Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel (24 page)

Releasing her mouth, he gave her another quick squeeze and escorted her toward the house. “So it’s behind us then?”

Sonny gave a brief nod, not really meaning it. It wasn’t behind them, but she didn’t know what else to do at the moment without causing a confrontation that she wasn’t ready for.

He patted her butt briefly and grinned. “You are going to enjoy this. It’s become a tradition for Kowalskin. Every season, at least once, he throws a backyard bash. Every player and his family is invited. It’s loud and chaotic and you’re going to love it.”

The way he kept his hand on the lower part of her back made her feel sexy and protected—and so conflicted. JP’s hand was so large that it practically covered her back from one side to the other. The heat of his palm felt delicious through the thin fabric of her dress.

Sonny discovered very quickly when the door opened that he wasn’t kidding. People were everywhere, and the noise level was impressive. Kids of all ages ran in and out and from somewhere she could just barely hear the strum of an acoustic guitar.

It was loud and chaotic and she loved it, just like he said she would.

Charlie dashed by in front of them, immersed in a group of similarly attired boys. Sonny didn’t even get a smile as he sped by. God, he was growing up fast.

JP leaned down and said against her ear, his breath hot and moist against her skin, “The food’s out back, if you’re hungry.”

She nodded and he led her through the sprawling house to the huge kitchen in back. Ten or so people were milling around laughing, and a petite redheaded woman was bouncing an infant on her shoulder. Through the French doors the back patio was visible. More people were out there, holding red plastic cups.

JP made brief introductions as they went, but he didn’t stop until they were outside on the concrete. Leslie was there, plastic cup in hand, chatting with Lorelei and another woman Sonny didn’t know. When they spotted Sonny, the blonde smiled and waved her over.

Though she didn’t want to leave JP, she put on her game face and said to him, “I’ll catch you in a bit.”

A
S
S
ONNY WALKED
away from him, JP felt tightness grab his chest and rolled his shoulders to ease the ache. God that woman was beautiful. She did things to him he didn’t think were possible. It was hard to watch her leave because he wanted to be close to her, but he figured he had to share her, and he looked around the yard for a place to sit.

Mark and Peter were sitting by the pool in plastic lawn chairs. The pitcher had a guitar in hand and was absentmindedly picking at the strings, teasing out a simple tune. Mark’s brother-in-law Logan was sitting with them, his daughter Michelle in his lap. The little girl was growing so well since her heart surgery.

Picking his way through the crowd, JP looked out at the pool and laughed out loud. Drake was out there in a neon-pink Speedo, lounging on the back of a blow-up lobster. The skin on his chest was beginning to match the color of the inflatable plastic crustacean. One of the many kids in the water splashed him and he promptly lost his balance, going overboard. He came up soaking wet and sputtering.

Still laughing when he reached the guys, JP grabbed a drink from the cooler nearby and took a seat. “Did you just see that?” He tipped his chin toward the pool.

Kowalskin grinned and plucked a country tune. “That Susie Brewster is one tough six-year-old. Paulson’s in trouble.”

All three men turned their heads and looked at Drake. He was arguing with the feisty little redhead, all bluster. The girl knew it too and splashed him again before squealing and taking off. Drake shook a fist at her, though it was obvious by the look on his face it was all for dramatic effect.

JP spotted Sonny off to the side with Lorelei and felt something warm fill his chest. When she laughed he felt himself smile involuntarily and shook his head. That woman had a hold on him good.

Pete kicked his bare foot with a shoe. “Hey, hippie.” He was referring to the lack of footwear. “Have you had a talk with the kid yet?”

JP leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers behind his head. “Not yet.” He’d meant to ask Sonny about it when they’d been at his place, but things had gone off track after their conversation and had gotten tensely awkward, so it’d slipped his mind.

Mark leaned forward, joining the conversation. “Don’t you think you should double-check with Sonny before you do?”

He had a point. “Probably. Look guys, I’m sure it’s not even an issue. She’s no doubt already talked to him.”

Logan spoke up, his dark brown eyes confused. “Who’s telling who what now?”

Pete stopped picking his guitar. “JP’s been seeing a woman with a kid and he’s not sure if the boy knows about it or not.” As soon as he finished he started playing chords again.

There was a real serious quality to Lorelei’s brother. He squinted against the sun and replied, “I reckon that’s a tough spot to be in.” Logan’s little girl put her head on his shoulder and he cuddled her close.

JP agreed, but he also didn’t want to worry about it and told himself that the guys were just being gossipy girls and getting all up in his Kool-Aid over nothing. Especially Pete. That guy needed a hobby.

He changed the subject. “Have you found a place yet, Mark?”

The catcher shook his head. “Nah. I haven’t had much time. Lorelei though, she’s been working with a real estate agent. Every few days she brings me a small stack of homes for sale and I go through them with her. But nothing’s caught her eye so far.”

JP thought about Sonny’s modest place up near Longmont. He could see himself there. “When it’s home you’ll know it.”

Just then Charlie raced by with the same group of boys and they all dove into the pool, drenching Drake again. The guy had just gotten resettled on the lobster too. He went over so fast he didn’t even have a chance to catch his breath and came up coughing.

JP smirked and scanned the yard for Sonny. He found her talking with the woman from the kitchen who had the infant. Her hands and face were animated, and she looked like she was sharing a funny anecdote. No doubt something Charlie had done that the kid would be totally humiliated if he knew his mom was sharing.

Standing up, he left the guys discussing Logan’s chances at the next PBR bull riding final in Vegas and went to be with Sonny. It was like a compulsion, this need to be close to her. Every time she laughed or he heard her voice it beckoned him like a siren and he had to come.

When he came up behind her, JP slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. At first she was tense, but after a few moments she relaxed against him. Deciding that he could read into it or not, he chose not to and said instead, “Are you enjoying yourself, sunshine?”

She nodded against him, her soft hair rubbing against his chin. “I am. Rita was just telling me about her latest adventures in parenting.”

By the looks of the jelly-smeared kid she was packing around, JP figured she probably had some good ones. “Yeah? What’s the latest?”

Sonny waved him off. “Oh, nothing you’d be interested in.”

That comment nipped his feelings. Why wouldn’t he be interested? “Surprise me.”

Again she dismissed him. “Don’t worry about it, JP. It’s stuff you wouldn’t get.”

Now he was outright offended. “Try me. There were six of us kids, remember?”

She patted his hand, seemingly oblivious to his feelings. “But you weren’t their parent. It’s different.”

What the hell? Suddenly he didn’t have any credibility?

JP pulled away and let his arms drop. It didn’t sit well with him, this feeling that he had something to prove. Especially when he wasn’t being given a choice in the matter. That, in addition to the unease he was beginning to feel over what Charlie did or didn’t know, was making him feel insecure.

Did Sonny even see him as parent material?

Because her comments made it sound like she’d decided he couldn’t possibly understand what it meant to be a parent. Screw that. Whether or not it was true, didn’t he deserve the chance to figure it out?

She belatedly noticed he’d stepped away and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Are you okay, JP?” Her big blue eyes were full of innocence.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Yeah. Just fine.” Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Charlie and his new group of buddies, and the frustration he’d felt moments ago began to churn in his gut. Needing some distance to calm down, JP kissed her briefly on the cheek. “I’m going to see what Charlie’s up to.”

Her reply barely registered. He was already cutting across the yard after the kid. By the time he’d reached the boy the other kids had taken off, leaving Charlie sitting on an oversized boulder in the shade.

“Mind if I join you?”

Charlie patted the bare rock next to him. “Nope. You can sit here. The rock’s super warm from the sun and feels awesome.”

Planting his butt on the granite, JP’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. He hadn’t been kidding about the rock. It was hot enough to fry an egg on. “You having a good time?”

Soft blue eyes sparkled at him. “Yeah, totally! Did you know that Peter has samurai swords and ninja stars in one of his rooms? They’re so cool!”

Why didn’t that surprise him? “You didn’t play with them, did you? I’m not sure that’s safe, slugger.” That was a good parenting call, right? Responsible and cautious.

Charlie ducked his head and muttered, “Couldn’t. They’re in a glass case that’s locked.” JP opened his mouth to reply and the kid rushed to add, “I didn’t try it. Another kid did. Mom would kill me dead.”

No doubt. “Speaking of your mom, she’s pretty fantastic.” Even though he was frustrated with her at the moment, it was still true. And it was becoming more and more obvious that they needed to talk. A plan was beginning to brew in his mind on how to make that happen. It involved getting a few days alone with Sonny—an idea which he liked more and more the longer he mulled it over.

Scrunching his nose, Charlie tipped his head at JP and asked, “You like my mom, don’t you?”

A squirrel chattered at them from a branch above their heads. “Of course I do. What’s not to like?”

The boy shook his head vigorously. “No, I mean you, like,
like
her. Like girlfriend and boyfriend.”

JP narrowed his eyes and focused on Charlie. “What are you trying to say, kid?”

“You and my mom are dating.” The way he said it sounded like a statement.

So he knows, JP thought, and he felt tension that he hadn’t known he’d been carrying uncoil in his shoulders. Until that moment he hadn’t realized how much he’d been stressing over it. But he should have known Sonny would say something. “Is that all right?”

“I knew it!” Charlie said and jumped off the rock. The boy’s shoulders slumped and he looked away. “What’s gonna happen now?”

Alarm darted through JP. “What? Wait. Did you know already, Charlie?” He hoped like hell the kid already had, otherwise he’d really fucked up.

“Sure,” the kid said.

JP wasn’t convinced, but he saw the frown worrying the kid’s brow and had the strongest urge to say the right thing to smooth out the wrinkles. He wasn’t sure what the right thing was, so he settled for, “I was thinking about joining your guys’ team, if you’ll have me.”

He held his breath waiting for the answer. It didn’t take long. “Are you guys gonna kiss and stuff in front of me?” The kid looked totally grossed out by that thought. “I don’t want you to do that.”

JP could respect that. It was going to take time for the kid to get used to the new situation. But no kissing
ever
? That wasn’t going to happen. “How about I promise to try not to do anything that makes you uncomfortable?” That was the best he could do because swearing to never touch Sonny was an impossibility.

“Okay.”

He didn’t look okay. “What’s wrong, Charlie?”

The boy was quiet for a moment and then the words came rushing out. “Is she gonna stop wanting me now?” Big blue eyes got all watery as they held steady on JP.

Where was that coming from? “Of course she’s not going to stop wanting you. Why would you say something like that?”

Before Charlie could answer Lorelei came into view waving a magazine in the air, her face pinched and full of concern. Even though she was still halfway across the yard, she spotted JP and called, “You need to see this.”

Clearly using the interruption to avoid answering, Charlie gave JP a quick hug and headed off. “I’m going to find my friends,” he said over his shoulder.

“Wait,” he called after him. “When’s your next game?”

Charlie hollered back, “Next week!”

His mind made up, he replied, “All right. I’ll be there.”

The kid pumped a fist and said, “Sweet!” as he passed Lorelei.

“What’re you waving at me, Lorelei?” Whatever it was had her pretty upset. JP let out a sigh. Shit. Things just weren’t going his way lately.

Stopping right in front of him, the brunette planted a hand on her hip and thrust the magazine at him. “Here, take a look. I found this today at the grocery store. Sonny had a hard enough time with Charlie’s stint on the news. She said as much to me. But this”—she waved it in his face—“she’s going to be so pissed.”

Apprehension crept up his spine as he took it from her outstretched hand. Looking down he scanned the name and swore. It was that fucking
Beat
tabloid.

And right there, front-and-center on the front page, was a picture of him and Sonny from the day they’d gone tubing.
Together
. He had his hand on her breast and they were kissing on the riverbank. Son of a bitch.

Lorelei was right. Sonny was going to be pissed.

Chapter Twenty-Two

S
ONNY SEARCHED THE
crowd for JP with a frown. What she’d said earlier had set him off. And she’d done it on purpose. It had been her chance to put some distance between them and send the signal that he was pushing too hard too fast. She was hoping he’d get the message and back off a little. She hadn’t expected him to get so upset though.

Men. They called themselves the less complicated sex, but they were dead wrong. Some of the things they did made absolutely no sense. No frigging sense at all.