Page 38 of Payoff Pitch

She smiles. “Do you really think so?”

“I do. Just make sure you love it.”

“Do you love it, Bailey?”

I think for a moment. “Sometimes. I love my teammates, and I love that I get to live and play with my sister. She’s my best friend.”

Harper’s face falls. “I wish I had a sister like you do.”

“Maybe you will one day.”

She shakes her head. “Daddy says he’s not having any more kids, and Mommy says she’s getting too old.”

“How old is your mommy?”

“Thirty-seven. She’ll be thirty-eight on Christmas Eve.”

“Ooh, that must be a fun day for her. Lots of presents.”

“Yep. Daddy and I always get her two presents. One for Christmas and one for her birthday. She said growing up, her family always gave her one present for both, so Daddy says wealwayshave to get her two. He told me that when I’m a grownup, I have to make sure to keep doing that for her.”

So sweet.

I finish her braids and tie them with a rubber band. “All done.”

She inspects my handy work. “I need a hat. Can you get one for me, please?”

“Sure. Where are they? I haven’t seen any in your closet.”

“Just grab one of my daddy’s. He has them all in his room.”

“Okay. You get dressed, and I’ll find you a hat.”

I walk down the long, wide, bright hallway toward Tanner’s room. I haven’t been in there yet.

I slowly open the door and peek inside. It’s not what I expected. The rest of the house is modern, but this is more traditional. Almost regal. The bed has four huge posts with round metal handles coming out of them. There’s a large chest at the foot of the bed. It looks like an oversized treasure chest.

I inhale. Yum. It smells like him in here. It’s a manly aftershave and cologne combo that I swear my body involuntarily reacts to. Especially when we were in that tent last week. I felt enveloped in it.

I notice two picture frames on his night table and walk over to look at them. One must have been a few years ago with him and Harper at a ball game. So cute. The other is a family of four. I look closely and realize one of them is Tanner in a baseball uniform. This must have been him in college. He was hot then, and I more than love seeing him in his uniform, but it’s nothing compared to his more mature sex appeal now.

Both of his parents are in the picture, along with a little boy. I know he has a younger brother, but I didn’t realize the age difference. He’s at least ten years younger than Tanner. Maybe more. They’re an attractive family.

Looking around the room, I don’t notice any hats.

I walk inside his closet. Holy shit. It’s bigger than my bedroom. How does one man have so many clothes? And everything is lined up perfectly in color order. It's like being in a high-end department store. Wow.

I look around, but I still don’t see any hats. Maybe they’re in the big chest near his bed.

I walk over. It has a combination padlock, but it’s unlocked. It’s odd that it would have a lock.

I lift the heavy lid to open it. My eyes almost bug out of my head. The chest is full of ropes, cuffs, chains, whips, paddles, and all kinds of items that I’ve never seen before.

What the fudge? What is Tanner Montgomery into?

Suddenly, I hear the front door open and Tanner’s voice yells out, “Bug, where are you?”

She responds. “Getting dressed, Daddy.”