“Are you coming on the tour with us?” Clair asked as AJ turned that heavily lashed glare away from Addison to help Clair down from the Jet Ski.

It was probably just part of his raging personality, but Addison could actually see him work his jaw before responding. “I would if I could, but I have to get out of here.”

Clair pouted. “She is your girlfriend now, isn’t she?” she said as Addison reached them. “You should’ve brought her then. She could’ve taken the tour with us too.”

“She isn’t my girlfriend,” AJ said, bending over to kiss the top of Clair’s head.

The tenderness in his eyes as he straightened out immediately hardened again when they met Addison’s. “But since I leave tomorrow, I did promise to meet up with her one last time tonight.”

Of course. And even as the alarmingly disappointing comment settled into her now churning insides, she was glad for the reminder. No matter how sweet and perfect AJ was as her daughter’s best buddy and her dad’s apprentice, he was the worst kind of guy Addison should even be considering to let in her life.

“We’re in,” a few of the guys with kids she’d known from way back said with big smiles.

A couple of the single ones she’d spoken to earlier also said they’d hang around and take the tram tour with them.

“You see,” AJ said, and Addison turned to him at the sound of his voice. His thick lashes seemed to move in slow motion as he glanced up from Clair and met Addison’s eyes again. “You’ll have plenty of company without me.”

As much as it didn’t make sense, it felt like a jab again, like the one she was now certain he’d taken at her yesterday. And like yesterday, he’d stalked away before she could recover from it.

Chapter 3

AJ

The whispers and buzzes about the coach’s hot daughter among AJ’s team members while on the road shouldn’t have been as unbelievably annoying as they were. He kept telling himself that it was only because of who she was, the coach’s daughter and his buddy’s mom. They should be more respectful, damn it. But he hadn’t snapped as he’d been tempted to on more than one occasion. He knew exactly why too.

For starters, the visual of her enjoying Travis’s whispering in her ear and then agreeing to call him in front of everyone was one AJ wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon. Any whispers the team might be exchanging about her, she’d brought on herself. Travis was a douche, and if she were really as smart as her dad made her out to be, she should’ve seen right through him already. Instead, she’d encouraged him by smiling and laughing at his stupid ass.

Mostly AJ knew the main reason he hadn’t snapped yet was because he hadn’t heard anything that actually crossed the line. But he could feel it building with every whisper or comment he did hear. He almost wished they would cross the line. Snapping because someone commented about her good looks or sweet smile would be too obvious. Just hearing her name or rather the idiots who’d taken it upon themselves to call her Addi, had him clenching his teeth every time.

One of the days in Boston during batting practice the coach excused himself to take a call from Addison. He’d mentioned earlier how she and Clair would be meeting him and his wife at their next stop in Toronto against the Blue Jays. They’d be taking that trip to Niagara Falls Clair had originally requested for her birthday.

AJ was supposed to be concentrating on warming up to bat next. Up until then, he’d been doing well, beyond well with his short fuse. He’d made excellent progress in keeping his cool on and off the field, but the continued whispers about Addison had begun to chip away the wall of patience he’d worked so hard to build for years. Festering thoughts of what Addison’s eyes that close up had done to him and the unreasonable annoyance he’d felt when he’d seen Travis get so close to her weren’t helping either. He couldn’t even look at the guy now without feeling irritated, not just at Travis but at himself for getting so worked up over a girl he hardly knew.

Biggs, one of several guys standing by him, said something that got his attention. “Umm, mmm, Coach’s daughter.”

AJ had instantly stopped swinging the bat and turned to him. “What about her?”

“Who knew she had all that going on?” he said, shaking his head.

AJ gripped the bat, feeling his insides heat as he peered at him but said nothing.

“I mean I could see she was cute when Lara brought her around the day before and again the day of his grandkid’s birthday party. But when she took her jersey off at the zoo, hot damn, what a pair of—”

“Don’t.” AJ shook his head, warning Biggs as calmly as he could. “Don’t do that, man. That’s Coach’s daughter you’re talking about.”

Biggs lifted his hand in the air with a smirk. “I don’t care who she is. I see something like that and my dick starts—”

“Hey!” AJ’s voice boomed suddenly as he took a step forward, pointing his bat at Biggs. “That’s the coach’s daughter you’re talking about. Clair’s mom, asshole. Have some fucking respect.”

He’d been as stunned about his reaction as everyone else there. But he hadn’t cared even as everyone had gone quiet and stared at him. He’d glared at Biggs until the guy nodded a bit hesitantly then shook his head with a scoff but finally agreed.

The enormous tension he was feeling spilled over from batting practice to the game. For the first time that season, he’d nearly lost it against an opposing team’s player while still on base. He managed to keep his cool, but he knew he had to get a grip.

He didn’t want to be attracted to Addison, but from the moment he first noticed her, he’d felt an unexplainable draw. At least that’s what he’d called it until he realized her uncanny resemblance to Clair had made him feel like he knew her before he even met her.

So what now? Now that he knew that was all it was? Not only that, but she might be into Travis or worse. She might be one of those girls. Coach Lara made her out to be a brain. From the looks of her high-school-graduation picture, she’d certainly fit the description of what he’d expected: a quiet mousy bookish girl. What happened to that girl?

Then he remembered what his brothers often said. The quiet ones are the worst ones. Addison had gotten knocked up right out of high school. Possibly while still in high school based on Clair’s age and how old Addison appeared to be. If that were the case, then his brothers wouldn’t be too far off in their conclusion about quiet girls. Couple that with all the giggling she’d been doing with the guys on the team and her obvious enjoyment of their attention. If he let himself give into whatever he was feeling after being around her just once, he’d be dealing with the worst kind of girl—a flirt—one who he’d be forced to watch engage often with all his idiot teammates. Fuck that.

He did not have the patience for a girl like that, especially when he was already so damn intrigued by Addison and he barely knew anything about her. He could only imagine how much more exasperating it would be if he gave into what he was feeling. The tension and unease he’d been feeling about the whole thing only worsened when they arrived in Toronto a few days later for their series against the Blue Jays.

AJ knew he’d likely be seeing Addison again. He still hadn’t decided if he should play it safe by remaining indifferent toward her or be stupid and attempt to get to know her a little better. All he knew was not being able to stop thinking about her was annoying as all hell.

Seeing Clair run toward him on the field during batting practice before their last game in Toronto was beyond elating. After having anticipated them being there the two prior games and feeling enormously disappointed when they hadn’t showed up, he didn’t even try to contain how happy seeing her little face made him.