“No. We can’t do that because I miss you. I’ve been working my ass off, as have you, and we need a night out—both of us. Besides, I don’t know when I’ll be able to convince Cameron to let me have you for another night,” she teases as she bumps her shoulder into mine.
“Stop. He doesn’t control me.”
“I know. I was kidding. But really, I know the two of you are attached at the hip, and your schedule is crazy, and if they keep winning, it’s not going to get any better as you go into the playoffs or whatever they’re called. So we are going out.” She links her arm through mine, and we make our way out of the stadium.
“Where did you park?” I ask.
“Oh, your parents picked me up.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. Your mom called, not wanting me to come here alone, and since I knew we were going out after, I thanked them politely and said yes.”
“All right, well, climb in. Girls’ night is about to commence.” We head back to our condo and change for the night and have a glass of wine while we do it. We take a lot longer to get ready than necessary, but we both needed this—just time to hang out and catch up. I love Cameron, but I miss my best friend. Tonight is a good idea.
“How have we never been here before?” I ask Willow as the Uber pulls up to the curb and drops us off. I look up, reading the sign that says The Pub in neon lights. It’s located on a back street, that despite living here my entire life, I’ve never been on. Talk about a sheltered life.
“I guess they’re really strict on paparazzi and things like that.”
“Really? That’s odd. I mean, it is close to the stadium, so I guess that makes sense.” She pulls open the door, and we’re greeted with raucous laughter. I turn my head to see what the ruckus is about, and my mouth drops open.
Willow links her arm through mine. “Okay, so I might have known that this is where the players come after their games. I also know that you’re in love with him and that he worships you, and being apart tonight was not something either of you wanted.”
“I wanted to spend some time with you. And how did you know this is where they come, and I didn’t?” I question.
“And we did hang out. We got ready together, had a few glasses of wine, and now we’re going to hang out with your man and his teammates while we catch up. And as far as this place goes, the guys refer to it as VIP most of the time. At least that’s what the rumor is. One of the girls at work asked if we ever hung out at the VIP. I told her no, that I thought it was a myth. I’ve never seen a VIP club. She then proceeded to tell me about The Pub. She’s a baseball groupie if you didn’t catch that.” Willow laughs.
I turn and pull her into my arms for a hug. “I love you. You didn’t have to do this. I want to spend time with you too.”
“I know. We will. Besides, hanging out with you and Cam isn’t the worst way to spend the evening. Especially not when there is so much eye candy to go around.”
“Well, let’s go to the bar and get a drink. We’ll see how long it takes him to notice that we’re here.”
“Are you kidding? He has Spidey-senses where you’re concerned,” she says, just as his arms wrap around me from behind.
“It’s not my birthday, but fuck if I’m not glad to see you,” he says, kissing my neck. I can smell the beer on his breath, which makes me smile. He needed this time to bond with his teammates. I know he doesn’t usually drink during the season and hardly ever in the off-season. He’s laser focused when it comes to his body and his career.
“You can thank Willow.” I point at my best friend.
“Thank you.” The sincerity in his voice is humbling. “What do you want to drink?”
“Actually, you should go back to your friends. Willow and I are going to sit at the bar and have a drink and catch up.”
“You can catch up with us.” He points over his shoulder as more laughter fills the small pub. “We can go up to the VIP area. We only stay down here until the crowd picks up. At least that’s what the guys told me.”
“You need to bond with your new team.”
“We don’t know how much longer they’re going to be my team,” he says softly.
“Regardless. It makes for better chemistry on the field. Go. I’ll come see you in a little bit.”
“Fine.” He grins as his lips press to mine. “Love you. Thanks again, Willow,” he says before sauntering back to the table. All the guys turn and wave to us and motion us over. Cameron shakes his head and takes his seat, and they all go back to whatever it is they’re cracking up about over there.
“I need to get me one of those,” Willow says with a sigh.
“What? A baseball player?” I laugh.
“No. A Cameron. Not yours, of course, but a man who looks at me the way he looks at you.”