“Oh, you want that privilege all to yourself then? I mean, come on, P. Your dad played, your honorary uncles played, and you’re dating Cameron. They’re surrounded by baseball ass. They’re bound to discover the wonder that it is.”
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Hey, you know I’m right, missy. You are dating one of those baseball asses.”
“Who are you calling an ass?” Cameron asks as he wraps his arms around me from behind and presses a kiss on my cheek.
“Just discussing the glory of baseball pants and the asses that fill them,” Willow replies, not missing a beat.
“Do I want to know?” Cameron whispers in my ear.
“Probably not,” I tell him with a laugh.
“You change your mind about tonight?” he asks.
“Nope,” Willow answers for me. “Back off, Taylor. You get her all the time. It’s girls’ night,” she says, reaching for my hand, but he has me locked tight in his arms. I’m not going anywhere until he’s ready for me to.
“Where are you going?”
“Nope,” Willow says again. “We are not telling you so that you and your boys can crash girls’ night.”
“What if I have them wear their uniforms?”
Willow taps her chin, pretending to consider his offer. “No dice,” she finally tells him.
“Well, shit, Willow, I was sure that would sway you.”
“Do not underestimate the power of girls’ night, Taylor.” She points at him.
His deep throaty chuckle surrounds me. “I think we can make a run for it,” he tells me.
I turn in his hold, looping my arms around his neck. “You need to hang out with your team, and I’ve been neglecting my best friend.”
“Fine.” He relents and presses his lips to mine. “Are we meeting back at my place or yours?”
“Yours is fine.”
“What time?”
“I’ll text you.”
“Let it be noted, I’m not a fan of girls’ night,” he mumbles.
“You’ll get used to it,” Willow chimes in. “Especially in the off-season.”
“We have to keep her, right?” he asks with a wicked grin.
“Hey!” Willow swats at his shoulder.
“Go. Have fun with the guys.”
“Yo! Taylor? You coming tonight?” Henderson calls out as he walks past.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” Cameron says, kissing me one more time.
“You can bring your girl and her friend,” Henderson says. I look over to see him standing next to Willow.
“Go.” I push at Cameron’s chest. “Have fun. I’ll text you when we’re on our way home.”
“I won’t drink in case you need a ride.”
“No way, Taylor. We never get you to hang out with us. You’re drinking. Our game isn’t until tomorrow night. You have time to sleep it off.”
“Fine. One beer,” Cameron concedes.
“Have fun.” I wave at him.
“Love you, P.”
“Love you too,” I call out.
“Fuck, man, you’re in deep, aren’t you?” I hear Henderson ask him.
Cameron stops walking and looks over his shoulder. “Not deep enough.” He winks and turns back around, walking off with his teammate.
“Wow,” Willow comments as we watch the two of them walk off.
“Yeah,” I agree. I’m certain her wow has something to do with Henderson and the jeans he’s wearing, and well, mine has everything to do with Cameron.
“Right. Let’s go home and change. The girls at work were telling me about this great little bar not far from here. They claim it’s super low-key. I thought that was best, considering you’re famous now and all that.”
“What do you mean ‘I’m famous’?” I ask in disbelief.
“You and your man are all over the social networks and sports channels. Baseball’s golden girl falls for an up-and-comer. And they love the fact that he plays the same position that your dad played.”
“Just ignore all that crap,” I tell her.
“Oh, I do, but others not so much. I thought keeping it chill, sharing a few drinks, and catching up was the best avenue to take.”
“We can just grab some takeout and a bottle of wine and stay in.”
“No. We can’t do that because I miss you. I’ve been working my ass off, as have you, and we need a night out—both of us. Besides, I don’t know when I’ll be able to convince Cameron to let me have you for another night,” she teases as she bumps her shoulder into mine.
“Stop. He doesn’t control me.”
“I know. I was kidding. But really, I know the two of you are attached at the hip, and your schedule is crazy, and if they keep winning, it’s not going to get any better as you go into the playoffs or whatever they’re called. So we are going out.” She links her arm through mine, and we make our way out of the stadium.
“Where did you park?” I ask.
“Oh, your parents picked me up.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. Your mom called, not wanting me to come here alone, and since I knew we were going out after, I thanked them politely and said yes.”
“All right, well, climb in. Girls’ night is about to commence.” We head back to our condo and change for the night and have a glass of wine while we do it. We take a lot longer to get ready than necessary, but we both needed this—just time to hang out and catch up. I love Cameron, but I miss my best friend. Tonight is a good idea.
“How have we never been here before?” I ask Willow as the Uber pulls up to the curb and drops us off. I look up, reading the sign that says The Pub in neon lights. It’s located on a back street, that despite living here my entire life, I’ve never been on. Talk about a sheltered life.
“I guess they’re really strict on paparazzi and things like that.”
“Really? That’s odd. I mean, it is close to the stadium, so I guess that makes sense.” She pulls open the door, and we’re greeted with raucous laughter. I turn my head to see what the ruckus is about, and my mouth drops open.
Willow links her arm through mine. “Okay, so I might have known that this is where the players come after their games. I also know that you’re in love with him and that he worships you, and being apart tonight was not something either of you wanted.”
“I wanted to spend some time with you. And how did you know this is where they come, and I didn’t?” I question.
“And we did hang out. We got ready together, had a few glasses of wine, and now we’re going to hang out with your man and his teammates while we catch up. And as far as this place goes, the guys refer to it as VIP most of the time. At least that’s what the rumor is. One of the girls at work asked if we ever hung out at the VIP. I told her no, that I thought it was a myth. I’ve never seen a VIP club. She then proceeded to tell me about The Pub. She’s a baseball groupie if you didn’t catch that.” Willow laughs.
I turn and pull her into my arms for a hug. “I love you. You didn’t have to do this. I want to spend time with you too.”