Alicia shrugged. “That’s my life as a physical therapist for the team, so I’m pretty used to it. Plus, it keeps me close to Garrett, so I don’t mind. And like Liz said, between my mother and my Aunt Kathleen, plus Liz and Jenna and Savannah and everyone else, I have a lot of help. I don’t think there’s any detail that’ll get missed as far as the wedding.”

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Liz said with a confident smile.

“It sounds like you have things well in hand. Or at least a lot of hands to help.”

Alicia nodded. “Hopefully so. And still able to juggle the job along with the wedding planning. Oh, and speaking of the job, I was wondering how yours was going in emergency medicine.”

“It’s going well, thanks.”

“You were originally going to specialize in obstetrics, right?” Alicia asked her.

Aubry nodded. “Yes. But then during my internship I did a rotation in the emergency room, and I fell in love.”

Victoria smirked. “With blood and guts.”

Aubry laughed. “Something like that. More like the fast pace of the ER department. I had several conversations with some of the doctors there during my rotation, and every day I spent in the ER lit a fire in my blood. I couldn’t sleep at night because I kept thinking about it. I knew it was where I was supposed to be and it was then I decided emergency medicine was my calling.”

“It’s intense, isn’t it?” Liz asked.

“It can be. But the care we give is immediate, and often lifesaving. That’s what I enjoy about it.”

“I’m sure it’s very exciting. But so much work,” Shawnelle said.

“Spoken by the lawyer,” Liz said. “Now there’s someone with an amazing career.”

“Spoken by the sports agent,” Shawnelle shot back. “I think we all do our share of intense work, honey.”

Liz nodded. “That’s true. As long as we love what we do, it doesn’t matter how intense it is, does it?”

“You have a point,” Aubry said. “There are days I’m so busy and so involved in what I’m doing, the hours just fly by. And I’m never bored.”

“I can’t imagine you would be,” Alicia said. “What you’re doing is so rewarding.”

Aubry smiled at her. “Thank you. You’re a caregiver yourself. Often an athlete’s future is in your hands. Your job in rehab is so important.”

“Thanks. I love what I do.”

They all talked work for a while, until Liz went to answer a knock at the door. Even though it was late, having started the party after the baseball game, it was Friday night and a lot of people had come, which was nice for Liz.

Aubry eventually followed the women downstairs.

There were quite a few men there as well. As Liz had said earlier, several were playing pool. There was also a dartboard, some pinball games and a video game system. All in all, it was one hell of a setup. There was a very nice bar against one of the walls, so a bunch of the guys sat there drinking. She spotted Tucker talking with Gavin Riley and Dedrick Coleman, Shawnelle’s husband.

Aubry, Liz and Shawnelle wandered over to listen to them talk about another team.

“I don’t know,” Gavin said. “They’ve got a power hitter in Green, with Soong in the cleanup position, but the bottom of their order is weak. Tucker, I think you could go strong against them, especially if they can’t hit your curve.”

“But their pitching is solid, and you might find yourselves up against Peters, who has one hell of an ERA so far this season,” Tucker said. “Still, your bats are hot right now. I’d say we take at least two from them.”

“You’re talking about Cleveland?” Liz asked.

Gavin nodded, and put his arm around Liz as she came up beside him. “We have a three game series with them next week.”

Shawnelle slid in next to her husband, Dedrick, and Aubry didn’t quite know what to do. Until Tucker motioned for her to join him, so she did, scooting up next to his side.

He slipped his arm around her. “Having fun?”

“Yes. Definitely.” Which was the truth. Despite her trepidation about coming here, she was having a great time surrounded by very smart, fun women. And she was tired of second-guessing her decision to be with Tucker. She decided Liz was right. It wasn’t like she was thinking down the road or toward the future. It was best to just stay in the “right now” with him.

And right now, his fingers drew circles along her back and his touch made her tingle.

What was it about Tucker’s hands on her that could send skitters of sensual awareness down her spine?

She supposed it was too early to ask him if he was ready to leave, but for some reason, she wanted to be alone with him. Like now. She slid her hand along his arm and did the same thing to him, letting her palm rest against his chest, her nails digging in just enough to get his attention.

He looked at her with a questioning glance, then smiled as her hand snaked lower, toward his belt buckle. She kept her movements unobtrusive and easygoing so no one would notice. Nothing overt, just enough so only Tucker was aware of what she was doing.

“Something you want?” he asked.

“Definitely.”

He smiled, his movements picking up with a little more intent across her back. When his hand rested on her hip, his fingers tapping on her butt, she inhaled—deeply.

“Tucker.”