She smashes her lips together and grins, looking up at me like she’s about to give away her secret. “You already know I decided to play with him.”
“As per your worldly advice a few months ago, yes, I recall.”
“Well, God … this is so embarrassing. There is this fashion show the school does. They do it for charity. Well, Amanda read this article about how Kate Middleton got Prince William by wearing lingerie at a fashion show.”
She pulls out her phone and scrolls through the photos for a while until she finds what she wants. When she does, she holds the phone up to me. I grab it, and my eyes practically bulge out of my head. Nicole isn’t just wearing lingerie. She has on a bra that has some serious lift action, a super-small bikini bottom, and garters. Her hair is thick with barrel curls, and her makeup is extra sultry.
“Damn, girl. This look would make a porn star blush. You wore this in front of a crowd?”
“I wore that one outfit in front of five hundred people, hoping that special someone would notice.”
“Obviously, he did.” I hand her the phone back, and she shakes her head.
“Actually, he didn’t. We went to a party after, and even though I was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, these guys kept hitting on me and asking where my garters were. One got a little too touchy, and Chad came to the rescue. When he told me it was my fault for wearing that outfit in public, I blamed him and told him it was his fault because I was crazy about him and didn’t know any other way to get his attention. Turns out, he’d been thinking about me as more than a friend too. Neither of us thought the other was interested. After that night, the rest is history.”
My mouth is frowning, and it’s not because I’m sad. It’s what I do when I think I’m gonna cry. “That’s the sweetest story ever.”
“Not as sweet as the brother’s best friend who fell for his Squid.”
“I’m so happy he stopped calling me that.”
“I’m so happy he started calling you his.” She waggles her brows.
I let out a big, joyful laugh. “Me too.” I fall into her side, and we giggle as we look at the field and at the men we love, who are running to their positions. “What do you think they’re going to do?”
Since it’s Valentine’s Day, the guys told us we had to be at the stadium for the game and to wear flat shoes.
I shrug. “I’ve tried every way possible to get it out of Wes, but his lips have been sealed shut. I know for sure he didn’t come up with it though. Romantic he is not. At least, not in the traditional ways.”
Nicole raises her eyebrows at me. “Chad, too, but I’ll save you the details.”
I wave my hand in surrender. “Yes, please do.”
We both laugh and then look up, surprised, as we notice Wes and Chad walking up the bleachers toward us.
“Are you ready?” Chad says as he reaches his hand out to Nicole, and she stands.
Wes is right behind him, and when he does the same to me, I swear my knees get weak. I’ve seen him in his uniform a hundred times, but now that I know what’s underneath it and what that body can do to me, it’s taken on a whole new meaning.
“Hold up. You said, be ready, but you didn’t say we were going anywhere,” I protest.
“Do you always have to be such a pain in the ass?” Wes says as he pulls me close to him.
“Yes. Yes, I do,” I state defiantly.
“That’s why I love you.” He softly kisses my lips.
Chad slaps Wes’s shoulder. “Dude, do you still have to do that right in front of me?”
Wes swirls his tongue around mine once more and then looks over his shoulder. “I had to do something before she called me a jerk or maybe worse.”
We laugh as Nicole drags Chad away from us, and Wes takes advantage by kissing me longer this time.
“You regretting making an honest man out of me?”
“And here I thought, I got the bad boy.”
“Nope. Total Boy Scout. Once I find a woman I’m in love with, I’m glued to her for the rest of her life,” he says easily.
“Even if she wants to saddle you down with kids and all that nonsense?”
“Hang on there, Squid. Date, then engagement, then marriage, and then ten years tops until we talk about kids.”
I let out a groan. “The nickname is back.”
He kisses my head and guides me down the stairs. “Only when I want to piss you off.”
He holds my hand as he leads me onto the field. We all stand next to each other while a woman walks out and sings the national anthem in the most beautiful tone ever.
Afterward, they line all of the girlfriends up on the baseline, giving us each a ball before the guys head to their respective positions.
Nicole holds up the ball and whispers to me, “What do they expect me to do with this?”
We hear the announcer say, “As a treat for the special Valentines of our players, each one of them gets to throw out the first pitch to their player.”
I glance at Wes, who’s pulling his mask over his face, and he takes his spot behind home plate. “We get to throw out the first pitch.”
Nicole’s eyes open wide. “All the way to home plate?”
I grin from ear to ear. “No, that’s my job. You get to throw to Chad from home plate.” I turn to Chad, who’s standing by the pitcher’s mound.
“Do I have to?” Nicole asks, not happy since she’s dating the starting pitcher knowing she’s going to have to throw first.
The crowd cheers as Nicole reaches back and throws the ball, not making it all the way to Chad. She covers her eyes in embarrassment, but Chad grabs the ball and runs up to give her a hug, producing a rose from his back pocket.
I watch as each girl throws to their player with the outfielders coming to the edge of the grass. Then, it’s my turn. The final throw to start the game. Wes hits his glove a few times and then holds it out to me. He doesn’t move any closer than he normally would stand and crouches behind the plate, like he does in the game. He nods his head slightly, telling me he knows I got this throw and I’m about to show them all up. After all, he was my teacher. I reach my arm back and bring it over my shoulder, just like he taught me. As I let go of the ball, it flies through the air and lands directly in his glove.
I throw my arms in the air as everyone cheers around us. Wes runs up and wraps his arms around me, kissing me softly before producing the rose from his back pocket.
“For my Valentine, the one I’ve wanted every year since I can remember,” he says.
“You’re the Inspiration” by Chicago plays over the stadium’s speaker system, and I glance at Wes, who’s beaming from ear to ear. It’s cheesy mom music, and it’s the most romantic sound I’ve ever heard.
“Oh, yes, I take full credit for that too.” He leans in to give me a quick kiss as I laugh against his lips.
Chad comes running up. “Nice throw, sis. I didn’t know you could throw like that.”
“It’s because I taught her,” Wes says proudly.
Chad hits his arm. “And that’d better be all you’re teaching her.”
“Oh, stop, Chad. We all know I’m the one teaching him.” I laugh.