Page 57 of Small Town Frenzy
I imagine it’s a way of keeping all the balls in the air that she’s been juggling while making sure he’s taken care of. But what goes up must come down, and I’m thinking that her family won’t be the ones to help pick up the pieces once they fall. At least not judging by how they were the other day when I met them.
Maybe that’s something I can help with. Those are the things needing to be worked out. I’m not opposed to beingthe one there to catch them when they fall. She deserves a partner after all she’s had to do on her own. Can I be that man for her? I should slow down. A lot is hitting hard and fast with curveballs thrown in. I can’t just rush first base. Though I could steal it.
I lean forward in the leather seat to get a better look at Jacob,my son, from this distance while we’re parked. I narrow my eyes because my damn vision has changed since I last had it checked. Whenever that was.
“Do you mind if I take a second?”
Reaching over, she rubs my arm. “Of course not.”
He’s little. Maybe big for his age. I have no clue about these things. What I can see is that the cowboy hat he was wearing earlier is bouncing on his head as he cuts through the field toward the playscape. I lower my head because a layer of crap has gotten in my eyes, causing my vision to blur. Rubbing the inside corners of my eyes, I try to clear the water forming there. No idea where that came from . . .
Cricket’s hand rubs over my back and then holds my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” I look up again as she pulls her hand away that I wish had stayed. “Not sure what that was about. Probably allergies.”
“Probably,” she replies with a compassionate grin, which lets me know she’s onto my act. She’s just kind enough not to call me out on it.
Knowing I’m not fooling anyone, I might as well lay my heart on the line. “That’s my hat, isn’t it?”
She’d undone her seat belt already and grasped the steering wheel, but she sits back, keeping her eyes forward on him, like me. I see she’s beginning to suffer from the same allergies I am. She takes a few breaths and then rolls her head to face me. “He knows it’s his dad’s and wears it allthe time.” A laugh gently rocks her chest. “Sometimes even to bed.”
I was smiling from the moment she opened her mouth. These are the details that I never thought I’d get. She gives them to me so freely as well. “You made sure he had a piece of me without even knowing if you’d ever see me again.”
“It’s all I had to give him.” She grins. It’s so wicked that I have no idea what she’s thinking. “If I’m being honest, it was hard to give away. I loved having it, but he deserved to have it more.”
“You made that hat look damn good, babe.” I chuckle to myself. “But it’s also really fucking cute on him.”
Her laughter is louder this time. “It really is.”
When the laughter begins to fade, I ask, “Where does he think his dad is?”
“He’s asked about his dad once or twice, but he’s so young that it’s easy to respond without saying much. He doesn’t question it.Yet at least.I know it’s coming.” Glancing at me, she adds, “What will I tell him?”
“You won’t have to. I’ll be here for him.”
“You will?” The surprise in her question is shocking.
“I hadn’t made plans, but I guess the universe made them for me.” I slide my hand over to hers and hold it. “I’m going to be a good dad to him. I promise you.”
Squeezing my hand, she replies, “He’s all that matters, Griffin.” She slips away from me and pops her door open. I’m still wrangling through her response because it didn’t sound like there was room in that reply for us. It’s not one or the other, but this is going to take baby steps. We were headed in one direction, veered off the path entirely, and ended up in uncharted territory.
Her door shuts, and she starts walking, waving when Jacob sees her. I give her time to greet him without myinterference. We didn’t discuss what we were going to do or say, but I think she’ll lead us in the right direction.
This playscape is quite a structure. Looks new. The Dovers probably had it built for Jacob, judging by the amount of money they seem to have out here.
An entire park for himself?I wouldn’t be surprised, but this is a way different life than how I was raised. I thought a rusty hoe was good fun when pretending I was a knight in a jousting tournament, bending the blade straight out to take down an opponent that was only pretend. Thinking about how dangerous it was for me to be riding a horse without a saddle or any reins to hold on to at eight seems monumentally irresponsible. Running that horse fast through the back part of the rocky property, all for my make-believe adventures, was not the smartest for me or the horse’s safety. All because I was hiding from my dad, so I didn’t have to do more chores. “This kid has it made,” I say, opening the door to get out.
How would I fit into his life?Thiskind of lifestyle?
I have all the money I could ever want, that he could ever need, but I don’t understand living through wealth at this level. I’m a guy who had to earn his way through life using my skills, God’s gifts, and a lot of stubbornness to be the best.
I shut the door and start behind Cricket, who has a good lead on me. Jacob comes running, wearing what he had on earlier, but he’s added a white tee instead of being shirtless. “Mommy!”
Holding back, I wait for her to guide me on what’s best to do. I shove my hands in my pockets and watch as she catches him in her arms. She wraps him in such a tight embrace that I wonder if he can breathe. I chuckle, remembering how my mom used to do that with me. Didn’t matterif I was three or twenty-three. My mom always hugged me like it was the last and it meant the world to her. I wish I had told her how much it meant to me.
Watching Jacob and Cricket, it makes me wonder if this is my mom looking over me, her giving me a chance to do what I didn’t with her.
Cricket kisses his head, and tells him, “I love you so much.” I thought I’d considered her position in all this, but seeing them together, her holding him like she’s about to lose him makes my heart clench.
