"Mhmm."
At exactly the right moment—when I'm half a second from pulling Tessa's mouth to mine—Ruthie bops back over. "Mack says to get your butt on the bus."
I pull back, looking over her head to my coach, who simply shrugs before heading up the steps himself. "Oh, did he?" I ask her, my eyes glazing over everything else as Jace subtly looks away.
Ruthie rolls her eyes through a sigh. "Well… he didn't saybutteither. I'm just trying to stay out of trouble."
Tessa smothers a laugh, then rests her hand on Roo's shoulder. "I'll let you say goodbye to your dad, okay?" Her eyes meet mine. "I'll be waiting."
I try not to overthink that—the way her words could mean something to both of us. Then, instead of wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her like I really want to, I tip my chin down and offer her a closed-lip smile.
She walks away, and I turn my attention back to Ruthie. "Seriously though, have fun at the game. Try not to let anything ruin it for you."
She paints a shy smile. "I'm actually pretty excited."
"Are you?"
"Yeah." As she picks at the chipped polish on her fingernails, she grins wider. "Tessa said we can wear eyeblack and do matching braids and everything."
A warmth radiates through me as my eyes naturally search for Tess. "She's pretty great, isn't she?" I say without thinking, watching her as she types away on her phone.
A worry hits me next as I contemplate if saying that aloud was too much for the moment—too much at all until we fill Ruthie in on what's going on between us. But then I realize… it's not. Tessaisgreat, and that can always be acknowledged.
"Yeah, Dad. She is," she says, laughing.
"What?" I ask. "What's so funny?"
She shakes her head dismissively. "Nothing. Just… if I can't play with you this weekend, I'm glad I get to play with her."
I choke down the emotion that crawls up my throat. It's two-fold—I wish I could be there with her too. But I also agree. If it can't be me, I'm happy it's Tess.
"Soon I'll be around so much you'll be sick of me," I say for both of our sakes.
Ruthie clicks her tongue. "Probably."
I scrunch my face, and pull her to me, soaking in the embrace. "I love you so much, Roo. You know that?"
She offers me just her side at first, but when I wrap her up tight, she surrenders to the hug and presses herself flush against my chest.
"I love you too, Dad."
I let her go, my hand lingering on her shoulder, keeping her at arm's length. "I gotta get on the bus, but have fun this weekend."
She turns just as Tessa lifts her head from her phone and meets her halfway.
I smile in their direction, my feet still planted despite being the last one on the bus. "I'll talk to you soon," I call to them.
Ruthie grins and Tessa nods, and only then am I able to walk away… leaving both of my girls behind me.
37
Tessa
"Hello?"
A car horn beeps in the background, and I hear Jo yell some sort of profanity on the other side of the phone before acknowledging me back. "Hey, hi, sorry. I'm here."
"Where's here exactly?" I ask, glancing around the soccer field as voices mill about in the background of our call.
