Trisha’s already scrolling through her phone, uninterested. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she says dryly.

  Dennis offers me a sly wink before following Hunter into the dugout.

  Yup.

  Everybody needs a Rose.

  CHAPTER 16

  HUNTER

  There’s a knock on my door. I jolt into the hallway, accidentally bashing my shoulder against the wall as I rush to answer it.

  Chill, dude.

  I’m not sure why I’m so excited about this. The moment the game was over, I came back here as quickly as I could — as quickly as Trisha Wells would allow, anyway. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve had a girl over, but there’s something different about this one. Obviously.

  But still, dude.

  Chill.

  I pause with my hand on the doorknob, giving myself one moment to hold it together. It’s just a girl. Just a really pretty girl with round eyes and a sultry mouth. With a quick wit, a neat personality, and my baby inside of her.

  It’s just a girl.

  With an exhale, I open the door.

  Daisy smiles. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” I say, stepping back. “Come on in.”

  She steps inside with a suitcase in one hand, and a garment bag draped over the other. I offer my hand toward the bag and she gives it to me.

  “Thanks,” she says, her chuckle a little awkward.

  Time to loosen things up a bit.

  “I know you’ve been here before, but would you like a tour?” I ask.

  “I would love a tour,” she says.

  “Right this way, miss.” I gesture around us. “One step in and we have the living room.”

  She hums with interest.

  “This is the room where we… live,” I add, squinting in thought.

  “I always wondered why it was called that,” she says.

  “Anyway, to the right, we have the kitchen.”

  “Didn’t you have a couch?” she asks, noticing the empty spot on the carpet.

  “Yes. The kitchen is the room where we kitch.”

  Daisy follows, curious.

  “I haven’t gone shopping in a minute, but I’ve got plenty of time this week if you want to make a trip.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m admittedly not much of a cook.”

  “Neither am I.”

  “Then you won’t judge me if I eat all my food from a box?”

  “As long as you won’t judge the tower of takeout containers piled up next to them.”

  “Deal.” I wave into the hallway before walking forward. “The bathroom is right through here. Unfortunately, we must share.”

  “Unacceptable,” she jokes.

  “I cleared out some drawers, so you have some space for your stuff,” I say. “Towels are clean, but not new. I’ll pick up some more.”

  She smiles. “I’m sure they’re fine.”

  “The toilet makes a hissing sound now and then, but it’s normal. Only lasts a second.”

  “A hissing toilet is normal?”

  “According to the landlord, yes.”

  “Ah.”

  “I thought it was a snake the first time I heard it,” I say. “Spooked me good.”

  “Not a fan of snakes?”

  “No, I like snakes. Just not in my bathroom with my pants around my ankles.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, I can see how that would be troubling.”

  I continue down the hall and my stomach leaps. I’ve been looking forward to this all day. “And this,” I say, stopping outside the door. “This is your room.”

  Daisy pauses with a raised brow. “This is your room,” she says.

  “As of today, it’s yours.”

  She peeks inside, confused. “You’re giving me your room?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, at first, the extra room was yours,” I say. “And then I realized that there’s no furniture or anything in there, so I figured I’d move in the couch from the living room because it has a pullout and then you’d have somewhere to sleep.”

  She nods. “Okay.”

  “So I did that. But then I thought, no. That couch bed is not comfortable, and I wasn’t about to make you sleep on an uncomfortable bed, so I decided to put the couch in my room, but then I realized that it’d be easier for everyone if I just move my stuff into the spare room and give you mine.”

  Daisy shakes her head. “Hunter, I don’t want to put you out.”

  “You’re not.”

  “Yes, I am. This isn’t fair to you.”

  “I don’t need much and you’re gonna need a lot soon enough.”

  “I am?” she asks.

  “Something better than a couch, yes.”

  “But you’re a college student,” she says. ”You need rest, too.”

  “Daisy, I want to do this. For you.”

  She sighs as she shifts to look into the spare room. The couch is inside, along with a hamper full of my clothes that I haven’t put in the closet yet. “You’re sure?” she asks.

  I smile. “I’m very sure. Please. I insist.”

  “Well, if you insist,” she teases.

  “I do.” I offer her the garment bag. “I’ll let you get situated.”

  Daisy hesitates for a moment before taking the bag with a nod. “All right,” she says. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She walks in, pausing a few steps inside to take in her surroundings. I step back into the spare room to give her privacy, letting myself grin now that I’m alone.

  That was worth the wait.

  CHAPTER 17

  HUNTER

  I knock on the open door again, but I keep my feet planted in the hallway. It’s my not room anymore.

  “Hey, Daisy?” I say, her body not visible from my spot.

  She grunts from… somewhere in the closet.

  “Daisy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah.”

  I step inside as she stumbles from the closet, nearly tripping on the empty garment bag tossed on the floor beneath her feet. With arms extended, I lurch forward to steady her, my hands coming to rest on her perfectly upright shoulders.

  “You okay?” I ask, my gut clenched.

  Daisy stares at me. “I’m good.”

  “You sure?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  I release her and step back. “So,” I say, clearing my throat. “How are you doing in here?”

  She blinks once, twice, and smothers her smile before replying. “I am doing well.”

  “Is there anything you need?”

  “An extra hanger or two, maybe, but otherwise—”

  “There’s some in the hall closet you can use. I’ll get them.”

  “It’s actually not a problem that needs to be solved right this…”

  Her voice fades off behind me, as I’m already deep in the hall on my way to the closet. Luckily there are a few empties here, left behind by my old roommate when he didn’t want to take them.

  I grab them and rush back to her room. “Here you go.”

  Daisy chuckles. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She hangs them on the rod and faces me again. “How are you liking your new room?” she asks.

  “Oh, it’s great,” I say. “Blank slate. Good for the mind.”

  “I’ve heard that.”

  “But not for the stomach.” I smile. “You hungry? We could have dinner.”

  “Oh. Um, well. No. I had something with Rose before coming over here,” she says.

  “That’s all right.”

  “I didn’t think you’d have anything planned—”

  “I don’t,” I say. “It was just a suggestion.”

  “Cool.”

  I swallow hard. I actually have something planned, but I can pivot when needed. “Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask.

  Daisy looks up. “A walk?”

  “Yeah. It’s a warm night,” I say. “Hate to waste it.”

  “A walk,” she repeats, slightly suspicious.

  “Just a quick stroll through campus?” I hold her eyes, soft and sweet. “I’ll show you where all the cool kids hangout.”

  “I’ve seen the quad.”

  I scoff. “No one cool hangs out in the quad.” She laughs. “Come on. Take a walk with me.”

  “Uh… okay,” she says with a glance around the room. “Just let me find my shoes.”

  A few minutes go by and we head outside. My apartment isn’t far from the campus. The sidewalks between here and there are scarcely populated with the occasional couple passing by, linked by the arms and unaware of others around them. Guess I wasn’t the only one with this idea tonight. My palm itches and I consider reaching for Daisy’s hand, too.

  I keep my hands at my sides.

  “So, what’s your major?”

  “Hm?” I ask.

  Daisy gestures at the campus. “You’re a Northie,” she says. “What are you studying?”

  “Oh!” I chuckle. “Right. Yes. Physical Education. Minor in Sociology.”

  “Neat.”

  “I always wanted to coach. After the professional baseball player chapter of my life. My adviser told me that combo would work well for that.”

  “Or in case the professional baseball player chapter doesn’t pan out?”

  I grimace. “Yeah. I guess that, too.”

  “Sorry,” she says. “I usually expect disappointment by default.”

  “Hey, honestly, that’s smart. Keep your expectations low and you can never really be disappointed.”

  “That’s what I’ve always said, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

  “No?” I ask.

  “You’re a good ballplayer,” she says. “They’d be stupid not to put you on a roster.”

  I smile, the warmth of it tingling my bones.

  We continue forward and I lead her deeper through campus. We pass the library. Talon Hall. The student union. The rec center. Rather than taking a turn and looping back home, I take a right in the direction of the baseball stadium.

  “Where are we going?” Daisy asks, instantly suspicious.

  “It’s a surprise,” I say, refusing more.

  She glares at me, her playful gaze burning a hole in my cheek, but she keeps stride with me. Clearly, Daisy Hawthorne isn’t a fan of surprises.

  “It’s not far,” I say. “Just another minute and you’ll know exactly where we’re going.”

  Another turn at the crosswalk and the stadium comes into view. I peek at Daisy to see her reaction. A confused brow arches above one eye, but she doesn’t slow down or ask questions. At least I’ve tingled her curiosity.

  I take a deep breath, filling my lungs as we drift closer. They all smell like this. The air is heavy with the lingering scent of popcorn and hot dogs. I can almost hear the announcer off in the distance, calling out every play as they happen.

  We walk around to the staff entrance.

  “Okay.” Daisy finally breaks her silence. “What the hell are we doing?”

  “Well, if I’ve still got my skills from a misspent youth…” I pull at the door. It opens. “Then we’re breaking into the baseball stadium.”

  Her little eyes sparkle beneath the light above the door. “We are?”

  I gesture her inside. “After you.”

  Hesitation claims her as she glances around for spying eyes.

  “Come on,” I playfully urge. “Someone might see.”

  She rushes inside. I let the door latch behind us. I take hold of her arm in the dark and guide her, not wanting her to trip and fall on my watch.

  “Why are we breaking into the baseball stadium?” she whispers.

  I match her volume. “Because it’s fun.”

  “Isn’t it also illegal?”

  “That’s what makes it fun.”

  “Misspent youth, huh?” she teases. “Were you a bad boy?”

  “I might have been.”

  She chuckles as we round the dim corner and step outside onto the dark field.

  I lead her to home plate. “Okay. Stand here. Don’t move.”

  Three…

  Two…

  “Hunter, what—”

  One.

  The stadium lights pop on. I grin, happily blinded.

  Daisy jolts, her cheeks pink with adrenaline. “Okay, how did we really get in here?” she asks, the illusion broken. “Who’s up there?”

  I turn and wave toward the media room at the top of the bleachers. “I bribed a janitor,” I say. “He left the door unlocked for us.”

  “You bribed a janitor? With what?”

  “I told him you’d blow him.”

  Her jaw drops. “Hunter.”

  I crack up. “I’m kidding! I signed a few baseballs for his kids. And then I blew him.”

  She laughs. “Oh, that’s okay.”

  “Good.”

  Daisy scans the stadium. “Wow,” she whispers. “Is this really what it’s like out here?”

  I admire her wide open eyes. “Yeah, it is.”

  “I can’t imagine what it’s like when this place is packed.”

  “It’s…” I break away to look around. “It’s something else, that’s for sure.”

  “It’s really crazy that you hit me with that baseball, isn’t it?” she says slowly. “Of all the seats in the stadium, you hit the ball toward mine.”

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  She exhales hard, the weight of it sinking in. I feel it myself, too. Maybe we were meant to be at exactly the right place at exactly the right moment.

  “Come on,” I say.

  We walk around the diamond, taking the straight path toward first base.

  “So,” she says, looking at me. “Baseball.”

  “Baseball,” I repeat.

  “How long have you been playing?”

  “Since… always. My dad and I played catch every night when I was a kid. I played little league. Then, high school ball. I wanted to go straight into the minors after that, but my mother insisted on me getting a degree first.”

  Daisy chortles. “Sounds like my mother.”

  “We fought about it a lot, but… she’s right. I could blow out my arm tomorrow and never play another game. She just wants me to have a plan B.”

  “Smart,” she says with a nod.

  “And full of hindsight,” I say. “I wasn’t Home Run Hunter right out of high school, you know? I might not be where I am now if I went down the other path.”

  “You definitely wouldn’t be with me, that’s for sure.”

  I blink at her words. I hadn’t considered that. As strange as it sounds, part of me feels like Daisy would just always… be there. That no matter what happened, I’d find her, eventually. But maybe not.

  I spin around and walk backwards down the white line in front of her. “So,” I say, changing the subject. “Photography.”

  “Photography,” she repeats.

  “How long have you been snapping pictures?”

  Daisy grins. “Ever since my dad let me play with his old Polaroid camera when I was ten.”

  “Really?”

  “It didn’t take long before I ran out of film,” she says. “My mother didn’t like me messing with it, so she refused to buy me more — not that Polaroid film was easy to find, anyway.”

  “Why didn’t she like you messing with it?”

  “Because he gave it to me.” She shrugs. “They divorced when Rose and I were five. Disagreeing with each other was more of a principle than anything else.”

  “Right.”

  “She’s never been a big fan of me pursuing art.”

  “What did she want you to do instead?”

  She stops and laughs at her feet. “She wanted me to be a lawyer, like her.”

  I wince. “Boring.”

  “That’s what I said!” She shakes her head. “She wanted Rose to be one, too, but she went into chemistry instead and Rose can do no wrong, so…” Her shoulders bounce. “Mom let it slide.”

  “You don’t seem to have a lot in common with your twin.”

  “And you’d be correct. Rose is the perfect daughter and I’m…” She inhales a deep breath, holding it for a long moment before finally letting it out. “Not.”

  “Well, you seem just fine to me so far.”

  It brings a quick smile to her face, but it doesn’t last long. “I left home at eighteen,” she says. “Moved out east to be on my own and to prove her wrong, but… that hasn’t really panned out so far.”

  “Is that why you haven’t told her about the baby yet?” I ask, biting my cheek.

  “Ha!” She grins. “How perceptive of you.”

  “I call it like I see it.”

  “She’s going to have a field day with that one, let me tell ya. There will be I told you so parades flooding the streets from here to California until the day it’s born.”

  I chuckle. “It can’t be that bad.”

  “It’ll be bad enough.”

  “Maybe she’ll surprise you,” I say. “Maybe she’ll be happy to be a grandmother.”

  Daisy goes quiet for a moment. “Maybe.”

  I bite down. Maybe I pushed too far.

  “So, what about you?” she asks. “Can’t imagine Home Run Hunter is a big failure to mommy and daddy.”

  “Not really,” I answer. “My parents are my biggest fans.”

  “Cool.”

  We continue on, walking slowly along the diamond. I trail beside her from base to base. After a long but comfortable silence, Daisy turns to me.

  “Was that true?” she asks.

  “Was what true?”

  “What you said to Trisha earlier? About how you think about me a lot. Or, you know, I assume you were talking about me. Guess I shouldn’t assume that, never mind.”

  “No, I was talking about you.” I smile. “And yes, it was true.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Really?”

  “Does that surprise you?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Why?”

  She hesitates. “I’ve never thought of myself as someone people think about.”

  “I thought about you a lot,” I say. “After that night.”

  Her eyes rise. “You did?”

  “I wondered what you were up to. Who you were with. If you were happy,” I say. “I wanted to get to know you better, but you left so fast and…” I shake my head. “I don’t know. Maybe a piece of me knew this wasn’t over.”