Page 53 of Spark
We’ve gotten so close, and to know each other so well, and I’ve fallen faster and harder for him than with anyone ever before. Part of that is due to how much time we’ve spent together. It feels like we’ve known each other for years and not just a few months. I can’t imagine my life without him.
"Uncle Fin! Teo!" Olive races towards us, blonde braids flying behind her.
Finlay steps in front of me and crouches to intercept the pint-sized missile dressed in bright pink shorts and a green top. Wrapping her in a hug, he lifts her into his arms. "How’s my favorite niece?"
"I’m your only niece, silly." She pats his cheek, then looks at me. "Isabella and Elliott aren’t here today."
I smile, thinking of the visit Finlay and I had with Sofia, Eve, and the kids after my appointment yesterday afternoon. Their tattoo parlor is one of the only ones I know of that has a play area for kids. Convenient for people who can’t get a sitter and for two busy moms who pour everything they have into their family and their business. "Their moms had to work, but if you want, you can hang out with us."
"Okay." She shimmies out of Finlay’s arms, then takes us both by the hand. "I brought bubbles and books."
We walk to the bleachers. Hercules waves from his seat on the first row. All of my teammates are on the field warming up, but as they glance over, each one of them waves too. Today is the first match of the summer league. I cannot wait to be back on the field with them.
Hercules removes his sunglasses, placing them on top of his head. "Good to see you guys. Teo, when you texted Cam and me last night, I don’t know which one of us cheered louder. So happy you got the all-clear."
"Me too, man. Me too." Lowering onto the seat, I catch myself still shifting most of my weight to my right side. The doctor said it’ll take some time for me to remember that I can put equal weight on both legs.
Olive shows us the assortment of books and the bottle of pink bubbles stashed in her backpack. "My daddy says you’re making a rocking chair for me."
I take the bottle she hands me, unscrew the top, and wave the wand in the air, sending forth a flurry of dancing bubbles. I haven’t mentioned the extra projects to Finlay, and have no idea if Cam has told him anything. "I am."
"Can you also make bunk beds for my kittens?" Bouncing on her toes, she clasps her hands together over her chest. "Daddy said asking you was okay."
I’ve never made furniture for cats before. The project would be fun and wouldn’t be that time consuming. Plus, it's another job and I need as many of those as I can get. "You’ve got it. I’ll sketch out some designs tonight, okay?"
"Thank you. He said you can send him the bill." She beams a smile at me then turns and runs to the edge of the field where warmups are wrapping up, and shouts at Cam, "Daddy, he said yes!"
Cam scoops her up and hoists her over his shoulders. Olive’s giggles fill the air as Cam, Olive, and the rest of my teammates join us.
Greetings from close to twenty guys fly at me from every direction. I shake hands and exchange hugs and hellos with everyone. The happiness at merely being in their presence again is overwhelming. "So good seeing you guys. Thank you for all the food you sent."
The ref’s arrival pulls Cam away, and the rest of the squad scatters to grab mouthguards and last-minute drinks of water before the game.
The familiar jingle of the ice cream truck plays down the street. Olive grabs Finlay’s hand and tugs him in that direction. They pause near Cam and the brothers exchange a few words, followed by Olive’s cheer. I’m guessing she received the okay for ice cream.
Leaning against the upper bleacher, I watch my teammates take the field. Monday is the start of a new pay period so I won’t see a paycheck for two weeks. I can’t join the team until I can pay the dues. I nudge Herc’s shoulder. "I want to play. I’ll get paid on—"
He waves his hand like it’s a non-issue. "Cam took care of your dues last night after you texted us. He said if it makes you feel better, you can deduct the money from the cost of the rocking chair and storage bench. And, I guess, the kittens’ bunk beds. That idea came from a cartoon Olive was watching, by the way."
As touched as I am by Cam’s gesture, I can’t have him paying my dues for me. Deducting the cost from the work will make me feel better, and it increases the pressure to have the projects completed. "I haven’t even started working on them yet."
"You only got clearance to go back to doing physical work yesterday," he reminds me with a playful shove of my shoulder. "Relax, bud. Neither he nor I are in a rush for the furniture. We just want you back here with us."
"I want that too." I turn my attention to the field as the match gets underway. "I was thinking I’d give myself another week or two to ease into playing. Get in a good practice this week. Maybe fill in as a sub next Saturday, then another practice, then go back to being an on-field regular the following weekend."
"Sounds good. Anderson is happy filling in for you, but even he’s been saying that we need you back in your regular role."
"That makes me feel better. I was worried you might have replaced me."
"Never." Hercules glances at the field and at the guy who replacedhim. For a moment, his smile grows wistful, then he faces me and shrugs. "I miss playing sometimes. But with the amount of work they did on my leg, and the recovery and rehab that’s takingforever, I just can’t get back out there."
"We understand." He didn’t come to his decision lightly. Thinking of all the conversations he, Cam, and I had about what he would do and how we could still keep him involved with the club, I clap his shoulder. "Having you as manager and coordinator of team events is really good. We don’t want to lose you either."
Finlay and Olive return to us bearing treats. She skips ahead of him holding a strawberry ice cream cone and settles next to Hercules with one of her books. Finlay hands a cone with chocolate ice cream to Herc, then sits beside me and tips a large Neapolitan cone in my direction. "I thought you and I could share."
"I like sharing with you." Watching him, I lick along the length of the creamy treat, the icy cold welcome in the summer heat. What started as a way to catch the first drip turns into more as our gazes hold.
His other hand resting on my thigh, he leans in and teases his tongue along my lower lip. "I prefer eating it this way."
