I shake my head with a chuckle and look back at the kids to make sure they are still eating their Uncrustables, wearing their seat belts, and not climbing on each other when we weren’t paying attention.
We pull into the parking lot to see a good number of cars already there. Once we’re parked, the kids all jump out of the car and start running.
“Wait for us!” I yell, and they slow down.
We make our way through the gates to the field, and I stop in awe. Whenever I’ve brought Nolan to a game, we sat in the lawn area in the back of the field, which has a separate entrance.Seeing the grandeur of this place from this angle takes on a new meaning.
From home plate to the center field fence, the grass is perfect with stripes cut into the lawn, creating a design. Add in the huge screen scoreboard and the slide off to the right, and I can’t believe how just a different view changes this place so much.
An employee of the park guides us down the stairway to the field, where everyone can grab a seat to watch the players go through batting practice.
Sasha walks down to a row where there are a few seats available for us.
“Mommy, can I go down there?” Nolan points to where a few other kids are standing at the end of the stands, closest to the field.
“Yeah, that’s fine, just don’t go anywhere else without talking to me first,” I respond as I take the seat next to my sister.
“I’d say this is the making of a perfect night,” Sasha says. “The kids are fed and occupied, I get to drink my mommy juice in peace, and watch these fine specimens of human beings swing a bat. I could get used to this. We might need to come to games more often.”
We clink our drinks, and I put my feet up on the seat in front of me, thankful not a ton of people are sitting around us.
“Check out this guy.” Sasha points at the current guy walking up to the plate withParkerwritten across his back. “Jamie talked about this guy the other day. He’s new to the team this year.”
“Did he realize you were checking Parker out while he gave you the guy’s playing stats?” I ask jokingly, but knowing she probably was.
“Hey, I can look.” She grins. “It keeps me engaged with my husband’s conversation if I have someone pretty to look at while he’s talking all that nonsense to me.”
Jamie, my brother-in-law, is a huge baseball fan and can tell you everything about every player, especially if they play for the Terrors. It bores Sasha to tears, but she tries to act like she cares about what he’s saying.
The player up to bat takes some swings. The loud thwack off the wood bat radiates around the stadium, and the kids jump up and down, seeing he hit one out.
Nolan turns around in awe, making sure I saw it too. His little face, full of amazement, fills me with my own joy. There’s nothing better than seeing your son happy.
Sasha and I sit back with our drinks as the players go up one after the other, taking their turn and creating a fun little game with the fans, seeing who can hit the most out of the park.
My sister was right. This is a great way to relax and end the day. As a single mom, there aren’t many nights where I get to do nothing, so I agree; we might need to come here more often.
A few of the players walk up to where the kids are, and I immediately freeze when I see who my son is talking to. When I reach for my sister’s hand, she sits up in question.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
“That’s him. That’s Evan.”
CHAPTER THREE
Christy
“That’s who?” Sasha asks, confused as to why I’m gripping her hand so tight.
I close my eyes, calming my racing heart.
When I open them, I turn to her. “That’s Evan. Evan P. The guy whose hair I cut today.”
“Shut up!” She jumps in her seat. “Pis Parker? You cut Evan Parker’s hair today? You know Jamie is going to lose his shit over this, right?” She stands up. “Let’s go say hi!”
“No, no, no.” I pull her back down to her seat.
“Yes. You said he was cute. I need to meet this guy.” She steps around me, knocking my now-empty bottle on the ground.
