“All of us?”
Andy nodded.
“Wow. They really want him. This is good stuff, Andy.”
I tried not to get a pang for the days when I was going through this process, which was one of the most exhilarating, devastating, thrilling, and anxiety-producing parts of my life. Going to exhibitions, knowing I had to play my very best every time, waiting for calls, getting passed over, getting offers. To be wanted like that was a special kind of glory that doesn’t come often in a life. At least, it hadn’t come often in mine. I missed that feeling of being chased, of being wanted. Could I find that again, somewhere new? In a new field? Or maybe it was my purpose to help mentor kids like Drew, the next generation, who, if I had anything to do with it, would model this time with a lot less bravado than I had.
And, of course, I couldn’t help but think of Maisy again. When they found out about her, would this derail everything we had worked for?
“Can I keep him after practice?” I asked. “Maybe an extra hour?”
“You can keep him all week if you think it will seal the deal.”
I wanted to work with Drew on his mental game more than his physical one. He had the goods, but being able to perform on command was always stressful. Drew did it better than most, but it had never been all on the line like this for him before.
I knew that all this could go away in a flash. And I couldn’t bring any other issues to the forefront until the deal was done. Nope. As a coach, it was my job to get my boy through his biggest game to date, and then I would worry about what to do next. I took a deep breath,hoping that Daisy got to keep Maisy, at least for a while. If she was safe with Daisy, I could put this decision off. I’d never been much of a soccer player, but, in my real life, I was an expert at kicking the ball down the field. Sometimes it had cost me. But that didn’t matter. I had blown my own shot. I would do anything to make sure Drew didn’t blow his.
DAISYShine Again
So can I call youAuntDaisy?” Greer asked in that fairy-tale-princess voice of hers. She smiled up at me sweetly as I popped revolting dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets in the oven.
I would make tacos tomorrow, but tonight had been crazy, and nuggets were the best I could do. I had come into this wanting to be super babysitter, maybe even have them liking steak or something as exotic as turkey by the time Amelia and Parker got home. But, for night one, dino nuggets it was.
I looked down into her pretty little face. George was snuggled up with Aunt Tilley. She was reading him a Mickey Mouse book over and over again with the patience of a saint. She seemed lucid. And it was amazing how calm he was with her.
Greer waved her fairy wand in my direction, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Well,” I said, “I’m not your aunt.”
She scrunched her nose. “Why not?”
“Because aunts and uncles are brothers and sisters of your mommy and daddy or people who are married to brothers and sisters of your mommy and daddy.”
My stomach flipped. It was very, very early days, and, yes, I knewrealistically that I was dating a man who—if Carmen was to be believed—didn’t have the best track record. I shook off the thought. His past didn’t matter. What mattered was who he was now, who he was to and with me.
I shook my head, focusing back on Greer. I knew from my experience with children that the logistics of large families could be complicated.
“So is Aunt Tilley Mommy’s sister?” she whispered. “She’s very old, Aunt Daisy.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, no, Aunt Tilley is your mommy’s aunt, so she’s your great-aunt.”
“Because she’s grrrreat!” Greer said in a Tony the Tiger voice, jumping up in the air, her crinoline princess skirt floating up and then falling over her legs again.
The screen door slammed. It was a sound so familiar, so soothing, the sound of my grandparents’ house, of fried chicken in the kitchen and sweltering Southern summer days. It was a sound that brought me such peace, if only for a moment, that I realized how lovely my childhood had been, mother or no. What to do about seeing said mother again was haunting me. I changed my mind every five minutes. I was happy to have babysitting as an excuse to put off making any decisions.
The still little boy who had been glued to his great-aunt seemed to actually fly as he called, “Uncle Maaassssoooonnn!”
“Uncle Mason!” Greer squealed at a decibel that made me want to cover my ears. She jumped into his arms with the force and confidence of a little girl who knows a man will always, always catch her.
Mason kissed my cheek. I smiled. “Can I interest you in a dino nugget?”
“No, but you can interest me in the details of your home visit. I have been anxiously awaiting the text that never came.”
I put my hand to my forehead. “I’m so sorry! They were an hourlate, and I had to rush straight to get the kids from preschool and then… well…”
Greer was in Mason’s arms, and George was on his leg.
“Are you suggesting that my beautiful niece and charming nephew can be challenging? I am offended!”
“But the home visit went great. I got approved to foster in my new house!” My heart swelled.
