A Trip in the Fall Pt. 04

Brandon continued to coach the kid on what to do, and proper technique. One of his players finally recognized Sarah and said, "Ummm, coach? Coach?"

Brandon turned his attention to the player, "What!?"

"Someone is here to see you."

Looking towards the player, Brandon said, "They can come back later!"

This time it was Matt who spoke up, "I don't think you want this one to."

Brandon turned toward his assistant, but immediately his eyes were drawn not to Matt, but instead to the thin blonde in a pair of black leggings, a gray hoodie with his team's logo on the front, and a blue Ole Miss ball hat with her ponytail pulled through the back. Out loud he said, "Sarah?"

She grinned, "Hey, it was my turn to surprise you."

Brandon dropped the bat in his hand and ran up to Sarah, scooping her into his arms, he picked her up and hugged her, then kissed her. This caused his players to let out a chorus of "Oooo's" and laughter. Ignoring them, he sat Sarah back on her feet, "What are you doing here? I thought you were just going to my place?"

"Well, I was going to, but since I got in late, I just thought I'd come here. Is that okay?"

"Of course!" Checking his watch, "We still have about a half hour, you can watch from over there."

"Okay, just ignore me."

Sarah walked toward the old desk by the wall, hearing Brandon and Matt yell to get back to work. Over the next half hour, she watched the players work on hitting and fielding, admiring how Brandon worked with each individual player, being hard on them one minute, but then congratulating and pointing out what they were doing well. As the players were moving between places, many of them stopped to say hello and introduce themselves. She greeted each one with a smile and a "Hello" before they moved on.

As five o'clock neared, Brandon and Matt brought the team together to talk about the schedule for the next week. Sarah heard the door open and began to notice girls filing into the building carrying bat bags to which Sarah assumed was the school's softball team. The girls began to set up the batting cages for their needs, none paying attention to what the baseball team was doing. The baseball team ended their practice with a "Panthers!" cheer and began to pack up and file out of the building.

Sarah hopped off the desk and walked to where Brandon and Matt were talking about a couple of things. Brandon saw her and smiled, "Well, what do ya think?"

"It's interesting seeing you in your own element instead of your family's or my world."

The three of them laughed, Matt chiming in while giving Brandon a shove, "This old man could fit in anywhere."

Brandon blushed, but Sarah put her arm around him, "That's what I said but he insists he is awkward "

Once again, they all three laughed but they were interrupted by a high school girl squeal from the other end of the building. Brandon and Matt stepped around Sarah moving to see what the commotion was all about. They had taken no more than three steps when 4 of the softball plays came running up. "Is it true? Is she really here?!"

Matt responded, "Girls calm down, is who here?"

The girls tried to look around the two guys, "Is Sarah Bixby from the Biloxi Broncos here?!"

Before either guy could say anything, Sarah appeared at Brandon's side, "Hello ladies, how are you?"

The girls let out a squeal causing all three of the adults to wince. All at once, all the girls started talking, talking about how much they loved Sarah's music, her hair, her clothes and everything under the sun. This went on for a minute or so as Sarah just smiled and nodded, answering the occasional question when she could get a word in. Finally, there was a lull in the talking and Sarah spoke up, "Ladies, I'm truly flattered with all you've said. How about we take a couple of pictures, and you can get back to your coach and I can start my relaxing weekend with Coach Baker?"

One of the girls exclaimed, "Oh my god really?"

"Of course, Brandon, would you and Matt take the pictures?"

As the girls gathered around Sarah, Brandon and Matt took the individual phones and took a series of photos. After the pictures were finished the girls giggled and headed back to their coach. Matt shook his head, "Is it always like this?"

Brandon nodded, "It can be, so much for keeping things on the DL."

Sarah frowned, "I'm really sorry for coming here and causing a disruption. I thought since you coached boys, all that would happen would be harmless stuttering or flirting."

Matt smiled gently, "No need to apologize. They are actually here earlier than normal."

"Yeah, for sure, you're my girlfriend and you can show up on occasion just like other coaches and teachers' spouses." Brandon added.

"If you say so. That'll be plastered on Instagram before we are out of this building."

Brandon nodded, "You're probably right, what do you say we get out of here before anyone else loses their shit? Matt, are you good to finish cleaning up?"

"Sure man, Enjoy your weekend. Sarah it was nice meeting you, next time you're in town we will all have to get together and do something."

Sarah smiled and gave Matt a quick hug, "I'd like that a lot, it was nice meeting you too."

Brandon and Sarah walked out to Brandon's truck, he opened the door for her, grabbed his backpack, throwing it in the back seat, then stepped aside for her to climb in. After shutting the door, he got in and started the truck, placing his hand on her knee, "I'm really glad you're here."

Sarah smiled and covered his hand with hers, giving it a slight squeeze, "I'm really glad to be here too. How far is it to your place?"

"About 15 minutes, do you need to stop and grab anything? I've already gotten food and stuff for this weekend."

"Then nope I am good, let's just head to your apartment."

*Chapter 5*

Over the 15-minute drive to Brandon's apartment, they caught up on the house process, Sarah was set to close the week she got back from NJ, and the plan was to take possession 4 weeks later so the current owners would have time to pack and move out. "So, you are moving in is the week after our little jaunt to Vegas?"

Looking through her phone, Sarah responded, "Ummmm, I think that is right. Are you going to be able to make it down?"

"Check my phone and see what I have going on that Friday and the following Monday."

Sarah grabbed Brandon's phone, unlocking it and scrolling through his calendar, "It looks like you have a game that Thursday, but the weekend is free."

"What about that Monday?"

"No game but does say CE Day"

"Okay, that is a continuing ed day, some bullshit training I don't care about, so I can take that off no problem." Brandon thought for a moment then continued, "I could get coverage for the last half of the day Friday, leave at noon and drive to Wytheville, or Johnson City, get a bit of sleep then come the rest of the way Saturday morning. Be there through Sunday and then drive back Monday."

"That'd be a long day Monday...."

"Right, but I'd probably just bring the truck loaded with stuff, no trailer so it wouldn't be as bad."

As they pulled into Brandon's driveway, Sarah gave his hand another squeeze, "If that works for you, that works for me. Is this your place?"

"Yep."

"It's so cute!"

Brandon laughed, "I'm glad you like it, I made sure to clean up."

Sarah smacked his arm and climbed out of the truck, pausing to look around the area. Brandon grabbed his backpack and Sarah's suitcase, "Come on, it's cold, let's go inside." They made their way into a small entryway with stairs to the right heading up. Brandon took her coat, hanging it on a rack mounted to the wall. He gestured past the stairs, "There is a laundry room and a storage room back that way, nothing real exciting."

Sarah nodded, kicked her shoes off beside Brandon's, "So do you just have the next level?"

"Nope, I have both levels, come on and I'll give you the grand tour." They headed up the stairs and as they reached the top, Brandon continued, "It's a bit bigger than the tour bus tour you gave me." Sarah laughed and crested the stairs finding herself in the main living area.

She noticed that the room was well furnished, but the next thing that she noticed was the smell of beef and oregano wafting from the kitchen. "Whatever you're cooking smells amazing."

"I put a roast, potatoes, and carrots in the crock pot this morning. It makes great leftovers for lunch and is great on a cold day like this. We can eat in a bit; I'll finish showing you around."

They walked into the living room where Brandon picked up a remote, clicking on an electric fireplace that was built into the stand his tv was sitting on. "So, the main level is pretty much the living room, dining room and the kitchen. There is a small bathroom here." Brandon said as he opened the door.

They moved from the kitchen back through the dining room where there was a small deck. Sarah looked out the door, "Aww, you have a table and chair set like we had in Nashville."

Brandon laughed, "I figured I should have something out there other than coolers drying."

Sarah laughed and followed Brandon as he walked towards the steps heading to the third level. They reached the top of the steps and came into a hallway; Brandon walked straight ahead, "So this is my office, it was very handy during Covid." Allowing Sarah to look in, she noticed how utilitarian a lot of Brandon's furniture was. He then walked her across the hall, "This is the spare bedroom, and the spare bath is right here in the hallway."

They walked the rest of the way down the hall, past the stairs to another door, "So this must be your bedroom, am I allowed in here? "

Brandon laughed, "Well if you want to sleep in the guest room you can, but I hope you'd sleep with me."

Sarah laughed and leaned up kissing Brandon, "Of course we are sleeping together."

They walked into the room which other than the living room was the biggest by far. The far wall had 4 windows covered with heavy curtains. To the left was a closet and to the right was another closet and Brandon's bed. The bed was made nicely causing Sarah to giggle, "Do you always make your bed?"

Brandon blushed, "No, but I changed the sheets this morning and put a couple of different blankets on it, wanted it all to match for you."

"Well, it looks great, thank you."

Brandon set Sarah's suitcase down, "The bathrooms in there."

Sarah walked by a small counter with a mirror and a stool then opened the door to the bathroom. There was a small pedestal sink and the toilet then a large soaking tub with shower. She exited the bathroom and found Brandon sitting on the bed, "That's a pretty fancy bathroom for a bachelor."

Brandon laughed, "The size and price got me to rent this place, the fancy bathroom is an afterthought."

Sarah joined him on the bed, then lay back with her feet dangling off the end, with a groan Sarah said, "Oh god this feels so good after being in the car and on the plane all day."

Brandon leaned back on the bed, propping himself up on his elbow, he kissed her gently, before pulling away, "The tub does work, it'll be about a half hour before dinner is completely ready, I still need to get the biscuits in the oven. Why don't you take a bath and relax before dinner?"

Sarah reached up and pulled Brandon in for a kiss. They kissed passionately for a few moments and just as Sarah felt Brandon's cock begin to push against her leg, he pulled away, causing her to groan, "Why don't you join me?"

He laughed, "As fun as that would be, if we want to eat at a reasonable time, that can't happen."

Sarah sat up, causing Brandon to do the same, "Fine!"

Brandon laughed, stood up and pulled a towel out of the closet closest to the bathroom; he also picked a Walmart bag off the floor and handed Sarah a bottle, "It was the most expensive stuff they had that I recognized the ingredients and the smell of. If you don't use it, I won't be offended."

She looked down at the bottle, seeing that it was bubble bath, "Awww, thanks baby."

Brandon smiled, "You're welcome, just come on down when you're finished. Should be about 30 minutes until dinner is ready." With another kiss, Brandon was heading out the door and she could hear him walking down the steps.

Sarah walked into the bathroom and after a quick look, figured out how the tub worked, got the water to the right temperature and once there was about an inch of water in the bottom, she dumped a bit of bubble bath in the tub and headed back into the bedroom to get clothes. She opened her suitcase and pulled out another pair of leggings, panties, a sports bra and a ribbed tank top, her toiletries and picked up the towel Brandon had grabbed for her, then made her way back into the bathroom where the bathtub had filled with water over the jets. She stripped her clothes off, used the toilet, then slid into the steaming hot water with a sigh.

She turned the jets on low and lay back, allowing the jets to hit her back and feet as she felt her muscles relax. As she lay with her eyes closed, her inner dialogue began about the next few months, "I can't believe I am buying a house and moving to Nashville. Holy shit, I'm buying a house and moving in with Brandon. This is a huge step. We've never talked about marriage; I think he wants to get married. Calm down girl, you've only been dating for 5 months, don't scare him away. Mrs. Sarah Baker does have a ring to it. Probably would still have to use my maiden name for stage work."

These thoughts and many more continued to flow through her head but were interrupted after a while by Brandon sticking his head in the door, "Hey babe, dinner will be ready in about 10, just wanted to let you know."

Sarah grinned and sat up, so her head was above the edge of the tub, "Thanks for the heads up, I'll go ahead and drain this and shower really quick."

"Sounds good." The next thing she knew Brandon was gone. She hurriedly showered and then dried off. After dressing, she pulled her hair up into a messy bun and walked downstairs.

She found Brandon standing in the kitchen, listening to Bruce Springsteen, and pulling plates and silverware out of the cabinet and drawers. "That smells amazing."

Turning around and smiling, "Well I hope it tastes as good as it smells."

"I'm sure it will, what can I do to help?"

Brandon told Sarah where the cups were, and she began to get drinks ready before they sat down at the small table to eat. They spent the next 20 minutes eating and continuing to catch up, Sarah filling Brandon in on the new music her and Amanda were looking at and Brandon filling Sarah in on work.

As they finished up, Sarah began clearing the table, and when Brandon began to help her, she stopped him, "Nope you cooked, I clean. I can find my way around a kitchen and be all domestic. You go shower and when you're done, we can watch some TV together for real."

Brandon tried to protest but Sarah "shushed" him and pointed upstairs. Brandon laughed, walked upstairs into his bedroom and he found Sarah's clothes folded neatly on top of the dresser. He smiled, he then moved his socks into the same drawer as his underwear and slid Sarah's two stacks of clothes into the now empty drawer.

Brandon grabbed a pair of shorts, boxers and a hoodie from his dresser and closet and climbed into the shower and it was his turn to be left with his thoughts. Things like, "Damn Monday is going to be annoying after it gets out Sarah was here. None of that matters though because this weekend is just about us, we can spend a lazy weekend together before it gets crazy every other visit. Shit, I have to get a tux rented for the ACM awards at the end of March. I wonder what it'll be like living with someone. That house is huge, so it should be easy. What are we going to do about filling it? ". Those thoughts and many more ran through Brandon's head as he showered then dried off, dressed, and headed back downstairs. As he came around the corner of the stairs, he could see Sarah curled up with a book under a blanket around her waist on the chaise portion of his couch.

Bringing a smile to his face he said, "Wow, you look beautiful. A guy could definitely get used to this."

Sarah sat her book down and smiled, "Well thank you, I poured you a glass of bourbon and a glass of wine for myself, why don't you come join me?"

*Chapter 6*

Brandon joined Sarah on the couch, pulled her close and settled in as Sarah picked Fixer Upper on Brandon's Discovery + account, picking up on the episode they had last watched a few days before. Over the next 3 hours, they talked about things in the show, things that they would like to change about the house Sarah had bought. "I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Brandon replied, "Okay?"

"I was thinking, there is that one large room in the basement, why don't you take that as a man cave?"

"I thought I was getting the one bedroom for an office to work in?"

"You are, but I thought you could take the one basement room and do whatever you want with it. I know you don't really think of the house as ours or partly yours, so I thought having you do whatever with one room that is literally studs could help with that."

"Oh..."

"Well, what do you think?"

"I guess that could work."

"You don't seem so sure?"

"I'm just having a hard time wrapping my brain around all of this."

With a concerned look on her face, Sarah replied, "What do you mean?"

Brandon sat quietly for a minute, obviously thinking. Just when Sarah was getting ready to break the awkward silence, Brandon spoke, "This is all just so fast and surreal to me. I love you and I want to and can't wait to move in with you. I can't wait to wake up beside you every morning and start our life together, but at the same time I'm scared shitless."

Placing her hand on his knee, "I love you too, but what are you afraid of?"

"Sarah let's face it, you're a beautiful star and I'm an 8 on a good day. Are you sure you really want me."

"Brandon stop, we've been over this before, I want you. You're more than an 8 and you're the first guy who cares about me for me, not for my fame and fortune."

"But doesn't this all seem crazy to you? We've been together for like 4 months and we are moving in together."

"Yes, it's crazy to me but following my gut, it seems and feels right. Do you feel the same way?"

"Well duh, I wouldn't be doing it either way, but following my gut is not something I'm used to doing."

She leaned in, kissing him, then pulling away, "Yes, but following your gut is what got me in the first place, so it can't be all wrong."

Brandon laughed, reached out, gripping Sarah's hips, and pulling her into his lap, with a quick squeal from her, Brandon kissed her passionately and allowed his tongue to push against her lips. Sarah wrapped her legs around Brandon, parted her lips, allowed his tongue to dance with hers for the next few minutes. As their kissing heated up, Sarah began to feel Brandon's cock beginning to harden through his gym shorts and her leggings, she began to grind her pelvis against Brandon, letting out slight moans as they continued to kiss.

With a squeeze of her ass, Brandon pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, "Are you ready for bed?"

With a sigh Sarah unwrapped her legs from Brandon, "I thought you'd never ask, come on."

Sarah climbed off the couch, finished her wine, then made her way upstairs. Brandon turned off the TV and lamp, then followed Sarah up the stairs. When he crested the stairs and turned towards the bedroom, he found Sarah leaning against the door frame in her tank top and navy-blue panties, how she had shed her leggings and sports bra in the minute it took Brandon to get up the steps he didn't know but wasn't going to ask.

He walked toward her, she smiled slyly, "About time you got here, I thought I might have to start without you."