Swing for the Fences

Meet bad boy shortstop, Jax Carrigan...

Baseball and fast women are my life. What can I say? I’m good-looking and in the best shape of my career. Being a National League MVP contender, I’m even a great athlete. There’s only one thing I’m missing—Jocelyn Kennedy. 

Ten years have passed since the night we broke each other's hearts. And not a day goes by that I don’t feel the sting from my actions.

But that’s about to change now that she’s single again. 

When we arrive at a mutual friend's party, it reconfirms what I already know—we belong together. I’m confident I can win her back. 

There’s just one thing I need to do—convince her.

Ten years ago, I didn’t fight hard enough. I won’t make the same mistake twice. Second chances don’t happen often. But here’s the thing, I go after what I want. And what I want is Jocelyn Kennedy.

"Swing For The Fences" is book two in this new standalone sports romance series. If you like sexy alpha baseball players, click to meet Jax in this hot new series. 

Jax

Current Day

The gravel crunches below my feet as each step brings me closer to my impending doom. Great. Now I sound like my roommate’s over-dramatic sister. Regardless, I work the coins deep inside my coat pocket. That moment—the one where I swallow the bitterness and pretend everything is fine—has arrived, and I still don’t want to face the inevitable. Face her. Damn, I knew she would be here. So why am I not better prepared?

“Jax, my man. When did you get here?” Drake, our rookie backup catcher, cuts across the grass and intercedes my progress.

I sneak a glance at the beautiful brunette cruising the buffet table. A pang of remorse tightens my chest as the bitterness leaves a bad taste in the back of my throat.

“Just now. I was running late.” I leave out the “intentionally” part. Truth be told, I almost bailed. Zach, my best bud and host of the party, would kick my ass if I didn’t show. Well, he’d try, but I can’t let that happen. His multi-million-dollar pitching arm may get hurt, and that is the last thing we want.

“Nah, it’s all good. They just set out the food.” He lifts his filled plate, and my gaze strays to the brunette again. Her feet carry her across the stamped concrete patio to the round firepit on the far side.

Drake nudges his chin toward the direction I’m staring at. “That hot piece of ass cooked most of it.”

“Her name is Jocelyn.” I clench the coins trapped in my fingers and try to keep my tone even. Drake raises an eyebrow at me, but I remain stoic.

“Hey, bro. Just sayin’, I’d tap that even though it’s cougar style.”

Jesus, this kid doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up. If anyone is in line for an ass-kicking, it’s him.

“She’s twenty-eight,” I say with a growl. “Same age as me.”

“Like I said, cougar. Straight-up hot.” He slaps me on the shoulder and then reins in his tone. “Get some food, old man. You’re grouchy.”

“Fucking rookie,” I mumble incoherently and stalk toward the tables. I’ll fill my plate, then go join her. Better to get this awkwardness over with. The sooner the air clears between us, the quicker this nagging guilt can leave.

During an interview once, I had a journalist ask me what my biggest regret in life was. Who asks that? It’s so personal. My brain scrambled to come up with a lie. The truth? Yeah, I’d never admit that out loud. Uh-uh. There isn’t any way I want the entire nation knowing my biggest regret was not being able to hold on to Jocelyn Kennedy. She slipped through my fingers like a misfielded routine ground ball.

I grab a plate and scan the food. The heap of pulled pork looks surprisingly appetizing. My mouth waters as I pile the BBQ onto my plate. A few more scoops later and my bases are loaded. Jesus, this is a lot of grub.  

“Thought maybe you were going to do another disappearing act.” Zach pulls up next to me with his son draped over his shoulder. Poor kid looks worn out already.

“I had my reasons for missing your wedding. You know that.” I balance the plate and grab the utensils, avoiding eye contact.

Zach and Lacey’s wedding was a small, private affair, but one I hated to miss. Zach’s been my buddy since freshman year, and we’ve been teammates for almost the same amount of time. There was only one reason I didn’t want to be there, and that would be the five-six bombshell currently sitting by the fire.

Zach follows my gaze.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean our wedding. I meant the other times you conveniently didn’t show.”

“Oh.” Maybe my remorse is getting to me more than I thought.

“You going to talk to her this time?”

“Yeah, I better get it over with.”

“It’s been over ten years, man. I’m sure she’s over your split.”

“I know that, asshole.” That’s not the concern. The bigger question is, am I?

“Watch it. You don’t want Lacey hearing you swear around Tommy.” He pats his kid on the back, but the little guy is out cold. “She’s got a mean, backhanded slap.”

I laugh. “Wife troubles?”

“Ha! You wish you had my problems.”

Yeah, I do, sometimes.

Ever since Zach got married to Lacey, I’ve seen slight changes in him. He’s happier. Content. They’re fucking perfect for each other, despite the rough and bumpy road they took.

Personally, I don’t see myself as the settling-down type but witnessing how happy they are leaves room for unwelcoming thoughts. Ones that have no place in my bachelor’s brain. Regardless, any type of relationship, short or long-term, can’t happen until I take care of the past. Purge my guilt. Flush all regrets. My gaze strays back to Jocelyn. Our championship logo brands the hoodie she’s wearing and makes me think of the time she stayed in my dorm wearing nothing but my jersey and her damn smile that lit the entire shoebox of a room.

“Go talk to her. But good luck. I must warn; she’s a little salty since her divorce. Not that I blame her, but…”

“Thanks,” I say with a wink. “Think I got it covered.”

“Okay, then.” He half-grins at my cockiness as if there’s some hidden secret I’m not privy to. “I’m going to put this little guy to bed. Grab a beer. We’ll catch up later.”

As Zach weaves his way through the crowd, I stalk toward the firepit.

“Hey stranger,” I say at my approach.

Those dark chocolate eyes peer up at me, and my chest squeezes. Whenever Jocelyn looked at me, her gaze always held a brightness to them. An innocence that glowed. It was one of her best qualities. But not now. Sadness has replaced the luster of the woman in front of me. Fucking Carl. He killed the piece of her I treasured most. It’s bad enough New York beat the southern accent out of her, but he didn’t have to squash her best attributes.

“Jax.” The sharp tone in her acknowledgment crawls over my skin, and I now want to drop kick Carl. This aggressive vibe taking hold of me needs to leave. Inhaling some courage, I scoot the empty patio chair beside her and settle into it.

“The food smells great. Heard I have you to thank.”

She turns back toward the fire. The flame of light dances on her pale skin, illuminating her high cheekbones and slender neck. She really is a hot piece of ass as Drake puts it, but it wasn’t her looks that drew me to her in the first place. That was just a bonus. It’s the clumsy imperfections, like the smudge of BBQ sauce on the side of her mouth, that I always found adorable.

“I helped Lacey out.” She studies the fire as she waves me off. “No biggie.”

I press my lips together to suppress a grin. Same Jocelyn. Always putting others in front of herself. But this spread—pulled pork BBQ, some potato mixture, corn, and I don’t even know what to call this vegetable salad thing—isn’t anything to brush off. I take a bite of the questionable veggie mix and moan. It’s fucking fantastic.

“You never give yourself enough credit. This is”—I chew a few times and swallow—“this is really good.”

She shrugs and doesn’t say anything else.

I eat a few more bites because it tastes that good, and I’m really hungry. Unable to stop myself, I steal glances at her while chewing my food. She stares into the flames, but I can’t decipher her thoughts. Dark, haunted. Is this how she looked after our breakup? I somehow don’t think so, considering her and Carl became an item right away. Toss in their five-year marriage that produced three kids, and our breakup doesn’t compare. The bitterness squeezes my chest again. I bet my World Class Series ring our split affected me more than her.

“I’m sorry to hear about your divorce.” I may as well slap my cards on the table and get this awkwardness over with. The last thing I want to do is bring up her pain caused by another guy, but it’s a dick move if I don’t mention it.

When Zach told me what happened, I hate to admit that the news ignited a tiny spark of hope. I thought I lost my chance with Jocelyn our freshman year in college after she broke up with me, but I don’t want my thrill to be at her expense. I hate seeing her hurt. And she’s been hurting for the past year.

“Thanks, it happens.” Her dry tone slices through me, but when her gaze cuts back to me, I’m practically gutted. “You know he cheated on me, right?”

My throat becomes thick as I try swallowing a helluva lot more than food. I nod, not saying a word.

“I must be the type of girl everyone wants to cheat on.”

I pause, studying her. Her chin tilts up, mouth set as if she is trying to be strong. She could pull it off if I didn’t already know her. She can’t escape the emotions in her eyes. They’re like a truth serum, and right now, they scream of her pain. I lean closer to her, but far enough that we don’t touch.

“That’s not true,” I say.

“Isn’t it?”

“No.” As the hard lines in her expression soften, I add, “Anyone who cheated on you is a damn fool.”

She shakes her head and turns back toward the fire. “Your words are hardly believable.”

“That may be so, but I speak the truth.” I sneak a glance at her as she continues to stare at the fire. I should be a gentleman and tell her about the sauce on her face, but the tiny flaw keeps me grounded. Truth be told, I prefer a different type of sauce placed there. Best not to mention that. I don’t think she’s in a playful mood.

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