"Not for you, idiot. For me. You want to know why my parents moved to that po-dunk town? Because I was a s.h.i.t-a.s.s kid destined to either be in gang fights, on drugs or dealing them. I had a temper a mile long and nowhere to vent it. They planted me in that little town to get me away from trouble. You were my therapy, dumba.s.s. The only siblings I had were you and Carley. You made me stop hating and start being a kid. I lost both of you when she dove into that water. So, yeah, I started throwing challenges at you. Every chance I got. It was the only way to get my brother back. You didn"t seem to respond to anything else."
Carter winced. He pulled in a breath and clamped his eyes shut. Not once in all these years had he given a thought as to how his family trauma had affected Jackson. It never occurred to him it had. His stomach churned as if he"d been sucker-punched. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn"t.
Jackson clamped a fist over Carter"s fingers on his shirt. "You made me a better man, bro. I"m not going to let some half-a.s.sed investor who can"t manage his money take you down. I don"t intend to let you walk away from someone you want ... or need ... either. Nor am I going to let Roger"s slip-up on the number ruin our friendship forever. That was an idiot trick and I told him at the time. My mouth-fart in that meeting didn"t help either. Here I was, my best friend planning a serious relationship with a girl that had abandoned me. I just ... went off. That wasn"t how it was supposed to go. Look, we messed up all the c.r.a.p with Abby because we care. Roger b.u.mbled the numbers intentionally. Maybe it wasn"t the right way to do it, but he knew just like I did that she"s right. Carter, sometimes you just can"t let the fences down long enough to see what"s waiting for you. Carley never wanted you to be alone, never trusting anyone. What kind of life is that?"
Carter"s mouth dropped.
Her family made the effort to come to visit and decided to go to the-Astros game? Seriously? It wasn"t a bad thing because she loved her team, but certainly unexpected. Not to mention they"d come from so many different places to see her and there was catching up to do.
Surely they"d change their minds? Apparently not. Jason had bought tickets on the third base line, right next to the dugout, so he could make a valiant effort at heckling the opposing team. Abby rolled her eyes when he started the first round of insults before a single pitch had crossed the plate. It had been his mode of operation since Little League. She"d hated it then and now. As a teen, she made sure to sit as far from him as possible, hoping no one knew they were blood. Fat chance. Tonight, she"d grin and bear it with pride because her entire family was visiting for the first time ever. Who knows? Maybe the Astros would win too-they were certainly due. It had been a rough season.
Besides, this week she"d decided to finally clear the air with Carter and her conscience would be clean and clear for the first time in months. She"d call him tomorrow. Her shoulders had knots the size of boulders and she couldn"t wait to get rid of the tension. Her family would be her support system.
Abby surveyed the empty seats flanking her. Except they"d all disappeared and left her-alone again. Great. The national anthem hasn"t even begun and they all ran off. She shrugged. Probably to shop or load up on beer and hotdogs.
The two-story-sized speakers crackled above then burst into action. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special program for you tonight. As you know, the Astros have entered the social media arena and our marketing group heavily searches for ways to improve our branding and offer you a better baseball experience. We also love finding local businesses that portray the spirit and entrepreneurial att.i.tude that makes Houston a great place to live. Lisa, in marketing, happened onto one such business recently and tweeted out a link."
"All of you responded in force and gave amazing support-not just to the business, but to the people affected by the business. Soooo, one gentleman whom you all decided to adopt and-let"s say-show the way, wanted to return the favor. Everyone, give a hand for-"
"Excuse me, ma"am. Can you come with me please?" Abigail rotated to a stadium employee with a security badge.
Huh? Is something wrong? Did Jason do something stupid like attempt to run out on the field? Dammit! He did. Her brother was standing next to another security staffer. Right next to the rest of her family ... on the field. What the h.e.l.l?
"What have they done? Am I in trouble? I had nothing to do with whatever it is, okay?"
Her family had been in town less than a few hours and already made their presence known in front of the biggest crowd ever. She wanted to run into the bathroom and hide, but the security person slipped his fingers around her arm and motioned her to the steps then to an elevator that required a special key. "You"re not in trouble. Right this way, ma"am."
She might not be in trouble, but whatever they"d planned was going to be serious trouble when they made it back to her place. Maybe the lack of family involvement the past few years was a plus. How many times had she been publicly humiliated before? None. Okay, except for baring her undies at a craft fair, but that was her own fault.
Holy c.r.a.p, the entire baseball team was standing in front of her and this guy was leading her-to them? He opened a gate and motioned for her to step onto the gra.s.s.
This was surreal-her pseudo-bodyguard led her down the third base line then across to second. She shook hands with each of the baseball players and they handed her-roses? It wasn"t Valentine"s Day, or her birthday. There were no holidays nearby. She smiled and thanked each of them. G.o.d, it would be nice to think up something witty. If I could swallow my tongue long enough to do so. And if I knew what the h.e.l.l this was about. Has the anthem been sung yet? I am NOT singing. No way. She shook her head as another rose was thrust her way.
"You don"t want it?" Bo Porter, the Astros manager is talking to me? Someone prop me up before I pa.s.s out.
"Oh, uh, yes. Thank you. By the way-I"ve been watching your son. Think he"ll match your record?"
The man winked and laughed. "I"ve been watching him too-and if genetics has anything to do with it, we"ll see."
Yay. The end of the line. Now what? Her stomach churned. What was the entire stadium about to witness, and why did her family stand there waiting? With flowers. Good grief. She worked with flowers all day. It wasn"t a big deal.
They all had daisies, her favorite-second to orchids, of course. Orchids were too high maintenance. Aw, that had to be Jason"s idea-he was the only one she"d told.
"Step aside, old man."
She knew that voice. Intimately. Carter?
A hand slipped out and shoved Bo just before he stepped out. "Hi, there."
Uh-oh-her gut was quaking. Her knees started to buckle.
He grabbed her hand to stabilize her. "You okay?" d.a.m.n that smile.
She could stare at him all day. In fact, she probably was staring.
"Uh, I think so. You did all this?" She waved at the crowd. Holy s.h.i.t they were standing. For her? Her ears were ringing and dark circles clouded her vision. "I think I"m going to pa.s.s out. Carter, look-I told you I"m sorry. I really never meant-" She grabbed his bicep to keep her knees from buckling.
He was going to do this right here in front of an entire stadium full of people? He grinned. "I know you never meant to hurt me. You never wanted to cause all the commotion. And you never meant to lie. Basically, you meant to stand in the background, but that didn"t work. Here, I brought you flowers."
She stared at the froth of color he handed her. Orchids. "But you hate flowers."
"I had a phobia about them, yes-which some of these people pointed out over and over again. I"m working on it."
"I love orchids." Abby peered deeper at the colors. "And daisies."
He stepped in so close she smelled him. "Your brother told me. About the daisies. Caroline mentioned the orchids." He pointed behind her and she swerved to see ... Caroline? Yep, and Roger. Hmmm, and the two exes? As in ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend?
Abby brought her gaze back to Carter, knowing he was the only thing that kept her from fainting into the plastic cushion of second base. "You want to tell me what this is all about?"
"Sure, it"s about you. I have a question to ask."
She vaguely heard the crowd cheer and an announcer"s voice. The signs across the top of the stadium blared in bright white lights: "Will she?" Uh-oh. The clamminess of her skin took over and her eyes went completely black. Thump. She smelled the dirt just before her face planted into it over the mound of second base. Then she saw nothing. Voices around her clamored.
She had no idea how long she lay there. Pa.s.sed out on the Astros baseball field. Before an entire stadium of people. When her eyes finally cooperated and she was able to open them, Carter was right in front of her. And he was smiling. Geez, she wished he"d stop that. Or maybe not. It was the only thing that had kept her from pa.s.sing out earlier and the one thing she could focus on now. The thunder of the fans yelling, whistling, and cheering roared around them.
And he laughed!
She furrowed her brows. "Knock it off. This isn"t the least bit funny. I just pa.s.sed out in front of a baseball stadium of people, my family, and the entire Astros team. You brought me here for this? I mean I know I ... "
"Abby, I just want to ask you a very easy question."
She held up a finger to stop him and shook her head. "No! I don"t even know you. I mean we weren"t even ... okay, maybe I do know you that way ... but not this way."
He grabbed her face with both hands and she stopped talking when he leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. "Not that question, babe. Neither one of us is ready for that yet. Abs, you said you always wanted to do this with someone that you cared about."
Her face burned. "Eventually most people want to..."
"Would you kisscam me?"
Huh, what? Kisscam? Not ... "Oh. Uh, you did all this just for-the kisscam?" She looked up and saw the two of them on every camera in the stadium. Yikes. She had dirt in her hair and plastered to her neck. And white chalk from the baseline!
Carter shook his head. "I didn"t." He waved at the people down the first base line, which included his family, the exes, Caroline, and a few strangers. "They did. Well, actually we did. They had to beat it into my head about the flowers and then I made them pay for it by showing up here. I told them I got the message, but I wasn"t going to believe it unless you did."
"Believe what?"
"That being the center of attention with flowers-or cameras-or the media can be good if there"s love and affection behind it. No matter what the situation. You really should read your blog someday. Caroline has really done a number on both of us. So, all these people are tired of waiting to find out."
She blinked because her eyes had stayed open and were dry. "Find out what?"
"If you"re going to kiss me so we can get this game started."
Holy s.h.i.t. He had done all this just to get her out here for something that she"d mentioned in pa.s.sing. And the flowers. They were splayed around her like spilled cards. A carpet of color and scents. She slid her hands up his shirt and wrapped the collar tight in her fingers. Then she yanked him in. Yep. She kissed him on the kisscam in front of the world. The roar of the crowd around them was nothing compared to the thunder of her heart thumping.
When they finally separated, she sighed. "I"m sorry I wasn"t Jackson and I answered your messages."
"I"m not."
She let her weight sink into him. That was good. Maybe she wasn"t sorry, either. But ... there was still one more thing- "Oh, and Abs, Caroline told me about your other ident.i.ty."
Her eyes popped up. "So you know I"m "She Hearts Dogs." You"re not mad?"
"I was at first, then I realized something. That was the real us. The way things should have happened if meddling friends and family hadn"t gotten involved. See, no matter how hard we fight this thing, you and I will just keep getting thrown together until we stick."
Her insides heated. "You think so?" He wanted them to stick?
She liked the sound of that.
EPILOGUE.
Eight months, one week, and two days later ...
Carter scooted his barstool to the table and held up a hand to the bartender to order a beer. Jackson and Roger sat opposite and two other newbies from the office flanked him. "Sorry I"m late, guys. What"s the score?" They"d all agreed to watch the game at the sports bar by the office, since time was short.
"Five to three, good guys." Jackson drew from his gla.s.s. "What took you so long?"
"I had to make a pit stop. Check this out." Carter pulled the box from his pocket and set it on the table. The entire group did a double-take.
"Whoa," Roger said. "Is that what I think it is?"
Carter popped the lid open to display the diamond nestled in the white silk lining. "Yep, sure is. What d"ya think?" He grinned.
Jackson leaned forward. "So, she"s seriously the model you want to buy, bro? You sure about that, mister short-term lease? I mean, she"s nice and all, but that"s ... big."
Carter punched him in the arm, enjoying the pain as his friend attempted to rub it away. "You"re one to talk. You"re biting the bullet in what ... two weeks?"
Jackson relaxed back. "Good point. Still, you guys have only been together a year. What"s the rush?"
"It"s almost two years if you count all the time we were dodging each other because of you, a.s.shole."
Jackson held up his hands. "Hey, I had nothing to do with that ... uh ... okay, well, maybe a little, but not with Abby. That was all your mess. So, what makes you think she"ll say yes?"
The scent caught his attention before her voice, but he knew Abby was behind him when Roger blurted out a curse and looked past his shoulder.
"What makes you think she won"t?" she said.
Carter whirled in his chair.
Abby dropped both hands to her hips and challenged Jackson. "Hmmm?"
Dammit, this wasn"t right. Jackson. He furrowed his brow and growled at the man across from him. "Dammit, Jackson-do you have to screw up everything for me?"
Carter wrapped his arms around and drew Abby into a kiss so long his friends turned to the game and Roger muttered, "Get a room."
When they broke free, her eyes had water puddled in them and they glittered like stars. He put his forehead to hers. "So, um, this wasn"t exactly what I had planned. Pretend you didn"t see that."
She untangled an arm from his chest and pulled the box from the table then slipped the ring into place. "We promised each other honesty, remember? Pretending would be a lie. Besides, I honestly want to wear it and-the answer is yes."
"I"m sorry. I meant to ask you at dinner later with candles and wine. And flowers. I love you, Abs. As in foreverness."
She giggled and pulled him back in for a kiss. "I love you as in foreverness too."
He gave Jackson another scolding glare, though it was lost on the man as he lifted his drink to toast them.
Carter snorted. "Remind me to make your life as miserable as you"ve made mine someday."
Amanda approached in her perfectly starched business suit and Jackson pulled her in tight. "You"ll get your chance in two weeks, best man."
"Huh, what? I thought Roger was the best man." Best man? In Jackson and Amanda"s wedding? It was ironic if he stopped to think.
"I wasn"t sure you"d want it so I asked him first-but you know I"d never really want anyone else. Sorry, Roger."
Roger nodded and stuck a finger in the air. "You guys all make me sick anyway." Still, he winked at Abby.
Was Carter ready to write off all that happened? He wasn"t sure. Then Abby gave him that d.a.m.ned smile that killed him during the seventh inning stretch. Yeah, he guessed so.
"Okay, I"ll be your d.a.m.n best man, but you need to know-paybacks are h.e.l.l."
About the Author.
A little about me ... I grew up on a farm near a small town called Peculiar, which is just south of Kansas City. I"m a graduate of Oklahoma State University with additional post-graduate studies at OSU and University of Wyoming in Casper. I married my college sweetheart while still an undergraduate, and we have three kids.