Homerun Daddy, page 5
part #1 of Timberwood Cove Series
Liam nodded, though he still looked concerned.
I gave him a smile and dug my keys out of my pocket. “Why don’t you go pick out a bat that you like from my car? I’ll just get your uncle taken care of and be right out.”
I was rewarded with a giant grin, then Liam was snatching the keys and racing out of the house.
I chuckled. “He’s a good kid.”
Bryce nodded, his expression softening, the tension that had been there before melting as he watched his nephew run off. “That he is.” He looked back at me, and some of the tension fell back into place. “I’m fine. You go on.”
No way. I wasn’t leaving him here like this, not knowing if he would make it through the house without another fall.
“It’s no problem,” I said, leading him over to the couch in the tiny cracker box of a living room. I wrapped my arm around his waist to help him down onto it and felt that energy race up my arm yet again.
He sank into the cushions, looking up at me, but I didn’t let go of him immediately, resting my hand on his shoulder. More than anything, I wanted to trace the curve of his neck up to that sharp jaw, then run my fingers along his lips.
The air thickened once more, full of an awareness that there was something very real between us even though we’d only just met. I was pretty sure he felt it too, though I knew he didn’t understand its source.
Reluctantly, I pulled my hand away. “Get some rest, okay? I’ll bring some food back for you later.”
A smile threatened, his lips curving slightly, and I liked knowing I put it there.
“Thank you,” he said yet again.
I shook my head. “No thanks needed.” Then, before I gave in to my instincts and found out exactly what that mouth tasted like, I stepped back. “See you later.”
I felt his gaze on me as I turned and walked out of the house. Liam was already in the passenger seat, bouncing up and down as he held one of my favorite old bats in his hands.
I chuckled as I climbed into the car and revved the engine. “That’s a good one. Sturdy and solid. Nice choice.”
He beamed at me for a moment, but as I pulled out onto Poplar Road and headed toward the sports complex, I felt Liam shift and glance at me. He only hesitated a moment before diving right into what was on his mind.
“I’m worried about that woman,” he blurted out.
I tore my gaze from the road just long enough to make out the worry lines marring his forehead. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to pry, and I didn’t know the full details of the situation.
“She said it was going to be hard for Uncle Bryce to adopt me. Every time he meets with her, it just upsets him. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go into foster care.”
It hurt my heart that he was so troubled over this. Without even thinking about what I was saying, just following my gut, I told him, “You don’t have to worry about that, Liam. Seriously. I won’t let that happen. I’ll take care of everything.”
He blinked, a little taken aback, but a tentative smile began to form. “You’ve always been my hero, Jaxon,” he said, somewhat in awe.
I chuckled. “Well, I don’t know about that, but I can promise you I’ll come through for you here.” And I meant it with very fiber of my being. I was meant to take care of Bryce—and Liam too.
“How can you be so sure, though?” Liam asked. “How can you say that when you barely even know me or my uncle?”
Such a level-headed little boy. He’d been through so much already in his young life. Probably not really getting to be a kid because he’d been so wrapped up in the adult worries surrounding him.
I wanted to reassure him there was nothing that could keep me from taking care of them, but I didn’t know how without revealing the connection I already had to his uncle, to my mate—or the fact that I was a shifter. So I left it alone for now, telling him again not to worry about it, to just enjoy the practice that awaited us.
We didn’t have long for conversation anyway, as I was already pulling into the sports complex. Practice was already in full-swing—I’d told Linc to get started without me when I’d realized Liam wasn’t there at the beginning and I’d felt the irrepressible need to go check on them.
It didn’t seem to faze Liam, though. He was just thrilled to be here. He darted out onto the field to join the team, knowing where to go without me even telling him. He knew baseball, that was for sure. I couldn’t wait to see him out there playing.
Following him out to the field, I dove in, losing myself in the rush I got any time I was on a ball field. Practice flew by, and I loved every minute of it. Even though I was completely immersed in my role as coach, giving all the kids my attention as needed, I couldn’t help watching Liam in particular.
He really did have natural talent. He wasn’t just a fan. It amazed me when he told me he had never really played before. A swell of pride filled my chest as I watched him. It was almost like seeing a younger version of myself, his passion for the game so raw and unfiltered.
By the time practice was over and all the kids were getting their equipment packed up, I couldn’t wait to get back to Bryce’s and tell him all about it, but Cole and Liam were quick to remind me we were supposed to go get dinner.
I laughed. “I think you guys worked up quite an appetite.” I handed a bag of baseballs to them. “Here, go pack this up in my car and we can get going.”
“That kid’s a natural,” Linc remarked as they hurried away.
“Right? I thought so too,” I replied, watching them as they loped over to my car and hefted the bag into the trunk. Then I turned to Linc. “When I went to pick Liam up, I spoke to Bryce again.”
“Yeah? Did you kiss him?”
“No.” I shook my head, suppressing a grin at Linc’s interest in my love life. “Not yet.”
“Well don’t wait too long. If I found my fated mate I’d be all over him.”
I laughed. “I’m sure you would.”
“Yeah, maybe, but because of Cole I think I’ve left it too late. I doubt I’ll find my mate now.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure. I thought the same thing, but then Bryce literally fell into my life.” And because of his disability, he couldn’t be here now.
“So why the frown?” Linc asked.
I sighed. “There are…obstacles,” I said, thinking about Liam and what he said about the social worker and his fear of being put into foster care.
“Whatever it is, you can handle it,” Linc said, his faith in me making me smile again.
I nodded. “Yeah. I will,” I said with resolve. Because I knew I’d stop at nothing to make sure Bryce and Liam were taken care of and that we could be together. I’d figure it all out, somehow.
The boys decided on Kay’s Diner for dinner again—and they got no arguments from me. The hour passed by in loud, boisterous conversation and laughter, and just before we finished up, I ordered a meal for Bryce.
Linc gave me a knowing grin and a wink, and I couldn’t suppress the thrill that went through me knowing I was about to head back over and see Bryce again. After that, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. We’d taken separate cars this time since I had Liam with me, and the boys said their goodbyes before we took off.
When we pulled back up at Bryce’s house, I barely kept myself from flying out of the car and up the steps. Instead, I let Liam lead the way.
Inside, we found Bryce still on the couch where I’d left him.
“Hey, big man,” Bryce said smiling, though I could see he was still in pain by the stiffness in his body. “How was practice?”
“You’ve got quite the ball player on your hands, Bryce,” I said, sitting down next to him on the couch and placing the bag of take-out food on the coffee table.
Liam went immediately into a play-by-play of the entire practice, his excitement radiating from his beaming face. I couldn’t stop grinning as I listened while I took Bryce’s dinner from the bag and started arranging it on the plate Kay had provided.
Bryce kept shooting me glances, watching me out of the corner of his eye as he listened to Liam. I turned and smiled at him, handing him the plate. Our gazes caught, and I felt that awareness race through me once again, a feeling I was starting to identify as my wolf recognizing him as my mate.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the plate.
“You have to come next time, Uncle Bryce,” Liam said, just before a huge yawn took hold of his little body.
Bryce chuckled, a smooth sound that pulsed through me. “I’ll be there. I need to see you in action for myself, but for now, I think you need to head off to bed. It’s getting late.”
He started to push forward on the couch, setting his plate back on the table, and I saw him wince, though he tried to hide it.
“You know what?” I pushed the plate back into his hands. “You stay here and eat, and I’ll see Liam off to bed. If he’s lucky, I might just tell him an old baseball tale for a bedtime story.”
Liam leaped up at that. “I’m gonna go brush my teeth!”
I laughed. “That okay with you?” I asked Bryce when Liam bounded out of the room. I didn’t want to cross any lines, even though to me, it felt perfectly natural to think about taking care of Liam. It was amazing how quickly I was feeling protective of both of them.
Bryce nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but I held a hand up and laughed again. “I’m going to say it one more time. No need for thanks.”
I followed after Liam, and true to my word, regaled him with one of my old baseball stories, one from my rookie year. He listened raptly, but before long was drifting off.
Standing, I flipped of his bedside lamp then headed back to the living room. All night, my mind had been working hard trying to figure out how I could best help Bryce with the situation with the social worker. I could already tell he was proud and wouldn’t accept anything that seemed like an offer of charity.
An idea was forming in my mind of what I might propose, but I didn’t know how it would go over. What I did know was that I was determined Liam get to stay with Bryce, and eventually with me.
I couldn’t even imagine what it must be like for Liam to worry that he might have to go into the foster system when Bryce was all the family he had left. I knew all too well what it felt like to be abandoned. Even though my adoptive father had been everything a kid could hope for in a parent, and I loved him dearly, it still hurt to know I’d been forsaken by my own parents as a baby.
While the situation wasn’t quite the same, Liam and Bryce were dealing with the very real fear they might be separated. It made my heart ache to think about Liam having any of the same abandonment issues I’d worked hard to overcome my entire life, and I’d do anything to shield him from that.
When I came back into the living room, Bryce was leaning back on the couch, his eyes closed. I knew the minute he became aware of my presence by the shift in his body, so subtle I might not have noticed it if I weren’t feeling the same thing.
His body tensed slightly and he opened his eyes. We stared at each other for long, drawn out moments. Bryce was the first to tear his gaze away, clearing his throat and sitting up straight.
“Before you tell me it’s not needed, I want you to know how much I appreciate, well, everything. The food. What you’ve done with Liam.” He looked back up at me then. “And the support.”
I smiled and lowered myself to the couch, so pleased I was helping him even in whatever small ways I had so far. “You’re more than welcome. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
This was the perfect opening to put forward my idea. Bryce turned to face me, and I shifted as well, putting myself a little deeper into his personal space. His expression held a mix of curiosity and wariness.
I instinctively wanted to take him in my arms and declare everything would be okay, but we weren’t there yet. Maybe, just maybe, if he agreed to what I was about to suggest, things would lead there naturally.
“Liam told me about some of the difficulties with the adoption,” I said. His face immediately shuttered, a mask of strength and determination on his features now.
“I’m not going to lose Liam,” he stated. “I’ll figure this out.”
I nodded. “What if I had a solution?”
He cut his gaze to me. “What kind of solution?” The wariness was back, but I didn’t let it stop me from putting my idea out there.
“What if there was a way to prove your stability to the state? To show them that Liam had all the assistance he needs—financially and otherwise?”
“What do you mean?”
He had no idea what I was about to propose, and I gathered my resolve to just say it. Knowing in my heart this was the right answer.
“We could…enter into a relationship.”
He stared at me. “Meaning…”
I met his gaze, unwavering in my resolve. “Meaning you and me. A relationship. It would show that you have all the financial stability you need for Liam. Also, you’d have support with caring for him. From me. I could help you and him both.”
Bryce blinked but otherwise stayed stock-still, obviously shell-shocked. “Why would you do that?”
I bit back the words because you’re my mate and I want to help you. But I didn’t just want to help him—I wanted him. I was suggesting a solution that might seem crazy to him, but I wanted him to see some of my true intentions as well.
“Bryce,” I said, gazing at him, letting some of my desire rise to the surface. “Liam is a talented ball player, and there’s no way I’d ever allow him to have to lie awake at night in some foster home and not be able to play ball. To not be with his family. Also…” The corner of my mouth lifted in a smile. “I really like you.”
He still didn’t seem to understand why I would do this, but I noticed the flare of desire in his eyes in response to my words. He started to shake his head, but I stopped him, reaching up to cup his cheek in my hand.
Fuck. A rush of need coursed through me, every instinct I had demanding I claim this man. I didn’t know what he saw on my face, but Bryce sucked in a sharp breath. He drew his lower lip between his teeth, and I nearly lost my grip on my self-control. With as much restraint as I could muster, I drew in a breath of my own, and then forced myself to remain in check.
“Just think about my offer,” I said softly. “Besides, I have a feeling we would end up together anyway.”
His brow furrowed, but before he could say anything, I brought a finger to his lips. I’d just wanted to tell him to not answer right away but feeling his soft lips against my skin had me slipping. Losing some of that carefully maintained control.
Bryce’s eyes were locked on mine, searching and confused, but also raw with want. I didn’t think he even realized it when his tongue darted out to nervously lick his lips.
A low growl rumbled in my chest, pure lust overwhelming me, and I had no choice. I couldn’t walk away from this man tonight without at least having a taste—and showing him just how good it might be between us if he accepted my offer.
With my hand still on his cheek, I tilted his head higher. A lock of blond hair fell across his forehead, and I brushed it back. Then I leaned in.
Slowly. Surely.
When my lips brushed against his, just a touch, just a tease, it was like the entire earth reverberated. Or maybe it was just my body reacting to his. His breath rushed out in a gasp, warm and sweet, and I breathed in before capturing his lips more fully with mine. Pressing against him. Gently testing, but also determined.
Another growl rumbled deep inside me. Mine.
I lingered there, my lips on his, until his entire body shuddered. When I pulled away, his eyes were darker, his pupils dilated, his breath coming shallow now.
God, I wanted to pull him back into my arms and show him exactly what I was feeling, but I knew I had to be careful. So I made myself stand up and take a step back. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done.
“Think about it,” I murmured, giving him one last heated look before I headed to the door as quickly as I could.
Thirty minutes later—as soon as I got home—I went straight to my backyard and shifted. All the pent-up energy inside me had me exploding into wolf form almost as soon as I gave up control to him. He surged out of me and immediately raced into the woods behind my house—which was one of the furthest north in the woods that were our pack territory—getting lost in the depths of the night sounds and scents.
I tried to center myself as my wolf ran, but he was just as elated as I was about finding our fated mate, and my energy twined with my animal’s. I really hoped Bryce took me up on my offer because leaving him tonight had been one of the almost painful. I wanted to be with him. I ran, imagining what that might be like, full of hope, but as over the moon as I was, at the back of my mind there was a twinge of worry. Even though we barely knew each other, I was ready to go all in with Bryce. I just knew—felt in my very soul—that it was meant to be, but we had hurdles I didn’t know how to overcome yet. First, I had to get Bryce to accept the fact that we were fated. Which meant telling him about shifters. I also had to hope he would feel the same about me the way I was already feeling about him. There was no denying he was attracted to me, but this was all unfamiliar territory, and I wasn’t sure how to navigate it.
But as the moon rose higher in the clear night sky, and I continued to run deeper into the woods, I knew I would figure it out. I’d find a way for us to be together—hopefully sooner than later.
6
Bryce
I didn’t know how long I sat there, my mind and body reeling from what had just happened. I brushed my fingers over my lips, the nerves raw even though Jaxon had been so gentle. However, with just that simple kiss he’d ignited all kinds of things in me. I’d already been feeling this irresistible draw to Jaxon, but now it was amplified a hundred times.
I smiled, closing my eyes as I recalled every second of the last few minutes with Jaxon. The intensity in his gaze. The determination in his voice when he’d suggested we have a…relationship.
