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I raced up to the box office window, out of breath from running the last few blocks. “Tickets for Jane Morris?”

The young woman working the window typed my name into the computer, then picked up her radio. “Ms. Morris has arrived.”

What on earth? I was supposed to pick up a ticket, nothing else. A fan services rep appeared at my elbow.

“Ms. Morris? We’ve been expecting you. Follow me.” What was going on? I hadn’t asked anyone for special treatment. Unless Wally had pulled some strings? Considering how close our families were, maybe he had arranged something special for me. He shouldn’t have, but there was nothing I could do to change it now.

I followed the rep into the ballpark, pausing as they stopped at the VIP elevator. “I wasn’t expecting this. All I wanted was a regular ticket.”

The rep smiled at me. “Mr. Hunter asked us to make sure you were taken care of. He wasn’t using his family tickets, so we have you sitting in the family section in his seats. Once I get you settled, if you need anything, all you need to do is ask.”

This had to have been Wally’s doing. He must have reached out to Raine to ask for a ticket. Hopefully he told Raine not to let Carter know I would be here. And I hadn’t expected to sit with the families. I wasn’t dressed to sit with the WAGs: I was wearing jeans and a clean T-shirt that I’d grabbed when I’d stopped at home to tell Ethan where I was going. My hair was still pulled back in a ponytail, and I had no makeup on except mascara and lip gloss. I was not Instagram ready.

“Can we stop at the team store before we head up? I need a jersey.” I had planned to get a Cook jersey before I saw Carter anyway, but a hat and a jersey would help me blend into the crowd in case the cameras panned to the family section. This was one thing I hated about being a WAG. I never lived up to the aesthetic that most of the women were able to project. I was comfortable in my own skin, but I didn’t want to reflect badly on Carter.

“Sure.”

We made our way down the concourse until we reached the team store, which was packed. I was trying to keep up with what was happening on the field by watching the monitors mounted on every pillar. I was only a little late; Cincinnati was at bat in the second and no one had scored yet.

I squeezed between a group of fans clustered around a rack of jerseys, looking for one with Carter’s name and number. I could always get one custom-made, but that would take time. I found some hanging on the wall and rifled through them until I found a red-and-white home jersey in my size. I took it and a matching hat and got into the lineups for the registers.

“You don’t have to wait,” the rep said cheerfully as she snapped the tags off my selections. “I’ll take these for our records, but your purchases are complimentary. We would have had them waiting for you, but Mr. Hunter didn’t know your size. Would you like a couple of other shirts while we’re here? Or I can bring some up to you later if you’d prefer.”

I shrugged helplessly. “Whatever you think is best.”

I shouldn’t be surprised, as the teams usually provided swag for the families, but I hadn’t anticipated any of this. My only goal had been getting to Carter. I didn’t care what she brought me, although a clean T-shirt for tomorrow would be nice.

“Okay, I’ll bring a few things up for you later. Let’s get you to your seat so you don’t miss any more of the game.”

The rep’s chipper attitude eased some of the anxiety gnawing at me. Carter had made a declaration on a national sports broadcast—he was moving back to Red Rock. He had texted me to tell me to watch the interview. I believed he wanted us to be together. I was here to tell him I’d been wrong. That I loved him, too, and I wanted to give our relationship another chance.

I settled into the seat the rep pointed to, catching a few sideways glances from some of the other family members, but no one said anything. Most of them were dressed more casually than I was used to—there were a couple who looked like fitness models, but most of them looked like parents and siblings, not partners. Which, considering the ages of most of the players, made sense. Some of the tension left my body when I realized I fit in with the group. I relaxed a little more when a dedicated server came and took my order for a hot dog and popcorn; I was starving.

The game was heading into the third inning still tied at zero. I laced my fingers together and searched for Carter. I found him playing first base. I drank in the sight of him, watching as he moved easily and talked to other players around him. His blond hair was shaggier than it had been, like he hadn’t had time to get it cut. He was a little leaner than he had been when he lived with me too. The intensity of a season caused a lot of players to lose weight, but Carter didn’t have much to lose.

Best of all, he looked happy, carefree. Like he was having the time of his life. I ached to have him wrap his arms around me. Soon. I propped my chin in my hands and concentrated on the action.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see a gorgeous woman with light-brown skin and long, dark braids smiling at me. “Hi, I’m Anna. I haven’t seen you here before. Are you connected to a player?”

“I’m Jane. I⁠—”

She scanned the back of my jersey and raised a knowing eyebrow. “You’re with Carter Cook, if your jersey means anything. You’re the woman from Red Rock.”

“I am.” She knew who I was? Carter had talked about me? I still wasn’t sure how much she knew, and I didn’t know if I could trust her, even if she did have a welcoming presence.

“I’m engaged to Julio Hernandez,” she said, showing me the ring on her left hand. It wasn’t a huge diamond like so many players got their partners. Instead, it was a ruby in a recessed platinum setting. A gorgeous and unique piece of jewellery, and it suited her. “Julio and Carter are close. Carter told Julio that there was someone back in Red Rock. I’m guessing you saw his big announcement.”

I nodded. If Carter had talked about me with Julio and Anna, he must trust them. After what I’d been through after Chad, I was certain he would never talk about me to people who would use that information against us.

“I was shocked. I never thought he would retire, and I definitely didn’t expect him to come back to Red Rock.”

Anna smiled. “Julio requested a trade to Vancouver to be with me. If your man loves you, he finds a way.”

My insides went squishy at the genuine love in Anna’s words. Had Julio’s decision influenced Carter? Anna was practically glowing with happiness, and I wanted that with Carter. I was almost sorry I wouldn’t have the chance to get to know her a lot better. Anna seemed down-to-earth and very welcoming. But my life was in Red Rock, and now Carter’s would be too.

A groan from the crowd drew my attention back to the field, where Cincinnati had just scored the first run of the game. With two out and the bases loaded, the pitcher had walked in a run, an ugly way to give up the first run. The next batter grounded out, and Vancouver escaped the jam, giving up only one. Carter jogged off the field, patting his pitcher on the shoulder as he went into the dugout.

It took until the sixth, but Vancouver finally got the run back along with three more, taking control of the game. They carried the lead into the ninth, and I held my breath as their closer struck out the first two batters. One more, and Vancouver would guarantee themselves a playoff spot.