The Bad Boy Bargain (Suttonville Sentinels #1)(67)

He laughed and pulled her into a hug. “I hate how I have to look at you when I’m in character, but I have to admit, the lifts were pretty awesome.”

“They were!” She gave him a quick kiss before bending down to pull off her pointe shoes. She’d have to “wake up” from her dream onstage soon. “Don’t go anywhere—you have to take the curtain call with us.”

He nodded, and she hustled back onstage, so full of joy, she might burst. And when the play was over, Kyle joined them onstage to applause. If Josh looked just a teeny bit sour, well, she couldn’t be all that sorry.



The lights shone down on the ball field. It was a gorgeous spring night, warm with a soft breeze that teased summer’s coming arrival. Graduation was coming, too, but Faith wasn’t worried. Kyle’s grandpa, who’d come to the musical on Kyle’s ticket, had been pretty impressed. A week later, she was asked to send her audition to Elon in North Carolina. Apparently, one of the trustees was an old marine buddy, and they were considering her for a spot.

She fought a smile, thinking about how she and Kyle had celebrated the news, after he told her he’d follow her anywhere he could grow a garden.

“You look like a kitten sneaking a hot dog off the counter,” Vi said, raising a brow. “Care to share?”

Faith blushed. “Uh, not really.”

“Uh-huh, thought not.” Vi winked, then looked down at the field. “I have to say, I do love those baseball pants. Nice view.”

“Vi…”

“Hey, you can’t say you haven’t noticed.”

No, she sure couldn’t.

Faith sat up straighter as Kyle ran to the outfield. She waved, but he had that “I’m invincible” game face on, so all she could do was grin at Vi. “You ready?”

“I know nothing about this sport.” Violet leaned back, putting her hands on the floor of the bleachers behind them. She wore a Suttonville T, ripped along the hem and tied around her waist. “Why’s Kyle way out there?”

Faith laughed. “He’s an outfielder. You know, in case someone hits a pop fly, he can catch it.”

Vi stared at her, slack-jawed. “Are you speaking Swedish?”

Faith patted her shoulder. “You’ll pick it up.”

Alyssa sat on her other side. To Faith’s surprise, she knew a lot about baseball. She was staring at the batter’s box. “That guy from Midway has a terrible stance.”

Terrible stance or not, the guy hit the ball pretty hard, and it sailed between Tristan and Kyle. They raced for it, and Kyle waved Tristan off, throwing himself out Superman-style to catch it. He landed on his chest and slid several feet before stopping and holding up his mitt, showing the ball to the umpire.

Kyle stood up and dusted himself off. There was a grass stain on his white jersey, but he was grinning when he went to give Tristan a fist bump. Faith stood and applauded, and that caught his eye. He blew her a kiss before moving back into position for the next batter.

“But the guy hit it,” Vi protested. “He hit the stinking ball. Why’s he out?”

“Because the Midway guy had a terrible stance,” Alyssa said, as if that explained everything. “And because Faith’s boyfriend is a badass.”

Faith couldn’t help but smile. Yeah, he was, but Kyle wasn’t only a badass baseball player. He was kind, funny, and everything in between.

And most of all…he was hers.



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Acknowledgments

This book fell onto the page—Faith and Kyle wanted their story told, and I loved every minute of telling it. That’s a rare thing, as many stories require more effort than Faith’s back yard. But every book requires more than just the author, and I have a lot of people to thank for helping it cross the finish line:

Heather Howland, my editor-extraordinaire, and the incredible staff at Entangled Teen for their advice, support, and general awesomeness.

Rodgers and Hammerstein for writing a musical about my home state—Oklahoma! is one of my favorites.

Sawyer Fredericks, whose song “Please” was the initial impetus for this story and for Kyle’s character (Heather deserves all the credit for drawing it out), and Imagine Dragons’s “The Fall” for helping me hear Faith for the first time.

My daughter Alex, to whom this book is dedicated, for all her help with voice. Having a built-in expert on the case was great. And to my son, Tanner, for teaching me how to use Snapchat, and actually friending me, too. I’m not sure how I got so lucky to have two incredible kids like you.

Finally, my husband, Ryan, for making sure I have space, time, and M&Ms for the journey. I couldn’t do it without you.