He grinned at his hand then her. “Cool. You have a great name.”
“Thanks.” She twisted the toe of her shoe in the grass. “Do you know Benny?”
“He’s my brother.”
That got her attention. She lifted her head, eyes gleaming. “He’s your brother? My friend Declan has a brother. I don’t have any. How many brothers do you have?”
“I have three. It’s pretty great, but sometimes, it feels like a lot of boys. We need more girls in the family.” Nate rose, putting his hand on my shoulder. “I’ve been instructed to take you to Ben. I know he’s chomping at the bit to see you guys. Walk with me?”
“Thank you. This is…a lot more than I was expecting.”
“The Mountain Lions are big on community outreach, and rugby is having a renaissance in the US. Lately, Ben gets recognized almost every time he goes out. Luckily, rugby fans are pretty relaxed.”
I blinked at him. “Sorry. This is all so new to me. I’m not a sports girl, so it didn’t really occur to me Ben was famous.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, it’s strange to think people have my baby brother’s poster on their walls. But he hasn’t let it go to his head.”
“He’s always been full of himself then?”
He laughed a little harder. “In a way, yes. But he’s also the most down to earth of all of us.” He pressed on my shoulder. “Let’s go find him.”
Since Ben had left our apartment Thursday evening, he’d called twice and texted…a lot. He was a communicator, which was great. Unexpected, surprising, but I didn’t hate it. I’d assumed he’d be too busy to check in, but so far, that wasn’t the case.
And Katty was enamored by him. She squealed whenever he called and had been counting down the days until she got to see him again.
Ben and I had danced around the topic of telling her he was her dad, but I was beginning to think waiting much longer didn’t make sense. He was proving he was in this, and the longer Katty knew him as “Benny,” I worried she might get confused.
I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be thrilled when he heard Nate had already claimed the title of uncle. At least it was one less thing I’d have to explain.
Nate led us along the edge of the field, weaving through clusters of parents and kids. Katty skipped between us, still holding my hand, craning her neck every few steps like she was afraid she’d miss something amazing.
The closer we got, the easier it became to pick out Ben’s voice over the chatter. He was downfield with a group of kids, demonstrating how to pass the ball, his curls damp with sweat, looking completely in his element.
Ben spotted us almost immediately, his gaze snagging on Katty then me, and his whole face changed, his grin softening into something brighter, fuller.
Katty gasped. “It’s Benny!”
Before I could stop her, she yanked her hand free and tore across the grass.
“Kateryna—” I started, but it was useless.
She was already halfway there, her curls bouncing, little sneakers kicking up dust. Ben dropped the ball and jogged toward her, laughter bursting out of him. When they met in the middle, she launched herself into his arms, and he caught her without hesitation, scooping her up like she weighed nothing.
He spun her once, just enough to make her squeal, then leaned back to rake his eyes over her.
“Hey, you.”
“Benny, I found you!” she said, patting his shoulders.
“It’s about time. I’ve been waiting all day for you to get here.”
Ben looked away from Katty, finding me beside Nate. He carried her the few paces over to us and slung his arm around me, bringing me in for my own hug. It was so natural to let him fold me against his chest, like we’d done it a thousand times.
“Thanks for coming.” He loosened his hold but kept his arm around my shoulders. “It’s so good to see you guys.”
Katty pressed on his cheek, turning him to face her. “I met your brother, Uncle Nate.”
Ben raised a brow at his brother. “Uncle Nate, huh?”
