Blue eyes bright.
Cheering like we were playing in the damn World Series.
That woman.
Jesus.
Sometimes I still can’t believe she’s mine.But she is.Make no mistake about that.
When the game finally ended, the kids piled onto the field like they’d just won the championship.
Which, according to them, they had.
Ice cream cones were handed out, and someone’s kid started a chant about how the “old guys got smoked.”
Even Maddox showed up with his girl and stood along the fence laughing while Evan told him exactly how bad we lost.
I swear the kid was enjoying my humiliation.
Goddamn traitor.
Guess I have twolittle shitsnow.Still, I can’t stop smiling.
“You ready to head home?”I ask as we walk across the gravel parking lot.
Kelly and Evan both turn to look at me.
Same blue eyes.
Same grins.
The sight of it hits me right in the chest.
My family.
“Yep!”Evan says immediately.“Tommy and I are gonna play Little Big League on Xbox!”
“After your shower,” Kelly says without missing a beat.
Evan groans dramatically and looks at me like I’m supposed to save him.
I lift my hands.
“She told me the same thing, kid.Apparently, we both stink.”
Kelly smirks.
“She’s right,” I say, and bend down, making a show of sniffing my armpit.
Evan sighs like the world is ending.
“Fine.”
We pile into the truck and head home with the windows down.
The mountain air rolls in cool and clean, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth.
Evan talks the whole way about the game.
