Sliding Into Second (18 page)
Read Sliding Into Second Online
Authors: Ella Jade
“I will.” He nodded as he stared out the window. “I’m not going to screw this up. Not again.”
Chapter 17
Sage opened her eyes and stared up at the bright lights of her hospital room. She remembered losing control of the car and slamming into something hard. When her airbag deployed, the service in her car had alerted the paramedics and an ambulance was there within minutes. She wasn’t driving carelessly, but those back roads were treacherous, and she couldn’t navigate them.
She was battered and bruised and somewhat groggy from the pain medicine, but she was very lucky. She took a slow, shallow breath, but winced when the air caught in her ribcage.
Ouch.
The doctors wanted her to stay overnight for observation. She was too banged up to fight them. So she let them give her something to relax, but she had asked her sister to contact Nic. She wondered if he would come. He had been so mad when he pulled out of her driveway that afternoon.
“I’m not leaving until I see her.”
Nic!
Having him there made everything better. He had come to the hospital, and he wanted to see her.
“I understand you’re concerned for her,” her dad said. “But given the circumstances of last night, I think it would be best if you let her call you when she’s up to it. I’m not saying you can’t see her, but now might not be the right time.”
“Dr. Millan.” Nic’s tone was harsher. Not at all the way he would normally speak to her dad. “I’m not doing this again. I’ll wait in the hall if that’s what you want, but I’m not leaving her. Not this time.”
He was doing what he said. He was fighting for her. Fighting for them.
“Even now you two are fighting?” she asked in a raspy voice.
“Sage,” her dad said from the doorway, the look of relief evident on his face.
Nic walked past her father, moving closer to the bed, but didn’t say anything. When she extended her hand for him, he quickly took it, sighing when his warm flesh touched hers.
“I just got you back.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “What were you thinking?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“I can’t lose you.” He kissed her cheek. “Not again.”
“You’re not going to lose me. That’s why I was driving. I had to find you and tell you that what you saw...well, it wasn’t what you thought.”
“I know.” He kissed her forehead. “We don’t need to talk about it now.”
“No, you don’t.” Her father stepped forward, glancing at their joined hands. “You need to rest and gain your strength.”
“Daddy.” She tried to sit up, but her whole body ached.
“Sage,” Nic said. “I’m gonna go. I don’t want to cause you any stress. We can talk later.”
“No.” She managed to slide up and rest against the headboard. “You need to hear what I have to say. If I had known the truth years ago, these are the words
I
would have said to you.” She stared at her dad. “Nic is a part of my life, my heart. He was back then and he is today. I know you thought you were doing what was best for me, but you hurt me.”
“Sage, sweetheart, you were a kid. You both were. I did what I had to do to protect you.” Her father stood his ground, but she hadn’t expected anything less from him. “As I parent, I made the right decision. Look at you now. You’re successful. You’re doing what you worked so hard to achieve. None of that would have happened if you had gone out on the road with him.” He looked at Nic. “I haven’t always treated you well. I have followed your career and I’ve always been impressed by your determination and drive. I may not have been supportive of you and my daughter back then but—”
“I’m not finished,” Sage informed him. “Nic and I belong together. Maybe we were too young and, who knows, maybe we wouldn’t have made it back then. That’s in the past now. I’m telling you right now, whatever issue you have with him needs to end today. If you can’t accept Nic, you can’t be part of my life.”
“Sage, you don’t have to do that,” Nic said. “He’s your family. Your dad.”
“Then he’ll understand what I’m saying.”
“I do,” her dad said. “I apologize for my part in all of your pain. There were many times through the years I regretted the way I handled things, but you have to understand where I was coming from.”
“Dr. Millan,” Nic said. “I get that you were trying to protect your daughter. We all made mistakes. I could have been more persistent with Sage and kept in touch with her.”
“And I could have been more forgiving and taken your calls,” Sage said. “I didn’t have to cut you off completely, but I was stubborn and mad. The years got away from me.” She looked at her dad. “I need to speak with Nic alone.”
“Okay.” Her father smiled. “Your mom and Rosalie are in the cafeteria. I’ll let them know you’re awake and back to being your feisty self.”
“I’m not mad at you, Dad. I’m not happy with the way you handled things back then, but as long as you understand that Nic is a huge part of my life now, I can forget what happened.”
“I don’t have anything against Nic,” her father said. “You make my daughter happy. That’s good enough for me.”
“Thank you,” Nic said. “I plan to keep her very happy for a really long time.”
“Then we’re good.” Her dad nodded. “I’ll leave you two alone now.” He leaned down and kissed Sage’s head. “I’m glad you’re okay. You gave us quite a scare.”
Once her father left the room, Nic pressed his lips to hers. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She held the back of his head, holding him to her lips for a few seconds. “I haven’t been fair to you.”
“No, you stated what you wanted out of this relationship, and I pushed you because I was impatient. I want you in my life, Aphrodite. On your terms.”
“You’ve already told me you love me, so you can’t really take that back.”
“Take it back?” He scoffed. “No, never. I do love you, but I’m not going to rush you.”
“I needed you to rush me. You’ve been really good with giving me my space and letting me figure it all out, but I’m my own worst enemy. I’ve been afraid for so many reasons, but when I’m with you, staring into your eyes, none of my reasons seem valid. You’re it for me. You always have been.”
“I always will be.”
“I had to come and see you.” As soon as she’d pulled out of her driveway, she knew the roads were too icy for her car to handle, but she was so determined to get to him.
“You should have called me.” He sat on the edge of the bed, keeping her hand in his. “I would have come to you.”
“That’s what Jason said to do.”
“He’s a smart man, but he’d do best to stay away from you when you’re in your underwear.”
“That was my fault. I sort of answered the door like that.”
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Don’t give up on me, Nic.” She took a deep breath, knowing she had to put it all out there for him to see. “Please.”
“Never.” He kissed her cheek. “You need to rest now.”
“No, I need to tell you why I was coming to you. You need to know. I’ve been so stubborn that I couldn’t allow myself to let go and tell you what I’ve been feeling.”
“I told you already. I can be patient.”
“You don’t have to be, because I know what’s in my heart. It’s been slowly coming back to me a little bit every day. When you made love to me the other night in my cottage, there was no denying it. That scared me.”
“It’s okay to be afraid.”
“I’m not anymore,” she said. “When you told me you were done today, that scared me more than any of my insecurities ever could. I can’t be without you. I’ve been there and done that.”
“You don’t have to be without me. I shouldn’t have said those things today. I was frustrated and my pride got the better of me.”
“Don’t apologize.” She winced when she reached to touch his face. “When you said you loved me, I panicked. I wanted to be the one to call the shots. I thought if I was in control, I couldn’t get hurt.”
“We’ll work through this.” He kissed her hand. “Now that we’re both on the same page, everything will work out.”
“I love you.” She had stunned him into silence. She waited for him to say something, anything, but he hadn’t responded, so she kept talking. “I should have told you last night. I’m hopelessly in love with you. I never stopped loving you.”
His stare unnerved her. Had he changed his mind?
“Would you say something?”
“Finally.” He grinned as he leaned down to kiss her. “I knew you loved me.”
“You’re awfully sure of yourself.”
“How can you not love me?”
“That’s a really good question.” She guided his mouth to hers. “I’ve loved you for a long time. I just learned how to bury it.”
“You’re never going to have to do that again.” He traced his fingers over her bruised cheeks. “You’re coming to stay with me when you get out of here. I’m going to take care of you.”
“That’s very sweet of you.” She kissed his fingertips. “I’m not even going to argue.”
“See, we’re making progress already.” He took her hand and placed it on his heart. “I’m going to take care of you forever.”
“We’ll take care of each other.”
“We’re finally going on the road together.”
“I’ve waited a long time to explore the country with you. I want to cheer from the stands again. I want to be your biggest fan. I’ll even wear your jersey.”
“Better late than never.” He gently kissed her lips, lingering at her mouth. “You don’t know how many times I wished you were in the stands. How many times I hoped you’d be waiting outside the locker room for me.”
She’d never felt more loved than she did in that moment. No more wasting time. She vowed to live in the moment and aim for the future. The view looked pretty awesome. Rosalie was right. It was time to let go of the past.
“Life is good,” she said.
“Real good.” He held her close to him. “I’m never going to let go, my love.”
“I’m never going to walk away.” She cuddled into his embrace. “You’re stuck with me.”
“It’s not a bad position to be in.” He laughed. “We’re getting a second shot at this.”
“A second shot with my second baseman.”
About Ella Jade
Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can’t be stopped.
Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two boys. When she’s not chasing after her kids, she’s busy creating sexy, domineering men and the strong women who know how to challenge them in and out of the bedroom. She hopes you’ll get lost in her words.
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About the Kingston Heat Series
Book 1:
Stealing His Heart
Now Available
Book 2:
Sliding Into Second
Now Available
More Beachwalk Press Titles by Ella Jade
Stealing His Heart (book 1 in the Kingston Heat Series)
Will the bad-boy pitcher strike out when it comes to love?
Shy music teacher Sophia Ballis has sworn off men. After a bad experience with a college jock she decided it was better to be alone than to get burned again. She focused on her education and now her new job at a local private school.
Professional baseball pitcher Paxton Hughes is a player both on and off the field. He’s signed to the Kingston Crushers to bring home the coveted championship title. Nothing can get in his way. Serious relationships don’t mix with a life on the road and he never loses focus on the game. One-night stands are his specialty for a reason.
While out jogging one spring morning, the two collide, setting their course in motion. Pax is immediately drawn to the unassuming beauty. Sophia is aware of his reputation and decides one night of meaningless sex with the attractive Texas charmer is just what she needs to get over her self-imposed dry spell. Pax has more than a one-night stand on his mind, but will his bad-boy persona and demanding schedule ruin any chances of a happily ever after?
Content Warning: contains explicit sex and adult content
The Weekend Proposition
One weekend—no strings, no expectations, and no commitments. On Sunday afternoon it all ends, or does it?
No-nonsense businessman Spencer Cannon has a dilemma. He’s headed to Connecticut for the weekend to attend his cousin’s elaborate wedding. His whole family will be there in addition to his obsessed ex-girlfriend Ava. According to Spencer’s brother, Ava has been telling her friends she’s planning a magical reunion with her favorite ex-boyfriend. Spencer’s not in the mood to deal with her, but he can’t miss the wedding. He needs a plan.
Struggling Brooklyn waitress and aspiring graphic designer Dakota Vercelli has fallen on hard times. College debts, pending eviction, and her sick mother are taking a toll on her. A chance encounter with Mr. Cannon, CEO of Cannon and Carrington Advertising, leads to a proposition that may be just the thing to solve both of their problems. Spencer’s offer—spend four days with him during the wedding festivities and keep his ex off his trail. In return, he’ll compensate her generously for her time. He needs a weekend girlfriend, and Dakota needs the cash.
It was just supposed to be a business deal, but after sharing a room, kissing under the stars, and attending a wedding, their attraction is undeniable. Will the illusion end when the weekend is over or is the proposition just the beginning?
