“You were,” she agrees, laughing.
“You don’t have to agree so wholeheartedly.”
“You didn’t have to be so completely idiotic,” she teases, leaning in so her head is tucked under my chin. She wraps her arms around my waist and holds on to me.
Mrs. Kinkaid rolls down her window and whoops. Then she shouts over to us. “I figured Zach would whoop. I’m just improvising here.”
I smile, wishing Zach could be here, but knowing deep down he’d be proud of me for getting my head straight before it was too late—before I lost Hallie.
Jonathan claps from his porch.
I look down at Hallie and smile. She’s blushing.
“We can tell Mia about us whenever you’re ready,” I say.
“She’s pretty smart. I think she figured it out already.”
Hallie’s front door opens and Hallie’s mom’s head pops out. “Mia figured it out already.”
“Mom!”
“She’s in her room if you two want to talk with her.”
Hallie’s mom walks out toward Mrs. Kinkaid’s car, passing Hallie and me as we make our way up the walkway, into the house.
“Mia?” Hallie calls down the hallway.
“Yes, Mommy?”
“Can Coach G and I talk with you?”
Hallie turns to me and points to the couch. “Put your leg up. Please.”
I take a seat on the couch, positioning my leg to stabilize it.
Mia comes down the hallway, smiling.
“Are you staying for pizza, Coach G?”
“We’ll see,” I tell her.
“Have a seat, Mia,” Hallie says, pointing to the chair and taking a seat on the coffee table so she’s facing me and Mia.
“So,” Hallie starts. “Coach G and I have been spending some time together.”
“Like at practice?” Mia’s face scrunches and she looks up at the ceiling. “But you aren’t really together at practice. Coach G is on the field with us. You stay in the bleachers.”
I chuckle and Hallie looks at me with what I’d definitely call a mom look.
“Right. No. Not so much at practices,” Hallie says. “We’ve spent some other time together.”
“Like for playdates?” Mia asks.
“Yes,” I say. “Playdates.”
Hallie shoots me another look, but she smiles at Mia. “Yes. Like playdates.”
“That’s so fun!” Mia says. “But you can’t really do anything with your leg hurt.”
