The Problem with Sports - M.E. Clayton Page 0,12

dude,” I snapped back. “Her looks have nothing to do with this.”

Sayer looked over at Gid. “You’re forgetting he stormed down there even before he knew what the mother looked like.”

“Thank you, Say,” I said, happy to have at least one brother’s support.

“The kidnapping was probably already a given,” Sayer continued. “But I’m betting kicking the ex-husband’s ass came after he saw what she looked like.”

“Get out of my house.”

“Gladly,” Gideon replied. “I have better shit to do than plan assault and kidnapping with you two fucks.”

“Like what?” Sayer asked.

“Yeah, like what?” I echoed because we both knew Gideon didn’t have anything better to do. It was past working hours, and that’s all the man did. He worked.

“Like not catch any felonies,” he retorted, and then walked out of my house, but not before snatching up the rest of Mom’s fruit platter and taking it with him.

The jackass.

Chapter 7

Andrea~

This crap did not make any sense.

Like, none, at all.

When I had dropped Grant off with Steven earlier, it was the first time since our divorced that Grant seemed reluctant to spend the weekend with his father. But I suspected that had to do with knowing that Nathan Hayes was his upstairs neighbor.

All day, Grant had been asking me questions that I didn’t have the answers to. He had asked if I thought Nathan was mad at him. He had asked if I thought Nathan would come back and visit us. He had asked if I thought Nathan would go back to playing baseball. He had been all about Nathan Hayes, but the one thing that I’d been happy about? While Grant had relented and had admitted to Nathan Hayes being better than good, he hadn’t changed his stance on Jansen Hillman being his favorite player. And he hadn’t switched teams. His favorite baseball team was still the Angels. There were a few California baseball teams to choose from, and when sports had started to matter to Grant, he had chosen the Angels, and has stuck with them this entire time. All his favorite teams were California teams. The kid was loyal, if nothing else.

However, that wasn’t what I was feeling flummoxed over. No. I was feeling out of sorts and confused as all hell because I was currently standing in my doorway, the door wide open, staring at Nathan Hayes in the flesh. And, not going to lie, speech was a struggle when face-to-face with a man as sexy as Nathan Hayes was. Without the shock of last night’s visit and Grant here to take up his attentions, maintaining eye contact with the god was a struggle.

“May I help you?”

“May I come in?”

Hell no.

“Oh, we’re asking this time?” I couldn’t help myself. Baseball god or not, the man shouldn’t just be barging into people’s homes.

He cocked a brow.

I let out a deep sigh. “Grant’s not here,” I told him. “He’s with his father until Sunday evening.”

“I know,” he replied. “He explained his schedule to me yesterday. Remember?”

“Then why are you here?” I asked, confused by a whole lot of things.

“May I come in?” he asked again, and while I thought it was a bad idea, I pulled the door open to let him inside.

“Would you like something to drink?” Though this seemed like a bad idea, I wasn’t going to be rude or a jerk. He could have a very legitimate reason for being here. We were neighbors after all.

“No, thank you,” he replied as he looked around, taking in my home. I was positive it wasn’t as lavish as his penthouse must be, but I loved it here.

“Then, what can I help you with, Mr. Hayes?”

He crossed his massive arms over his chest as he stood in my living room and those startling blue eyes of his narrowed a bit. “What’s the deal with you guys never taking him to a ballgame?”

“Get out of my house,” I replied quickly and surely.

“Excuse me?”

“I know you’re a baseball god and all, and you’re probably used to people tripping over themselves to please you, but I really don’t care who you are,” I told him. “You don’t get to come into my house and start demanding answers about my son and how he’s being raised.”

His arms fell to his sides and his eyes narrowed a bit more. “Is there some religious reason Grant’s never been to a ballgame before?” Nathan asked, ignoring my entire statement.

I planted my hands on my hips. “Explain to me how this is any of your business?”

“Even if his