The smile on my lips feels good. The sound of his laughter feels warm. It’s nice to be able to bounce from serious to unserious with him without either of us missing a beat.
“Well, just so you know, you don’t look like a grandfather.”
“Hmm,” he hums, pulling me closer. “No?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“What about the bit of gray I got in my beard?”
“It works for you.”
“Does it now?”
“Unfortunately.”
His head dips lower, falling into the crook of my shoulder as he gets comfortable, and I can sense he’s getting close to finding sleep.
But I’m not ready yet.
“Emmett,” I whisper.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Is that why you’re so close with the guys on the team?”
He inhales a breath as he thinks it over. “Yeah, I suppose so. Sometimes you’re just needed. Whether that’s as a coach, a mentor, or a friend. And I like being able to be whatever is needed for them. I like taking care of people too, I guess. Or maybe it’s just that I really love my job.”
A smile pulls at my lips. “I remember when my grandfather got you to come on board. I wasn’t involved with the team yet, but I knew he’d been trying for years to get you to join the coaching staff.”
Emmett hums this sleepy sound, and it’s confirmation that this conversation is going to be over sooner than I’d like. “I didn’t let myself take a job in the majors until Miller was old enough and off doing her own thing. It was the right decision to stop playing when I did, but I won’t lie and say it hasn’t been my dream to come back. Coaching feels like my second chance in a way.”
Well . . . shit.
He’s making it awfully hard to keep my emotions out of the business side of things. Yeah, Emmett Montgomery is going to be expensive next season, but I’m starting to believe he might also be worth the investment.
His breathing grows slow and steady against my back, but I’m desperate to know more. I may never get this chance again, just him and me in a quiet room being honest and vulnerable.
Knowing I’ll most likely only be able to get one more answer out of him, I pick the question I’m most eager to know.
“Did you ever meet someone else after you lost Claire?”
He’s quiet for a long moment and it’s then I realize I’ve lost him to sleep.
Probably for the best, I suppose. I doubt there’s an answer to that question I’d love to hear.
With the room silent and his body behind mine, keeping me warm, I close my eyes and look for sleep too. I’ve just about found it when Emmett finally speaks up and gives me his answer.
“No,” he says, and it’s hardly a whisper. “I didn’t have it in me to move on.”
13
Reese
“Hey there, Reese’s Pieces.”
Looking up from my desk, I find my grandfather wearing a proud smile on his lips, watching me from the entryway of his office.
Myoffice, I mean.
