Sweet Spot: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Bad Boys of Summer Book 2) (24 page)

Mason was silent for a long moment. “You’re being straight with me?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Wow. Fuckin’ Trey Delgado is ready to finally settle down.”

I chuckled. “I know, right? Anyways, shockingly enough, I didn’t call to shoot the shit about my love life. You and everyone else has been blowing up my phone. What’s happening?”

Mason paused and I wondered if he was silently debating whether or not to give me a tongue lashing about going MIA. In the end, he heaved a sigh and answered my question without the lecture. Thankfully. “The paternity test came back—” Mason stalled and my heart slammed into my ribs, thrashing violently. “—as expected, it’s negative. You’re not the baby’s father.”

A whoosh of air left my lungs in one big gust. I stood up from the couch and started to pace around the stone coffee table. “Oh, shit! Wow!”

“Yeah. So, that’s the biggest thing I wanted to tell you. If you’d answered your damn phone every once in a while, you would’ve known twelve hours ago.”

I was too stunned and relieved to argue with him. He wasn’t mine. Kimberly’s last strong hold had finally been ripped away from her. I never had to talk to—or see—her again.

“Trey? You okay?”

I pumped my fist. “I’m fuckin’ fantastic! You kidding? This is what I’ve been waiting for, forever!”

“The paperwork has been thrown out and it’s all done.”

“Well, not quite.” My smile slid from my face.

“What do you mean?”

“I want a restraining order against her. I’ll testify, file charges, whatever the hell I have to do, but I don’t want her coming anywhere near me, my family, and especially Josie. I’m sure our relationship will go public soon enough and I can’t risk that Kimberly will do something…crazy…to lash out.” The thought send sick chills over my body. I had to protect Josie. If that devil woman ever hurt her…I’d never forgive myself.

“All right, Trey. I’ll notify the lawyers in the morning. They’ll get started on it right away. They already have all of your documentation of her stalking behavior from the evidence you prepared in the event this custody case went to court.”

“Good. Thank you, Mase. Anything else I should know about? What’s going on with the team?”

“Ah, yes, well, since witnesses cleared you of any wrong doing in the altercation with Kimberly at the clinic, they can’t remove you from the team. I suspect the suspension will be reversed within the next 24 to 48 hours. So, you need to get your ass back to Oklahoma City as soon as possible to be ready when they call.”

I nodded and sat back down on the edge of the couch. It was good news—but it didn’t sit right. I didn’t want to go back just yet. I was having such a good time in Texas, it was more than just a vacation, it was like I’d stepped out of my life and entered someone else’s entirely, and the change felt good.

“That’s not going to be a problem, is it?” Mason asked, a sharpness to his tone.

“Nah. I hear ya. I’ll look at flights in the morning.”

“And send me the details as soon as it’s booked?” he prompted.

“Sure, sure.”

We ended the call and I lay back against the couch, just staring straight into space, processing the news in my head. She-devil was gone, I wasn’t a father, and the nightmare that had spanned more than a year was finally over. My lawyers would make Kimberly go away—hopefully for good this time—and I could finally move on from the headache and drama.

Josie filled my thoughts and I smiled to myself. Somehow, in the middle of all the chaos, I’d let my guard down long enough to fall for her. With everything else out of my way, the truth hit me like a two-by-four right between the eyes. I was in love with Josie Crawford.

Fueled with a sudden surge of emotion, excitement, and levity, I hopped off the couch, hurried across the room, and made for the stairs, killing the living room lights on my way.

“Hey, where’d you go?” a soft, sleepy voice answered as I cracked open the door to Josie’s bedroom. A sliver of light from the night light in the hallway spilled across the room, and I hurried to shut the door behind me to block it out.

“Had to make a call,” I replied, finding my way to the bed. I dropped my phone on the nightstand and then shucked off my clothes before sliding back into bed. Josie instantly curled up to me and I ran my hand down her bare back. “Mmm. You feel so good, baby. You have a nice nap?”

She nodded against my chest. “You’re running me ragged, Delgado.”

I chuckled softly against her hair. “You like it.”

She laughed. “What was the call about? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, baby. It’s all gonna be over with real soon. I promise.”

What I didn’t tell her at that moment was that something else was just about to start.

Josie

Trey was gone in the morning and I let myself wake up slowly, remembering the crazy night. We’d made love in the guest room first then somehow ended up in my room, in my shower, and then back in my bed. Trey had made me come over and over again. I’d never had so many orgasms in my life. He’d drained away every drop of energy and when I glanced at the clock, I wasn’t surprised to find that it was damn near ten o’clock. Apparently, I’d needed the extra sleep. With a smile, I pushed up out of bed, reveling in every sore muscle, letting the pleasure of the memories we’d made take the dull ache away. He’d had me every which way, and yet, something told me he still wanted more and would continue to find new ways to blow my mind.

If I let him.

I showered, not wanting to smell like Trey and sex all day—although the faint smell was an absolute turn on. Seeing him was enough of a distraction. And I couldn’t afford distractions. Not today. I needed to get to the bottom of the story I was working on or Mr. Jones would probably fly to Dallas and kick my ass. Before going downstairs, I pulled open my computer and fired back a reply email, promising to send an update later that day and that I would be back in the office within 48 hours.

When I went downstairs, Trey was already sitting with my mama at the kitchen table. They each had a mug of steaming coffee in front of them and a plate of mama’s famous blueberry muffins sat in the center of the table. Judging by the crumbs on the small white plate in front of Trey, he’d had more than a few. Not that I could blame him. They were freaking delicious.

“Morning, JoJo,” mama said, swooping up from her place at the table. She carried her own plate and mug back to the sink and deposited them both. “I’m going to the grocery store. Is there anything either of you need?”

Trey shook his head. “No, thank you, Mrs. Crawford.”

Mama blushed—seriously blushed—and waved him off. “Please, Trey, call me Susan.”

Great, he’d worked his mojo on
both
of my parents. I sighed and took the now empty seat. Trey shot me a confused look but it only lasted a fraction of a second before he smiled warmly at her. “Thank you, Susan.”

“JoJo? You need anything?”

I shook my head and nabbed a muffin. “No. Thanks, I’m good.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in a while then.”

She slipped out of the kitchen and I popped up to get a cup of coffee for myself. “Everything okay?” Trey asked as I doctored up my cup.

“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You tell me.”

I turned and found Trey staring at me, his jaw set like he was agitated. “What’s up with
you
?” I asked, turning the tables.

“Nothing. I was having a perfectly enjoyable time here with your mom and then you come in here like a little black rain cloud. I don’t get it, Jo. I thought we were past all this.”

I set my coffee mug down harder than anticipated on the table and some of the steaming liquid splashed out over the top. I got up, marched back across the kitchen and grabbed a paper towel. “I’m just stressed out. My boss is up my ass about getting this story I’m working on and so far, I don’t have anything. I’ve been too distracted.”

“With me?”

I stared at him, not blinking. “Of course with you. What else have I been doing?”

He scowled at me for a moment but then dismissed it with a shrug, slipping back into his neutral, unperturbed facade. “I’m sorry if I’ve been an inconvenience. I thought we were having a pretty good time.”

I tore my muffin to shreds on the table, making a colossal mess. “We were…I was. But, Trey, I know this is all a fantasy—living in a bubble. This isn’t real life. I have to be back to Oklahoma City in the next day or two. Then this will all have to end.”

“Why does it have to end?”

I sighed heavily, suddenly exhausted, despite my refreshing night of sleep. “Because you’ll go back to being Trey Delgado, famous baseball player—and I’ll be Josie Crawford, worst reporter on the planet.”

“You’re not the worst, and so what if I play baseball?”

I laughed. “So what? So, I don’t fit in that world. You know it just as well as I do.”

“No, actually, I don’t. I think you could fit in just fine.”

We stared at one another for a long moment. “What about all the other crap you go through?”

Trey sighed and leaned back in his chair. He wiped his fingers off on a paper napkin and then tossed it on to his plate. “I was going to wait to tell you this, but I got a call last night from Mason, my agent and professional shit spinner.”

“Professional shit spinner?” I repeated, a grin tugging at my lips.

Trey chuckled softly. “Yep. Says so right on his business cards.”

“It does not.”

“Okay, it doesn’t. But it should.” Trey waved his hand. “Anyways, the results from the DNA test came back and I’m not the father.”

“Oh, wow.” I sucked in a breath. That was great news.

Trey nodded. “I’m having a restraining order put on her to keep her away from me, my family, and I asked him to file one to keep her away from you too.”

I blinked, surprised by the last part. “You did? Why?”

Trey reached for my hands, ignoring the coffee slopped down the back of my right one. He met my eyes and a soft smile formed on his full lips. “Because I care about you, Jo. And I take care of the people I care about. When we go back to Oklahoma, I want to see you. I want us to be together. Now, you and I both know the media will have a field day with it. It would be hard—if not impossible—to keep it a secret. So, I figure we might as well not even try. We’ll have Mase do a statement to the media and let it be known that we’re together. I didn’t want psycho woman to come after you out of jealousy. That’s why I got the ball rolling on the restraining order.”

My mind whirled with his words. This was really happening? Trey really wanted us to be together. “Wow…that’s all very…unexpected.”

Trey laughed. “Not sure that was the reaction I was hoping for—but I guess it’s better than a
hell no
.”

I smiled at him. “Trey, I care about you too. I’ve been fighting it for a long time, if I’m being honest. I didn’t think that someone like you would ever want to do anything more than…well…you know. But, I wanted more. I’ve just been protecting myself. I guess, I figured if I kept myself at a distance, then it wouldn’t hurt when you eventually got bored with me and moved on to the next one.”

Trey stroked the backs of my hands with his large thumbs. “That’s not going to happen, Josie. If anything positive came out of this clusterfuck of a life, it was that I realized there is more to life than my career and my money and houses and all that shit. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I still want all of it—but I saw that I was missing something.”

“You mean a family?” I asked, arching a brow at him. Trey confessing to wanting a baby would be quite the one-eighty.

“No. Well, at least not now. I just realized I need someone to go through life with. You know, I have Mason, my friends, my parents. But they’re all far away and somewhat detached. When I met you, it was like I could tell you anything and you’d get it. You get me.”

I nodded, suddenly too overcome with emotion to speak.

Trey kissed me, soft and slow, letting our lips melt together. When we pulled out of it, our eyes locked and a glossy coating over Trey’s eyes made my heart stop. He was mine. Really mine.

He cleared his throat and got up to take the plate and mug to the sink. “The Warriors want me back tomorrow. If you need to stay behind to finish your story, that’s cool. I’ll book you on any flight you want, and I’ll be there waiting at the airport to pick you up when you land.”

“With flowers?” I grinned.

Trey laughed and crossed back to me. He leaned in to kiss me and his smile was like pure sunshine against my lips. “You have to promise to take them this time.”

“Well, actually, I think I’ll go with you. My boss is antsy for me to get back as well.”

Trey grinned. “Should I book the jet with the bedroom this time?”

“Definitely,” I replied, unabashedly grinning at him.

He chuckled. “All right, baby. I’m gonna go book that flight. Then we should get to those horseback riding lessons. That is, if you’re not too sore from last night to go out riding.” He winked at me.

I tingled from head to toe but didn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing just how stiff and sore he’d left me after our night together. Instead, I flashed him a devious smile and pushed up from my place at the table. “I’m good if you are. Before we go out, there’s one thing I have to do.”

* * * *

I found my daddy in his study. He looked up from his computer screen as I knocked lightly on the door. “Hey, Jo.”

“Morning, Daddy.” I smiled at his plate with muffin crumbs. He’d obviously loaded up too. “Did you and mama have a good time last night?”

“Yeah, we sure did. Your mama still holds her own on the dance floor, you know.” He smiled and glanced down at a picture off to the right of his computer monitor. I knew which one it was, a picture of the two of them on their wedding day. Bright eyed, young, and full of excitement at their new life. They’d been married for over thirty years and were one of the few couples I knew that actually
liked
each other after all that time. “What about you and Trey? He was a big help yesterday.”

I smiled and took one of the upholstered chairs that sat opposite his desk. He had the room arranged much like a corporate office as he often met business associates at the house. “Yeah. We had a nice night too.”