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“Really?”

“Really,” I confirmed.

“River, you need to eat your breakfast or we’ll be late,” Tillie reminded him as she slid a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.

I rounded the bench and grabbed mugs from the cupboard before filling them. Tillie spun around and set our plates on the counter. Once her hands were free, I caged her against the bench.

“What are you …”

I cut her off with a quick kiss, resisting the urge to deepen it while River was sitting right there.

“Ew!” he grumbled anyway, and my chest shook with laughter.

I dropped my arms and let Tillie slip out of my grasp.

“What’s with the ew?” I asked, picking up my mug and taking a sip.

“Kissing’s gross,” River told me.

“One day you’ll think differently,” I assured him.

He mumbled something incoherent, and I chuckled and dropped down onto the stool beside him.

Once breakfast was done, Tillie herded River into the car. Three trips back into the house to get his water bottle, forgotten on the kitchen counter, his glove, left on his pillow, and his hat sitting on the coffee table, and Tillie was finally heading to the field.

As soon as they were gone, silence fell over the place, and this time it didn’t feel comfortable. Instead, it felt almost awkward and lonely. I shook off the weird feeling settling in my chest, and headed upstairs and jumped in the shower. I had an hour before I needed to be there.

It wasn’t until I pulled up on the street, looking over at the bleachers, that reality hit me. Sitting on the back seat was a box of baseball caps I’d found, as well as some other merch, and I had a pocket full of markers.

I took a deep breath, checked my appearance in the mirror, and adjusted my cap. It was low over my eyes, which were hidden behind dark shades. I wore a plain navy T-shirt, a pair of worn jeans, and sneakers. I was trying to blend in, and this was the best I could come up with. Not that it worked.

The moment I stepped out of my truck, River spotted me and broke away from his team, running straight for me. When he reached me, he ran into me with outstretched arms and collided with a dull thud.

“Humpf,” I grunted as he knocked the wind out of me. For a kid, he sure packed a punch.

“You came!” he exclaimed, practically vibrating.

“I promised you I would,” I reminded him as I ruffled his hair.

As he hugged me, I looked over his shoulder, not at all surprised by the looks on the faces staring back at me. I didn’t care. They could stare all they wanted. As long as River was happy and Tillie was okay, they could snap a damn picture for all I cared.

River’s coach tried to wrangle his team together, and I unwound his arms from around me before crouching down to his height.

“You’ve gotta go, but remember what I said.”

“I will,” he promised.

“Go have fun,” I added, before he darted off, shoulder bumping another kid as they raced toward the dugout.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, ignored the hushed whispers, and made my way to Tillie, who was leaning against a tree, away from the other parents.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” I greeted, spinning my ballcap backward and kissing her like the world wasn’t watching.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to make it,” she admitted, her honesty slamming into me like a sledgehammer.

“I would never let River down,” I assured her. “Or you,” I added.

Tillie didn’t answer, not with words. Instead, she wrapped her arm around my waist and rested her head against my shoulder. A feeling smashed into me that I wasn’t expecting. A calmness. A peace. This was it. This was what I wanted. A home. A family. And I wanted it with Tillie. Tillie and River.