Page 71 of Liam

Mia continues, “He wants me to practice hitting with him, and I don’t know what the fudge I’m doing, and Leo’s at work, and I went by the house but no one was there, and I thought maybe?—”

“I got it,” I cut in.

“Are you sure, though, because?—”

“I’ll grab some equipment from?—”

“It’s in the trunk.”

Since Mia and I spend so much time together and I tell heralmosteverything, she doesn’t really need an introduction to Addie, but I give her one anyway. Afterward, I face Benny. He’s already chosen his favorite of Addie’s fidget clickers, and Addie works at removing it from the carabiner to give to him. I wait until it’s in his grasp and he’s said thank you to make my way over to them. “I hear you want some help with your swing?” I ask, and Benny nods. “Well, it’s your lucky day. Addie here is a semi-pro softball player.”

“Really?” Mia asks.

Addie shakes her head. “College. Super small. Not a big deal at?—”

“Knock it off,” I cut in.

“You’re so bossy,” she snaps. Then grins. “I like it.”

“Mama likes Daddy when he’s bossy, too,” Benny informs.

I raise my eyebrows at Mia, tease her the way she did me. “Is that so?”

“Okay, Benny,” Addie says, allowing Mia some grace. “Let’s see what you got.”

Addie plays catcher while Mia sits on the porch steps, watching me throw soft pitches at Benny—none of which connect. This goes on for a good ten minutes, and every time he swings and misses, the light in his eyes dulls more and more.

“I’m never going to get it,” Benny whines, slamming the bat on the ground.

“You will, bud,” I try to soothe. “It just takes practice.”

“I’vebeenpracticing.”

Addie smiles down at him. “It’s hard, isn’t it?” she asks, her voice soft, soothing.

Benny nods, his eyebrows drawn in frustration.

“Want to know a secret?” She doesn’t wait for a response before adding, “It’ssupposedto be hard. Think of all this space,” she says, waving a hand beside him, “and you havethistiny thing.” She grabs the bat. “Kind of silly, if you ask me. Especially when you feel like the bat isn’t doing what you want it to. So…” She gently shifts the bat into position, as if Benny’s waiting for the pitch, and carefully adjusts his grip. “I think… if we can control the bat just a little better, then maybe it might help.” She shrugs. “Or maybe not. But we can only try, right?”

Benny nods, big brown eyes blinking, taking in every word.

“And if it doesn’t work, then we try again.” Addie stands, assesses Benny once more. “You can rest it a little lower,” she says, showing him exactly where to position the bat. She’s showcasing her experience—not just with baseball, but with kids, too. She grins down at him, assuring. “Perfect.”

I wait until Addie’s moved away to ask, “Ready, buddy?”

Benny nods, taking in one huge breath before preparing. I go back to my pitching position and lob the ball toward him.

He swings.Hits.

“Let’s go, Benny!” Addie cheers.

Mia gets to her feet, clapping. “You did it!”

“I did it!” Benny exclaims, bouncing on his toes. “Another one!” He turns to Addie. “Can you show me again?”

“Of course.”

For a while, Benny hits ball after ball, but it’s obvious his joy and enthusiasm lessen with each passing minute. Even Addie notices it. “What’s wrong, Benny?” I ask, moving toward him.

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