Anything but Minor - Kate Stewart Page 0,54

them for me. I took them and hid them from my mother before she had a chance to throw them out.”

Rafe nodded and gripped me tighter to him. “He called me mimic because I looked just like him. I remember a day at the zoo, that’s about it. His loss. I don’t lose sleep over it.”

Rafe pushed my hair away from my face and leaned in with a whisper. “Definitely his loss.”

“Baseball is a mental sport,” Dutch explained as I looked over at Rafe, who was pitching a home game. “The reason players don’t get drafted out of high school is because they need the time to develop the mental skills, the decisiveness. On average, each player needs to get their reaction time as quick as two seconds.” Rafe looked behind him as his opponent attempted to inch his way to second base. He threw a warning shot to the first baseman and nearly took him out.

“I’d say ninety percent mental and ten percent skill. Rafe was born to pitch, but his reaction time has to be as sharp as his arm.” Just as Dutch finished her sentence, the umpire let out a “Striiike.”

A voice sounded as new arrivals sat down behind us. “You don’t even like baseball.”

“Give it a chance, Hil. Drink your beer.”

“Fine, but we came here for a second honeymoon. This is soooo not a honeymoon. We could have brought Mallory along to this, and I wanted all activities on this trip to be very un-kid friendly.”

I looked over to Dutch who grinned back at me. The woman was hilarious. I glanced back at her with sympathetic eyes and saw she was a beautiful redhead and her husband was nothing short of a stunner with paralyzing, deep blue eyes and colorful tattoos that covered his arm. He wasn’t aware of my eyes on him as he turned to his wife with a grin.

“Are you saying you want to sex me?”

“Jayden!” She hushed him as if he was the one being inappropriate. He toyed with her and projected his voice much louder as he went on. “Because, Fishnipple, if you want my body, all you have to do is say so!”

I burst out in laughter as I had no choice at his pet name for her. Even Dutch was having a hard time keeping her composure.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said as she looked down to me, horrified. “He kind of has no filter.”

“I’m not the one throwing a fit that we aren’t getting it on in a hotel room,” he defended with a sly grin as she slugged him on the shoulder and he gave me a wink.

“I kind of have that same no filter problem,” I said with a grin. “Where are you two from?” I questioned as Rafe whipped out another strike to end the inning and the Hornets took the field.

“Just a few hours upstate. Spartanburg,” she answered. “I’m Hilary Monroe.”

“She prefers Fishnipple,” blue eyes muttered.

She turned and gave her husband the evil eye. “And this hot mess is my husband, Jayden.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Alice, and this lady here is Dutch.” Dutch grunted nicely in greeting and barely gave them her attention.

Three innings later, Hilary had spilled and inhaled enough beer for the four of us. I’d had to clench my thighs together more than once as Jayden and Hilary went back and forth. Hilary, clearly drunk, looked at her husband with loving eyes.

“I would go to allllll the baseball games with you.”

He grinned at her and sighed. “I better get you back to the hotel.”

Hilary looked around her, glossy-eyed, but still present. “The game isn’t over.”

“There are three pounds of crab legs, two bottles of champagne, and chocolate croissants waiting in our suite.”

My heart clenched as I watched Hilary’s face contort as if she were going to cry, and then she flung herself in his lap and began to kiss him sporadically all over his face.

“Yep, you’re completely drunk.” He shook his head as he stood and put his wife over his shoulder. She laughed hysterically as she slapped his butt.

“Wait!”

Jayden paused. “Yes, Mrs. Monroe?”

“Turn around.” Jayden did as asked as Hilary’s long hair hit the top of his thighs and she smiled at me, her face reddening with the blood rushing to it. “Alice, it was so nice to meet you!”

“Same here. Bye, you guys.” I laughed as I watched Jayden climb the stadium steps easily with Hilary in tow and stared after them until they were out of sight.

I want