Chapter 1
Kade
It’s been a long couple of months, but it’s almost to the end. We have the big end of season tournament and my commitment to helping coach my nephew’s baseball team will be over. I didn’t have the time for it, and I’d told my brother no enough through the years, but I couldn’t do it this time. Truth is, helping out my nephew should have been reason enough to fit it in my schedule, but I’m not going to lie and say that’s why I agreed to help coach a bunch of fifteen-year-old boys. No, my reason was pure selfishness. I got one glimpse of one of the moms, and I knew right then I would do whatever I had to do to make it fit in my schedule.
The first practice I showed up to, I was going to give a few pointers, work with a few pitchers, and be done. By the end of the night, when I couldn’t take my eyes off the curvy redhead with big blue eyes named Megan, I was ready to commit to the whole summer. My past as a player in the big leagues had the existing coach drooling to get me on board, and even though baseball hasn’t been a part of my life for nearly ten years—I’m now a nerdy tech guy that owns his own company—I knew I still had it. Surely I could teach some fundamentals and help the boys with their game... and hopefully get to know the mom that has had a starring role in my dreams every night since the first day I saw her.
Well, after almost two months, I’ve made great progress with the team. We’re going into the tournament finals as the number one seed, and the boys and parents are all pumped. The only thing that hasn’t gone in my favor is getting to know Megan. She’s at almost every practice, but she usually keeps her head buried in the laptop that she keeps with her. I’ve discovered that she’s a blogger, and I love reading her blog and learning everything I can about her. I found out she went through a rough divorce and hasn’t dated since. As a matter of fact, after talking to my brother’s wife, I found out that Megan isn’t interested in dating at all. Fuck, her ex must have done a number on her.
I lean against the fence and watch as the boys warm up for their last practice before we travel to Peachtree City, Georgia and our final tournament of the season. I should be focused and thinking about everything we need to fit in tonight, but instead, I’m peeking over my shoulder at Megan. She has her laptop open, and she’s reading something as she twirls a red curl around her finger. Fuck, she has no idea how hot she is.
“What do you think, Coach? They ready?”
The sound of my brother’s voice pulls me from my perusal of Megan. She lifts her head and looks my way. I swear she blushes before dropping her head again. I blow out a breath and turn to my brother. “Yeah, Grif. I think they’re ready.”
He reaches across the fence and pats me on the shoulder. “We owe it all to you, too. We look like a completely different team since you started helping.”
I shrug. “The talent’s there. They just needed to focus it, and some of the boys needed moved around a little. But they did it... they put the work in.”