Southern Attraction (Southern Heart 3)

“Nope. My dad has season tickets.”

“Is he going to be there?”

“No, he and Mom are off tomorrow, so we’re going to go vi

sit them then. Is that okay?” she asks hesitantly. “They’re slowing down, heading toward retirement too.”

“I’m where you are. Besides, I would love to meet the couple who created such a beautiful creature.” Walking toward her and bending down, I kiss her quickly. “Thank you, James.”

“Shower, now. We have a schedule.” She grins, slapping me on my bare ass.

Shaking my head, I do as she says and rush through a shower.

“So?” she asks as we walk into the Cubs’ home stadium, Wrigley Field.

“I think you kick ass.” I put my arm around her waist and pull her to me.

She laughs. “Come on, we have to get a hotdog and popcorn before we find our seats. I’m starving.”

I follow her and we both order. I already have my wallet out and pay before she has a chance to. She gives me a “what are you doing look,” but I ignore her and pass the cash to the attendant. It was not my intention to come here this weekend and let her pay for everything. All I needed was to see her.

“I assume this isn’t your first game?” she asks once we take our seats.

“No, but it is a first at Wrigley.” I take a big bite of my hotdog.

“My parents have had these seats for years. I used to come with my dad all the time, until I got older. I still make it to a few games a year, but now that I have to be a responsible adult, my time is no longer as free.”

“Don’t I know it. When I took over the bar, I was so focused on not letting my dad down. I wanted to make improvements and still keep the same vibe. It was a lot of work, and one day I just woke up and realized a couple of years had gone by.”

“From what I hear, you’re still there just as much as you always were.”

“Oh yeah? You got people keeping an eye on me?”

She laughs. “No, but Whit and I talk almost every day. Olivia and McKinley have even texted me a few times.”

“Interesting. So tell me, is it my little sister or my little cousin that you have keeping tabs on me?”

“Hey, it’s not my fault if they offer up the information.”

“Did they happen to mention that this weekend is the first weekend I’ve been away from the bar since I took over?”

She turns to face me, looking worried. “No.”

“Yeah, I’ve not missed a day. I’ve taken off early a handful of times, all recently.” Reaching out, I trace my thumb across the worry line in her forehead. “Never had a reason to before, you know? Then one day I let my friends, and my little sister talk me into going out to the pond—bonfire, camping, all that fun stuff. I met this girl. She literally took my breath away with her long blonde hair and her eyes, green like emeralds. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.” I cup her face and she leans into me. “A few months later, I got to see her again. And I thought for sure the intense attraction I felt with her that night was just the atmosphere, or maybe because it has been months since I had been out. Turns out it was just her.”

“Mike,” she whispers.

“She’s beautiful, smart… amazing. She’s everything I never knew I wanted.”

“Kiss her!” the lady behind us yells. “All eyes are on you.”

I don’t take my eyes off Jamie, but I hear the song “Kiss Me” and I know the kiss cam is on us.

“Honey, you need to hold on to this one,” the lady tells Jamie.

“I plan to,” she whispers, her eyes never leaving mine.

Leaning in, her face still cradled in the palm of my hands, I kiss her. Not for the kiss cam, not for the audience, not for the lady behind us. I kiss her for me, for what she means to me. I kiss her to show her that she’s all I can see.