his head, though—a worry about being back home. About seeing his little sister in her new role as mother and wife. How would that make him feel? He’d always felt a bond with Keira, like they were kindred spirits weathering the same life storms and protecting each other.
How many times had he held her while she cried after their mother left yet again? After she missed another birthday or Christmas?
Yet Keira had gone on to do the complete opposite of what Ronan expected: she’d built a family. She’d trusted herself enough not to turn out like either of their parents. She’d risked giving her partner the power to hurt her. To leave her. All because she loved him. It was encouraging, to see how she’d grown and changed as a woman. Yet Ronan was floating through his personal life, using his work as a distraction while calling it a dream.
The stadium had people of all ages streaming inside. Most people wore red. He spotted T-shirts with the local team’s logo on front—a llama head with a flame surrounding it.
Lily.
At one point, he would have said a llama was a stupid choice for a team’s namesake—weren’t all teams supposed to be named after fierce things, like bears and cougars and other things that would frighten Dorothy the second she stepped off the yellow brick road? Only now, Ronan knew better.
He’d back Lily in a fight against most things.
Ronan followed the crowd into the stadium. Food vendors were lined up in a neat row, ready to feed the hungry masses. He spotted hot dogs, pizza, and even a cute little pink pop-up stall that appeared to be selling donuts.
He was headed toward the bleachers in front of left field when he caught sight of a familiar blond head.
Really—it’s Audrey’s head that you noticed first?
Ronan shut his snarky inner voice down. Okay, so maybe he’d noticed Audrey’s body being spectacularly hugged by a denim dress. The fabric was soft and well-worn, and it fluttered around her legs as she walked. A red ribbon decorated her ponytail, and she wore a red belt at her waist.
“Audrey!” He called her name without thinking, and much like anything to do with her, it was based on instinct rather than rational thought. It was almost as if there was something inside him that was magnetically drawn to her—like he couldn’t not call out if he saw her. “Hi.”
She whirled around and blinked. “Ronan, hi.”
God, she was so pretty. Like really pretty. A sheer red gloss made her lips shine, and she had a pair of chunky black sunglasses perched on her head.
“You look great.” Not appropriate, professor. “I mean, I like the way you’ve incorporated the team colors into your outfit.”
She looked genuinely pleased at the compliment. “Thanks. Someone stole my Flames T-shirt, so I had to get creative.”
Her eyes darted over to a teenage girl who was heading toward them, a spitting image of her. “This is my little sister, Deanna.”
“Nice to meet you, Deanna.” He stuck his hand out. “I’m Ronan.”
“Professor Ronan,” Audrey added.
“Hi.” Deanna smiled up at him. She was all arms and legs and big, inquisitive eyes. But there was no denying the resemblance in the small, freckled nose, heart-shaped face, and ready smile that matched Audrey’s. Deanna peered at him curiously. “Do you know a lot of things, then? I bet you have to be smart to be a professor.”
“Your sister certainly seems to think so,” he said, shooting Audrey a knowing smile. She laughed and made a mock awkward expression. “She likes to quiz me about things professors should know.”
“Oh yeah?” Deanna looked at her sister with interest. “Do it now.”
“We shouldn’t.” Audrey shook her head.
“Go on,” he said with a smile. “Ask me something.”
“What’s the most innings ever played in a game of baseball, and when did that game take place?” Audrey asked. “Bonus points if you guess which two teams were playing.”
Shit. Of course it would be a baseball-themed question. Ronan didn’t follow baseball too closely—which, coming from Boston, was basically a criminal offense. “This is a terrible time to admit that I have never sat through a full game of baseball.”
Both of the women looked at him like he’d sprouted a second head. “Not once?”
“Not once.”
“That’s almost…blasphemous.” Audrey blinked.
“Go on and guess anyway,” Deanna said, grinning like an evil little sprite. Looks like she shared a spark and spirit with her big sister as well as all that blond hair.
“Based on my limited knowledge…” And even calling it