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  “Savage,” she moans when I twist my wrist so that my thumb lays on her clit, my fingers thrusting in and out of her body. “Feels so good, but I need more.”

  Coming up on my elbows, I brush the sheet aside, layering my body on top of hers. Taking one hand, I pull her thigh up, sliding home. Her intake of breath tells me everything I need to hear as I begin moving within her body.

  “I love you,” I whisper as my lips claim her neck.

  “Love you too, so fucking much,” she gasps, moaning as I rock against her.

  Closing my eyes, I thank God, because this moment is everything I ever wanted it to be.

  Two

  Savage

  A week later, I’m watching a few boxes being carried into the penthouse. And I’m watching my wife come in with them. “You can just put these right here,” she says to the guys carrying everything in.

  She left last night to go back to Willow’s Gap, to get the rest of her things and then flew back to meet the small moving truck. The only thing I’m seeing here is five boxes. “Is this all there was, Mal?”

  “I got rid of most of my stuff when I moved from L.A., there isn’t a lot of it, and this is all I think I need. Who knows, as I go through it, I may not even need these five boxes.” She pushes her hair out of her face. “I’m sure the clothes I have probably aren’t glamorous enough to keep up with your lifestyle.”

  “Which is why-” I give her a grin, “-this is yours, to do with what you want. To buy what you need, and to hopefully give you the okay to make this more your home.” I hand her an American Express Black Card with her name on it.

  “Slade? Are you serious right now?” She flips the card over and over in her hand. “This is way too much.”

  “Yes, I’m serious. You became my wife, or have you forgotten? I’ve moved you from everything you’ve ever known. It’s my job to make sure you have everything you need.”

  “This is more than what I need.” She tries to give it back to me. “I do make a living from the charity.”

  My tone is patient. “I know, but we’re finally living our dreams. Everything I have is yours and I don’t want you to ever have to worry about money again. JD’s wife, Felicity, is going to come and help you after we go get you a new car.”

  “A car?” Her mouth hangs open as she gapes at me. “Slade, this is way too much.”

  “It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to do for you.” I walk over to her, widening my stance so that I’m on eye level with her, cupping her jaw in my hands. “This is what I wanted to give you with my first paycheck when I signed my contract. I wanted to see you go out, spend it, and come home looking like the professional baseball player’s wife I knew you would be.”

  “I just…” She shakes her head, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “I don’t deserve this.”

  “You deserve everything I can give you. This makes me happy, please let me do it.” I lean in, giving her a kiss. “I worked so hard to be able to give all these things to the woman I love. I’m positive I kept doing this hoping that one day you’d come back to me, I saved money to be able to spend it on you. So please, let me do it.”

  There are tears in her eyes as she kisses me back. “If that’s what you want, Slade, then that’s what I’ll do. Just know how much I appreciate it, and I don’t expect it.”

  “I never would have married you if I thought you expected it. Let’s go get you a car.”

  An hour later, we’re sitting in the local BMW dealership, signing papers for a brand-new SUV that she insisted she didn’t need, but her face lit up when she drove.

  “Slade.” She gives me a look. “Are you sure?”

  “Please, just let me do what I want for you,” I whisper softly. “Giving you things makes me happy, so just enjoy it.”

  “I’ve always paid my own way,” she protests.

  “What did I tell you earlier?” I hand her the keys.

  “Just enjoy it?” Her face is happy, a joy I’ve not seen there before.

  “Yeah, babe. Just enjoy it.”

  I walk her out to the new SUV, holding her hand as she leans up against the driver’s side door. “You’re gonna look hot in this, in the summer, with the sunroof open, your hair blowing in the breeze.” I lift my hand up under the nape of her neck, gripping the strands in between my fingers, situating her head to give her a kiss.

  “I’ll look hot, just for you.” She laughs as she throws her arms around my neck, letting me kiss her, and letting it get a little out of control.

  “I wish-” I pull back from her, “-that we could go home and take this further, but I can’t. Right now I have to go get ready to do a small press bit at the ballpark. Give Felicity a call, or text her; she’s more than willing to help you out.”

  “I will,” she says as I wave to her.

  I watch her pull her phone out and text as I drive away.

  Malone

  “Thanks for meeting me,” I tell Felicity as she approaches the bench I’m sitting on at the higher-end mall she had me go to.

  Last year, Felicity had been the new wife on the team, newly married to their shortstop JD. During Spring Training she’d taken me under her wing, and now we’re becoming pretty good friends.

  “No problem. I was the new girl last year, so I know all about getting thrown in the deep end. Someone was here to help me out, and now I’m happy to help you out. What are we doing today?”

  I really like her. She’s got a bubbly personality, model good looks, and what appears to be a heart of gold. There are few women I’ve trusted upon meeting them, and she’s one of them. Which helps because we’re going to be spending a lot of time with each other this season.

  “I need clothes to wear to team functions, games - I need it all.”

  “Oh girl, you’ve come to the right person, the right place, and the right time. I’ve got an itchy trigger finger when it comes to buying new stuff.” She smiles brightly as she grabs my arm and drags me to a store with the name Kate Spade over the top of it. It’s not like I haven’t heard of this stuff, or even visited the stores but I’ve never been able to afford anything that’s not a knock off. Back in LA I faked it until I made it by charging a shit-ton, and going to thrift stores. This is a whole new world for me.

  Two hours later, we’re loaded down with bags that include clothes, bras, the most scandalous underwear I’ve seen, name-brand purses, and things that she called statement jewelry pieces.

  “I don’t know about you,” I tell her, “but I’m hungry. Would you like to have lunch?”

  “I’d love it.”

  We agree on a restaurant in the mall that looks swankier than the nicest one I’ve ever been in before. They call me Mrs. Harlow and her by her married name too. It’s obvious these people are baseball fans.

  “Does this happen a lot?” I ask as we’re seated and given glasses of water. “People treating you different because of who your husband is?”

  She nods. “Yeah, and it can greatly depend on how your husband is playing.” She takes a drink of water and a bite of the bread they’ve given us. We order steak salads and wine, along with an appetizer. When the waiter leaves, she continues. “If he’s playing well, then people love you, they tell you thank you for keeping him happy at home. And trust me, they do mean in bed.” She gives me a pointed look. “If he’s playing bad, it’s your fault. You’re asking too much of him, distracting him, or maybe you aren’t being a freak in the sheets enough.” She rolls her eyes. “It’s exhausting, but you just have to know at the end of the day, he’s your husband, he’s looking to you to be his shelter in this crazy storm these fans swirl around them.”

  “It sounds like navigating a minefield,” I admit, worried about how I’ll handle the pressure that seems to go with this.

  “Right now you’re new blood; they want to flock to you. You’re Savage’s woman. I saw him make that announcement on Instagram the other day. Your follower’s have skyrocketed, haven’t they?”

  “Sin
ce I made it public? Almost into the hundreds of thousands. It blows my mind.”

  “It’s because they want a tangible relationship with someone who knows him. They want to know what you do in your everyday life, if you’re making him happy, if you’re being a good wife.”

  “How are they even able to ascertain that from a few posts on social media? I mean the PR part of my brain understands it, but the personal part of my brain, has a hard time grasping the concept. That people would actually be interested in me.”

  “Girl, you’ll see. Welcome to the insanity. The way to handle it all? Have good friends, drink good wine, and have lots of damn good sex with your husband.”

  I laugh, almost snorting as the waiter comes, dropping off the appetizer. “I’ll have to remember that. So how do you do it?”

  “I give them little pieces of my life, but not everything. Like right now I’m going walk over to your side of the table, take a selfie and upload it to Instagram, tagging you in it. I’ll say something clever about us going out to lunch, but no one will know why we went out to lunch, or where we are. See? Give them a little, but not everything.”

  It’s starting to click in my head about how difficult this new life of mine may be, depending on what happens with Slade, but I love him, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes.

  Our salads are dropped off and our wine is refilled when I look at her seriously. “Okay, tell me about Spring Training. I’m going with Slade, but I’m scared to death.”

  She opens her mouth to speak, but both our phones start going off with notifications. “I guess people are glad we’re having lunch together,” Felicity giggles as she goes to check some of the comments. “Another piece of advice, I randomly turn comments off on the posts. If I don’t want to hear the bullshit that day, I don’t hear it. Especially if I’m feeling good about myself. I can post what I think is the cutest selfie, and people will comment about how fat I am and I must be pregnant.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, the Internet has given everyone a voice. I just want you to know what you might be in for. No one warned me, and it was a shock. I spent a few days crying when the first trolls showed up - I don’t want that for you.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” I take a bite of my salad, the food melting in my mouth. I don’t think I’ve ever had food this good.

  “Spring Training,” she continues. “The guys are busy, but it’s nothing like the season. This is where the family’s kind of hang out; you’ll meet more of the wives, and hopefully you and Savage will settle into a routine. It’s what I call the season lite. You get used to him playing, but it’s not nearly as hardcore once the season gets into full-swing.”

  I take a large gulp of my wine. “It feels like so much to figure out, so much to take in,” I sigh.

  “With those of us who’ve already been through it helping you, you’ll be fine. The most important thing is to love your husband, have fun, and give him the support he needs. He, in turn, will show you some of the coolest places you’ve ever seen, and you’ll have some of the most amazing experiences of your life. The rest of it? It’s annoyance and noise. Love him, make good friends, and live life the way you want to. Fuck the rest of it.”

  I spit my wine out, laughing at what she’s just said. “That’s a good way to look at it. Fuck the rest.”

  “Hey, whatever gets us through the day. Until you’re in it, you don’t realize what a fishbowl it is.”

  As we’re leaving, I think about what she’s said and I come to an agreement with myself right then and there. I won’t allow anyone to ever dull what Slade and I have. No matter how uncomfortable this may be for me, I’ll be everything he needs me to be. This time I will be everything I couldn’t be before.

  Three

  Malone

  April

  “Just sign your name right here, and we’ll give you the badges you need for the stadium, Mrs. Harlow.”

  The last name still gets to me when other people say it. Giving her a big smile, I sign with a flourish and then go over to stand in front of a camera, having my picture taken. As I wait for the badge to print, I think about how my life has changed in the past few months.

  It’s been a whirlwind since the first week of February, needing to get things situated before he went off for Spring Training. Was it my dream wedding? Not at first, but it turned out to be. I had him, our family, and a few new friends. That was all we needed. The few days on the Gulf that followed were perfect, and that’s when all hell broke loose.

  There were papers to sign, names to change, and before we knew it, he was reporting to Spring Training. I followed a week later, after getting a few things at our penthouse situated, where we spent glorious time in the Florida sun, meeting other players, their wives, girlfriends, fiancées, and my first encounter with fans.

  All leading me here. Today. Opening day of the baseball season. Slade had to leave earlier in the day, which means I have to do all of this stuff alone. Get my passes, figure out where to park, and learn where my seat is. It’s a lot to take in, but I knew as soon as I said yes and a wedding ring went on my finger, this would be my life.

  “Here you go! Enjoy your game!”

  The lady who’s been so helpful hands me my pass and sends me on my way. Only, I’m not sure which way that is.

  “Malone!”

  I’m not so quick to turn around now when I hear someone call my name. Now I’m unsure if it’s someone I know or one of Slade’s fans who follow me on social media. I didn’t think it would happen that fast, but it has.

  Within three days of him making a post that we got married and tagging me on my new public account (I’m still in PR after all); I had over three hundred thousand followers. Which is insanity. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I turn to the direction the voice came from, realizing I recognize the voice, and smile my first genuine smile of the day.

  “Felicity!” I answer her, holding my arms out for a hug.

  “Are you completely lost about where you need to go?” she asks as she pushes her sunglasses on top of her head.

  Here under the canopy of the stadium, they aren’t needed. I do the same, because I’ve learned others think it’s rude if you don’t at least act like you’re paying attention. “Yes,” I admit. “I’ve only been here once with Slade, and that was when he practiced hitting and fielding last year.”

  “C’mon, we have a special section in the stands, or we have a box. I prefer to watch from the stands. It’s totally your decision though.”

  I’ve heard about the wives who watch from the box. They’re the ones who’ve been around for years, and they hang out with Coach’s wife. After my introduction to her last year, things haven’t changed much, and I’m not sure I want to spend my first afternoon as a wife in my home stadium with her. Instead, I tilt my head toward the stands. “I think I’d rather watch with the people.”

  “Yes, girl!” She gives me a high-five. “Oh wait, I have something for you.” She reaches into the tote she carries, handing me a smaller one. “It’s kind of a welcoming kit. Me and a few of the other girls put it together for you. They all sit in the stands too, so you’ll be introduced throughout the season.”

  “Thank you so much!”

  I open the tote, seeing a shirt that looks a little like the one Slade plays in with Mrs. Harlow written on the back and Savage on the side pocket area, a picture of him covers the rest of it. It’s then I notice she’s wearing a shirt like that with JD on it.

  “What can I say?” She shrugs. “We support our men whenever we can.”

  This I like, eliciting a laugh from me. Digging through there, I see snacks, a water bottle customized with my name on it and Savage’s number, along with what looks to be a laminated phone list.

  “These are all the important numbers. If something happens, these are the people who will call you, or you can call. If he’s on the road and gets hurt and you’re not there. These are the people who can answer your questions. Always k
eep this, just in case.”

  I nod, thankful she’s given me this info. Half of this is shit I never even thought of.

  “Can I go change into this real quick?” I hold up the shirt, loving it more than the plain Bandits one I’m wearing right now.

  “I’ll wait right here for you.” She holds out her hand to take the tote back, while I run into the bathroom, secure a stall, and do a quick change.

  When I come out, she’s talking to another woman, this one wearing the face of another member on her shirt. “Malone, this is Izzy. She’s married to the right-fielder, Damon. She couldn’t make it to Spring Training because she’d just had a baby.” Felicity makes the introduction for us.

  “Nice to meet you.” I hold my hand out to her. “Wow, you look good for just having had a baby.”

  “Nice to meet you too, I heard lots of amazing things about you from Felicity. We normal girls have to stick together! And breastfeeding is the best diet I’ve ever had in my life.”

  “We better get down there.” Felicity glances at her watch. “It’s about to start, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss anything.”

  Savage

  Opening day. If you’re not playing in the World Series, this is the biggest day of your career as a professional baseball player. Today my nerves are crazy, always are, at least until I get out on the field. Once I’m there, muscle memory takes over and there’s absolutely nothing for me to worry about.

  “You feeling good?” JD asks as we sit next to each other in the locker room, getting ready to take the field.

  I’m not one of those players who has rituals they need to do before each game. I stretch, I drink plenty of water, and I pray to God that I don’t get hurt. That’s about it. I don’t wear the same socks, don’t put on the same batting glove, and so far my facial hair hasn’t ever given me any luck that I can ascertain. In the grand scheme of things, I am, in fact, good.