Page 12 of Coastal Rewind

I rolled my eyes but smirked as I melted into his side.

Okay, maybe a little family time wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

The door to the suite opened and I heard giggles before I saw who they were coming from. MJ’s eyes went wide when he spotted me just before he broke into a run and wrapped his little arms around my legs.

Nolan followed him inside with a sheepish grin. “Hey, so, Mason is kind of in a bind and I need to leave MJ with you guys. Is that okay?”

MJ beamed up at me and I was putty in his tiny hands. “Of course it’s okay. We’ll have a blast.”

“Perfect. Meet us in the family area after the game,” he said before practically running out of the room.

“Come on, let’s get a hotdog,” I said as I took MJ’s hand and confidently guided him to the massive array of food.

MJ cheered as the game started and his dad took the mound. I knew Mason was a professional baseball player, but that still didn’t prepare me to see the man in uniform. My jaw went slack as I took in his tanned, muscular arms. I had, in fact, seen them before, but somehow they looked even better against his white jersey.

I raised my camera again and took shot after shot as he focused and struck out the first batter. My heart rate picked up with every play, and by the time they got their third out I found myself cheering right alongside the little boy seated in my lap.

We stayed like that for the entire game, only shooting to our feet when Mason hit a homerun in the fourth inning. The energy in the stadium was electric as the crowd roared, screaming his name as he rounded the bases.

“My dad is the best. He gets to play both positions and is the best player on the team,” MJ announced as we took our seats again.

I furrowed my brow, realizing I was being schooled by a child in my baseball knowledge.

“Both positions?” I questioned.

Aiden took the seat to our right and sipped his beer. “Normally, pitchers don’t hit. Golden boy down there is an anomaly. When they take him off the mound, he’s subbed in as the designated hitter.”

“So he won’t pitch again this game?”

Aiden shook his head. “Nah. They subbed him out at the top of the fifth.”

“Ah,” I said, shaking my head as if this was obvious even though I was more confused about the rules of baseball then when I walked in today.

“Do you really not know anything about baseball?”

I bit my lip. I should know more, considering baseball was Nolan’s entire career. It was another blaring detail that showcased how clueless I was about my sibling’s lives.

“There aren’t a lot of professional teams in the towns I usually visit.” I shrugged casually, pretending I wasn’t feeling self-conscious and a little exposed.

“Guess it’s time to learn.” If Aiden was judging me, it didn’t show. He shifted his attention back to the game as MJ continued to rave about his dad.

By the time the game was over, and we were standing in the player family waiting area, I was buzzing off adrenaline and too much processed meat.

MJ was hopping from foot to foot as the players started filing out of the locker room and walking up to the various groups of loved ones scattered around the hallway. I scooped the nervous six-year-old into my arms and propped him on my hip. He leaned his head on my shoulder and his eyes started to droop.

A second later Mason stepped through the door. He had a tense crease in his brow as he looked down at his phone, but it completely melted away the moment his eyes locked onto MJ.

The way this man melted any time he saw his son was enough to make my ovaries scream.

That was a real problem.

“Hey, little man,” Mason said as he approached us.

“Dad!” MJ popped his head up and reached his little hands out.

I put him down and he immediately pounced on his dad, hugging his legs and going on about how great the game was. Mason didn’t roll his eyes or stop MJ from pouring his little heart out about each inning as he gave a full recap. He just stood there and looked down at his son as if he was telling the most interesting story he’d ever heard.

“So, I’m guessing you had fun?” Mason chuckled as MJ paused to take a few deep breaths.