Beyond the Play (Out of Reach 3)

“Ready?” he asks, offering me his hand.

“Let’s do this.”

He grins and links his fingers with mine. He leads me inside, and the door is barely closed behind us before Autumn is calling out for us. “It’s about time,” she yells, waving her hands in the air like a fool to get our attention.

Holden leads us to the long table and takes my coat, placing it on the back of my chair before pulling my chair out for me. “Damn, Holden Bailey has game,” Autumn comments.

“How many has she had?” I ask Kate.

“That’s her first,” she answers with a laugh.

Holden takes off his coat, places it on the back of his chair, and sits beside me. He places his arm on the back of my chair.

“Bailey, what are your intentions with our girl here?” Troy asks him.

“She’s my girl,” Holden replies. No one at the table misses the emphasis he puts on the word “my.”

“And your intentions?” Troy asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Come on, Troy.” Autumn places her hand on his arm. “Their relationship is none of our business.”

“I’m just looking out for her.”

“I’m a big girl, Troy,” I remind him. “Besides, he doesn’t have to answer to you.”

I feel lips press against my temple. “I’ve got this,” Holden says, his voice low only for me to hear. “My intentions are to keep her my girl as long as I can.”

“So you want to hold her hostage?” Troy questions, and the entire table laughs at his take on the conversation.

“No. Well, yes, but I won’t.” Holden winks at me.

“Enough,” Bridgett chimes in.

“Yeah, lay off, man. It’s not our business.” Garrett lifts his beer and nods at Holden.

Holden returns his nod. The server appears next to us, and we order our food. I get my margarita, but Holden declines and orders a Dr Pepper instead. “You’re not drinking?” I ask him.

“No. I try to limit myself even in the off-season, but this is your day, sweet pea. You drink as much as you want, and I’ll be sure to get you home safe.”

Kate, Bridgette, and Autumn all sigh.

“Bailey definitely has game,” Garrett comments.

“Dude, you’re making us look bad,” Troy complains, again making us all laugh at his antics. That’s just Troy. He’s always all over the place with his conversations. There is never a dull moment when he’s around.

The guys launch into baseball talk with Holden, and he indulges them. They seem to be hitting it off after Troy’s little overprotective questions. As for the girls and me, we’re content to drink our margaritas and listen to them. We chime in here and there, but for the most part, the four of us are just relieved finals are over and are enjoying a little downtime. We have one semester left, and times like this will become few and far between.

CHAPTER 16

Holden

“Thank you for coming,” Parker says once we’re back in my truck and headed toward her place. She’s had two margaritas. I promised I’d bring her to get her car later.

“It was a good time. I like your friends, even when they’re grilling me.”

“Sorry about that. Troy has a thing for Autumn, but we’ve all been close since freshman year.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m glad you have them in your corner. What are your plans for the rest of the day?” I ask her.

“I’ve got nothing. Not one single thing, and it’s glorious.” She laughs. “I can’t believe I have one more semester, and I’m a college graduate!”

Her enthusiasm is contagious. “Will you go somewhere with me?” I ask her. I’m at the stoplight. I need to turn left to take her home and right to where I want to take her.

“You know, I think I’d go anywhere with you, Holden Bailey.” Her head is resting back against the seat, and a lazy, happy grin pulls at her lips.

I ignore the way my heart squeezes at her confession. She’s been drinking, so I can’t ravish her. Not tonight anyway. “Perfect.” I hit my signal to turn right, and when the light turns green, I make the turn. I’m nervous and excited to bring her here. I don’t know if it’s because I signed the papers this morning or if it’s her. Probably both.

“Hey, this is the way to your house. What’s going on with that? I know they accepted your offer and were doing the title search.”

“I signed the papers this morning.”

“Wow. That’s fast.”

“We didn’t need to involve the bank since I paid cash.”

She nods. She’s Easton Monroe’s daughter, so she’s not new to the kind of money our contracts and endorsements bring in. I spend wisely, and I’ve got a great financial planner who has helped me invest, and I’ve made a pretty good nest egg from those investments. In fact, the money I used for the house is from those investments. My place in Northern Tennessee, where I lived when I played for the Tomahawks, is also for sale, so I’ll be able to put that money back once it does.