“I have been avoiding him, because of that.” I motion to them as Winnie tosses the football. It crashes at Tanner's feet, then he throws his arms in the air like she just made the game winning touchdown. “She’s going to be devastated when we leave,” I say. “I mean, look. She loves him.”
“I get that,” Lauren admits.
It feels like the tiniest victory. Like maybe she sees what I have been trying to convince myself of this entire time. Leaving is going to hurt, what’s the point of making it worse.
“Mommy watch!” Winnie calls out before throwing the football horribly. It lands nowhere near Tanner.
“Good job bug!”
My eyes catch on Tanner’s hands and suddenly all my brain can think about is how I miss them being on my skin.
“Come on, Mom.” Tanner calls out to me, his hands resting on his hips as he squints in the sunlight. I melt at the little dimple in his smile I’ve never noticed before. “Show us who’s really the pro-athlete.”
“I wouldn’t want to show you up,” I tell him, but with a single beckoning head-tilt I am up and walking barefoot through the grass to them.
“Alright Winnie.” I pick up the ball. “Watch this.”
One swift toss, and the ball goes sailing through the air and right into Tanner's hands. His jaw drops and eyebrows knit together.
“Since when could you do that?” Lauren calls from the step.
“It pays to be friends with the football players in college.”
Ethan hated it. He was law-school, frat-boy, new-money. Football and aggressive sports only benefited him when he was betting on a game. My roommate was dating the running back and so sometimes, when Ethan was too busy for me, I was at the athlete apartment parties perfecting my own spiral.
“Mom, go over by Tan.”
“That was incredibly hot,” he whispers upon my approach through gritted teeth.
Winnie's toss goes sideways, bounces off a tree and rolls back to her own feet.
“Here Fred. Watch this.” Tanner jogs over to her, picks up the ball and shows her how to lay her fingers on the laces. I can’t hear him, but Winnie is nodding very seriously at his directions.
I glance over at Lauren, and the look is all over her face. The one that tells me just how much trouble I’m in. She pushes up off the back steps and heads inside.
“Tell her,” Tanner says to Winnie.
“Mom, go long!” she calls out and I shuffle back. She chucksit and with a small dip to the side, I catch it. “Go get a touchdown!”
Before I can move, Tanner launches himself toward me. Winnie squeals for me to run and I do. Or at least I try to. I turn and only make it few strides away before Tanner scoops me up from behind.
Laughter shakes my body as I yell for him to put me down but that’s actually the last thing I want. Turns out here, six inches off the ground, in Tanner’s arms, is my new favorite place to be. His laughter rumbles against my back as he slowly lets me slip down to the ground.
“You have a good throw, but you aren’t very fast.” His voice is low, so I find myself craning back to hear him. Or maybe just to be closer.
“Mom, you didn’t get the touch down!” Winnie giggles.
Tanner places a kiss on my cheek before letting me go entirely and Winnie's eyes go wide. I wonder if my blushed cheeks are as red as hers.
“Mommy.” A mischievous grin grows on her face.
“Winnie.” I echo and she starts to giggle. “Come on. We have to wash up for dinner.”
“There’s the hose over there.” Tanner tips his head toward the side of the house. “We can grab a drink too.”
Winnie’s nose scrunches up, and Tanner looks at me with shock and concern that my child doesn’t have a clue as to what it means to drink out of a hose.
“Come on.” He waves her on. “I’ll show ya.”
