“Well,” Hallie says. “Coach G and I really enjoyed our playdates.”
I smile and then purposely thin my lips, tucking them in so I don’t get a third scolding glance in under a minute.
“And,” Hallie says, “we’ve been getting to know each other when we’re together.”
“Just like me and Stacy!”
“Sort of like that,” Hallie says.
I don’t know who Stacy is, but I’m pretty sure Hallie and I haven’t been getting to know one another in the same way Mia and Stacy have. I keep that thought to myself.
“Yes. Coach G is a special friend. And I like him so much,” Hallie glances at me and smiles. “That we’ve decided we’re going to start dating.”
“Like playdating?” Mia’s brows draw in and she tips her head to the side.
“It’s kind of like playdating,” I say, looking to Hallie for any sign that I should back off and let her handle this. “But it’s a special kind of playdating—when a man and woman like each other.”
“Ohhhhhh.” Mia’s eyes go wide.
Hallie’s eyes go wide.
“You mean like a boooyyyyfriend?” Mia asks. And then she bursts into a fit of giggles.
Hallie laughs too.
“What’s so funny?” I ask Mia, truly wanting to know.
“You and Mommy being boyfriends.” She laughs so hard her breath comes out in gasps. Then, through her laughter she says, “Mommy’s not even a boy!”
The three of us laugh together.
Then Mia says, “But if you like my mommy, does that mean you want to be my daddy?”
My laughter dies. I don’t know what to say. Do I want to be Mia’s dad? One day. Definitely. I’m pretty sure today’s not the day to give her that piece of information.
“Mia,” Hallie says. “It would be a long time before Greyson and I decided to get married. And when it gets close to a time like that, we’ll talk like this again.”
Mia looks at me. And then at Hallie. “But could we have ice cream sandwiches at that talk?”
“Definitely,” I say.
“Okay,” she says. She stands from the chair. “I want pizza. It’s probably getting cold.”
“Can you stay?” Hallie asks.
“As long as my leg is up, I think I can. I should tell Mrs. Kinkaid. Can you drive me back home after dinner?”
“Why don’t we see if she can stay too,” Hallie suggests.
I nod. “I’ll text her.”
Mia’s about to leave the room when she pivots and says, “Oh no!”
“What?” Hallie and I both say at once.
“Will you still be my coach?”
“Of course,” I tell her.
