Chapter Twenty-Five

There were moments in his life—not even full moments, just snapshots, a few seconds here and there—when Liam felt like he was on the outside looking in. What he saw in those fractions of time made him so freaking grateful, it sucked the air out of his lungs. As he introduced Isla to his parents and his grandmother, his breath snagged. In this moment, he, literally, had it all. The family, the career, his health, happiness…and her.

Isla was the unexpected gift he hadn’t known he was missing. He’d been building himself into the man he wanted to be. Good son, brother, friend. Excellent ballplayer. Good role model. And now, the final piece…Isla. The man he wanted to be for her.

Yet, instead of filling him with utter happiness, it tugged at the threads of worry. How long could it last? Would it end his career before he was ready? Would she think it was too much and walk away? Stop. Just enjoy the moment. Take the win.

“You did well, son,” his dad said under his breath, slapping him on the back.

They watched from the other side of the kitchen as Isla tasted his mother’s homemade salsa, a look of delight on her face.

“This is amazing,” she said, her tone genuine. She looked over at Liam. “We need to bottle that and get it in the stadium.”

His mother’s face lit up like the sun was shining directly on her, and Liam laughed. Yeah. He had it all.

The doorbell rang, and Liam hoped his mom hadn’t gone crazy with invitations. Small family dinner, she’d said. He’d been looking forward to this all week. When he opened the door to see his cousins Diego and Davis, he groaned.

“Nice greeting, cous,” Diego said, handing over a six-pack of Sam Adams.

Davis laughed. “He doesn’t want us to meet his girl. He charms them with the whole baseball player thing, but when they meet us, it doesn’t matter.”

Liam shut the door behind them, still laughing. When they came into the kitchen, Isla was laughing at something Talia had said, but he caught her eye, and his heart flipped over.

“Damn. No wonder you’ve been keeping her to yourself.” Diego let out a low whistle.

Liam punched him on the shoulder. “Shut it. She’s mine. And we’re keeping things quiet.”

“Because she’s your boss, dude,” Davis said.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious. I wasn’t aware.” He rolled his eyes.

Isla came over, her smile soft and sweet. He wondered what family gatherings were like at her place. Probably a little on the chilly side.

“Hi,” she said, coming to his side.

“Hey, babe. These two losers are my cousins. Davis and Diego. They’re my mom’s sister’s kids. Guys, this is Isla Bennett.”

She shook both of their hands, but her eyes narrowed on Davis. She pointed to the design on the chest of his shirt that promoted his bakery.

“Was it you who brought the muffins and pastries?”

Davis nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You are a culinary genius.”

Liam put his hand around her waist and tugged her to his side. Talia came over and grabbed the beer from his hand, greeted their cousins.

“Don’t feed his ego, Red,” Liam said.

“Ha! My ego. Just wait until the season starts. Cruz’s ego gets so big no one else can fit in the room.”

Talia came back with the top popped on one of the beers and, before Liam could shut his cousins up, joined in. “Yes. During the season, you’ll have to recognize you’re in the presence of greatness, Isla.”

“Knock it off,” Liam warned, a smile tugging at his lips. “Besides, I can back it up.”

They laughed, and Isla looked up at him. He hoped he wasn’t imagining the level of affection he saw there. Hoped he wasn’t transferring his own fall and pretending it was hers. He wanted her right there with him.

“I can’t wait to see you play,” she said, her voice soft and sweet.

Pride and eagerness swamped him. He leaned down, kissed her cheek. “Me either,” he whispered for only her to hear.

“You and every other woman. The Cruz Cuties are coming out in full force. You know the chick who runs the whole thing? She came into the bakery the other day and said they’re making a logo and want to know if I can put it on cookies.”

Liam stared at Davis, waiting for him to say he was joking. Talia burst out laughing, and Diego joined in.

Isla’s eyes went wide, and his stomach sank. Dammit. Those women did not matter, and if the first woman who actually mattered to him read too much into—

“That’s brilliant,” Isla said.

His fingers flexed on her hip. “Huh?”

She got that look, the one he recognized as ideas brewing in that gorgeous brain of hers. “This is a group of women who love you and, by extension, the team. It’s a completely organic pool of advertising. Davis, what did you tell her?”

Davis rubbed the back of his neck and snagged Talia’s beer. “That I’d consider it.” He sent an apologetic look to Liam and a drink of the beer before passing it back to his cousin. “Sorry, dude. Custom orders bring in good coin.”

Liam arched his brows toward Isla. She rubbed her hands together. God, she was adorable.

“Do these women get any attention, or have they in the past?”

Talia pursed her lips. “They get interviewed sometimes. They had shirts made up last year so whenever Cruz was in town with the Dodgers, they’d show up wearing them.”

“What are you thinking?” Liam asked.

His mother and father joined them, milling around the kitchen island, the smell of tacos and quesadillas making his stomach growl. His mother was drinking a glass of red. They stood, his father’s arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him and listened to the conversation. They were a unit. Friends as well as husband and wife. Before Liam could think too deeply about how much he suddenly wanted that, his mother’s face scrunched up.

“Bunch of grown women chasing after my baby boy. Disgusting,” she said. Delilah Cruz loved his father, her children, baseball, and food. He wondered about Isla’s family. In particular, her mom.

“Depends on how you look at it, Mrs. Cruz,” Isla said, clearly still mulling over her thoughts.

“Dee. You call me Dee.”

Isla grinned, leaned in to Liam. “All right, Dee. Yes, these women, who all appear to be much older than Liam, seem infatuated with him, and who can blame them? You have gorgeous children, and it’s easy to see where they got their looks.”

Jesus. Liam’s mouth dropped open. “You should run your own PR firm, babe. That was slick.”

She swatted his stomach. “That was true.” Isla looked around the circle of his closest family members and spoke excitedly. “The thing is, you can capitalize on different aspects of it. Some of these women likely have husbands, and maybe they’re not watching the game or maybe they are, but if we throw some comps at them, they’ll get their husbands on board. Which means their friends will get on board, and that translates to ticket sales.”

Liam processed that. “So, you think giving them some free tickets will turn into an increase in sales?”

She grinned. “Yes. Free tickets or maybe use of the owner’s box for the opening game? That’s the kind of thing that is going to snag interest, get people pumped up.”

Shaking his head, he couldn’t help the smile making his cheeks ache. “You’re coming into your own, Red.” She was flushed with happiness; it was radiating from her entire being. She was going to pull this off.

And he was going to stand at her side and watch her shine. Another first for him—even wanting to do so.

“Well, as long as they aren’t handsy with my boy,” his mom said.

Everyone laughed, but Isla took his hand and squeezed. “Don’t worry, Dee. I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure they keep their hands to themselves.”

“Your girl is funny,” his dad said, approval shining in the weathered, happy lines of his face.

“Let’s eat,” his mother said.

They helped bring things to the already set table and gathered around it. As they laughed and ate, Liam’s mind kept wandering to the future. This time next year? Would Isla be with him next Christmas?

He’d spent his life making things happen, because he knew what he wanted for himself. Now this woman was wrapped around his heart and, though he didn’t like not knowing, not being the one in control of what was next, with Isla and him, he was content to wait and see.

…

Later that night, when they’d gotten back to Liam’s place, when he’d poured them both a glass of wine and they were lying on the couch watching Sporting 101, the local station, it felt like they’d been a couple for so much longer than they had. They weren’t being as careful as they probably should have been, but by the time both of their days wound down, no one was hovering in the shadows.

He didn’t know how much longer he had it in him to hide. The rightness of it was something Liam had never encountered with anything other than baseball. Was it time he told her?

Isla leaned forward, glancing at the screen as she put her wineglass on the coffee table. “I’m always happy to spend the night with you, but tonight was really amazing. Thank you for letting me be part of it.”

His stomach warmed. “Told you my family would love you.” He set his wine down and pulled her in to his side, using one hand to stroke her jaw while he kissed her.

Isla leaned back and laughed. “It’s mutual. Your parents are adorable. You look so much like your dad. Is everyone in your family good-looking?”

Liam grinned. “Besides me and my dad, you mean?”

Isla poked him in the stomach. “Plus your sister, your mom, your cousins,” Isla said, her grin too wide.

“Diego and Davis? You think they’re good-looking?”

“Of course. And Davis has the added bonus of being a baker. A good-looking man who can cook?”

Liam’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me? I can cook.”

Isla’s laugh lit a fire inside him. She pushed him back on the couch and threw one of her pajama-clad legs over his so she was straddling him. She tunneled her hands through his hair and brought their faces closer.

“It’s probably wrong, but I love that growl you get in your voice when you think I could possibly find another man hotter than you,” she whispered. Right before she tried to close the distance, she added, “As if.”

Reaching up, he nipped at her lower lip, ran his tongue over it, then turned his head to kiss her. His eyes were half-mast, and it was just a hint of something on the television that caught his eye enough to pull back. Isla stared down at him in confusion. His gut cramped. She looked back over her shoulder, awkwardly reaching for the remote and turning it up.

“Big Slammers news. So much for a trio of hometown boys. Bruce Gains has announced an epic two-for-one trade. Tommy Fortin and Corey Dryer will be leaving the Slammers after only two years to join the Padres. In return, Nashville will be getting another heavy hitter, Reid Remmington. Is Gains already looking for Liam Cruz’s replacement? Rumors are swirling that this will be Cruz’s final year.”

Isla was tucked in to his side, her legs over his lap and her mouth open. “I cannot believe he did this. I told him I wanted those two to stay. And what the hell is he doing bringing in someone to overshadow you?”

He could feel the anger coursing off her in waves, so he worked to push down his own. He tried to be rational. “Unfortunately, this kind of stuff happens all the time. There’s a ton of politics involved.” Even as he said it, his stomach filled with unease. Was that it? Just typical politics?

She boosted herself up off his lap and stood, grabbing her phone from the table. “I get politics. I may not get sports yet, but I understand manipulation and maneuvering, and this was a power play. It’s Bruce pissing in his corner to show he thinks he can. And I’m about to show him, he’s dead wrong.”

Liam stared at her, surprised by the fury etched on her face. Surprised, and a little turned on. She rarely swore, and she looked so soft and sweet on the outside, her backbone absolutely thrilled him. As long as he didn’t end up on the receiving end of it.

“What are you going to do?” His curiosity was more than a little piqued.

She looked at him, those gorgeous eyes that hooked him from day one flaring with a different kind of passion. “I’m going to fire him.”