but now we’re pregnant?

  “How did you know?” I ask, dropping his hand.

  He furrows his brow, confused. “Know what?”

  “That I lied to you,” I say. “I gave you a fake name.”

  “Oh.” He grins. “Your ID.”

  I close my eyes, slightly embarrassed. “Bartenders actually read those things?”

  “They do.”

  “Noted. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I figured you had your reasons,” he says. “If I had said something, would you have left with me?”

  “Probably not.” I chuckle. “It was a good night.”

  “It was.” His throat clears. “But now, you’re pregnant.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And you’re sure it’s mine?”

  “Yes,” I say, annoyed.

  He presents his hands again. “Just kinda need to know for sure here.”

  “It’s been a pretty dry winter out east.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?”

  He shrugs. “Why?”

  I hesitate. “I’ve been busy, okay?”

  “Okay. I’m only curious. I mean, you’re obviously very…”

  His voice falls. He fidgets. He shuts his mouth, pausing as he drops his eyes.

  Very… hot?

  Slutty?

  What, dude?

  “So, what do we do now?” he says instead.

  The question lingers between us, but it’s not the answer that keeps me quiet.

  It’s the way he said we.

  We. Him and me.

  “Hunter, you don’t have to do anything.” I sigh, stumbling over my words. “You don’t have to be involved. You’re Home Run Hunter. You have your entire career ahead of you.”

  “Daisy, I’m not one of those guys,” he says. “If this is really my kid, then I’m responsible for it. I’m responsible for you.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “But I can’t just—”

  “It’s okay,” I say. “Really. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I’ll be fine.”

  He scoffs. “No, you won’t be.”

  I sit back. “What would you know? You don’t even know me.”

  “I know enough,” he says. “Uneducated. A buck over minimum wage, as I recall.”

  “Well, maybe I was lying about that, too. Have you considered that?”

  “You weren’t.”

  I frown. “Wow, you’re cocky.”

  “And you’re stubborn. Daisy, let me help you.”

  “I probably won’t even keep it, Hunter,” I say, my gut twinging. “I think it might be better for both of us if we just go our separate ways. Okay?”

  He stares at me, blinking slowly. “If that’s what you want.”

  “It is.”

  A silent moment passes. A minute. An eternity.

  Hunter rises from his chair. “Look, we both obviously need some time to let this sink in.” He grabs a notepad on the bedside table and finds a pen. “If you want to talk about it some more, you know where I live. Here’s the address if you don’t remember.”

  “I remember.”

  “Well, here it is anyway. My number, too.”

  He holds out the pad for me to take, then sets it down on the bed beside me when I don’t.

  “Okay,” I say.

  “And I’m sorry.”

  “Hey. Mistakes happen.”

  “No, I mean, the…” He points to the bandage on my head. “The baseball.”

  I laugh, suddenly remembering the pain radiating from my brain. “Oh, yeah. Hey, fuck you, man.”

  He laughs. “Yeah, I’ve been here myself.”

  “You have?”

  “When I was a kid. Got hit at a little league game. Woke up in the hospital, same as you.”

  I smile. “Well, I hope it hurt.”

  “It did.”

  “Good.”

  “Hey, do you want me to stay?” he asks. “For the other doctor?”

  “No,” I say. “You don’t have to.”

  “But do you want me to?”

  No.

  Maybe.

  Kind of.

  “No,” I say again. “I’ll be fine. Rose is here.”

  “Okay.” He smiles. “It was nice to see you again, Daisy.”

  “Yeah. You, too… Hunter.”

  I mean it. I really do.

  Hunter walks away slowly. He pauses in the doorway as he slides his baseball cap onto his head. “Bye,” he says.

  I wave. He leaves.

  I collapse down, allowing the pillow to cradle my throbbing head as I breathe in and out.

  Yeah.

  That was weird.

  Rose barges in, this time kicking the door closed behind her. “Okay,” she says, excited. “Start from the beginning.”

  I point at the door. “I fucked that guy,” I say.

  She plops into the empty chair beside me. “When?”

  “November,” I say, closing my eyes to feel the memory once more.

  “November?”

  “The night you and John got back together.”

  “When did you have time to go out and get pregnant?”

  I scoff. “Oh, just when you two were busy making up all night long.”

  “You heard that?” she asks, cringing.

  “Very much yes.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Anyway, I figured I’d run out and grab a drink until you guys finished, and that’s when I met Joey. Or Hunter,” I correct myself. “He was the bartender.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “He gave you a fake name?” she asks.

  “Eh, I gave him a fake one first. I don’t blame him.”

  She’s clearly itching a follow-up question, but she lets it go. “Well, was it nice?” she asks instead.

  I sigh. “It was amazing.”

  “That’s good! Right?”

  “No, Rose. It’s not good. None of this is good.”

  She frowns. “Why not?”

  I glare at her. “In what way is this good?”

  “Well…” She tilts her head. “Isn’t this what you want?”

  “You think I wanted to get pregnant?”

  “No, not that. Hunter.”

  “Hunter?”

  “A perfect guy who's perfect for you?” she says, quoting my rant from earlier.

  “We barely even know each other, Rose. It’s a little early to pin him on the perfect scale.”

  “It’s not a bad start, though.”

  I snort.