Free Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel by Jennifer Seasons Page A

been holding out on me?”
    Why had she been keeping it secret? Good question. “It’s happened twice, and I didn’t tell you about it because I’ve been busy.”
    Her friend jabbed her in the shoulder. “That’s for not telling me. I’m an old married woman with a herd of kids, you know. I need to live vicariously through you.”
    That made her laugh. “You’re not old. But you do have a herd of kids, that’s true.”
    And Sonny knew for a fact that Janie was ridiculously happy about it. Even if she was always running around crazy. Married life suited her.
    Janie turned the topic back to the kisses. “So, tell me about them already. They were from the UPS guy, weren’t they? I know you have it bad for those brown shorts.”
    “Please. It’s the FedEx uniforms.”
    Janie chuckled, but prodded her. “Seriously, who was it? I’m dying to know.”
    Because it’d been playing at the back of her mind for days, Sonny asked instead, “When you met Ben, were you ready?”
    “Heck no. Not in a million years.”
    “What made you change your mind?”
    Janie placed a hand on her gently rounded belly and looked at Sonny. “I didn’t. Ben changed it for me.”
    See now, that didn’t compute. “But you had two kids, J. How did you get past the fear of screwing everything up?”
    Understanding softened Janie’s eyes and they got all watery again. “I fell in love, Sonny. I didn’t plan it or look for it.”
    “Weren’t you scared?”
    Kelly ran over to Janie and she scooped her up and planted a kiss on her cheek. “I was terrified. I had one wrecked marriage behind me and a tenuous hold on the present. But Ben pushed through my fears. He made me see that the only thing to be terrified of was never being loved at all.”
    Sonny lifted her gaze to the sky and inhaled deep, her own eyes feeling a little watery. “What if it had been a mistake? What if it hadn’t ended in marriage and happy ever after?”
    “I had to take that chance. Being without Ben wasn’t an option.” She cuddled her daughter and continued, “Besides, nobody has a bead on the future. We can’t see how it’s all going to unfold and we can’t predict the bruises.”
    “I don’t want bruises.”
    Janie gave her a level look. “Well then don’t go around kissing anybody.”
    Good advice, that.
    The sound of gravel crunching caught their attention and they turned just in time to see a shiny red Toyota truck pull into the drive. Crap. She’d forgotten all about his arrival and now her stomach took a nosedive.
    Kelly pointed over her mom’s shoulder and exclaimed, “Car!”
    Janie squinted against the sun and asked, “Who’s that?”
    The nobody she’s not supposed to be kissing. “That’s JP Trudeau. Shortstop for the Rush.”
    “What’s he doing here and how do you know him?” It took Janie a minute and then she whispered fiercely, “Is he the one you’ve been sampling?”
    Both of them watched—one in avid fascination, the other equal parts nerves and uncertainty—as the truck door swung open. It seemed like a small eternity before JP rounded the hood of his Toyota and came into full view. When he did, he stopped and surveyed the property, eyes shielded behind a pair of old-school aviators.
    Something besides nerves came to life in her stomach, too, as she took in the sight of his fit, toned body in a white T-shirt and faded jeans. He stood like a man completely and utterly confident in himself.
    That man knew his place in the world.
    Sonny wasn’t the only one left speechless at the sight of him. Janie stood next to her with her mouth open, eyes glued on the sexy ballplayer. Then she swallowed hard and tapped Sonny’s shoulder.
    “I lied earlier, Sonny.”
    Her eyes were glued on him too. “Yeah? About what?”
    “About the kissing. You should be doing a whole lotta kissing.”

 
    Chapter Seven
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    JP SCANNED THE yard and found Sonny standing next to a brunette woman with a toddler. All of them, including the