I waved over Bitsy and Jon and then we followed Beverly down the long ramp to the plane.“You can place your bags in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of where you’ll be sitting and then I’ll introduce you to the captain.”We quickly stored our bags and I noticed the wider seats and more luxurious accommodations in the front of the large plane. Reed continued to take care of us.Beverly knocked on the open cockpit door and the captain turned. “Welcome to my plane. I’m Captain Montague. Reed told me this is your first airplane flight and a certain young lady might want to see the controls and ask a few questions.”Oh God, how could I not love Reed Tyler? Bitsy’s questions started up again, but this time almost every one was answered. Jon and I got situated in our seats, him across from Bitsy and me. The captain finally explained to Bitsy that the cockpit door had to remain locked and closed during the flight and it was time for her to find her seat. With a shiny set o

We left the hotel at noon and found ourselves at a medium-sized ballpark, with Bitsy and I dressed in our number eight jerseys. Jon didn’t wear a jersey, but he wore a t-shirt with the team colors, blue and white. He still did the whole dark-eyed sinister thing, but he managed to carry it off and not look ridiculous. I couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t wearing black outside of the swimming pool. He gave me the cold shoulder and answered with one word whenever he could get away with it, but he’d made his point. I know he didn’t think I would listen or take advice from him, but he had managed to break through the wall I’d put up since Reed’s mother’s visit.Tickets were waiting and our seats were above the Bandits’ dugout.Chi Chi ran toward us when she saw us approach. “Hey, girlfriend. Long time no see. I figured you didn’t make your flight because of the bad mood your man’s in.” Something must have shown on my face because she followed her statement up with, “Ah, ooh.” She tu

“Do you think Jon and Bitsy will want me to adopt them?” Reed asked sleepily. “I think they will. When are you going to ask?” “Tomorrow.” He looked at the clock and smiled. “Today, but right now, let’s cuddle.” I liked that idea, but of course, cuddling turned to sex before we finally passed out and slept until the morning sun was high in the sky. “Come on, sleepyhead, get up, and take a quick shower. I called Chi Chi and she’s heading to the practice field so I can talk to Jon and Bitsy.” His face was animated, and Reed the little boy was back. He was hell-bent on getting back to our suite as soon as possible. We showered together, but washed ourselves, which made me grouchy. I didn’t bother fixing my hair or I think he’d have strangled me. A little makeup and ponytail was all I had time for before he pulled me out the door. He carried my bag, so I guessed we weren’t going back to the room. Jon and Bitsy were watching television when we came in. Reed hugged Bitsy and kissed her

My anxiety increased the entire walk to my car. I didn’t trust my stomach enough to check in with Ted. I shut my car door and stared at the gray wall in front of me. What the hell was I going to do? I was so nervous and maybe I wasn’t ready for the big break I dreamed of. Meeting Miller’s eyes and those of his secretary was physically painful. Without thinking, I reached for my latte and downed a healthy dose of cold coffee. Yuck! Why me? There was no way anyone could look at me and see a sports reporter. Hell, any kind of reporter, but assuredly not sports.I pulled the large envelope from my bag and turned on the overhead light. After opening the clasp, several sheets of paper with my schedule, boarding pass, and a credit card slipped out. I checked the itinerary first. My plane left at eight forty-five the following morning. The name of my hotel was listed next, followed by a seven a.m. appointment the following day with Van Stelson, one of the team’s owner/managers. My daily sched

I took a cab to the airport three hours before my plane departed. Traffic was a gnarly mess even though there wasn’t a ray of sunlight in the sky. Welcome to the city. I had an hour and a half to relax after checking my bag and making it through security. When I woke up that morning, I swore I would hold my head high. No shirking from eye contact. I caught myself looking down repeatedly, but with sheer willpower, I jerked my head up each time. I settled into a corner table at Starbucks with a latte, compliments of my Journal credit card. After pulling out my iPad, I continued my lessons in the foreign language of rugby. I also had my old college laptop that needed to get me through until Christmas. It would be the only Christmas item on my list for my parents this year.I have no idea why I typed Van’s name in the search engine first. It was ridiculous that I found myself attracted to him. Jock and most eligible bachelor. He and I would never happen. I could just imagine all the women