By the time the pizza arrives, we have the place almost finished.
I’m hitting Start on the dishwasher as he enters the kitchen, holding the pizza.
“Your dinner is served, madam,” he says with a high-class accent and bows, offering the pizza to me.
“Fanciest pizza I’ve ever seen,” I tease.
“It will be even fancier when we eat it while sitting on the floor.”
I laugh as I grab some paper plates he bought since all the dishes are in the dishwasher and head to where his table will go when it arrives. I cop a squat, glad to be able to sit down and relax for a bit.
He joins me and sets the pizza down in between us, then sits with his back to the wall, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
“Pizza for you,” I say as I hand him a plate.
He takes it, then reaches over to the side, where a case of water is sitting, and tosses me one. “Catch,” he says with zero warning, throwing the bottle toward me.
I do, and his eyes open in surprise.
“Good job.”
“I have a boy, remember? He does that to me all the time.”
He takes a bite, nodding his head. “I think he and I are going to get along really well.”
I laugh, but my stomach does a flip. I haven’t thought about what will happen after today. I’ve just gone with the flow, enjoying our day together. I haven’t dated anyone since Nolan was born, so I’ve never had to introduce him to anyone.
“Tell me more about him,” he says.
I shrug. “There’s not much more to tell. He’s seven. Crazier than all get-out. Keeps me on my toes until way too late into the night and I beg him to go to bed. I actually tease him that he’s like a dog and he needs to be walked.”
“Ha!” he says loudly. “But you love every minute.”
I grin from ear to ear. “I do. Even though I seriously think I’m losing my mind sometimes, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“My sister would say the same thing. I wish I were around my nephews more.”
“I’m sure they think it’s super cool to have a baseball-playing uncle.”
He nods with a proud grin. “Yeah, I’m the cool uncle for sure. They are coming out for opening day, so you’ll get to meet them all.”
I’m mid-bite, so I cover my mouth when I respond, “Really? I’d love to meet her in person.”
He gives me a knowing look. “Be careful. She’ll talk your ear off.”
I raise my eyebrows with a smirk. “And I’ll do the same to her.”
“You and Nolan should come to opening day. They have a suite set up for them since it’s my first game, or I can see about getting you tickets closer to the field.”
Yet again, his words twist my insides.
Of course I knew he was a baseball player for the Terrors, but I didn’t really wrap my head around what that actually meant orhow I’d get to watch him on TV or go to a game and see him out on the field. I’ve always looked at those players as these people who weren’t real. I have never thought what life was like for them outside of what I saw on TV, yet here I am, sitting with one of them on his kitchen floor, having pizza.
Yes, my head just exploded from the thought, but I try my hardest to hide my reaction.
“I feel like I just watched your mind bounce around like a ping-pong ball in that head of yours,” he says nonchalantly.
When my eyes meet his, he grins.
