Tucker had gotten a huge hug from Grant, and finally kudos from the superstar quarterback who’d told him it was the best damn pitching he’d ever seen.
And Leo had been in awe to be in the locker room, so Tucker had introduced him to all the players and had told them all that Leo had just won his high school team’s state championship. They all congratulated him, and Leo was probably grinning as much as Tucker.
He’d given a ton of interviews, so he drank a lot of water, and showered off all the champagne and sweat before getting in his car to drive to Aubry’s.
He’d talked to his parents and his brothers and sister. He’d never heard his brothers more animated, or more excited about baseball. After all these years he’d gotten his brothers to admit that he was good at this baseball thing. The perfect part of this was he had text messages from all of them celebrating his no-hitter and telling him he was a damn good pitcher.
He intended to save those to throw it in their faces the next time they tried to make fun of him for choosing baseball over football.
It was a good night.
But now was the hard part—facing Aubry.
She’d come to his game tonight. He grinned as he pulled off the highway, unable to believe she’d actually showed up to the game. When he pulled into the parking lot of her condo complex, he was still smiling.
Hell, he might smile for days. He was running on a high that might not ever go away.
At least not until his next loss, which was inevitable.
He hoped it wasn’t too late. Celebrations and interviews had lasted a lot longer than he’d expected them to. But her lights were on, so he knocked lightly at the door.
She answered right away. Her hair was straight, and she wore capris and a T-shirt, so it looked like she’d showered, too.
“Long night,” she asked as she stood aside for him to come in.
“The longest.”
She closed the door. “But the best, right?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, it was pretty good.”
She motioned toward the sofa, so he took a seat. She sat next to him. “Come on, Tucker. It was more than pretty good. It was amazing. You were amazing. And being a part of it—I can’t even explain what that felt like.”
He so wanted to touch her, to lay his hand on her knee, to tug her close so he could feel her body against his. But he had no right. Not anymore. Not after what he’d done. “I felt the electricity of the crowd while I was pitching. It really helped.”
Her face was lit up with excitement. “I’m so glad. I was wondering if it would be too noisy for you there at the end. But we were all so caught up in the moment.”
“No, it really did help. It was like a supercharged environment, and I really think it was all the positive vibes that helped me win.”
She laughed. “No, it was your talent that propelled you toward that no-hitter tonight. Your curveball was on fire. It was like a perfect storm of pitches. You could do no wrong.”
She was saying all the right things—about his game. “Thanks. It’s a game I’ll remember throughout my entire career. But you know, that’s not why I’m here.”
She took a deep breath, then let it out. “About my dad. I was so pissed at him. My mother is so angry with him. And he’s very sorry. He said he’s going to talk to you about that tomorrow. He owes you a big apology.”
“Well, it happened. The worst part is I didn’t do anything about it. It shocked me at first and I just kind of took a moment—a really long moment, unfortunately, to think about what that meant. Like, was he really serious? And if so, what would that mean for my career?”
She nodded. “Understandable. I mean, really, Tucker, I understand. You’ve worked your ass off to get where you are. Once I found out what my father did, I understood the choice you made.”
She was letting him off the hook, and that wasn’t acceptable. He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t okay, Aubry. I didn’t want to tell you what he said because I didn’t want to put you in the middle between me and your father, forcing you to have to make a choice between us. Second, I should have chosen you. Right away, I should have chosen you. Because without you, this career means nothing to me.”
Aubry’s heart did that squeezing thing again, like it always did since she’d fallen in love with Tucker. She swallowed, her throat gone dry as she struggled for a response. “I . . . your career is everything to you.”
“Yeah, it is. But when I tried to keep my distance from you, baseball didn’t have the same spark. So while I love the game, I love you more. And I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize that right away. Please forgive me for hurting you.”
Now the tears fell, and she blinked them back. “Tucker. I love you, too.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and it was like an explosion of warmth and love and the passion that had always been there with him. It was as if everything in her world was right as long as he was holding her.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, rubbing his lips against hers.
She felt the heaviness of his hard cock pressing against her hip. “I’ve missed you, too. Make love to me.”
He picked her up and carried her into her bedroom, then set her on the bed. He stood next to the bed and pulled off his T-shirt, then unzipped his pants, kicked off his shoes and let his jeans drop to the floor.
Aubry arched a brow. “Commando, huh?”