“Yeah, he slipped in last minute. Apparently, things are a little sticky with his team captain right now. Some kind of drama, I guess. So he said he needed a break and made the quick trip here to see Aston’s first game of the season,” Alie says.
“Is he okay though?” I ask.
“I don’t really know him well enough to answer that,” she says with a small laugh. “ But he was really sweet with the kids.”
The room is filled with the sounds of our family and my teammates. It’s a little hectic and loud with the kids running around, but I feel like this is exactly how life was supposed to be. And for a minute, I forget that my marriage is just an agreement. Because it feels as real as the grass burn on my elbow.
“You okay?” Presley asks, stepping into my space and brushing her thumb across a small cut on my cheek. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m good,” I say, catching her hand and kissing her palm. I don’t miss the way her breath hitches, or the way she looks at me. “Let’s get these kids home. I’m exhausted.”
“You got it,” she says. “Okay, anyone who lives in the St. Clair house, let’s head out.”
Remy and Rhyan bounce up to her, and I follow behind them. She’s got Remy’s hand on her left, and Rhyan’s in her right. Those three people in front of me are my entire world.
Presley and I drove separately to the field today. She needed to be here before me to meet with her trainers. And both kids wanted to ride home with her, so my drive home was quiet, which I don’t mind because it helps me decompress after a game.
I pull into the driveway behind her, and we get the kids inside to get ready for bed. We run through their nighttime routine quickly, because the adrenaline and the sugar rush are fading, and Remy almost falls asleep brushing his teeth.
Presley is getting Rhyan in bed, and I just got Remy settled in his. As I walk toward our room, I hear soft murmurs coming from Rhyan’s room, and I stop to listen outside the door.
“Presley … ” Rhyan’s voice is small and sleepy.
“Yeah, Ry?”
“Are you … are you my mom now? Because you and Uncle Wyatt are married and he’s kind of like our dad now.”
I hold my breath, my heart thudding against my ribs.
There is a long silence before Presley speaks.
“Rhyan … ” Presley’s voice is soft, with a tenderness that makes my chest ache. “Your mom will always be your mom. No one can ever take that place, okay? She’s in your heart, she’s a part of you.”
“But you live here,” Rhyan says. “And you take care of us. And Uncle Wyatt loves you.”
“I am always here for you. Always,” Presley says. “I’m like … an aunt. Or a really close best friend. Your uncle and I are ateam, and we’re here to make sure you and Remy are taken care of and happy.”
Listening to this feels like a blindside hit to the kidneys.
“Are you and Uncle Wyatt gonna have babies?” Rhyan asks, her voice drifting off. “Sera’s getting a baby brother or sister. I want a baby sister.”
I wait because I want to hear Presley saysomeday. I want to hear her saymaybe.
“Uncle Wyatt is my very best friend, Rhyan,” Presley says, her voice sounding strained like she’s being very careful about what she’s saying. “And I love him very much. But right now, we’re focusing on you and Remy, okay? Go to sleep so you can conquer kingdoms tomorrow.”
I don’t wait to hear any more. I turn and walk down the hall. Every step feels like I’m wearing lead boots.
Best friend.
I walk into the bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing. I’ve spent months convincing myself that lines were blurring. That the sex, the way she looked at me, the way we handled the kids together … that it meant we were building something that was more than best friends.
But to her, I’m just her best friend. A teammate. A partner in a legal agreement.
I don’t even hear the door close before Presley walks by me toward the bathroom. She’s smiling, the soft, sleepy smile that makes me want to pull her into my arms.
“She’s finally out,” she says from the bathroom. “I think the stadium food caught up with them. I swear, Remy was snoring before he got his shoes off.”
She walks back into the room and around to her side of the bed.
