Double Header (Hardball 2)

Zach’s head drooped. “They’re going to see us together all the time, and they’re going to assume.”

“They’re going to assume about Chris, too, because he and I hang out all the time.” Javier stood and crossed to Zach and put one hand on his shoulder. “It’s not like we aren’t used to being careful, hiding out. We’ll still be careful, for as long as you want to be. Hell, look how long Chris and Maggie hid their relationship from the team. And she’s the owner.”

“They still got caught,” Zach pointed out. “Maggie is going through an ethics investigation.”

“Yeah, and they aren’t going to find any evidence that she used her position over him inappropriately. She told him this was going to be his last season pretty much the moment she took over the job.” Javier turned Zach and put his arms around him, and was surprised when Zach returned the embrace.

“I can’t believe you did this.” Zach laughed against Javier’s neck. “You’re fucking ridiculous, you know that?”

“I know. People do stupid things for love.”

The word hung between them in tense silence for just a second. Then, Javier’s phone buzzed.

“I don’t think that’s going to stop,” Zach said with a quiet laugh.

“I think you’re right.” Javier should have thought to turn the thing off first.

Zach lifted his head. “So, you’re back in love with me?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been not in love with you,” Javier admitted. “I think I just didn’t trust myself not to hurt you.”

Zach’s mouth pressed into a tight line. “You did hurt me.”

“I know I did.” This was the moment of truth, and Javier wasn’t sure he was ready for it. “Is there any chance that this, what we’ve been doing… is there any chance this could become a little more permanent?”

“I think that’s something we can do, yeah,” Zach’s arms dropped to encircle Javier’s waist. “Thank you. Even though I think you’re an idiot for doing this… thank you for being an idiot.”

The phone hadn’t stopped buzzing.

“I have to either answer it or chuck it into the pool.” Javier said, leaning in to press his mouth against Zach’s.

“Pool, definitely,” Zach mumbled between kisses. “Let’s just have a quiet night. Because tomorrow, walking into that clubhouse? It’s going to be a lot for you.”

Javier shook his head. He’d already made some guesses as to how his teammates would react. He trusted them to be adults. Some of them, anyway. The rest, well, he’d deal with those jokers when they required it. “I don’t think so. And if it is, it’s just a day. There’s a new one popping up twenty-four hours later.”

“Oh god, I forgot how Pollyanna you can be.”

Javier couldn’t respond. He had to take a breath and really look at Zach. It seemed impossible that the guy who was the best thing that had ever happened to him was still here, after all the bullshit and mistakes.

“I love you, by the way,” Zach said suddenly as if he’d had to work up the courage in the interim. “You already knew that.”

“I had an idea.” A tightness in Javier’s chest that he hadn’t noticed before loosened, and he pressed his palm over his ribs, savoring the sweet ache there. “But I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”

Zach held out his hand. Javier took it. Down the road, they might end up in different cities, on different teams. They might spend weeks, months apart. They might not. But right now, they were together, and they were always going to be together.

Now that he’d gotten him back, Javier wasn’t going to let Zach go again.