Page 68 of Playing With Temptation

And yes, I’d taught Lucas. And yes again, he was good. But no, not as good as I was. And I was not one of those parents who let my kid win to assuage his ego. I played how I would always play and taught my kid if he wanted to win, he needed to learn how to beat the competition. The side benefit to that was I taught my kid how to lose. So, when he did win, he knew the victory was hard won. I had learned the hard way self-worth wasn’t tied to winning, or beating others—it was about trying hard. It was knowing you tried your best and if your best was good enough, you learned something about yourself.

Not everyone was a winner.

Someone always had to come in second place.

And if your self-worth was tangled up with wins and losses instead of effort and purpose you were in for a lifetime of feeling less-than.

I didn’t want that for my son.

So, I let him lose.

“Hey Daddy!” Juni shouted from next to me. “I’m teaching Rainy how to diamond paint.”

Facts! A ten-year-old was indeed schooling me.

I watched Jase move through his living room, into the kitchen, and finally I watched him toss his jacket over the back of an empty chair before he made his way to his daughter and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

That was sweet.

“Hey, sweetheart, how was school?”

That was sweeter—him calling her sweetheart.

“It was good. I finished my letter to Miss Monroe’s mom and dad.”

At the mention of Juni writing her letter, Jase tensed. We hadn’t talked about the assembly, and I hadn’t asked if he, Juni, or Colson knew Miss Monroe. So I wasn’t sure what to make of his shoulders getting stiff.

“Yeah?” Jase prompted.

“At the end of the day Principal Halstead told us that he had nine-hundred letters to give Mr. and Mrs. Monroe. That’s a lot. It’s gonna take them a long time to read them all.” Juni lowered her voice when she added. “I hope the letters make them feel better.”

Jase dropped another kiss on his daughter’s head and told her the truth.

“I don’t know if the letters will make them feel better, sweetheart. What I do know is those letters show them how loved their daughter was and that will make them feel good. Those letters are also going to be a good reminder that there are nine-hundred kind and generous souls in the world and right now they need that reminder.”

I liked that he gave her honesty instead of brushing aside reality. But he did it in a gentle way while giving his daughter the truth.

Those letters would not take away the Monroes’ pain. Nothing would. Not even time. That hole would always be there. It would shrink. The pain would dull. But an ache would always be there in the background—a testament to the love they had for their daughter.

And finally, Jase gave me his full attention. He was already standing close, but Juni was between us. He skirted around the back of her chair and pressed a kiss to my temple and queried softly, “How was your day, baby?”

“Good,” I answered back just as softly.

When he straightened, he asked, “Any problems picking up the kids?”

“No. Are you hungry? I had the kids wait to eat.”

His head tilted, just a tad, but I noticed it. He also smiled. Not a full out smile, but a sweet grin that was full of gratitude.

“Thought I smelled something good when I walked in.” Then he called out. “Boys, find a place to pause your game. Dinner.”

Boys.

Oh crap.

I didn’t want him to think I was inviting myself and Lucas to stay for dinner.

“We don’t have to⁠—”