Julia’s eyes fluttered closed as her chest rose and fell on a heavy sigh.
Ben’s pulse blipped, skipping a couple beats. Her reaction did not bode well for him.
“Not a problem, so much as a . . . a deal breaker,” she finally answered.
He sucked in a sharp breath like she’d drop-kicked him in the gut.
Several seconds of stunned silence passed while her words sunk in. His mind rolled over them, considering. “Wow, I wasn’t, uh, wasn’t expecting that.”
She swiveled to face him, her gloved hand covering his on the bench between them. “It’s not you. It’s me.”
“Ha!” The harsh laugh burst from his throat.
“It’s true!”
“Come on,” he said, torn between laughing at the irony or cursing at his rotten luck. “Why does this sound like a line from a bad Dear John letter?”
“Look, you’re a great guy—”
“Aw, man!” Ben let his head fall back as he sent his plea to the heavens. “Not the dreaded ‘nice guy’ description? This just gets better and better!”
“Stoooop.” Julia drew out the word, squeezing his hand to get his attention. “You know what I mean.”
Sure he knew what she meant. He was getting the brush-off. Him. People magazine’s sexiest MLB player of the year, not that he ever threw that designation around. The guys had had a field day with that one in the locker room. Jokes and pranks for weeks on end.
His teammates had known he could handle the ribbing. They also knew that when he had his sights set on accomplishing something, he gave everything he had to see it come to fruition. He studied film. Read scouting reports. Learned about the players on the opposing team. And when it was time to step onto the field, his entire focus honed in on that one person at the plate.
Over the past few weeks he’d been doing everything possible to get to know all he could about Julia. Only his efforts this time weren’t about winning a game.
No, this time, the outcome felt bigger. More important.
Before he could figure out how to convince Julia to give him—give them—a chance, he had to know what stood in his way.
“Fine,” he said on a huff of breath. “So, I’m a nice guy, but . . .”
He let his words trail off. Brows raised in question, he looked at Julia.
The streetlamps and string lights left her face in partial shadow, while they reflected in her dark eyes.
“But my life has been consumed with baseball for years. In my family, our schedules revolved around my brothers’ practice, games, tournaments, team gatherings. Even my quinceañera party got pushed back a month because every weekend in July there was something baseball-related on the calendar.”
He, on the other hand, had relished spending his August birthday with his teammates as summer league wound down before school started. It beat the low-key one candle stuck in a cupcake celebration with his parents. If one of them even remembered to stop by a bakery on their way home from their research labs on campus.
“For the first time in my life, I’m missing winter ball league in Puerto Rico,” Julia went on, her voice raw with conviction. “And honestly, it’s a relief. Most days anyway. Then one of my brothers, Ángel or Martín, sends a text with their game highlights and I feel bad that I wasn’t there to cheer them on. But the thing is, I doubt they’ve ever wondered what I might want or need for them to cheer for me about. Coming here to Chicago, it’s a risk. It’s a big leap of faith in myself. For myself.”
“I know. You’ve shared that with me,” Ben said, wanting her to see that he understood her drive. Hell, he respected it. “I’ll do whatever I can to help. This fund-raiser will be the best one yet. And you’ll be turning down offers for you to plan other events around the city.”
Julia’s lips curved in a sad smile, a pained expression creasing her beautiful face.
“Gracias,” she murmured. “You’re confirming my ‘great guy’ opinion.”
Ben scowled.
“The thing is,” she said, “I’ve always stayed away from getting involved with a ballplayer . . . at first because my brothers would have beaten up anyone who even looked my way. Later, as I grew older, because I saw girlfriends hurt by guys who moved up the ranks. Wait, I know what you’re going to say—”
She held up a hand to stall the argument he was primed to give. There was nothing he could do about how other men had treated her friends. He could only be responsible for his own actions.
“But mostly,” Julia went on, “because I know how consuming the game can be. Honestly, I don’t know if I want that to be a part of my life anymore. As much as I love the game, too.”
Regret tightened Ben’s chest. God, he’d do anything to get back in the game, and here she was shrugging off any attachment to it.
His only saving grace was the love she readily admitted to having for the sport. It was something the two of them shared.
That affinity, plus the commitment to her loved ones, her dedication to the kids at the youth center, and her determination to succeed at her job were a large part of what attracted him to her.
He shared those same traits, giving them more in common than simply baseball. Or the mutual attraction he felt sparking between them.
Maybe he wasn’t sure where things were headed with her, but he sure as hell wanted to find out.
As far as he was concerned, the only reality that mattered right now was one involving her and him. Enjoying themselves and getting to know each other better.
If she held any reservations about being with him, he aimed to dispel them, starting tonight.
Pushing himself to a wobbly stand in his skates, Ben flashed her his most convincing grin. “How about if we agree
