expression, if he read it correctly in the half shadows, a sweet mix of hopeful pleasure.
“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” he said.
There was no missing the flash of her smile at his response.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me before the fund-raiser tonight.” She edged closer.
Every cell in his body screamed for him to meet her halfway, swoop her into his arms, and kiss her till neither one of them could think straight.
But he owed it to her. Hell, he owed it to himself, to give her the time and space she had asked for. No pressure.
No matter how hard it was for him to keep his feet rooted to their spot. Allowing her to take the lead here.
“And what have you been thinking?” he asked.
In the living room, someone turned on some music. The merengue beat of a parranda tune carried up the stairs to them, a sound Ben would forever equate with the amazing woman in front of him.
“That, despite my not-so-secret secret desire to stay here and the fact that I’ve missed my familia in Puerto Rico, even though I have Yazmine, Rosa, and Lilí here, there’s been someone else lately who’s helped me forget about that spurt of homesickness I’ve been trying to squelch. Someone who makes me want to stay in Chicago even more.”
Forget waiting for her to reach him.
Dropping his duffel on the floor at his feet, Ben closed the distance between them. Sliding his hands along her hips, he dipped his head to press his forehead against hers. “Please tell me I’m the someone you’re talking about.”
Julia gazed up at him, her minty breath warming the little space separating his mouth from hers.
“Yes,” she whispered.
That’s all he needed to hear.
Capturing her lips with his, Ben kissed her the way he’d been longing to do from the moment he’d watched her slip her wool coat off her shoulders revealing the amazing red dress she’d worn to the fund-raiser.
Julia’s arms looped around his shoulders, her fingers digging into the short hair at his nape. She moaned with pleasure, opening her mouth for him.
Wanting more, he deepened the kiss. His body tightened with need.
Downstairs laughter rang out. The raucous interruption reminded Ben that her family waited for them to join the party.
Reluctantly he broke their kiss, trailing soft nips along her jaw before finally forcing himself to pull back. Gently he tucked Julia’s hair behind her ear, then dropped a kiss on her smooth forehead.
“I’m not sure what lies ahead either,” she said. “But if you’re on Team Julia, I wanna be on Team Ben.”
He chuckled, recalling his cringe-worthy admission earlier.
“I’ve been a little lost since I had to retire. But being around the kids the past few weeks, being around you”—he cupped her jaw, warmth and something he felt sure was love blossoming in his soul—“you’ve given me a sense of familia I’d only found in baseball. As far as I’m concerned, I want there to be a Team Us.”
A huge smile curved Julia’s sweet mouth. It shone in the depths of her hazel eyes.
She brushed her lips gently against his, then rose up on her toes, her arms squeezing him in a tight hug.
“Team Us,” she whispered in his ear. “Knocking it out of the park together.”
Feliz Navidad—Merry Christmas Wishes to You!
Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, so I jumped at the opportunity to be part of this anthology. I adore the idea of sharing a romance that blooms during this heartwarming time of year, when familia and friends gather together.
Holiday Home Run gave me a chance to introduce readers to one of my beloved Fernandez sisters’ favorite cousins—Julia, named for my abuela. Julia’s a confident, creative woman with a strong devotion to her familia and her career—and who, like my abuela, also happens to possess an insane amount of baseball savvy. Then there’s Ben, an ex-MLB player my abuela would have loved to watch on the pitcher’s mound. As a fan of telenovelas, I think she would approve of this baseball- and Christmas-inspired romance.
I had such fun writing about Julia and Ben! From losing myself in childhood memories of caroling late into the night at parrandas, to creating holiday outings for Ben and Julia in one of my favorite cities, to introducing readers to aspects of my Latinx culture that are as much a part of me as the “rr” that easily rolls off my tongue when I speak Spanish.
I sincerely hope you enjoy this little peek into my