“Wow,” Eric said. “This makesmylast few years seem pretty shallow in comparison.” He stretched his arm along the bench, extending his hand until his fingers grazed the bend of her elbow. “I’m going to be honest with you, Ty,” he said, voice raspy and low. Emotion brewed behind his green eyes. “Lucas is onlyhalfof the reason I’m here.”
Ty’s heart pumped out a quickened pace. Fast and shallow thumps as he continued.
“I know it’s been a long time.Solong that we don’t even know each other anymore. But I’d like to fix that.” He cleared his throat, slipped his fingers up her wrist, and cupped the back of her hand. “The other reason I’m here is to ask for a second chance with you.”
“Woo hoo,” Lucas called as he swung high from the force of Memphis’s last push.
Memphis checked the clock on his watch, surprised to see that it was already time to leave. He’d received a follow-up text from Ty saying that Lucas had earned a free root beer float for keeping up with his reading chart at school. The plan was to hit the library and let Lucas pick out new books, then head to the diner to cash in his root beer float voucher.
But since their trip to the library didn’t take up much time, and since Lucas was itching to run wild on the playground, they’d stopped at the park in between.
“Do the shark again,” Lucas hollered as his swing started to slow.
“Okay,” Memphis said, tucking the phone back into his pocket and readying himself behind the swing. “But then we go if we’re going to get those root beer floats, okay?”
Lucas giggled. “Deal!”
Memphis began humming the scary shark tune. “Uh, oh, the shark is coming. The shark is coming! And watch out, his fin might get caught on your swing again.” He grabbed hold of the seat with both hands, ducked low to clear the seat, and ran beneath Lucas as he gave the swing a final push off.
Lucas released another squeal of joy as he swooshed back and forth against the cloud-covered sky. Memphis stepped back and watched, mesmerized by the fulfillment this moment gave him. He’d come to deeply love Lucas over the weeks he’d spent with him and Ty. This little person flying through the air on a playground swing was bright and funny. He was thoughtful and kind. He had deep questions for such a little kid, and Memphis loved hearing them.
Lucas was part of Ty, and that made Memphis love him even more. On that note, the little guy caught eyes with Memphis and gave him a glowing grin. A burst of gratitude exploded in his chest, the emotion fused with a deep desire to care for, protect, and love this kid throughout his whole life through.
Nothing would bring Memphis greater joy than to play the role of father to Lucas, and husband to Ty. He didn’t have to rush that though. For now, he’d start with telling Ty about his past. Tonight, while the two enjoyed a private dinner. He could hardly wait to share that crucial part of his past with her.
“Okay,” Lucas called as the swing slowed. “I’m ready to go get root beer floats!”
Memphis stepped in closer as the swing came to a stop at last. “Want some help getting down?”
But Lucas shook his head. “Nope. I can do it.” His small fingers gripped around the chain as he looked down at the sand in contemplation. “Just give me a second,” he added, as if daring himself to make the leap between the seat to the sloped spot beneath.
Memphis stepped back and tucked his hands in his pockets, admiring Lucas’s determination. It was there, from that new perspective of the park behind him, that he spotted a man through the trees. He was on a bench, turned sideways facing someone Memphis couldn’t see due to the shrubs. But what stood out to him was the absolute joy on his face. As if someone had just told him he’d hit the jackpot.
It was a good day, Memphis mused. A day for wins across the board. Yet as Lucas hopped down from his swing at last, catching himself with his palms before smearing off the sand, Memphis moved just enough to catch a glimpse of the person on the other side of the bench.
“Ty?”It came out as more of a whisper. A shocked one. Just what in the world—
“Mom!” Lucas hollered as he followed Memphis’s gaze. Already Lucas was darting ahead of them, rushing toward the small break in the bushes and trees to get to his mom.
“Lucas, wait!” Memphis hissed, hoping he’d be loud enough for Lucas to hear without gaining Ty’s attention. Inwardly, his body was firing missiles in every direction. In his mind, Memphis was working through a list of excuses—innocent reasons Ty was sitting at the park with a guy who’s face was lighting up like the Fourth of July. His nervous system was working through things differently. His pulse had kicked into double time, pushing the frantic feelings faster as he dodged the swing, tripped slightly over a mounded grass patch, and hurried to catch Lucas before he—
“Mom, we’re here, too!”
