Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 72

Dad Likes Them

Victoria’s POV

“A boyfriend?” my dad echoed, his voice rising with a mix of excitement and disbelief.

“Well, why didn’t you tell us this story? Is your mother aware of this? Does Willow know Young lady, you have some serious explaining to do!”

I raised an eyebrow, trying to find my footing.

“Dad, wait. You’re… you’re not mad? I distinctly remember in high school you used to give me an hour–long pep talk every semester about staying away from boys until after I had a degree in my hand.”

My dad scoffed loudly, waving his hand dismissively through the screen.

“Oh, please. Why would I be mad? I know I have a very beautiful, intelligent daughter, and I knew eventually some young man was going to notice. I just put on that tough, terrifying father act back then so you’d stay focused and not ruin your life with some high school slacker.”

A deep, genuine warmth bloomed behind my ribs at his words.

“Now, do not try to change the topic, Victoria,” he added sternly, pointing a finger at the camera. “I want to see this mysterious boyfriend. Turn the phone around.”

I bit my lip, feeling entirely cornered. I glanced at Elijah one last time, and without a choice, I handed the phone over to him.

Elijah took the device smoothly, his large fingers adjusting the grip as he brought his face into the frame.

“Hi, Mr. Rhodes.”

For a split second, a heavy pause hung over the line. I watched closely from the side, noticing the slight, nervous bob of Elijah’s throat as he waited for the verdict.

Then, my father’s voice came booming back through the speaker, entirely enthusiastic.

“Well, hello there! Look at you. You’re a handsome young man, aren’t you? I have to say, I’m proud of Victoria. I didn’t know my daughter had eyes this good.”

“Dad!” I squealed, burying my face in my hands as my cheeks burned with absolute embarrassment.

The entire kitchen erupted into a massive explosion of laughter.

Nate was practically choking on his orange juice, and Miles was pounding his fist against the counter.

Elijah just smiled through the noise, his eyes sliding over to me as he flashed me a playful wink.

Sears Them

Of course, my father had just given Elijah Carter yet another reason to walk around? he owned the planet.

“Hmm,” my father muttered thoughtfully through the speaker, and I had a feeling he was studying Elijah far more closely than necessary.

“Wait a minute… you look incredibly familiar to me. Hold on. You’re Elijah Carter, aren’t you? The baseball captain?”

My dad was a massive sportsman. He followed every local league, read every athletic column, and loved sports of any kind.

“Yes, sir, that’s me,” Elijah replied, his posture straightening a bit with natural respect

“I knew it!” my dad cheered, his voice completely lighting up. “I’ve read about your stats in the regional papers. You’re a hell of a player, son. A serious prospect for the MLB draft. It’s an absolute pleasure to finally put a real face to the name and pictures Before Elijah could even respond to the praise, Nate, Leo, Jace, and Miles all crowded tightly behind his stool, shoving their faces into the camera view to introduce themselves.

“We’re part of the team too, Mr. Rhodes!” Nate yelled, waving a pancake.

Adele and Allie leaned into the frame as well, waving and smiling at my dad.

My dad laughed, a deep, raspy sound that meant he was thoroughly enjoying the sudden burst of energy from everyone. But then his voice shifted, pitching up into a pleasantly surprised tone.

“Oh, girls too?”

“Hi, Mr. Rhodes!” Allison called out. “I’m Allison, and this is Adele. We’re Victoria’s new best friends.”

I blinked, glancing between them.

New best friends? Interesting. I must have missed the official proposal, the friendship ring, and the bouquet presentation, considering Allison had only crashed into the kitchen about twenty minutes ago.

Regardless, a strange, sweet warmth blossomed in my chest anyway. I actually really liked the fact that she had said it so easily.

Through the speaker, I heard my dad let out a long, heavy exhale.

When he spoke again, his voice was thick, carrying a sudden, profound sense of relief that made him sound like he was on the verge of shedding a tear.

“Oh, thank God,” he breathed, his voice cracking slightly. “Thank God. Victoria, you finally have best friends who are female. Your mother and I have been praying for this exact thing since you were a little girl. I was starting to think you were just going to

2/4

kes Them

spend your entire life surrounded by Caleb Ashfield.”

Embarrassment prickled beneath my skin at the mention of Caleb.

i shrank back slightly, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

The group around the island didn’t seem to notice his name, or maybe they did notice and were just kind enough to ignore it for my sake.

“Please, do me a huge favor, girls,” my dad continued, his tone turning mock–serious ag

he addressed Adele and Allison.

“Make sure she actually gets out of her shell. She spends way too much time buried in those engineering textbooks. I’m incredibly proud of her, of course, but the girl needs a life.”

“I have a life, Dad,” I mumbled under my breath, crossing my arms.

Allison immediately snapped her hand up to her forehead, giving the phone a flawless military salute.

“Leave that to us, Mr. Rhodes. We’re already planning on dragging her out to a party on Tuesday. We’ll have her completely out of her shell by midnight, guaranteed.”

“Don’t listen to Allie, Mr. Rhodes,” Adele cut in, her smooth, reassuring voice instantly correcting her friend. “We’ll take care of her. Someone has to keep her protected from all these heathen boys she’s living with.”

My dad let out a booming, uninhibited laugh that completely filled the lively kitchen. “I like these girls already! You two are exactly what she needs.”

I just stood back, watching the entire scene unfold with a sense of complete disbelief. These people were actively weaving themselves into my real life. It was beautiful to watch.

Eventually, after a few minutes of sports banter, my dad chuckled and waved his

hands.

“Alright, everyone, let me talk to my daughter for a second. Elijah, pass the phone back to Victoria.”

Elijah handed the device back to me, his fingers brushing against mine with a lingering, reassuring touch.

“Victoria,” my dad called, a massive, proud grin spreading across his face. “I want your to bring all of your friends over to the house next weekend. Every single one of them. We need to have a massive, joyous celebration.”

I blinked, completely confused by the sudden invitation. “A celebration? Dad, what do you mean? What’s going on?”

His grin only widened, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify