The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game 1)

Before he could speak, I lit into her once again. “You didn’t care that Jack had a girlfriend back home, did you? And no matter how many times he told you about me, you told him I wasn’t there and what I didn’t know wouldn’t hurt me. You manipulated him that night into sleeping with you. ”

She eyeballed me, unsure of how to respond, so I continued. “So you tell me…what kind of girl does that?”

“Cassandra, that’s enough,” Jack said sympathetically.

I cringed inwardly at the sound of him using my real name. No one called me that. Ever. To hear it spill from his mouth, in his voice, it sounded all wrong.

“None of it matters now, does it? I’m pregnant and we’re getting married, so you’ll just have to find someone else. ” She looked at Jack for approval, but he refused to tear his eyes from mine. “Have a nice life, Cassie. I know we will. ” She smirked at me and then tugged at Jack’s arm.

Jack whispered, “Good-bye, Kitten,” loud enough for me to hear before she dragged him away. I stared down at the concrete, willing the pain to subside, when I heard footsteps bounding back in my direction. I glanced up to see Chrystle standing a few feet away, a smug look on her face.

“I’m the kind of girl who gets what she wants, and what I wanted was a professional baseball player for a husband. And that’s exactly what I’m getting. Maybe you’ll be a little more resourceful in your next relationship. ” She patted her flat stomach again before running toward her car.

My jaw unclenched as it fell open.

*****

I drove the short distance to my hotel, tears blurring my vision the entire way. It’s amazing I didn’t have a freaking wreck. When I pulled into the hotel parking lot, I turned off the engine and dialed Melissa’s number.

“Tell me everything,” she screamed into the phone.

“Well, I didn’t stop the wedding,” I admitted, my voice cracking.

“Oh God, what happened? Did you see him? Did he see you? Did you talk to him?”

“I s

aw him. We talked. I told him not to marry her. He said he loved me, and then he left with her. He said he couldn’t call off the wedding, that this was something he had to do. ” I choked back a sob as I stared out the windshield into the night, seeing nothing.

“I’m so sorry, Cassie. I honestly thought that if he saw you, it would change things. ”

“Me too. ”

“Hey, I’m proud of you. I’m really fucking proud of you. The old Cassie would have never done this. She would have never put aside being wronged to try to win him back. ”

“Well, the old Cassie never had Jack Carter to lose. ”

“No regrets, right?”

“No regrets,” I repeated.

EIGHTEEN

JACK

It killed me to leave Cassie standing alone in that empty parking lot. I watched her as I drove away, tears streaming down her beautiful face. It took every ounce of my self-control to keep my foot on the gas pedal, when all I wanted to do was turn around and be with her.

Seeing her tonight almost broke me. I’d do anything for her, be anything she wants me to be. Because she deserves nothing less than everything.

But I always find a way to fuck things up. And Cassie Andrews was no exception. I had the best damn girl in the world, and I threw it all away. Just like that jerk Jared said I would, the night of my first date with Cassie.

I pulled my car into the garage next to Chrystle’s and hopped out to look for Dean. “Hey, little brother! Where are you?” I shouted from the entryway.

“What’s up?” Dean yawned as he walked out of the guest bedroom, his dark hair sticking up in every direction.

“Can I talk to you out back?” I glanced at Chrystle, who pretended to yawn.

“You won’t be long, will you, Jack?” she asked, her voice nauseatingly light and airy.