His eyes answered her and he grabbed her, swinging her up in his arms. “Do you know how many Realtors I had to see before finding the one that rented to you? Why the hell didn’t you answer your phone?”

Joy. The emotion shot through her, stung her eyes, filled her with happiness as her arms settled over his shoulders for a kiss. “I forgot it,” she explained, when he slowly lowered her to the ground. “I left it at home. I didn’t realize it until after I got here.” “Ah.” Some of the tension seemed to leave him. “I got here at eight. When I arrived, most of the places weren’t even open yet. But I found a restaurant down the street and a waiter remembered a beautiful redhead had come in the night before, so I figured I was in the right vicinity. Then I finally located your Realtor, after banging on at least ten doors.”

“I can’t believe you did all this to find me!” She gazed at him in wonder, her heart so full she thought it would burst.

“I have to admit I wasn’t sure what I would do when I saw you.” His eyes narrowed threateningly, revealing his concern. “Next time, talk to me. Don’t just disappear. You scared the shit out of me.”

His mouth met hers once more in a kiss that took her breath away. Relief flooded through her as she realized nothing had changed. Not Gavin, not her. Emotion welled up inside of her, warm and glowing. She loved his man, and if that made her naive, so be it.

When he finally eased from her, she saw his eyes, dark and glittering with emotion.

“Why did you leave?”

“I didn’t know what to think when I didn’t hear from you. And your ex is so gorgeous, I wasn’t sure—”

“Yeah, she’s a real beauty. Unfortunately, she took a shot at my knee. I wound up going to the urgent care.”

“What?” Jessica’s green eyes grew wide, and she glanced down at his leg.

Gavin nodded. “I saw my doctor today. He said it’s only a superficial wound.”

“Let me see.” She didn’t wait for him, but quickly knelt down and rolled up his trouser leg. He helped her undo the bandage, and when she examined his injured flesh, she sighed in relief.

“It doesn’t look deep. How did the MRI look?”

“Good. He said I was lucky.”

“How does it feel when you walk? Does it hurt when you bend your knee? How about—”

“Enough!” Gavin said, pulling her into his arms once more. “I am fine. But why would you think I would go back to her? Don’t you understand?”

“What?” She looked genuinely puzzled.

“You and Kristin are like night and day,” he said, shaking his head as if stunned that she didn’t see what was so obvious to him. “It was you who got me through a really rough time. Not just your work with the therapy, which made all the difference, but the rest. You helped me accept my injury, adjust to a new place, and settle in with the team.”

“Oh, that’s nothing,” she said dismissively, her face getting warm at his praise. But he continued, not letting her pull away.

“Exactly. To you it’s nothing. Because you give all the time, without expecting anything in return. I see it day in and day out. You help anyone who needs it, never even questioning whether or not you should. And I know you’re not ready to hear this, but I can’t help it. I love you.”

Her eyes stung with tears, and her throat tightened convulsively. Even though she had just come to the same conclusion herself, it was startling to hear Gavin put it directly on the table. She waited for the fear, the uncertainty, to send her into panic mode. But it was gone. The fragments of it seemed to fall away like a shell and now, an overwhelming happiness flooded through her.

“Well,” she said after a moment, struggling to get her emotions under control. “I guess that’s a good thing, because I feel the same way.”

“Are you sure?”

Jessica nodded. “Yes, more than sure. I’m absolutely certain.”

“Then you’ve made me the luckiest man alive.” He kissed her soundly once more, and when she was breathless, her legs like jelly, he grinned and offered his arm. “Shall we? We have a wedding to go to.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Gavin followed her inside, insisting on helping her with her bags. Glancing around the rustic beach cottage, he gave her a speculative grin.

“Wow. This is exactly what I pictured when we talked of a place at the shore. Why don’t we see if it’s on the market?”

“Really?” Jessica’s mouth opened in surprise.

“Sure.” The smile grew warmer. “Looks like I’ve become a Jersey boy after all.”

—

Chase and Darcy’s wedding, as Jessica predicted, was wonderful. She and Gavin had plenty of time to make it back from the shore, get dressed, and then head to Trinity Church. They were escorted to the same row as Jake and Nikki, Brian and his wife, and Ryan Wakeman, the former first baseman for the Sonics, with his wife.

And even though she had seen the dress, Jessica was still awed when Darcy walked down the aisle, positively glowing. The term “radiant bride” seemed coined for Chase’s soon-to-be wife, and even the ace pitcher waiting at the altar couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Darcy had but one attendant, her best friend, Cara. The maid of honor despised dressing up, favoring jeans and tee shirts. But in a simple navy-blue sleeveless gown, carrying a bouquet of white lilies, she looked young, beautiful, and totally appropriate.

“Do you, Darcy Hamilton, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

As the early evening sunshine poured into the church, shimmering through stained glass, Jessica thought that this ritual never got old. The candles flickered as Darcy turned toward her groom, the light shining on her blond hair and veil. There wasn’t a sound in the room when she whispered, “I do.”

Chase was a little more firm in delivering his vows, but there was a catch in his voice when he promised Darcy to love her for eternity. And when the minister acknowledged that he could now kiss his bride, the pitcher wasted no time in taking his beautiful Darcy into his arms.

Jessica heard a few of the Sonics wolf-whistle as Chase made the most of his kiss. By the time Darcy stood erect, the blonde was blushing furiously, although no woman had ever looked happier walking down the aisle with her arm linked through her husband’s.

A warm feeling welled up inside Jessica as the couple made their way outside the church, the organ music playing overhead. When she looked up, Gavin was gazing at her, his eyes dark and glittering with a similar emotion.

“That will be us one day,” he said, answering her thoughts. When he saw her startled glance, he grinned. “That is, when you stop running scared.”

“I am not!” she said, giving him an indignant look.

Gavin lifted her hand and pressed a kiss on the back of it with a grin. When her eyes met his, he smirked once more. “When are you ever going to stop falling for that?”

It was Jessica’s turn to smile knowingly. “How do you know I ever did?”

She had to hold back her laughter at his expression. He could silently threaten her all he wanted; it was far too late. She was on to his game. This man loved her, and she loved him back. More than that, she trusted him.

And that, to her, was worth everything.

Epilogue

Jessica was in the PT room, watching the game on TV. She could tell Pete was giving the team his pep talk. Even though she couldn’t hear him, she knew this speech by heart:

“Okay, I don’t want to make you nervous. But you boys all know that this last inning is critical. If we win, we make it to the World Series. But if we lose…”

They were playing Washington, and the score was tied at six. Every member of the team wanted this badly. They had battled their way back after the All-Star break, when they had been written off by the press and everyone else.