Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Surprisingly, I’m not that bad. I suck at dribbling and lose the ball, but when I get the chance to shoot, I hit every shot. Nash and Colton are the best, the two of them carrying most of the weight of the game, but Hannah is right up there with them, and Dakota is better than me, at least at dribbling.
Like always, Nash is a good brother to Sadie, passing her the ball and making sure she’s involved. He really is the best kid. Somehow, despite being the kind of person she was, Sandra raised two incredible kids. Well, not raised them; birthed them.
I don’t quite know how it happens, but I end up with the ball, Colton guarding me. He bites his bottom lip, smirking at me and almost making me lose my dribble. “I won’t let you score on me…in this game, at least.” His voice is low, just for me. I still feel my face flame, the ball bouncing off my foot, but somehow I keep possession of it.
“I feel it every time I move,” I counter, and the way Colton’s pupils flare tells me he knows exactly what I mean. That I feel the cage around me—his cage—which makes him flush with want and lose his train of thought. I pull up, hoping like hell I can make this shot and shoot over him before Colton can do anything to stop me. The ball swooshes through the net, and then I’m jumping up and down, fist-pumping in this way that’s absolutely not normal for me. The only time I do anything like this is now that I watch Nash play, but never for me, never for myself.
“Yes!” Nash cheers, then walks over, holding his hand up for a high five. I’m so surprised, I almost don’t respond, but then I’m smacking my palm against his, biting my cheeks so I don’t give a wide, clown smile at how happy I am. At how much I feel like a family.
I ride that high as we continue to play. A few minutes later, I have to excuse myself to go to the bathroom. When I finish up, I see Christine in the kitchen.
“Would you like to help me real quick?” she asks.
I’m positive she doesn’t need my help, but still, I nod and hope she won’t tell me I’m not good enough for her son, that I’m too old for him and he shouldn’t be with his ex-professor who’s raising two kids.
“Sure.”
“The candles are on that top shelf, and I can’t reach them.”
I grab the box of candles for her, thinking I’ll get lucky and she won’t talk to me about being in a relationship with her son, but she says, “You make him happy.”
“He makes me happy too. I know it’s not…ideal. Him having been in my class, the age difference, and—”
“I don’t care about any of that,” she interrupts. “I must admit, when he first told me, I was worried. Even today I was worried. I thought maybe I’d see something in you that Colton’s too in love to see, but you’re a good man. You love those kids. And you love my son. You’re good to him. You see what an incredible man he is.”
“I do. He’s… I never thought I would have someone like him. He’s just so good.”
She smiles. “He’s very good, and you are too, James. If you weren’t, he wouldn’t love you. I just wanted to make sure you know that, and also that you and the kids are welcome here anytime. You’re family now.”
My eyes sting, unexpected tears prickling there, and I rush to swipe them away. “Thank you. That means more to me than I know how to express.”
“I know.” She takes my hand and squeezes, just as the front door opens, the loud group of them coming inside. Christine gives my hand another gentle squeeze, then says, “Can you put the candles in?”
“Sure thing.”
I do, while she gets plates, and we bring the cake and everything to the table.
Colton stands beside me as we all sing happy birthday to him, and he blows out the two and the nine on his cake—chocolate, of course. His arm brushes mine as we wait for cake, not a doubt in my mind that it’s on purpose.
The conversation continues for another hour or so, before we’re all ready to head home. Christine hugs Colton, then me, then the kids. Sadie has a longer goodbye with Tasha and Hannah, something else I’m thankful for. I’m glad she has them, that they’ve taken her under their wing and give her that connection to her Black roots. I know how important that is.
This was maybe the best day of my life, and I’m not ready for it to end, so when we’re almost home, I say, “Do you want to come up and hang out for a little while? Not late,” I add because I’m obsessed with making sure the kids don’t know what’s going on.