Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 181

Second Best

Elijah’s POV

Her eyes widened slightly, her lips parting, but I kept going before she could cut in.

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“It makes me feel like everything we have–everything we’re building, this baby, us–is just a rebound,” I admitted, the bitter truth slipping out before I could stop it.

“It makes it look like you never actually moved on from him, like I’m just second best because he didn’t pick you.”

Guilt and sadness instantly flooded her face, washing away the last traces of her anger.

“Eli… no,” she whispered, her voice trembling as tears pooled again. “It’s not–I’m so sorry. I swear it’s not like that.”

I reached up, cupping her cheek with my palm to catch a stray tear before it fell.

“Hey. Look at me.” I waited until her tear–rimmed eyes met mine. “I’m not trying to attack you. I just need to know where your heart is, Tori. I need to know you’re fully here with me.”

Victoria reached out, her cool hands coming up to cup my cheeks in return.

Even with tears spilling down her face, a soft, genuine smile broke through the sadness on her lips.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel like that, Eli,” she murmured softly, her thumbs gently tracing my cheekbones.

“You are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me. You could never be a rebound. What we have… this isn’t a second choice, Eli. It’s my only choice.”

She took a shaky breath, leaning her forehead against mine so I could feel the warmth of her breath against my skin.

“Actually? I’m grateful for how everything played out between Caleb and me,” she whispered, her voice steadying.

“Because if things had gone differently, if I had stayed wrapped up in him, I would have missed you. I would have never ended up right here in your arms, having a family with you.”

I closed my eyes for a brief second, feeling the tight knot in my chest finally loosen as her words sank in.

“I’m not crying because I want him to love me back,” she continued softly, her hands smoothing over my jaw.

“I’m hurt because I’m trying to process how someone I called my best friend for so many years could do something like that. It just hurts that he dragged me along for his own comfort. It would have been so much better if he had just been upfront with me from the beginning–if he had just said, “Tori, I see what you’re doing, but I don’t feel the same way and I never will. That would have been mercy. But instead, he let me lose myself just so he wouldn’t be lonely.”

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11:33 Tue, Aug 25

Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

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“I understand that, baby. I really do,” I murmured, my chest relaxing as the weight of her words settled into me. “Caleb is an asshole for what he did to you. But hey…”

I brushed my thumb gently across her bottom lip, catching a stray tear before it could drop.

A lopsided smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I looked into her eyes, trying to coax the light back into them.

“No more crying over guys who don’t deserve your tears tonight, alright? You’ve got a handsome captain right here who’s completely obsessed with you.”

A small laugh escaped her before she could stop it, her lips curving into a reluctant smile.

“Now,” I whispered, leaning in just a fraction closer, “can I kiss you?”

“Of course you can, handsome,” she murmured.

Before I could say another word, she reached out, her small hands catching the front of my shirt, and pulled me down into her.

I chuckled softly against her mouth as our lips met.

I cupped the side of her face with my clean hand, and pressed my lips firmly against hers.

The kiss was soft, slow, and deep, carrying every ounce of warmth I had been trying to give her since the moment she walked into my life.

She melted into it completely, her fingers tangling tight in my shirt as she pulled me closer, letting out a soft, shaky breath against my lips that turned into pure peace.

When we finally broke apart, I slid up onto the mattress beside her, pulling her small body back against my chest.

She rested her head over my heart, her hand draped over my waist, and within fifteen minutes, the exhaustion of the night finally pulled her into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

I stayed awake for a long time, watching her chest rise and fall rhythmically against mine.

I reached up, gently brushing a stray lock of hair off her forehead, and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her cheek, then another to her brow.

Once I was sure she was sound asleep, I carefully slid my arm out from beneath her, propping a pillow in my place so she wouldn’t wake up cold.

I quietly slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind me with barely a sound.

The cabin was pitch black and silent as I made my way down the hallway and into the living room.

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