More Than Her (21 page)

"The first game of the season is two weeks from now. They want me to start. Jackson, the starting catcher, he's injured, they want him to sit it out. So I'm playing."

Her eyebrows drew in. She started to pout.

"I don't normally play. Not catcher. I don't normally have much game time. This will be the first time Jake pitches to me at college level."

It was quiet for a moment, as she took this in. "Well, that's good right?"

I shrugged, before pulling out of the spot and driving to Ikea. "I guess," I mumbled. "I don't really know."

***

We met Dylan at the parking lot and swapped cars. I never had to ask him twice, he loved driving my car. I told him he could have it for a week. He tore out of the lot, wheels spinning as he did.

He was on his own when he arrived. In fact, come to think of it, I hadn't seen much of Heidi around at all lately.

Amanda walked around with her tablet and knew where everything was. I let her buy whatever she wanted. Honestly, I don't give a shit what was in my room.

I did however; step in when she asks the guy at the electrical store which TV had the 'prettiest picture'.

Logan

We'd only been home for a few minutes before there was a knock on the door.

She froze mid movement. I watched her closely. "Ty," she breathed out, before practically running out of my room.

This guy must be a god of some sort, judging by her reaction. Or ridiculously good in bed. I swallowed down the vomit that'd formed in my throat. The mental image of her being boned by some other guy was literally making me sick. Slowly, and
attempted
casually, I walked to the door so I could meet this asshole. She had her arms around his neck, his arms around her waist, lifting her off the floor. She was crying, but it wasn't the sad, fucked up, tears that I cause. They were happy tears.

He looked up when I walked into his vision. He placed her back on the floor, before taking the few steps to reach me.

"Oh," Amanda spoke, "sorry, this is, uh..." she trailed off.

"I'm Tyson," he spoke for her, hand out waiting. "Her ex. She's so damn awkward about it."

I shook his hand. "Logan."

His eyes widened and his body tensed. It was a small movement, and if I wasn’t glaring at him, I wouldn't have noticed at all.

He looked back at Amanda, then me again. "Huh," he said, as if something had just dawned on him. He faces her. "Dinner? We got a lot to catch up on."

She nodded

***

I called Dylan to help assemble all the shit Amanda bought. He was with Cam at the time, so they both came over. Lucy called Cam to hang out at Jake and Micky's, but he told her he was busy so everyone ended up coming here.

Amanda was having dinner with Ty, so I left all the smaller shit for her to do.

I was pissed that she was with him, instead of me, but I couldn't do shit about it. I told her I'd leave it alone, so I was trying. She only just left and already I was looking forward to seeing her again
—
to having her all to myself.

***

With four guys assembling, it only took an hour until everything was built.

"Shit," Cam said, "It looks just like your-"

"Pool house," I finished for him, taking a looked around the room.

She remembered.

***

"Dude," Dylan said to Cam, who'd just taken his cap off and was now shaking his head wildly. "You need to get a hair cut."

"Yeah," Jake agreed, "you look like that kid from One Direction."

We all looked at Jake before bursting out laughing.

We were all in the backyard, having a quiet night in.

"Which one?" Heidi asked, giggling.

Jakes shrugged and sat up, "I don't know their names," he spat, defensively.

We laughed harder.

"What!" he huffed. "Julie's going through a phase. Shut up!"

We kept laughing.

"I can't get a haircut," Cam said, interrupting the laughter. "Lucy won't let me."

"What!" Dylan practically yelled, the same time I spat out my beer. Cam was seriously the most whipped of all of them.

I wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt. "Sorry, Cameron, you're going to have to repeat that. I couldn't hear you over the sound of your throbbing vagina."

Jake threw his head back, his body shaking with his laugh. Dylan and I bumped fists while Heidi snorted, which made her giggle harder.

"You assholes laugh it up," Cam said, pointing a finger at me. "Luce likes something to hold on to when I go down-"

"OH MY GOD!" Lucy yelled, the same time Heidi squealed.

We were all in fits of laughter when the back door opened and Amanda walked out, sans Ty. Thank fuck.

"You've been at work?" Micky asked her.

Amanda brought a chair from inside and placed it next to me before taking a seat. She faced Micky. "No. Just out for dinner. Um, Ty's in town." she said. There was no hint of any emotion in her tone. Not happy, not excited. She was just stating facts.

"Ty's here?" Micky perked up. Jake sat up a little straighter.

Amanda grinned. "Yeah, just visiting for a couple of days."

"Oh really?" Micky crooned. "I want to say hi to him."

Amanda gripped the side of her chair, leaning forward and rubbing her cheek on her shoulder, "He just went to catch up with some friends quickly, but he should be back soon. Hopefully you'll catch him."

"Oh my God," Micky gasped, facing Lucy. "Remember when I told you about that guy from my school that sang ‘Hey There Delilah’ by the Plain White T's at his graduation?"

I glanced at Amanda. It's her ring tone.

Lucy's brows furrowed, thinking, then, "Yeah, what about it?"

Micky's eyebrows rose and her head jerked towards Amanda.

"No way!" Lucy's eyes went wide.

Amanda chuckled a little, and then nodded her head slowly.

"Wait." Lucy sat up. Looking from Amanda to Micky and then back again. "That musician with the Juilliard scholarship? That's Ty?
That's
your ex?"

Juilliard? Really? How much do I not know about her?

Amanda laughed a little. "Yeah, that's him," she stated proudly.

Great.

Heidi piped up, "What am I missing? Who did what now?"

Cam held his hand to his heart, batted his eyelashes dramatically, and said in a high pitched voice, "Oh my gaaahhd. He's so dreamy. Mother fucking swooooooo-" He got cut off when Lucy back handed him in the stomach.

We laughed.

"So." Micky started, while Jake rolled his eyes. "Ty's two years older than us, right?" She looked to Amanda for confirmation. She nodded. Micky continued, "At his graduation ceremony, he convinced the committee to let him perform, in front of everybody. He sang Hey There Delilah, just him and his guitar, on stage, but changed it to Hey There Amanda." Her smile widened, " I swear to God, every girl there cried. And it was all out ugly cries. Everyone was
so
jealous of her."

"No way." Heidi shook her head slowly, looking at Amanda.

"True story," Amanda nodded, smiling back.

"Oh!" Micky yelled at Heidi. "It's on YouTube. Look it up. Look up Tyson Landry graduation." Then she sat back in her chair with a wistful look on her face.

Jake eyed her. "Are you done?" he ground out.

She pulled his cap down over his eyes and kissed his cheek before mumbling, "Shut up, idiot."

So Ty was a big deal at their school.

So what?

So he was fucking
amazing.

So fucking what?

I decided that tonight was the perfect night to get a little wasted. It had nothing to do with the fact that her ex was in town. And that apparently he could make a bunch of grown ass woman turn into gushing pre-teen fan girls.

Seriously.

Not related.

At all.

The next ten minutes consisted of everyone loving the shit out of some guy no one had ever met.

Whatever, not a big deal.

Until said guy actually showed up.

Then I decided that tonight was a perfect night to get completely wasted.

He walked out from the back door and paused for a beat when he saw everyone, then casually introduced himself. Micky got up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting back next to Jake, who instantly put his arms around her shoulders. He was crazy if he thought Micky even looked at other guys. Ever.

Ty did a little spin, I guess looking for somewhere to sit. Cameron got off the bench he was on and walked to Lucy, who stood up and gave him her seat, before sitting back down on his lap.

Ty sat down the same time as Amanda stood. I watched as she walked away from me and sat on the bench next to him. He stretched his arms out, resting his hands on the bench behind him, enough so that one arm is behind Amanda. He leaned in close and whispered something in her ear. A slow smile overtook her face.

Jake broke the silence. "So, how do you know Kayla? I mean," he looked to Micky, "you and Amanda weren't really friends back then were you?"

Micky's expression changed, just slightly, before she recovered. "Uh, James and Ty played ball together. I think Ty's last year, James made Varsity, right?"

Ty nodded. He could probably sense that Jake didn't need to know any more.

"Anyway," Cam tried to ease the awkwardness. "The girls were just gushing about your performance at your graduation."

Ty's face lit up, and then he looked at Amanda and nudged her side. "Oh yeah, remember that? It was good times, huh?"

She nodded, "Yeah. You made me cry like a frickin baby."

"So worth it though." And then they stared at each other for what felt like a lifetime. I swear I think he was going to kiss her. My fists clenched at the thought, but eventually she looked away.

She
was the first to look away.

That has to mean something.

I don't know how much time passed, with me in my buzzed state, before I saw him whisper something to her, she nodded before they both walked past me and into the house.

Lucy got off Cam's lap and sat on the abandoned chair next to me. "You okay, babe?"

"Nope."

***

Everyone left soon after and Amanda came to my room to finish whatever final touches she wanted to do. Ty was settled for the night, in
her
room. I'm assuming the floor, because I don't think I could handle anything else.

"Do you like it?" she asked, sitting on the bed next to me.

I looked around the room and adjusted us so my arm was around her waist.

It's perfect.

Perfectly
me.

"Holy shit, Amanda. This is awesome." I faced her.

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh. I love it."

"I tried to make it like your pool house, you know?"

I nodded.

"So you really like it?" she waited expectantly for my answer.

I faced her. "I love it, Amanda. Really."

"Good." She smiled.

I finally tore my eyes off hers and looked around the room. "So you're really good at this
—
the design stuff. You don't want to study that? Make that your career?"

She looked down, "No. I mean, I love doing it. And I think I'm good at it. But it's just having a good eye. It doesn't take a miracle to do it. But
—
"

"But babies," I interrupted her, "babies are miracles."

Her jaw dropped, as her eyes widened.

"You remember?" she breathed out.

I took her hands in mine.

"I remember everything about that night, Amanda. I told you. Everything."

***

Two hours later and the house was finally quiet. I'd been lying in bed, wide-awake, waiting for the talking and giggling from her room to stop. Now, it was dead silent and I don't know which one I'd prefer. My fucking imagination was driving me crazy. All I could think about is if people could fuck in silence.

I was about to get out of bed, just to focus on something else, when the bedroom door opened. She stood in the doorway, in her oversized jersey, looking unsure of herself. I couldn't help the grin that took over my face.

She chose me.

Amanda

He smiled when he saw me. Without saying a word, he lifted the covers and waited for me to get in. Once I was, his arms were instantly around me, holding me closer to him. His warmth surrounded me, my back to his front. His hand on my waist gripped me tighter. He moved my hair away from his face and kissed my neck a few times. Then he pulled back, "Huh," I hear him say.