Now that Austin is here, no point in wasting such a beautiful day moping about.
Springtime in North Carolina is gorgeous. I love how we get four very distinctive seasons and enough time to enjoy each of them. The summers here are humid and sweltering—perfect for the beach or the pool. The fall is a colorful eruption with the changing of the leaves and the cooler evening temperatures. Winter brings the thrill of snow, and spring brings an explosion of nature and all its beauty.
Austin rents a boat dock on Beacon Lake which makes up most of Beacon Park. One section of the park is a dedicated botanical garden, the other side an arboretum. There are walking, hiking, and biking trails, and a paved pathway that encircles the entire lake.
Me and the guys are regulars on Austin’s sailboat. Austin’s been wanting to teach me how to sail it, but I’d rather enjoy the views and not have to worry about running us into another boat or stranding us on the shoreline.
Austin parks his car in one of the lots farther away so we can take a leisurely walk through the gardens that lead to the boat docks. The tulip magnolias are blooming with their soft coral pink flowers and something sweet and floral hangs heavy in the air. I breathe it all in and tilt my face up to the sun as I walk.
“This is perfect. Thanks for cyberstalking me and making me do this.”
“If I didn’t know you were joking, I might be offended.”
I wrap my hands around his arm and tilt my head so that it rests against his upper arm at his shoulder.
“Rora! Rora!” a little voice calls somewhere up ahead and then my legs are tackled by a tiny, blond blur that would have knocked me on my ass if I wasn’t holding onto Austin’s arm.
Austin and I both look down in surprise at the gap-toothed, grinning boy who’s clinging to my legs and looking up at me.
“Connor!” JD shouts, jogging up to us, and it’s like a Baywatch montage of gorgeous slow-motion man. “You know better than to run off like that,” he scolds his son, looking first apologetically at me then confused when he notices Austin and the fact that I’m hanging off his arm.
The little boy at my feet doesn’t feel any of the adult tension surrounding him and plows on like children do. “Rora! Come see my boat.” Connor pronounces it bo-at. Geesh, this kid is adorable.
“Hey, bud,” JD says, rubbing the back of his neck while looking from me to his son who has become a spider monkey on my legs. “They probably have stuff to do today. Maybe you can show Aurora later.”
Connor pouts up at me with his big brown eyes and I’m a goner.
“I’d love to see your boat,” I find myself saying and want to slap a hand over my mouth.
Austin leans in and whispers, “Rory, what are you doing?”
I haven’t the faintest idea. I’ve officially lost my marbles.
JD tugs at his son until he’s able to pull him off me. It’s no easy task. “You don’t need to do that.”
Again, the words just fly out my mouth without my permission. “It’s alright. Austin and I would love to come see his boat.”
Connor starts clapping then bursts out into a song about ten little sailboats.
Austin moves his arm down and takes my hand in his, twining our fingers together in a move I am positive is one-hundred percent intentional. “JD,” he says in greeting.
“Austin,” JD replies back while Connor continues to sing away and then starts to wriggle in JD’s arms to be let down. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Connor grabs my hand and runs toward the lake. “Come on.”
Lord, what have I gotten myself into?
Chapter 41
After Aurora bolted from the condo last night, it was a pointless endeavor to try and fall asleep. Snapshot images of her standing in front of the window—her smell, the sound of her voice, her scent, those damnable glacial blue eyes that haunt my dreams—kept me up. Unfortunately, for a single parent, kids don’t care if you sleep or not. You’re expected to be “on” twenty-four hours, seven days a week. This morning was no exception.
As soon as Connor woke up, he was begging to go to the park and take his new remote-controlled boat out on the lake. I used to have a private nanny who helped out while I was finishing school or busy training or at games, but I let her go when I moved back here. I’ve used a babysitting service a couple of times since I arrived in Highland whenever I needed to go out but couldn’t take Connor with me.
One of the reasons I accepted Fallon’s offer of Athletics Director is because the community center has a daycare facility that Connor can stay in while I work. When he starts kindergarten this fall, I won’t have to worry as much about childcare and can set hours that fit around his school schedule.
I really am so very proud of Aurora and what she’s doing with Fallon. He said the Cameron Bollinger Youth Community Center was her idea and she insisted on being a part of every aspect of its fruition from planning, designing, and construction.
The sound of a boat engine catches my attention. I should consider buying one as Connor would enjoy fishing. Isn’t that a tradition all fathers do with their sons? I bend over and help him steer his boat back to where we are at the shoreline. We’ve been out here for a couple of hours, and he’ll start to get cranky if I don’t feed him. This boy is a bottomless pit when it comes to food. Kind of reminds me of Dustin and how he would shovel anything edible into his mouth and still be hungry two minutes later. I’ve gotten used to packing a small cooler bag of snacks to take with us whenever Connor and I go out.
“Hey, bud. Let’s bring her in and then find a shady place to eat our picnic.”
