“I know,” she whispered, trying not to gulp so noticeably because she wasn’t sure if she’d ever have to again.

It already felt like she was keeping so much more from him, but it was absolutely necessary, so she took a deep breath and cupped his big strong jaw, kissing him softly. “I’ll keep you in the loop, I promise. I’m really hoping he’ll disappear again as he does so often after whatever hair he has up his ass goes away. I certainly won’t be contacting him.”

“Good,” AJ said, slipping his hands in her shorts from behind, and kissed her deeply. “I think it’s time to make up then.”

All it took was one rub of his erection against her crotch to get her moaning against his lips, and their conversation was officially over.

~~~

Just as Addison hoped, it’d been weeks since she’d met with Fred back in California that she’d heard from him. Every day that passed and she didn’t hear from him took a little weight off her shoulders, but she couldn’t help feeling like he was just biding his time.

It was their first night in Chicago for the Padres series against the Cubs. Once again, AJ’s mood was palpable. The man couldn’t hide his unease or tension if he tried. Addison noticed it the moment she met him on the field before the game for their batting practice. He openly kissed her hello, and while he didn’t devour her mouth as he would in private, it wasn’t nearly as sweet and gentle as he normally kissed her in front of Clair. He had waited until Clair ran off before laying the deeper, longer kisses on her. It felt almost like he was making a statement.

The moment he gave her a chance to come up for air after one of the longer kisses, she had to ask. “What’s the matter?”

He shook his head as he brought the bat over behind his head, stretching his arms, but there was no hiding the tensed jaw as he glanced around.

“Spill it, Mister,” she teased in an effort to make light of his obvious unease. It was so forbearing that it practically radiated off him. “You’re so obvious—”

“Is he here?” he asked, bringing the bat down in front of him.

“Who?”

“Fred,” he said immediately. “You said he’s from the Chicago area. Just made me wonder if maybe he doesn’t play for the Cubs.”

“He doesn’t,” she said, even as her heart rate picked up.

“Are you sure?” That menacing brow rose, and that unmistakable flicker blazed in his dark eyes.

As nervous as it made her whenever he got this way, she knew she’d never feel threatened by him in any way, but she had to set the precedent while their relationship was still relatively new. There was no doubt about it now. She’d had a feeling even before she met him, but he’d confirmed it almost the moment she first laid eyes in him in person. AJ was hands down the most intense man she’d ever met. She wanted to love that about him, not dread it. So she had to stand her ground. AJ wouldn’t have to change for her; he just had to understand she would never allow him to intimidate her. It wasn’t the example she wanted to set for Clair, who made note of even the fine details about everything. Even if at the moment Addison felt a little weak at the knees.

“I told you I was sorry and that I wouldn’t be lying to you ever again.” She gave him a taste of her own raised and annoyed eyebrow. “Even if there’s anything I prefer to keep to myself, you’ll know about it because I’ll be honest about it. I’ll never blatantly lie again, so, yes, AJ, I’m sure he doesn’t play for the Cubs.”

Just like with everything about AJ, the instant relief in his countenance was as transparent as the suspicion he’d worn just moments ago. It was quickly replaced with remorse and a smile.

He reached out to hug her, even as she playfully or maybe not so playfully tried to push him away. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” he said with a crushing hug she finally gave into. “I don’t read the stupid tabloids, but my brother and sister mentioned something way back. They read somewhere that it was possible Clair’s dad was a married guy who played for the Cubs, so when you told me married Fred lived in the Chicago area, it got me thinking.” He shrugged with a dejected frown, even as her heart pounded, staring at him now as the anxiety began to strangle her. “The closer this series got and the more I thought about it, the crazier it was making me.”

“There was actually an article that said that?”

He nodded. “But even Em said the same site she read it on was one of those ridiculously stupid gossip sites that reports alien encounters and shit.”

That made Addison feel a little better, but very little. She’d have to look it up now because the story was a little too close to home, and she’d always worried that somehow the truth would be leaked. Back when it was first reported that Coach Lara’s teen daughter was pregnant and the name of baby’s father would not be disclosed, the media had been on a witch hunt, naming many of the possible culprits—all baseball players. Luckily for Addison, she’d kept her relationship with Fred a secret the whole time, so no one on her side knew about it. One thing was for sure; she’d been tight-lipped enough, but Fred was another story. Not only could he be spiteful, he was reckless. The possibility of reading or hearing the truth one day in the tabloids or on television had always been one that niggled at her. They’d actually discussed it when she met with him, especially since he was separated now. She made him promise he wouldn’t be revealing anything. He promised he wouldn’t, and so far, she hadn’t heard anything.

“It is baseless, right?” His brow was up again, but he smirked when he saw her frown then hugged her again. “Alright, alright, you were just looking at me kind of weird. I thought maybe I’d hit a nerve.” He pulled back to look at her again. “You’re pretty obvious yourself, you know? I’m getting damn good at reading you too.”

Addison did her best to make light of it, and the subject was dropped. Aside from AJ now being openly affectionate with her in public, around the team and even Clair and her father, something else had changed in their relationship. AJ could now join them for their dinners after the games. They could do other things that previously Addison had been hesitant to do because she knew for sure it would raise Clair’s suspicions, such as go to the show just the three of them, which they did that first evening in Chicago after the game.

As usual, AJ was quite the spectacle in the lobby while Addison spoke with the manager about the ingredients in the popcorn and the soda, the only thing she’d be ordering from the concession stands.

AJ mentioned he felt like ice cream, so he got in a different line. There he was first approached and he soon had a crowd around him. Addison watched, amused, from where she and Clair stood, separating the popcorn into boxes and grabbing as many napkins as possible. Just as they’d finally gotten comfortable in their seats and Addison was getting ready to turn off her phone, she got a call from work.

“Crap,” she muttered, knowing she had to take it. “I’m gonna take this outside.”

“Who is it?”

As expected, the suspicion was there in his tone and eyes. She was certain it wasn’t going away anytime soon, and she knew it was her own fault for lying to him in the first place, so she addressed him immediately. “It’s my work. I told you we’re finishing up on a big project, so I have to take this.”

AJ nodded, eyeing her as she walked past him. Jesus, she hoped this wasn’t something she’d have to deal with forever, because it did not appear that AJ would be backing down for the sake of not annoying her. If anything, his actions spoke volumes. Just like she wasn’t giving into telling him who Fred was, AJ was not going to even try and hold back on making clear how he felt about Fred in her life.