Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1) (20 page)

“Is baseball worth your health? You’ve been pushing yourself so hard. Even before you left California, you were practicing non-stop.”

We’d had a spot in our backyard with a net set up for me to practice my pitching. She was right. I was out there every chance I had. Regardless, baseball was my love, my dream. “I have to do this.”

“Are you sure you’re not hiding behind a mask like your dad is? He uses work as his outlet to forget. Is that what you’re doing with baseball?” Lines dented her smooth forehead.

Was I
? I’d never thought I was hiding. I’d thought I was trying to do something I loved.

The only sound in the room was the soft beep of the medical monitor.

“So Kade calls you Lace.” Mary adjusted the cranberry silk scarf around her neck. “The only one I’ve known to call you Lace was Brad.”

Yeah, but when Kade calls me Lace my insides dance with delight.
When Brad used to call me Lace, his tone did nothing to convey any fluttering feelings.

“I noticed he seems protective of you,” she said.

“He told me he loves me.” The words tumbled off my tongue.

Her full lips stretched into a smile. “And how do you feel about him?” Mary asked.

I twisted the edges of my wrinkled Dodgers T-shirt like I was wringing water from it. “I like him a lot, but I’m scared.”

“You can’t compare Brad with him.” She scooted her chair closer to the bed. “Have you told him about your PTSD?”

“I was about to tell him about my mom when Dad came in.”

“Your father is here?” Her voice rose.

I stopped toying with my shirt. “He’s getting stiches. He had to break up a fight at the club.”

She mashed her burgundy-colored lips together. “That man. I swear.”

“Is he okay, Mary? I know my dad is hurting. But I heard him swearing on the phone this morning. He never swears.”

“It was a misunderstanding with Eric at Eko Records over a contract with a potential client. Don’t worry about your dad. I want you to worry about Lacey.” Mary leaned over the bed, resting her hand on my thigh. “You have to allow people in.” Her tone lowered. “Allow yourself some freedom to just have fun, to feel again.”

“What if Kade breaks my heart or runs when I tell him about my PTSD?” I worried my bottom lip.

“First, if the boy is in this hospital with you, not knowing why you keep having panic attacks, I can assure you he isn’t going to run.” She sat back in her chair. “He would’ve already. Two, you have to take a chance, otherwise you may never have an opportunity at love again. And love is the most beautiful thing in the world when two people open their souls to one another.”

Dad came back in. He had a thin piece of tape over his left eye and right cheek. His bottom lip was swollen, but the blood was gone.

“James, are you okay?” Mary’s voice was distraught.

“Fine, Mary. Just a little misunderstanding at the club,” he said as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there today, Sweet Pea. Please forgive me.” Regret shone from his green eyes.

Part of me was relieved he hadn’t been there at the beginning. He would’ve had a cow if he’d thought I couldn’t try out. But I’d wanted him there to watch me, to support me like he had at Crestview. He always showed up for my games. “I wanted you there. You promised. We’re in this together, remember?”

He leaned over and hugged me. “I love you,” he said. “I’ll be there next time.”

Would there be a next time? “Tryouts continue tomorrow.”

He pulled away, wrenching a hand through his hair. “Lacey, if you have a concussion, even a mild one, I’m not sure you’ll be capable of any physical exertion.”

“I have to, Dad. I can’t miss tryouts.”

Chapter 15

I
threw back my down comforter, letting the cool air of my bedroom dry the sweat coating my body. I turned to my right and grabbed my phone off the wicker nightstand. It was almost lunch time. I rolled back onto my pillow and raised my knees as I tapped on the screen for my text messages. I had one from Becca, one from Tyler, and one from Kade.

Kade had returned to the hospital room shortly after Dad, but we didn’t get a chance to talk any more—the doctor came in. After several tests on my vision, hearing, and reflexes, he’d determined I had a mild concussion. He ordered rest for at least a day. If I felt better after today, I could go back to school. Mary had woken me twice in the middle of the night to make sure I was okay—another order from the doctor.

A knock sounded on my door before it opened. Dad walked in. “Hey, how are you feeling?” His left eye was beginning to bruise.

“Good.” A small amount of dizziness still lingered, but no headache, although the lump on my forehead hurt. “I want to go to school, Dad. The second round of tryouts is this afternoon.”

He eased down onto the bed. “I talked to Coach Dean this morning. What happened with your gear? He said someone broke into your locker, but then it reappeared.” He studied my face.

I scooted back against my brass headboard. “I don’t know. Someone played a prank. I’d like to know who.” Or maybe I shouldn’t know—if I got my hands on the person I might be expelled from school. “What else did Coach say?” Could I make up a tryout? I had to show Coach I could play. I’d only thrown one or two pitches, and they were bad pitches, before I became good friends with the ground.

“He’s postponing the second round until he looks into the locker incident. He wants to question a few students who might’ve been in the locker room at the time.”

Luck seemed to be on my side. I let out a breath. Deep relief eclipsed the panic that had been brewing.

“I’ve got to run a few errands,” he said, standing up. “Get some rest.” Leaning down, he kissed me on the top of my head. Then he crossed the room to the door.

“Dad?”

He turned.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’ll see you later.” He closed the door behind him.

I buried my head in my pillow and screamed for joy. Luck was my friend today. Maybe Coach would uncover who took my gear, too. I didn’t think Aaron had since he’d been on the field at the time. Besides, how would a guy get into the girls’ locker room in the middle of the day, with girls coming and going?
Unless he had a partner in crime
. I briefly thought of Tammy. I did see her and Aaron in the hall yesterday morning. I hardly knew her, but she didn’t like me. Well, I wasn’t going to solve the case in my bedroom.

I answered my text messages. I let Becca know she could come by after school. I told Tyler I was fine, and how much I appreciated his concern. Then I replied to Kade’s text.
I would love to see you later this afternoon. Can you come by around five? Maybe you can stay for dinner.

As soon as I sent out the texts, my phone beeped.

Becca’s text read,
I’ll see you at three thirty.

Kade responded,
I can’t wait
,
with six heart emoticons.

I typed
Me too,
with a smiley that had hearts for eyes. I was excited to see him. He deserved to hear my story, too. Although I wasn’t so excited about that part. What if I had a panic attack when I told him? I moved that thought to the back of mind. If we were building a relationship, it was more important than ever to play that get-to-know-you game.

I slowly got out of bed, making sure I didn’t wobble from the dizziness. Once I was on two feet, the room didn’t shift or whirl or tilt. All good signs. I grabbed a pair of jeans, clean underwear, and an ASU sweatshirt before heading into the bathroom. I took a quick shower, dressed, twisted my long wavy brown hair and secured it on the back of my head with a clip. Then I went in search of food. Mary was sitting on the sofa in our sunken family room, watching Emeril Lagasse on the food channel. He was explaining how to make some type of paste for pork chops. She had her pen in one hand and her notebook in the other.

“Are we having chops tonight?” I asked.

“Yep. And if I have all these ingredients, I might be able to spice it up.” She didn’t look up.

“Can Kade stay for dinner?”

“Sure, sure.” She waved a hand in the air, shooing me off.

I stepped up into the kitchen. The design of the house had a wall of windows that ran the length of both rooms, overlooking the tree-covered yard in the back. Bright daylight filtered in.

I went to the fridge and peered in. The leftover pizza was sitting on the top shelf with my name on it. I grabbed a piece and a Coke and closed the door. I devoured the pizza then popped the top of the Coke can and took a swig.

A commercial came on. Mary turned, her dark eyes regarding me. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. You feeling okay?”

With my Coke in hand, I padded into the family room, my bare toes sinking into the soft carpeting.

“I’m good. Becca is coming over later. I’ll be up in my room studying.” I had my trig and calculus tests coming up—plus I had homework.

Emeril’s voice came back on the TV—my cue to head up to my room. I left Mary to resume her class with Emeril.

The rest of the afternoon I spent doing my English and chemistry homework. Then I started on calculus problems when a soft knock broke my concentration on integrals.

“It’s unlocked,” I said from my bed. I had a desk, but I liked to spread out my books and lie on my stomach when I was doing homework.

The door opened and Becca bounced in. “I met Mary. Nice lady. She showed me where your room was.” She glanced around, checking out my hideaway. “I know, Lacey, we’ve only known each other short time, but can I ask where’s your mom?”

I sat up. It wouldn’t hurt to tell her part of the truth. I just didn’t want to share the whole truth. Not yet. “She passed away.”

She diverted her attention from a framed poem on my wall adjacent to the door and regarded me with sorrow in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you like the poem?” I asked. The poem was by Sri Chinmoy.

Hope knows no fear. Hope dares to blossom, even inside the abysmal abyss. Hope secretly feeds and strengthens promise.

“Do you write poems?” She plopped down on my bed. My calculus book jumped a tad.

“No. I saw it in a store in LA, and I had to have it. My mom used to tell me that without hope, your dreams won’t come true.”

“And your dream is baseball,” Becca said, looking up and past me.

Two posters of my favorite Major League ballplayers were tacked to the wall above my bed. I loved Jacoby Ellsbury, even though he didn’t play for the LA Dodgers. I also had a poster of Clayton Kershaw, a pitcher for the LA Dodgers.

“You’re such a boy sometimes,” she teased.

“Hey, I have frilly pink curtains on my window.”

She rolled her big brown eyes. “Good thing. Or I might have to stage an intervention and decorate the room myself.”

I threw a small throw pillow at her.

She snickered. “So, are you good?”

“I am. Except the knot. How was school?” I sat cross-legged, touching my forehead.

“Did you not eat before tryouts? That’s what Kade had said today when everyone was asking about you.”

Kade lied for me
? Another notch loosened in my heart. “I didn’t. Then I panicked when someone broke into my locker.”

“Coach Dean has been questioning girls who had gym yesterday.” She reclined on the bottom of the bed, propping her head in her hand.

“Do you know if Aaron bullied Mandy?” I tossed my calculus book on my pillow.

She traced the outline of the stitching on my comforter. “I don’t know the whole story, but Kody does, since he was dating her. I wasn’t friends with Mandy. And I didn’t hang out with the Maxwells either. But rumors around school were that Aaron didn’t like the attention she brought to the team. Well, to her. The local media would come out to watch her. They did a few news articles on her. Aaron thought it should be about him. Anyway, little things would happen to her before a game. Like one time she found her glove cut up before a game.”

“Was it Aaron?”

“No one could prove it was.” Looking up at me, she stopped tracing the comforter. “I’ve been dying to tell you about Kade.” Her energy transformed from dour to cheery. “OMG. When you fell, Kade jumped out of the stands.” Her free hand was flying around as fast as the words spilled from her mouth. “I swear if he could fly… Actually, I think maybe he did fly.” She flipped hair over her shoulder. “Anyway, when he got down on the field, he wouldn’t let anyone near you except Coach Dean. It was like you were Snow White, and he was your prince. Like he was afraid that if anyone kissed you, you would fall in love with them instead of him.” She giggled.

“A tiny bit dramatic. Don’t you think?” I made a pinching gesture with my forefinger and thumb.

“Let me talk,” Becca said. “So the ambulance came, and Kade wouldn’t even let the medics around you. Somehow they convinced Kade they knew what they were doing. The girls in the stands were about to pass out. They’ve never seen Kade Maxwell run to a girl’s rescue. He does have it bad for you, girl.”

“Mmm.” She was right about that.

“What?” Becca asked.

“He told me he loved me.” The words came out easily.

“I knew it. When he gave you that flower yesterday. I’m so happy for you. Do you love him?” Her dark eyes were laser-focused on me.

“I like him a lot. But, I’m cautious.” I folded the edge of a piece of paper. “My last boyfriend dumped me after I told him I loved him.” There was more to Brad that I didn’t care to share at the moment.

“Lacey. I know I warned you in the beginning about Kade, but he seems different. I don’t know, more mature. Plus he is so hot, sexy, and sooooo…male.” Her cheeks reddened.

We both laughed.

“I need to go.” She rubbed her hands on her jeans as she rose.

I debated whether to ask her stay for dinner. I wanted to be able to talk with Kade alone.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” I asked anyway. I wanted to bond more with her. It was nice having a girl as a friend. Dad would be pleased.

“Nah, I can’t. My mom is taking me out to Wiley’s Bar and Grill. It’s our mother-and-daughter night. My dad is balancing the books at the Cave. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”

A pang of hurt hit me square in the chest. I’d never have a mother-and-daughter night again. I hopped off the bed. “I’ll walk you out. Kade is coming for dinner.”

When we opened the door, a citrusy smell drifted in.

“Whatever Mary is cooking, I’m sad I can’t stay. It smells delicious,” Becca said.

“I think it’s pork chops,” I added as we climbed down the stairs.

When we reached the front door, we hugged and said our goodbyes. It was only four thirty, so I figured I’d check in with Mary and see if Dad came home. I found him sitting at the kitchen island, eating a sandwich, and Mary preparing a salad.

“I guess you’re not staying for dinner?” I asked Dad, kissing him on the cheek.

“I need to get an early start at the club.” His brown hair was wet, and he wore black pants and a blue button-front, long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his forearms.

“Please stay. Kade is having dinner with us.” I sat down next to him.

“Maybe next time, Sweet Pea.” He pushed off the granite top with his hands as he stood, grabbing his glass of water. “I promise. I gotta run.” He downed the water as he went over and set the glass in the sink. “I’ll see you ladies tomorrow.” He snatched his wallet and keys from the counter near the door to the laundry room and disappeared.

I would have protested if it weren’t for the doorbell chiming. “Kade is early.” I jumped down from the stool, darting for the front door.

Mary laughed behind me.

I slowed.
A girl should be calm and proper when meeting a man
. My mom’s words, not mine. I pulled out the clip in my hair then combed my fingers through it. I glanced down. I should’ve changed out of the sweatshirt. At least, I had jeans on and not yoga pants, for once. As my hand covered the doorknob, the bell dinged again.

I opened the heavy wooden door. The sexy beast stood on the porch, hair windblown-messy, white henley, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, black jeans, black boots, and a Maxwell grin on his gorgeous face. Maybe it was good I had a sweatshirt and a bra on since my nipples were hard.

“Hey, baby,” he rasped.

Cold air followed him in. No sooner had I shut the door than he planted a soft kiss on my lips. “You look better,” he said. “I missed you.”

I planted my hands on his firm abs. “What did you miss about me?”

“Your beautiful green eyes,” he said, staring into them.

“That’s it?” I stuck out my bottom lip, snaking my hands around to his lower back.

He leaned down, threading his fingers into my hair. “I can’t tell you everything at once. I have to keep you wondering,” he said close to my ear.

“Just remember two can play this game.”

Footsteps echoed in the hall. “Dinner is ready,” Mary announced.

We separated. My bare feet slapped against the wood floor. Kade’s boots thumped.

Mary had the glass dining table in front of the window in the nook area set with plates and utensils. “Sit, you two,” she said, pointing at the table.

Kade sat in the chair facing the window. I sat on the end to his left. Mary served us salad, pork chops, and jasmine rice. Then she joined us. I took my first bite of the pork chop and my taste buds did a happy dance.

“Is this Emeril’s recipe?” I asked.

“Not exactly—I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I used mangoes for the paste.”

“It’s very good,” Kade said, between bites.

“What are we doing for your birthday this weekend?” Mary asked as she poured dressing on her salad.

Kade’s head snapped my way. “It’s your birthday?” His voice was a little too excited.

I glared at Mary. She knew I didn’t like anyone to make a fuss over my birthday.

As though she heard my thinking, she said, “But it’s the big one-eight.”

“When is it?” Kade asked.

“Saturday,” Mary answered.

Kade and Mary exchanged devious looks.