Earning A Ring. Kristina Mathews

run it by your fiancé, see if he’s up for doing a regular check-in on your wedding plans.”

      “Sure thing. I’ll let you know.” She was screwed. Rachel wasn’t sure what would be worse. Getting fired or getting her own reality show. Had it come down to this? Did fans want to see Bryce Baxter picking out china instead of picking off runners on a double play? Were thread counts nearly as important as pitch counts? She almost wanted to return to the days when box scores were all you needed to know about a player.

      But in this era of social media, twenty-four-seven sports coverage, and all-access celebrity gossip, those days were as long gone as a ten-cent hot dog.

      Rachel did her job, stopping to chat with fans around the ballpark. Many of them congratulated her on the engagement, and it seemed like they were genuinely happy for her.

      The game remained scoreless into the eighth inning. As it got closer to the end of the game, Rachel started to get nervous about seeing Bryce after the final out. She hoped to interview him, because that would mean he’d contributed to the win and she’d have something to talk to him about besides the idea of planning their wedding on camera.

      With a runner on third, Bryce stepped to the plate in the bottom of the inning. He fouled off five pitches before launching one into the left field bleachers. The Goliaths hung on to the two-run lead and sure enough, Rachel interviewed him after the game.

      “That was quite a shot.” Her heart leaped at his success. “You looked like the Bryce Baxter we all know and love.”

      His lips twitched in a naughty grin. She shouldn’t have said “love.” She was talking about the way the fans felt about him, not her, but the smoldering look in his eyes made her regret her choice of words.

      “I just went out there and tried to look for a pitch to hit. I wanted to put the ball in play.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sometimes I get lucky and I get all of it.”

      “We often forget how much luck plays a part in the game.” She tried to keep her comments upbeat, neutral. She couldn’t show her feelings for Bryce, despite what her producer said the fans wanted. “You don’t work any harder on the days you win than on the days you lose. You’re not any less prepared when you go hitless as when you have a three-hit night. And it’s not possible for you to care less about the games now than you did last season.”

      “You’re absolutely right. If anything, I’ve worked harder this season than any other.” He was telling the truth. “Maybe a little too hard. Maybe I need to take a step back, adjust my focus, and my game will get back on track. I do have to say I was much more relaxed tonight than I have been for some time. Thank you for that.”

      A blush heated her cheeks. Now all of Northern California would think she and Bryce had spent a night of passion that led to his home run. Which would mean the next time he struggled at the plate, they would assume she was holding out on him. Why, why, why did he have to throw their so-called relationship out into the public eye? And how was she going to deal with planning a wedding on camera? A wedding she wasn’t sure she’d be able to go through with.

      She finished the interview with a few canned phrases, sincere congratulations, and a smile for the camera.

      Once Carl turned off the live feed, Bryce leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Wait for me in the clubhouse.”

      She simply nodded. There was a time when she’d been granted access only for a limited time before and after games. But as a player’s fiancée, she would be allowed to stay as long as Bryce was there. The line between her professional life and her personal one had become very blurry and she didn’t like it.

      And her producer wanted her to make it even fuzzier.

      * * * *

      Bryce, fresh from the shower, found Rachel waiting for him in the family area of the clubhouse. Her cameraman had left with the other reporters and she was trying to make herself comfortable, but she looked as anxious as she’d been the night she threw up on his car.

      “Everything all right?” He placed a quick kiss on her cheek. He didn’t trust himself to kiss her on the lips, not with a few of his teammates still milling about.

      “You won the game. So that’s good.” She was holding something back.

      “What’s wrong?” He ran his hand down her arm and she shivered. But not in a good way.

      “The whole engagement is spinning out of control.” Her voice was a little unsteady. So unlike her.

      “What do you mean?” Why couldn’t she just tell him what was wrong? She’d never beaten around the bush with him before. Of course, they hadn’t done a lot of talking most of the time, other than right there. And oh yes, just like that.

      “So my producer has this crazy idea that the fans want to be a part of our wedding plans.” She said it as though she had a bad taste in her mouth. “He wants to do a regular segment, following us around as we pick out flowers, taste-test cakes, interview caterers.”

      She looked away, as if she was giving the worst kind of news.

      “That could be fun.” He watched her cringe, and knew she didn’t want to do the show. “But I get the feeling you’re not up for that.”

      “Come on, Bryce. It’s hard enough pretending like we’re a happy couple.” She brushed her hair off her forehead. “And in a couple of months, it’s going to be pretty obvious why we’re faking this engagement.”

      “Who said anything about faking it?” He stepped closer, almost to the point of touching. “I’ve never faked it. And I know you’ve never had to fake it.”

      “I can’t just smile at the camera and pretend that planning a wedding is the most important thing in my life.”

      “Do you not want to plan the wedding in front of the camera?” He knew she’d only said yes to save face. She was scared, that was clear. But he’d hoped she’d come around. “Or do you really not want to plan the wedding at all?”

      She looked stricken, as if she was battling herself over telling the truth or not hurting his feelings. Since most people didn’t believe he had feelings, he was almost flattered.

      “We have choices here, you know.” He tried to keep his voice calm. To not let on that he was hurt by her indecision. “We can tell your boss that our engagement is none of his or anyone else’s business.”

      “You should have thought of that before you popped the question live on camera.” She almost laughed. Almost. “I can’t play the privacy card now.”

      “We can go along with the idea. It could be fun.”

      “Don’t you have something more important to focus on? Like baseball?”

      “Look, I’m not going to leave it all up to you. I want to help.”

      “Yeah. Lot of good that’s done me so far.” She covered her mouth an instant too late to keep from letting her true feelings show. “I’m sorry. I know you really are trying to make the best of things.”

      “What do you want?”

      She closed her eyes, as if she had something in mind, but it was hard for her to ask for it. Again, a side of her he hadn’t encountered in the bedroom.

      “I know what I don’t want.” She spoke softly, almost as though she was afraid to tell him. “I don’t want to have viewers wonder why all the wedding dresses I try on have an Empire waist. I don’t want to spend a fortune on champagne I can’t even sip. And I don’t want to be as big as a house on my wedding day.”

      He looked at her, took in the real despair on her face. But at least she hadn’t said she didn’t want to marry him at all.

      “We could always elope.” He reached for her hand. “We could leave tonight. Reno’s