Twenty-four hours.

Twenty-four hours since I last saw Annie, and twenty-four hours since I heard her gut-wrenching cry.

Last night my dreams were haunted knowing I was the reason for her sobs. No one has ever had a hold on me like this, and the way she has been making me feel the past few days is new.

My job keeps me traveling most of the year, and for the first time, I'm not excited to play.

I don't want to leave Annie.

I'm not going to lie. I had to adjust myself when I first saw her at Asher and Daniella's wedding. She's always been a beautiful woman, but the way her black dress clung to her voluptuous body had my jaw on the ground.

Another new feeling.

I continue to aimlessly stare up at my ceiling with a baseball in my hand. Thanks to the mindless action of repeatedly throwing and catching the ball, time ceases to exist. It seems to be the only thing that is stopping my racing mind.

My phone chimes, and I jump up, praying it's Annie. My stomach drops when I see it is another message from Meghan, asking to get together.

No thank you.

Being back home wasn't supposed to be this difficult. Go to a wedding, catch up with old friends, then head off to Florida for Spring Training. Nowhere was developing confusing feelings for an old friend on my radar.

My mind continues to run a mile a minute, Annie consuming every second. Everything about her ignites something deep within, and no matter how hard I try, I can't comprehend it.

I'm not too fond of this sudden distance between us. All I want to do is run back to her, wrap her in my arms, and never let go.

She belongs with me.

"Fucking, hell," I mumble to myself.

I grab my phone and type out a quick message to the only person who can help me work through this mess– Shane.

I walk out of my childhood home without waiting for a response. I'm sure Dad of the year is doing something with the kids or something. Plus, hanging out with my niece and nephew will help to take my mind off Annie.

Or remind you of Gavin.

The drive is short since Shane and Heather moved to our hometown after college. Before I can even close my car's door, I hear loud screeches and high-pitched voices. "Uncle Noah!"

I can only assume that only one name could make me feel like I am on top of the world, and that is Dad. Uncle is a close second. My heart fills with an indescribable love as I scoop up Jackson and Ava, Shane's three-year-old twins.

They pepper kisses around my face, and Ava's angelic giggle causes my own to erupt. "Your face is scratchy, Uncle Noah."

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I'll make sure to shave before I come over next time."

Ava wraps her little arms tightly around my neck and nuzzles her face into my shoulder. "I missed you."

She could have stabbed me in the chest with the way her words sliced my heart. "I missed you too. I'll make sure to visit a lot more before I leave, okay?"

Ava snaps her head up, and her honey eyes go wide. Jackson is quick to celebrate and waves his hands in the air. "Yay! Uncle Noah is coming back!"

When I look up at the house, Shane is leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. His broad chest puts some professional athletes to shame. He squints his eyes as he scans me over and asks, "You good?"

"Nope!" I say, popping the P. "Not at all."

Shane takes a bouncing Jackson while Ava still clings to my neck for dear life. I follow him into the kitchen and am greeted by a smiling Heather. "Noah! What a pleasant surprise."

I love this woman. If I could have picked anyone for my best friend to marry, she would be it. Her warmth is the perfect contradiction to his tough-as-nails exterior.

Heather runs over to me and quickly wraps me in a hug, then kisses my cheek.

Her platonic kiss only confuses me more. Up until a few days ago, when Annie kissed me, I felt nothing but friendship. Now all I want to do is pin her to the wall and kiss her until she forgets her name.

How did this happen?

Panic begins to swell inside me and as if he can see the gears turning, Shane takes Ava and hands her over to Heather. He kisses his wife's lips, and I feel a tug in my stomach, wishing I had a relationship like theirs. "We're going downstairs. Call me if you need me."

Neither of us say anything as we walk down to the basement. It is only when my sneakers start to make an obnoxious squeak against the wooden floors that Shane asks, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

The black leather couch crackles when I sit. In desperate need to calm down my racing heart, I take a deep breath and feel my body go limp against the cool fabric.

Shane reaches behind the mahogany bar I helped him install when he and Heather brought the house. He lifts a beer can, silently asking me if I want something. I'm quick to nod my head, desperate to get some moisture in my dry mouth.

"Earth to, Noah!"

My eyes flicker, wondering how long I have been staring through Shane's ridiculous but favorite picture of dogs playing poker.

When I look at my longtime friend, his brows are pinched together so tightly that he has two lines forming between them. He holds out my drink as he plops down on the couch next to me. "You're scaring me, man."

I release a deep breath before telling Shane about the woman who has constantly been running through my mind. "It's Annie."

Shane's back straightens, and his whole body stiffens. "Is she okay? Is it Simon?"

The baseball cap on my head suddenly feels tight. I tear it off and toss it on the coffee table. My hands rake through my hair, and my fingers attempt to massage away the tension building in my skull.

"I think I have feelings for her?" My words come out as a question, and I can't help but wince because I know I sound like an idiot.

A loud, obnoxious laugh erupts from deep within Shane's chest. When my gaze snaps to him, he is hunched over the bar, clinging to the front of his shirt. His bright red face brings my blood to a boil.

"What's so funny?" I spit out, annoyance laced with each word.

If I have not known him my whole life, this would be the perfect time for my fist to make contact with his face.

Shane wipes his cheeks with the palm of his hand while trying to catch his breath. "You think?"

I scoot forward from my seat, and my knee begins to take on a mind of its own, bouncing at an insane pace.

The crisp sound of a beer can tab being pressed down fills the room. Shane takes a quick swig before placing his drink on the table. "You have been in love with Annie since we were kids, Noah."

Even though the words flow from Shane's mouth with such seriousness, I nearly choke on the fluid in my mouth.

My head cocks back as I look at the five heads Shane has suddenly grown. "What are you talking about."

"You, my friend," He starts as he pokes my shoulder. "Have been in love with that girl since high school, and it is about time you have realized it."

My head whips around so fast to look at Shane. I am positive I heard a crack. When he looks back at me, he wiggles his bushy brows in a suggestive manner that gives me the impression he knows something I don't.

My eyelids scrunch closed to block out his ridiculous statement.

"You don't see it, do you?"

The word "No," comes out in a whisper. I'm not even sure if I said it out loud.

Shane draws in a breath so deep that his chest visibly expands. When he releases it, he stands up and motions with his hand to follow him.

He brings me to a shelf, and his eyes begin to scan over the books lining it. He stops and pulls out what looks like a brown leather-bound photo album.

Shane shrugs his massive shoulders. "Heather likes to scrapbook. She organized all my old pictures."

Shane begins to flip through the pages, and when he finds what he is looking for, he points to a page. My eyes follow his finger and widen at the book of nostalgia. I soon realize he is showing off a picture of Meg and me from a school dance. Rocks fill my stomach. I have yet to forgive her for the way she treated Annie at the wedding.

Fucking, Bitch.

"You seem happy in this picture, don't you?"

When I look at the picture, I see a young man with a forced smile. As if someone said, "Cheese," and the corners of my lips instantly reacted with a generic grin. "I guess."

"Now, look at this."

Quick to turn the page, Shane shows me a picture of Annie and me. The difference is evident to anyone with a set of functioning eyes. I'm looking down at Annie, and my mouth is pulled so wide you can see my back molars. There is a sparkle in my eyes that I have never noticed before.

My hand reaches out, and my fingers trace the glossy photo of our two young faces. "You know I thought I was in love with Meg."

Shane scoffs before his large hand slaps my back forcefully, causing me to stumble. "Your dick was in love with Meg, don't fool yourself. The only person who makes you look like this is Annie."

He returns the photo album to its rightful spot, and when he turns back to look at me. "Alright, I'm not going to sit here and list off the hundreds of reasons why I believe you have loved this girl for years. I will, however, tell you that you have never talked about a woman as enthusiastically as you do about Annie. I saw the way you looked at her at the wedding before you even knew of her issues with Simon."

I make my way over to Shane's pool table, and I slide one of the balls across the green felt. "She did look beautiful, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but do you realize that is how you always look at her, or was this the first time you were aware of it?

The pool sticks hanging on the wall catch my attention, and I am quick to grab one. Before I even turn around, I can hear Shane racking the balls. He places the cue in its rightful spot, and I bring the blue chalk up to the tip of the stick. "I don't know, man. All I know is that she almost kissed me yesterday, and I just about busted in my pants."

Shane lets out a light-hearted chuckle and grabs a stick. "Okay, so now that we have established that you have feelings for her, why not just go for it? You're both adults."

A long list of excuses flashes in my mind, but nothing seems like a good enough reason. Mostly because I rather poke my eye out with this pool stick than not see Annie anymore. Shane seems to be more aware of the situation than my clueless ass. It's probably best to just have him tell me the right thing to do. "Do you think that is the best idea? I mean, I don't want to ruin our friendship."

The long stick is pulled behind Shane as he leans over the table, ready to make his shot. The moment he makes contact with the cue, it pushes the striped Ten into a corner pocket. "Dude, I say go for it! I mean, I would not be surprised if she felt the same way."

Just thinking of Annie harboring some feelings towards me sends my heart into an erratic rhythm.

The more I think about it, heat begins to spread across my body until it reaches the top of my cheeks. "You think she could like someone like me?"

Shane's eyes widen, and points in my direction. "Oh my God, you're blushing!"

Thankfully, he is standing close enough for me to punch his shoulder, so that is precisely what I do. "Shut up." I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans before continuing to look for my next shot. "I'm serious, Shane."

"Dude."

I place the pool stick down and rest my hands on the dark wood frame of the table. My heart punches like fists against my ribcage. "Do you think me and someone like Annie could work out? She is literally the opposite of everyone I have ever dated."

Shane walks next to me and places his stick next to mine. "I am not a professional, Noah, but I think you did that on purpose. You knew it would never work out with the other girls, so no need to get attached."

I go to open my mouth but nothing comes out due to the deserted desert that has taken up residence there. Unable to talk, I walk back to my beer, desperate to quench my thirst. 

The couch is calling me, and I plop back down and begin to play with the water droplets running down the beer can. Shane's words struck something deep within and have given me something to think over.

Needing to find something wrong with my newly discovered feelings for Annie, I blurt out, "She's pregnant."

If Shane's mouth hangs open anymore, his jaw will be dragging on the floor. "Shit. How is Simon handling that news?"

A sarcastic cackle bursts from deep within me. "Absolutely nothing. He doesn't want anything to do with the baby or Gavin."

"That son of a bitch." Shane's jaw visibly clenches as he shakes his head.

I don't know what is worse, Simon giving up a relationship with an amazing woman like Annie or the fact that he is walking away from his kids. Disgust flows through my veins, and my knee begins its erratic bounce once again.

Shitbag Simon makes my skin crawl. Knowing the hurt that he has caused only furthers my hatred. I will do anything to pick up the pieces he shattered.

And just like that, it is clear. "I want to be there for Annie. I want to take care of them."

A goofy-ass grin makes its way across Shane's face. "Listen, Noah, I can't say that it will be easy, but I have always secretly been cheering you and Annie. You can even ask Heather."

I'm blessed to have someone like Shane in my corner, and his stupid smile causes one of my own to break free.

"Plus," He continues. "Maybe this is your chance to be a Dad. We all know you have taken a dozen fastballs to the nuts. Who knows if you can even have kids."

"Dick," I mumble under my breath.

Shane claps his hands together, then points in my direction with a stern glare. "Call her, tell her."

I know he is right, so I pull my phone from my jeans. Although it was only a few seconds, it feels as if it was ringing for hours. I bite down hard on my cuticles, and a familiar metallic taste hits my tastebuds.

When Annie picks up, her beautiful voice sends shivers down my spine and makes my heart skip a beat.

I've got it bad.

My lungs fill with air, and when I exhale, I try to push the nerves aside. "Can we talk?"