“And now!” The announcer’s voice bleeds through the speakers. “Your Rock City Renegades!” I hurry to the window, getting there just in time to see the guys shoot out from the tunnel. The entire stadium explodes into cheers, all of Cleveland ready for an even better season than the last. I know they’ll get it, too. The guys are bound and determined to get to a championship game faster than any other expansion team in history.
“Look, Norah!” I say, pointing down to where Theo runs across the turf, hyping everyone up. “There’s Daddy!” She smiles, reaching her chubby hand out toward him. Her little Calloway jersey is already so tight, even though this will be the first time she’s worn it, but she’s growing like a weed, and I can barely keep up. We’ll have to get her a new one soon and pack this one away for her little brother or sister to wear next season.
“Is Vince coming?” Sydney asks as Livvy enters the suite, likely late because she was giving Maddox a pregame pep talk. Like a magnet, she’s pulled straight to Norah, lifting her from Stella’s arms with a giant smile on her face. She walks directly over to the buffet, where she fills a plate with small chunks of bananas and strawberries. She adds a scoop of whipped cream, knowing that she’s about to become today’s favorite aunt for spoiling our girl with sweets.
I turn back to Syd, answering her question. “Vince is actually on a date right now.”
The entire room goes silent, save for the sound of the game being broadcast on the small TVs scattered around the room. I knew that would pique their interest, since they talked him into setting up a dating profile a few weeks ago. He’s only had one serious girlfriend since my mother, and we’ve been urging him to put himself out there so he can enjoy himself every now and then.
“Was it the blonde with the two cats?” Livvy asks, describing one of the women Vince matched with almost immediately. “She was wearing a Renegades shirt in her profile picture. What a flex that would be to bring her to a game where his granddaughter’s dad is a player. That would get him a second date, for sure.”
“Nope,” I reply. “She’s actually not from the app. I guess he met her at work. She’s divorced, no kids, and he’s had a crush on her for years. I think all the matches he got online gave him the confidence to finally ask her out.”
“Good for him,” Stella says, pride filling her expression. I love how they’ve accepted him like family, knowing how important rebuilding our relationship has been to me.
I ended up reaching out to my mom when Norah was about four months old. She was still in Europe, living with a man she met while she was on vacation with her former boyfriend. As I expected, she was unimpressed with my situation, immediately scoldingme for having a baby with a man I wasn’t married to. I told her that Theo is the most loving partner and father who would never leave his family, but she insisted that I would find myself alone with a baby sooner or later.
And the worst part of all—the part that made me realize that I made the right decision by not telling her in the first place—was that she never even asked to meet Norah. As much as it hurts to not have her around, we don’t need that kind of negativity in our lives when we’re already surrounded by so many people who love us.
I’m proud of who I’ve become over the past year. Where there was once a scared, jaded girl who refused to believe she was worthy of good things, there’s now a strong, confident woman and mother who treats every day like the gift it is. I’ve created beautiful connections with people I can truly count on. And most importantly, I have the love of a man who shows me every day how special I am.
Theo Calloway turned my world upside down on that busy Cleveland sidewalk, and I’m grateful every day for the privilege of calling him mine.
