Maid For Beckett Catching The Baseball Legend’s Heart novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

-Andi-

I silently prayed that the ground beneath my feet would crack open and swallow me whole.

This couldn’t be happening. How did my life turn into such a crazy mess?

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Porch lights clicked on. Heads peeked out of windows. Everyone would notice two towering men in a standoff in our trailer park. Beckett and Carter were painfully out of place.

My humiliation burned so hot I thought my skin might peel off.

Carter’s face was a cross between stunned, excited, and confused. He turned to me, then back to Beckett. I knew for a fact hat Beckett Hale was one of the baseball players he looked up to. And now he was standing face–to–face with his idol–not on a ballpark, but in a trailer park.

What… what are you doing here?” Carter asked, his excitement winning over every other emotion. “Beckett… Andi? You know him?”

My silence–my tight lips–was his answer.

Beckett didn’t have to say a single word to make his presence and intention known. He was so sure of himself that he even nserted himself into a conversation that didn’t concern him.

What was my boss thinking? Or better yet, what was he doing here at this hour?

He’s my-” I started, but Beckett cut me off.

You’re still here.” His grim tone and gaze were focused on Carter. He looked like a lion protecting its cub.

Carter and I both frowned at Beckett, confused for different reasons. I didn’t know what he was aiming for, but Carter was urely shifting from fan to hater in seconds.

This is none of your concern, man,” Carter muttered. “This is between me and my girl.”

it could just be my imagination, but I swear I saw Beckett’s jaw tick at Carter’s claim. I’d spent enough time with him to know Carter was slowly getting under his skin. Even worse–Beckett subtly shifted his left shoulder, as something there twinged–a familiar tightness around his jaw. A small inhale.

I noticed that whenever he was fresh from his morning run, or I stressed him out. Is something wrong with his shoulder?

It sounded to me like she wants you to leave,” Beckett said. “Now, leave.”

The air tightened between them.

Carter scoffed. “And who are you to speak for Andi?”

“I’m someone you don’t want to defy, kid,” Beckett said, stepping between us like a six–foot–plus wall of authority and security clearance. “I won’t say this again. Leave.”

His voice wasn’t loud–just deep, controlled, vibrating with a dangerous calm that slid right down my spine Heat pooled un my stomach before I could stop it. Why now? Why him?

Carter finally realized Beckett was indeed here for me. His thoughts turned like gears, solving the puzzle in his head Fle turned to me with a glower, accusing me of a crime I didn’t commit.

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2:17 pm

Chapter 23

PW

“Is this him?” he spat, like he tasted rotten. “Is this who you replaced me with?”

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It was like watching a movie on repeat. Carter told me he loved me, yet here he was–judging me with very few facts in his hands. He looked at Beckett and me, passing the ball of judgment back and forth.

“You couldn’t make it with me, and you jumped to the next baseball player you bumped into?” His voice was as bitter as an unripe bitter gourd.

I wanted to tell him the truth – that Beckett was my boss and had been a jerk since we met – but I like what I’m seeing- that jealousy in his blue eyes, that pain of rejection. Beckett was a mile away upgrade from him. I know I will pay for this later, but I took the opportunity to hurt Carter the same way he hurt me.

“Judge me all you want, but I don’t have to explain myself to you,” I said. “Just go now, okay? I’m tired, and my answer will not change.”

I turned around, exhausted–but a rough hand shot up to my arm before I could take one step.

Carter gripped my arm.

Beckett’s hand covered Carter’s instantly.

The sudden flare of protectiveness coming from him was so intense it made my pulse skitter. It was like a movie scene where the past was trying to win me over, and the present was protecting me. Two beautiful men fighting for my love–but this wasn’t a movie, and I wasn’t a movie star. This was a fiasco, a battle of testosterone, and I was stupidly caught in the

middle.

“Hands off.” Beckett said, voice low and lethal.

The tension between them crackled so loudly I swear the air vibrated.

Carter didn’t let go. “Stay out of this, Beckett. You don’t know anything about us.”

“You’re right,” Beckett said, forcing Carter’s hand to release me. Carter glared at him as Beckett shielded me with his body. “I only know she told you to leave. And you still haven’t.”

His left shoulder twitched again. A slight wince flickered–quick, hidden–but I caught it. Stress. Anger. Whatever it was, he pushed through it, body still firm and unmoving in front of mine.

My breath hitched. This was spiraling too fast.

“Both of you–stop, please-“I tried to wedge myself between them, but Beckett pushed me gently behind him again, his arm firm across my front like a shield. The warmth of his body hit me in a wave. It sent a jolt straight to my stomach, a sensation I absolutely didn’t need right now.

Carter’s voice cracked. “I’m not leaving until I have you back, Andi!” he said, loud enough for the neighbors to hear,

My soul caved inward, and Beckett’s entire body went rigid.

Before either of them could speak again-

A light so blinding sparkled from the corner of the construction site.

Click.

A camera.

The sound pierced through the chaos like a gunshot.

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Chapter 23

I whipped around.

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A man with a long–lens camera stood half–hidden behind an old pickup truck near the construction site. Another popped out from behind a mailbox.

Then another.

My stomach plummeted to the ground.

Paparazzi.

Oh God.

They caught everything–the shouting, the humiliation, Carter reaching for me, Beckett shielding me like I was someone worth protecting. And now all three of us were standing in one frame: me, Carter, and Beckett.

This was a headline waiting to explode.

Carter cursed. “Shit–shit–Andi, get inside-”

Now that they had been busted, the photographers stepped out of hiding. There were four of them, all men, pointing their cameras at us like rifles.

My vision tunneled. My knees threatened to give out.

Unfazed. Beckett stepped in front of me more fully, grabbing my hand and taking me with him, ignoring Carter’s voice as he called my name.

His grip was warm, steady, grounding–and sent a sharp pulse through my chest I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to unpack. Not now.

In the chaos, I sensed Beckett shielding me with his entire body, angling his frame to hide my face from the cameras. He was guiding us toward his SUV, but one insistent paparazzi blocked his way. Beckett paused. I bumped into his very solid back, my nose taking the beating.

His voice was low and threatening when he spoke. “You have ten seconds to get out of my way before I have my lawyer press charges.”

A few photographers hesitated, apologized to Beckett, and stepped away.

I stood frozen, breathing too fast, my chest tight like someone was wringing it out from the inside. I felt like a stick Beckett tugged along toward his SUV. He opened the passenger–side door.

I blinked at him, unsure what to do next

“Get in,” he said–surprisingly calm, like he was speaking to a wounded animal.

I followed, feeling the cameras flashing on me as I climbed inside my boss’s car.

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