Page 79 of The Ex Next Door
“He reappeared again after a long absence, but he was always someone very special to me. If you want to know the truth, I’ve always loved him, and let’s just say if he decides he wants another chance… Well, you’re going to have some stiff competition.”
“Good to know.”
If only Amy could freeze time, she’d take this moment and relive it over and over again. This moment when Declan heard her admit she loved him, and his face…changed. Every hard angle in his face relaxed and softened. In those few seconds, she saw shades of the young man he’d been juxtaposed to the one he’d become. She also saw a hint of the older man he’d be when his perfect face acquired some deep crevices and wrinkles. His golden looks would never leave him.
She could almost see the years stretching head of her, the children they would have, a home, jobs, vacations, theillnesses, their aging parents. She would love him through every piece of it.
Her golden boy.
* * *
Later, after he’d taken Amy and the kids home and managed somehow to sneak a kiss, Declan went home, switched on the TV and caught up on the sports recap. One thing he hadn’t done in a long time is call his father to discuss the league standings. Dan Sheridan lived for that stuff even more than Declan.
It occurred to him that on some level he’d been punishing his father. Without realizing it, he’d created this distance between them because he’d sensed how much they were alike. When exploring this through the lens of harsh parental judgment, Declan honestly didn’t want to be like his father. He’d tried like hell for years to be his own man but today had reminded him of something significant. His father was never one to call out or criticize a coach, whether it be pro sports or Little League,evenin instances where his own knowledge superseded the coach’s by leaps and bounds.
The sad state of affairs he’d witnessed today reminded him that winning wasallthat mattered to some people. But not his dad. He’d told him early on he was only in competition with himself. For years, Declan hadn’t listened, or more than likely, he’d heard the louder voices. The voices telling him he’d never be anyone if he couldn’t make it to the major leagues. But his father, again, had been at him like that damn woodpecker.
“You never give up on something you love. If you can no longer play the game, there’s always another way to give back.”
Declan had let one bad, okay, horrible experience sideline him and that wasn’t how he’d been raised.
He picked up the phone and dialed. “Hey, Mom. Is Dad around?”
“Watching the sports wrap-up,” she said. “How are you, sweetie?”
“Looks like I’m going back to teaching soon.”
She might be trying to disguise it well, but even Declan heard the thick emotion in his mother’s voice. “Oh. That’s…wonderful. Just wonderful.”
“I’m finally ready.”
“I’ll get your father.” He heard the sounds of her wandering through the house. “Dan? Dan! Turn that down. Here, it’s your son.”
“Which one?” His father took the phone and the sounds of ESPN finally muted. “Hello, son!”
“Hey, Dad. Number two here.”
“Hello, number two! Did you get a chance to see that line drive today? It was a thing of beauty.”
For a few more minutes they discussed the season so far. Lots of hopes for their beloved Astros, looking good but still a long way to go to the playoffs.
“Looks like I’m going back to teaching and coaching,” Declan finally said.
“Is that right? How about that.”
Declan heard the smile in his father’s voice.
“Yeah, don’t act so surprised. There’s no way I could stay away forever. I love baseball, and I always have. I just… I guess I needed that break from all the things I have to do thataren’tbaseball. You know?”
“I know. And for what it’s worth, I might have done the same in your position.”
Declan doubted it but it was kind of his father to say. Dan Sheridan just never gave up on people, and he’d been a shining example to his sons. Not just for positive thinking andsetting goals, but for loving a woman and dedicating his life to their family. It was the one way in which Declan hoped to emulate him most.
“In case you didn’t know, I was yanking your chain about the project next door. You know, the chart I drew up on the back of a napkin?”
“Like I didn’t realize that,” his father snorted. “I still had to admire your tenacity.”
“No doubt you’d find something to admire if I rolled up in a corner like a potato bug and refused to move.”
