Tag lifted his gaze and settled a heartbreaking look on Sam.

“It’s true,” she whispered, her eyes unusually bright. “You’re stuck with me.”

“You’re not mad?” Tag asked her.

“Not at this moment, no. Can’t say that that won’t change, but one thing that for sure won’t change is your address for the rest of the next three months.”

“Yeah, because you have to keep me,” he said a little bitterly. “No one else wanted me.”

Sam put her hand over his. “Maybe I didn’t know I wanted you, but I do. And your father wants you and loves you, he’s just got to take care of himself right now before he can take care of you again.”

Tag nodded and stared at his burger.

“It’s true,” Sam told him. “I want you with me, I love having you with me. Because of you, I’ve expanded my food horizons to include cheese on everything. I watch SpongeBob SquarePants. And I’m getting good on the Xcube.”

“Xbox,” Tag corrected with a snort but he did let loose a reluctant smile as well.

“And my refrigerator is always full of good stuff,” she went on, smiling, too. “And best of all? Because you’re always at work with me, no one can yell at me. Plus, you’re fairly entertaining.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, and you’re also pretty darn cute when you’re not scowling. Now eat your burger.”

Tag grinned and ate his burger. Sam looked at Wade with a soft smile. He had no idea what it meant, but he liked it. A lot.

After dinner, they walked along the beach, with Tag managing to get wet up to his waist because he couldn’t resist the lure of the ocean. Nor could he resist kicking up a wave at Wade, splashing him down the front.

Wade merely stripped off his shoes and shirt and went in after the kid. When they were both good and drenched, they returned to the shore to face a clearly bemused Sam.

“You’re both . . . wet,” she said, trying to pretend she wasn’t staring at Wade’s chest and failing.

“That’s water for you,” Wade said.

“She doesn’t like to get wet,” Tag reminded him. “Her hair frizzes up like a squirrel’s tail.”

“Tag,” Sam said.

“Oh. Right.” He winced. “That was a secret.”

“I like squirrels,” Wade said to Sam with a smile.

“Don’t even think about it,” Sam warned him.

Oh, he was thinking. He looked at Tag, who nodded, and the two of them engulfed her in their arms, pressing their wet bodies close to her squirming one, not letting go until she was as drenched as them.

“Nice,” Wade said, and tousled her frizzing hair.

Tag ran ahead, toward the car, and Wade grabbed Sam’s hand, following more slowly. She was using her free hand to try to flatten her hair.

It wasn’t happening.

He let his gaze dip down her body. Her blue dress was soaked, clinging to her hips, belly, and breasts.

She was cold.

She looked down to see what he was looking at. “Great.” She hugged herself. “Feeling a little embarrassed here.”

“Yeah, that’s not what I’m feeling.”

She rolled her eyes and tried to get the material away from her body. It broke free with a little suction sound that went straight through Wade, then replastered itself to her like a second skin. She gave up. Not him. Christ, she was hot, and he stepped toward her.

“Oh, no,” she said quickly, with a short laugh as she backed up, holding out a hand to ward him off. “No touching.”

“Give me ten seconds to change your mind.”

He expected her to laugh. Instead she nodded, a heat coming into her eyes. “You could do it in zero point four,” she said softly. “But you won’t. Not here, not now.”

“Why not?”

“Because Tag’s here . . . and because you’re a good guy.”

He stared into her eyes. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“You secret’s safe.”

He drove them home, and walked her and Tag to their door. Tag ran inside, leaving them alone. Sam leaned back against the door jamb. “Thanks for tonight.”

“Yeah. The burgers were good. I love that place.”

“I meant for helping me with Tag.”

“He’s a great kid.”

Her head was back against the wood, tilted up to look into his eyes. “He is.” She licked her lower lip, an unconscious gesture.

She wanted him to kiss her.

Leaning past her, he took a peek inside. Tag wasn’t visible. Good. He put a hand on either side of Sam’s head and crowded in a little bit, being careful not to touch her. “ ’Night,” he whispered.

She stared up at him, her eyes dilated, her lips open just a little.

She was waiting. Waiting for the good night kiss. And she was so hopeful, so damn sexy with it, he nearly groaned.

“Night,” she said a little breathlessly, her eyes drifting closed, her mouth gravitating to his, only a breath away now. It took everything he had to remain utterly still. Even more to push off the door and back away.

Her eyes flew open. “What are you doing?”

“Not touching you.”

She stared at him for a beat, then clearly remembered her own words and sighed. “You think this is amusing.”

“I’m feeling a lot of things, not a one of them amused.” He looked at her in that wet dress and this time he did groan. “Okay, got to go.”

“Wade?”

When he turned back, she was in the middle of the doorway, ni**les still pressing against the wet fabric of her dress, begging for attention. “Yeah?”

“You want me to throw myself at you, right? Which, admittedly, I keep doing.” She shook her head. “I’m onto you.”

“I wish you were onto me. Or better yet, all over me. I’m not picky.”

She actually took a step toward him, the interest in her eyes making him insta-hard, but Tag appeared behind her with a bag of Cheez Doodles and a DVD in hand. “Wanna watch with me?” he asked.

Sam, her back to him, closed her eyes for a second, then let out a breath. “Yeah. We want to watch with you.”

Wade ruffled Tag’s hair and grabbed Sam’s hand. Which is how his date ended up being PG instead of his usual NC-17, or better yet, X.

Chapter 22

The season starts too early and finishes too late and there are too many games in between.

—Bill Veeck

The Heat played Washington at home in a five-day series, and went into the fifth game tied up two to two. Sam and Tag sat in the stands next to Holly, and at the first media break, Sam loaded up on snacks, handing Holly a full tray.

“You okay?” Holly asked.

“Of course. Why?”

Holly passed Tag the tray. “Go for it, dude.”

“Sweet!” Tag said, and dug in. When he was occupied, Holly said quietly to Sam, “You look stressed.”

Sam slunk down in her seat. It was a sunny, gorgeous, warm day. The air was scented with fresh cut grass and sea salt. The stands were filled with hometown fans. Sitting up here like this was as comfortable as being at home. “I’m out of control,” she whispered.

“Work?”

“Among other things.”

Holly smiled. “You know what’s good for stress?” She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Sex with your big, bad, sexy pretend boyfriend.” She put air quotes around pretend.

“Ha. Thanks for the tip.”

“Anytime.” Holly turned forward to watch Pace pitch and Sam spent the next inning watching her big, bad, sexy “boyfriend” work his magic on the field.

Tag was sitting on her other side, eating more than five truck drivers, but totally into the game. Whenever Wade came up to bat, Tag held his breath along with Sam. He jumped up and cheered and yelled along with Sam. He swore at the umpire along with Sam. And when, at the bottom of the third inning, Wade hit a homer the two of them jumped up and down, and then turned to each other and hugged. Sam felt his scrawny arms go around her and her heart swelled until it was too big for her chest. “I love watching games with you.”

With a grunt, he sank back to his seat and stuffed the last of his third hot dog into his mouth.

Sam looked at Holly, who laughed and shook her head.

“And you’re having fun with me, too,” Sam said to Tag, suddenly needing to hear it, needing to know he wasn’t still pining away for home too badly, feeling as lost as she had for most of her childhood.

“Uh-huh,” he said, mouth full, still focused on the game. “Even though you make me use soap every night.”

At the bottom of the fourth inning, Tag groaned.

“Tag?” Sam’s brow knit. He was green. “You okay?”

He opened his mouth and threw up.

She got him to the clubhouse where he threw up some more.

And some more.

Sam panicked. She’d never had so much as a hamster. For all she knew, he was dying of some horrible disease. Whipping out her phone while Tag hunched miserably, bowing to the porcelain god, she called medical and brought them in from the dugout.

By this time, Tag had started to feel better, but he gamely answered the medic’s questions.

“What did you eat?” the medic asked after checking his vitals.

“Four hot dogs, popcorn, and a soda.”

The medic gestured with his chin to Tag’s pockets. “And?”

Tag slid uneasy eyes to Sam but didn’t answer.

“What?” she asked. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Tag remained mute, and after exchanging a look with the medic, Sam hunkered down on her knees, level with Tag, who was still sitting on the floor next to the toilet. “Okay, let’s do this,” she said. “You tell me whatever it is that you’re not telling me, and I won’t get mad.”

“Promise?”

Oh, boy. “Promise.”

Tag pulled out a can of tobacco.

Sam gasped. “I told you that you couldn’t have any of that.”

“I took it from Santos.”

“Define took.”

He hesitated. “You promised not to get mad.”

She drew a deep breath and looked at the medic. “Is he going to be okay?”

“You’ll need to hydrate him.” The medic gave Tag a long look. “And he’ll need to lay off the chew until he’s legal.”

She gave Tag ginger ale to settle his stomach, and when he swore he was all better, they went back to the game.

Holly smiled at their return. “So maybe only two hot dogs next time?” she asked Tag.

“Yeah,” Tag said with a sigh.

At the top of the fifth inning, the Nationals third baseman popped a foul. Wade tossed off his mask, keeping his face up as he ran back and back . . .

He caught the ball and hit the fence at the same time, right at a fencing joint, which was a steel pole. At the impact, he crumpled to the ground.

By some miracle, the ball didn’t pop out of his glove but stayed tight in the mitt, and the Nationals player was out.

The crowd went crazy.

But Wade didn’t move.

Pace ran off the mound toward him. Gage always moved with easy, economical grace, no unnecessary movements, but even he jogged out of the dugout at the sight of Wade so utterly still. Sam was already on her feet, trying to get a better view.

“Is he okay?” Tag asked.

With Pace and the coaches hunkered over him, she couldn’t see.

“He’s not moving.” Tag tugged on her arm. “Do you see him moving?”

Sam’s gut was too tight to answer. Wade had tossed off his headgear to catch the ball, so when he’d hit the pole and then the ground at full force, he’d had no head protection at all.

Around her, the crowd had grown eerily quiet, anxiety and worry humming across the field. Holly quietly slipped her hand in Sam’s.

Just wriggle a damn toe, she thought, shielding her eyes from the piercing sun to watch what was happening down on the field. Just a single toe and then I’ll be able to take a breath—

“Maybe his brains are leaking out,” Tag said, looking serious and solemn and a little frightened. “Do you think his brains are leaking out?”

Sam drew a sharp breath but slipped her arm around him. “No, I do not.”

“Okay.” He was quiet for a single heartbeat. “Look, the same guy who helped me is helping him. It’s probably just broken bones. Maybe he can get one of those wheelchairs with the motor in it.”

“I’m also hoping no broken bones.” Move, she silently begged Wade. Get up . . .

Nothing.

And then finally she saw a foot kick out, and she nearly dropped to her seat in overwhelming relief. The people huddled around Wade moved back to give him some room. He sat up, nodded in response to whatever Gage was saying, and got slowly to his feet. To the relieved cheers of the crowd, he walked unaided, but he immediately left the dugout with three staff members.

Leaving Tag with Holly, Sam raced down to the clubhouse to see him, but security was blocking the medical room, letting no one through, not even her. The place was completely closed off until the end of the game.

Her thoughts were racing in tune to her heart. What if he wasn’t okay? Focus, Sam, focus . . . She needed to tell the press something—Jesus, screw the press, she thought. Why should she worry about the press when her heart was lying on the other side of that door? She whipped out her cell phone and called Gage, who told her to sit tight, he’d let her know Wade’s status ASAP.