Page 75 of Bad Ball Hitter

He looks taken aback. “I know that. That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean? She wasn’t yours.” Was she?

“Yes, she was. You’re not her only client.”

“Look, I didn’t know you had a thing for her, just like I didn’t have control over the team replacing your friend. None of these matters, anyway. You’re free to be with her all you want.” And I actually mean it. Who cares if they fucked while we briefly dated? Lila’s in my life now, and that’s all I care about. “I’m here to win us a championship. That should be your focus, too.”

He holds my stare for a moment longer before finally turning on his heel and striding out of the locker room.

I watch his retreating back, my body rigid and my mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. But there’s one emotion that stands out from the rest—relief. Relief because Miranda is no longer my problem. Relief because I now have a clear enemy to focus on. An enemy that isn’t me. I’ll come back to the game stronger, better, unstoppable.

And once I tell Lila about sleeping with Darci and taking the paternity test, everything will right itself.

And that was precisely what happened. I went in for a clinch hit and broke our losing streak. I rode the high into the locker room. Nothing could bring me down.

Nothing except the text from Lila stating she’d find her own ride home and the shit show that waited for me during the press conference.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Lila

I could barely keep it together when I dropped Jake off at his friend’s house. But I couldn’t let Jake see me cry. Once word spread of Bad Ball Hitter’s forgotten son, murmurs grew louder in the section I was sitting in. It escalated after they announced Drake’s name when he came in to pinch-hit in the ninth. It wasn’t the usual cheers. I sat with an excited seven-year-old while rumors circulated about the game-winning hero. I had to shield Jake’s ears from the mention of his name. I did a quick internet search without knowing what the fuss and dirty looks were about. Funny how quickly news articles can make their way to the top of the search engines.

I felt like the floor beneath my feet opened up and swallowed me whole. This couldn’t be right. There’s no way.

I want to give Drake the benefit of the doubt. I want to give him a chance to explain himself. But I’m so damn angry.

He lied to me.

He lied after saying he didn’t want any more secrets or miscommunication between us. Well, guess what, buddy? You had the grandmaster of all secrets and didn’t say a word.

I grab my stomach. I think I’m going to be sick.

Not having much choice, I snatched Jake up and got as far away from the stadium as possible. I called Jake’s friend’s parents. Their sympathetic tone alerted me to what they already knew. I called an Uber and got the hell out there.

Now, I sit and wait on a foreign couch, feeling numb.

The handle jiggles, followed by my wild child. The tears I’ve held back spill over when the sorrowful brown eyes meet mine. I grit my teeth to give myself strength. I’m so angry and heartbroken, but most of all, dejected. Because no matter what he held back, it doesn’t change the fact that he slept with my best friend.

“I’m so sorry you found out this way.”

My stomach sinks. “So it’s true?”

His bags fall to the floor, and he chews up the distance with his long strides.

“Let me explain.”

“How long have you known?”

“I—” He opens his mouth to speak but takes a stuttering breath. His hand runs along his scruff, and I bite back a sigh. He’d be easier to hate if he wasn’t so damn handsome. “I figured it out after you told me about Darci.”

Was that why he moved me in so quickly? To be closer to Jake? And here I thought it was for me.

“Why?” my voice breaks. “Why did you sleep with my best friend?” That may be the part that stings the most—the betrayal. We may have been broken up, but he still went there. He still slept with my best friend. And she didn’t say a word.

Drake’s eyes fill with unshed tears, and his face pinches as if in utter pain. My heart clenches, but I have to stay strong. He did this, not me.

“I came back that Thanksgiving during our first year of college.”