Page 72 of The Home Game

“Well,” his mom said with a smile as she wiped off the counter. “It looks like you’re all settled in here.”

“Yeah, it went pretty fast with the help from the team.”

“It’s nice to see you this relaxed and happy.”

“It feels nice,” Antoni admitted. “I actually got to sleep in this morning. Matty made breakfast—”

“Oh, I heard,” she said drily. “The kids wouldn’t stop raving about his pancakes.”

“He’s … been really good to us already.”

“The kids’ rooms are beautiful. What a nice gesture.”

“Wasn’t it? My room too, it’s … God, he’s spoiling us.”

“Are you sure you’re not dating?” his mom asked under her breath. “Because it kinda seems like you are.”

“We’re not,” Antoni protested. “Matty’s just … a very generous human.”

“Well that much is obvious,” she teased. “And for what it’s worth, I think he’d be a lovely man to date.”

“He probably would be,” Antoni agreed. “But this is just … we’re friends.”

“Mmhmm,” his mom said with a knowing look. “Of course it is.”

“Look, I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to date him. And uh, it turns out you were right. He is bi.”

Her knowing look deepened.

“But I can’t … even if he was interested in dating me, I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize things for the kids!” Antoni protested.

“Oh, I know that. I’m just saying …”

“I know what you’re saying and what you’re not saying,” he shot back. “But I—I have to be careful here. I don’t want things to get complicated.”

She softened. “I know that, sweetheart. And that’s smart. I just hope someday you find someone like him is all. Someone who is that sweet and kind-hearted and caring.”

Antoni’s throat felt thick. “Me too.”

“He’s what Keith should have been,” she said and Antoni nodded.

Because yeah, if Antoni and Matty had been dating when Antoni had suddenly inherited four children, Matty would have thrown himself into it with his whole heart.

But maybe that wasn’t fair to Keith. He’d wanted kids but not yet and even though early on in their dating relationship, Antoni had offhandedly mentioned that he was named guardian in his friends’ will and that theoretically this could happen, neither of them had expected it.

No one had.

“I still think it’s best Keith ducked out before the kids got attached,” Antoni said firmly. “And that’s what scares me about Matty. I … they adore him already.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“But what if he gets bored of us? What if he meets someone else?”

“Are we talking about the kids or you?”

“I don’t know,” Antoni admitted, his voice cracking. “But I do know I don’t want to put the kids through that.”

“For what it’s worth, I think if that does happen, he’d do his best to stay in their lives.”

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