“If I have to.” I veered off into the kitchen and rummaged around in the fridge for something to stuff in my face. After a match, my stomach always tried to eat itself unless I fed it pretty quickly.
“You don’t have to bribe her.” Mazzy leaned against the counter, her hands braced on either side of her hips. “She’s pretty obsessed with you already.”
“The feeling’s more than mutual.” Grabbing leftover pasta and some of the muffins I’d stolen from Bea, I tossed the pasta in the microwave and popped open the muffin container. “Try one. They’re the best muffins you’ll ever eat.”
She took one, and I got great satisfaction watching her peel the wrapper and bite into it. I waited until she was chewing and humming before digging into one of my own.
“My best friend, Bea, made those.”
“Delicious.”
Mazzy ate her muffin at a polite pace while I polished off mine in two bites and dove in for another. I had no shame. Besides, Mazzy was laughing, so I kept on going.
When my pasta was done, she sat with me at my table. I tried to feed her some, but she insisted she’d eaten her weight in stadium food and kept me company.
“Did you pick everything out in Katty’s room yourself?”
“I had no idea where to get started, so Shira pointed me in the right direction.” I wiped my mouth with my napkin. “The rest was all me. I needed it to be that way. If things had been different, I would have made her a room. Built a crib and rocking chair—all the stuff I helped Roman do for Jonah. The least I could give her was this.”
She nodded, her lips pressed together. When her silence stretched on as I ate, I took a long look at her. She wasn’t quite as happy as she’d been a few minutes ago.
“What’s going on in that head, Mazz?”
She let out a long sigh. “It’s hitting me that you made a room for Katty. One day soon, she’ll be here with you, and I’ll be at home. As much as I want you two to have this relationship, it’s killing me a little bit.”
“It’ll be a while before we’re there, and you’re welcome here whenever you want. I’mnottaking her from you. We’re in this together.”
“I love that you want that.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m not sure it’s realistic.”
“Maybe not, but for now, it’s working.” I cocked my head. “What, you don’t like having to hang out with me? Am I boring?”
She snorted a laugh. “The last thing I’d call you is boring, Ben.”
“I noticed you didn’t tell me youlovehanging out with me. My feelings are hurt.”
“Oh, please. You just had a stadium full of fans screaming for you. I think your feelings are just fine. But if you need one more adoring fan, count me in.”
“Yeah?” I grinned, warmth radiating from my chest outward. “That’s a pretty sweet thing to say.”
“Well, you’re kind of great.” She shrugged. “This has been a strange, unexpected situation that’s kind of upended both our lives, but you’ve made it easy as could be.”
“That’s because I’m happy as hell to be here with you two.” I caught her hand, rubbing my thumb over her knuckles. “You get that, right?”
“I get that you’ve had to make a lot more adjustments, and you’ve done it without a single complaint.”
My smile dropped. “Nah, you don’t get it. If you did, you wouldn’t be surprised I’m not complaining.”
“Then tell me,” she said softly. “Help me get it.”
“I’m thirty-four—ancient for my sport. The last couple years, I’ve been watching the clock run out on my career, wonderingwho the hell I’m gonna be when it’s over. I’m not so sure I liked any of the answers I came up with.”
Her fingers curled around my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I don’t know. You looked pretty spry out on the pitch to me.”
I chuckled. “Most days, I don’t feel my age. But I also have to face facts: I’ve been lucky, but I’m one bad hit away from never playing again. I’d rather go out on my own terms. Just don’t know what those will be. It’s not only my career that’s been weighing on me, though. It’s life moving on. My twin—my literal copy—went and got married. Started a family while I was standing still, watching him lap me in life. Then you and Kat showed up, and I wasn’t spiraling into some sad midlife crisis anymore. I got direction again. Turns out, purpose looks a lot like you two.”
She sucked in a shaky breath. “Nowthat’sa sweet thing to say.”
“Just the truth.”
