Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (66 page)

Before she has the chance to slam the door in my face, I step inside and wrap my arms around her. She hesitates for a few seconds then locks her grip around my torso and squeezes me hard as even more tears fall. I do nothing more than hold her, petting her hair, and trying to console her although I’m still not sure what the fuck is going on. Long before I’m ready to let go of her, she pulls away, shaking her head frantically and walking toward the kitchen. I follow her while she paces like a madwoman, muttering and making comments that don’t make any sense whatsoever.

“It’s like the fuckin’ crockpot lid. I knew it would break, I knew to get the chair to reach it, but like an idiot, I tried to get it down and it shattered all over the floor. A crockpot ruined even though I knew better.”

Her hands move up and down as she rambles about this crazy story and I look around the room trying to find this broken crockpot and making a mental note to buy a new one next time I’m at the store. Her body pivots and she paces in the other direction. When she gets in front of me, I grab her by the waist and pull her to me.

“You’re breaking up with me because you broke the lid to the crockpot?” I’m trying really hard to follow but she might as well be speaking another language at this point.

Now in my arms, Laurel sighs and shakes her head. “No, that’s just an analogy. I’m breaking up with you because Adam is taking me to court for full custody of Grey.”

My hands tighten on her tiny waist and that same rage from before hits me again. The dickhead that makes me feel this way isn’t here so I take a deep breath and count to ten so I don’t take my anger out on Laurel.

“We’ll fight him, babe. You’re a fuckin’ awesome mom, any judge will see that so you’ve got nothing to worry about. Don’t push me away, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be by your side for all of it.” I stroke my thumbs over her cheeks, relaxed slightly that she’s just freaking out and doesn’t really want to break up.

She shakes her head, pulling away from me and moving across the room so she’s out of reach. “He’s going to use both you and Sam against me…and anything else he can dig up.”

I can feel the vein pulsing in my forehead and I wish that bastard was right here in front of me so I could beat his ass. I came to this town to escape my past, I should’ve known someone would fuckin’ throw it in my face, but never did I expect it could be used to hurt anyone besides me.

Eight…Nine…Ten.
“What’s Sam have to do with custody of Grey?”

Laurel’s eyes get glassy and a single tear falls down her cheek. “He says that I already have a replacement for Grey, that I don’t need both of them.”

I take a step toward her but stop. “Laurel, we can work through this. Don’t say we’re done, I can stop coming over, give you space until this gets worked out, but I’m not letting you go. Why doesn’t Sam come stay at my place until then too? Then you can focus on Grey, once that’s settled then the four of us can move forward together…as a family.”

Laurel shakes her head, dropping her gaze to the floor. “Jace, I can’t just send Sam to live with you. I’m his foster mom and you’re…well, technically you’re—”

“A fuckin’ criminal.” She doesn’t lift her head, she doesn’t even make a rebuttal, and I’ve been put in my place. The place where I’m the scum of the Earth, undeserving of anything good, and getting the backlash of being the bad guy again.

I hold my hands up and nod. “Fair enough, I get it.” Taking two steps toward her, I lift her chin and kiss her softly. “You know where I am if you need me. Just remember that I fuckin’ love you, Laurel. You and those boys are my world now and I understand if it’s better for them if I’m not a part of their lives, but never will anyone steal my heart like the three of you have.”

Fresh tears shine in her eyes. Lowering my head, I kiss her one more time, afraid it might be the last. Laurel’s fingers run through my hair, pulling me closer to her as she opens her mouth, letting me kiss her even more. I can feel the wetness of her tears on my cheeks as we embrace and as much as I don’t want to, I pull away and end the kiss. Before either of us can speak, I turn and walk out of her house. Once I’m on the sidewalk, I start to jog until I get to my car. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I don’t start the engine because I can’t see. Hot tears blur my vision and burn down my cheeks because I’m afraid I’ve lost more than I ever have before.

Laurel

It’s the calm before the storm. The boys are in bed, but I know it’s only a matter of time before Sam wanders into the living room looking for Jace. They’ve both been asking for him since the game and they saw our showdown in the parking lot. I tried to blow it off by saying he had to work but I know that lie won’t last forever, hell, it won’t even last until tomorrow since we’ve all grown accustom to having him home with us. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I miss him too and he’s only been gone a few hours.

“You didn’t have to kick him out.”

I glance over at Ashley, who is sitting beside me on the couch and almost drooling over the glass of wine in my hand. I guzzle down what’s left in the glass and set it on the coffee table. I lay my head in her lap as I stretch out over the cushions.

“Yes, I did and you know it. Adam will stop at nothing to ruin me. You saw what he did before.” I squeeze my eyes shut just thinking about the lies Adam told in court during our divorce.

Ashley plays with my hair and shrugs. “True. Adam is a vindictive asshole who has made it his life mission to screw you over for the decision
he
made in high school to have sex without a condom, but that doesn’t mean you have to still roll over and take it.”

I open my eyes and look up at her, cringing. “You have the worst analogies, you know that, right?” Seriously, for a mom of three with another on the way, she has the dirtiest mouth and that’s saying a lot considering I was dating Jace Richards.

She shrugs. “You know what I mean. Adam knew you weren’t on the pill, there was a box of condoms sitting beside the bed where you created Grey, and he insisted he’d pull out. You admitted yourself that Adam Darbis wasn’t a great lover then so don’t let him fuck you now, Laurel. Stand up and fight him!”

I sit up and turn to face her. “What the hell do you think I’m doing?”

“Letting him win! You know just as well as I do that this has
nothing
to do with Grey and
everything
to do with Jace Richards. The game hasn’t even started and you’ve already given him the victory.”

I throw up my hands, not understanding her line of thinking at all, but then again, it is Ashley. “You think any judge will even consider giving me partial, much less full custody, if they see Jace sitting beside me? He’s a fallen hero, he tainted the game of baseball, I might as well just let Grey go now.”

Ashley narrows her eyes. “That’s not what you were telling me before. Suddenly you’ve changed your mind about him…again? Come on, Laur, you know Adam can’t stand the thought of you being happy. He feels like you robbed him of his youth by getting pregnant and he’s relished in the fact that you’ve been single since the divorce. But then shit got real when Jace Richards walked into your life and you found your happiness, even more than that, Grey found a father and Adam’s not about to let that happen. You really think he wants to take Grey to New York so him and Big Boob Bianca can live happily ever after? No! He’s taking Grey away from you to ruin your life and nothing will change in their father-son relationship.”

I rub my temples. “I know that, Ash, but it doesn’t change Jace’s past which can do nothing for this case. Not to mention Adam thinks I’m replacing Grey with Sam and don’t forget the whole teddy incident too. I’m fucked, Ashley, totally fucked.”

She perks up. “What teddy incident?”

My cheeks blaze and I start to ramble as I tell my best friend the only secret I’ve ever kept from her. “In a last ditch effort to save our marriage, I got all slutted up in a skimpy teddy and waited for Adam to get off work. Grey was at my parents’ so it was just going to be us for the evening. I waited until almost midnight for him before I fell asleep on the couch. When the front door opened, I woke up and ran to him in the hallway. It was dark and I didn’t expect it to be anyone but Adam. In the darkness, I found his hands and put them on my breasts then leaned in for a kiss. Our lips had barely touched when the light flicked on behind us and I saw Adam in the doorway. It was Kurtis that I’d thrown myself on.”

Ashley laughs and shakes her head. “Oh that time? I thought you were going to say you got Adam to wear a teddy or something.”

The redness extends to my ears where I can feel my pulse racing. “You knew about it? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Ashley rolls her eyes and touches my cheek, my skin sizzling under her fingers. “Because I know you, Laurel, and I figured if I ever mentioned it that you’d be completely mortified…just like you are right now. So, what’s that have to do with custody of Grey?”

I lean back against the couch and squeeze a pillow against my chest. “Whenever I’ve brought up his infidelities in the past, he always brings it up, claiming that Kurtis and I were messing around behind both of your backs. He knows I’d do anything to protect you and I never wanted you to think that’s what was going on, but now he’s put me in a position where I have to choose not only between Grey, Sam, and Jace but now you, too. See what I mean, Ash? He’s royally screwed me over.”

Ashley leans toward me and takes my hand. “First off, you will never have to pick between your son and me, Grey will always come first. Second, I could give two shits about Kurtis making it to second base with you. Trust me, he’s told me many a times how beautiful you are and I don’t disagree. Third, fuck him, Laurel! Choose everyone and make him prove that he’s man enough to be the father he should be.”

I sigh, squeezing her hand and closing my eyes. “I can do this on my own. I did it before and everything worked out so I can do it again. Once this is over, I’ll talk to Jace and maybe we can see each other again, but right now, that’s not my priority. I have to do everything I can to keep those two boys with me.”

“Fine, Laurel, but let’s just hope it’s not too late when you go back to Jace. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to your little family.”

I glance over at my best friend, the bearer of the truth, and I know she’s right. Jace Richards is what finally made us a complete family and I can only pray that it’s not too late to keep us all together once this battle is over.

CHAPTER 26

Jace

Luckily, my boss only thinks of me as a workhorse so I can easily hide behind the tower of boxes I’m constantly moving around the store. I swear, one day he wants them in the back row and then the next he wants them on the sidewalk. Whatever, I don’t give a fuck, it’s mindless work that passes the time that I don’t get to spend with Laurel and the boys.

It’s been three weeks and I haven’t so much as seen her, much less talk to her since Ashley brings Grey and Sam to practices and games. Summer’s almost over which means our season is about done and once we play our last game, there’s no guarantee that I’ll ever see them again. Ashley’s been great, telling me everything that’s going on with both Sam and Grey’s court cases. Sam’s has been hung up and labeled low priority while Adam keeps throwing more and more shit at Laurel, forcing her to rack up the lawyer’s fees. Every week, I drop a check in the mail to cover the costs and for once in my life, I’m glad I did all that gambling shit so I can make at least one thing easier for Laurel.

According to Ashley though, Laurel’s not doing as well as she’d like us all to think. Behind the front she’s been putting on for everyone, trying to let the world think she has everything under control, she’s actually falling apart, emotionally, mentally, and even a little bit physically. Ash showed me a picture of her and she’s lost at least ten pounds that she didn’t have to lose. The spark in her eyes and the feistiness in her attitude has disappeared like our relationship.

Then there’s the boys that aren’t giving her an easy time between the two of them ganging up on her for kicking me out. I’ve tried time and time again to have them lay off her, but every practice it’s the same thing, “When are you coming home?...Why’d she kick you out?...I hate her for making you leave.” It’s that H-word that fuckin’ tears me up. Sure, I hate that I’m not there, too, but if they only knew it was for their benefit, they’d see it so much differently, but they’re too young to understand. Plus apparently Sam and Laurel, neither one, have been sleeping since he spends the majority of the night melting down over his mother’s death and there’s nothing Laurel can do to console him. I’m not quite sure what I did to get him to sleep, I wish there was some kind of magic word or some shit that I could tell her to use, but I’m just as oblivious as she is. The kid refuses to see a counselor either and it’s not only taking a toll on him and Laurel, but now Grey, too, which isn’t going to look good in court if it gets mentioned.