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“But there will come a point when you won’t have a say-so.”
“We don’t know that.” I shake my head. None of us know what the future will absolutely bring, and I would fight like hell to keep him with us. “You’re assuming more physical therapy and talking to the doctor won’t do anything for you. Why don’t you wait and cross that bridge when you get there?”
“Because it’s easy for you to say shit like that. You aren’t the one dealing with it.”
He turns on his heel and walks away from me. To his back, I speak softly. “And you aren’t the one half in-love with your best friend’s sister and scared to death to tell him.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Natalie
“You wantme to braid it for the game today?” I grin over at Trinity. It’s become one of her favorite things to do; match her hair with all the other girls.
“Yes! That way it won’t be in my face and I’ll look like everyone else on the team. They all have moms who do it for them.”
She sits down in front of me, crossing her legs. “Hey.” I reach down, tilting her head back. “I’ll always be here to do it for you.”
“But you aren’t married to my dad.” She pouts. “That means you can leave at any time.”
This is a tricky subject, and one I know we’re going to have to broach at some point. She’s already been hurt by one adult who should’ve had her best interest at heart.
“We may not be married, but I’m not gonna leave you, Trin. I promise.”
It breaks my heart the way she thinks everyone will leave her.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Her soft voice is enough to tear me apart.
“Listen.” I start brushing her hair to get it ready. “I know what kind of promises I can keep because I’m an adult and there’s no one around to tell me what to do. This is one I’ll keep forever. No matter what happens in the future, you can always count on me, girlie. I will be here as quickly as I can, right by your side. Doesn’t matter what you need. There are two people you can always count on, Trin. That’s me and your dad.”
She nods, but it’s slow and I know she doesn’t believe it. It’s like she’s gotten her hopes up so many times, only for them to be dashed. For her trust of others to be broken. “I’m glad you’re the one here for me,” she whispers.
“Me too, now let’s get this hair done.”
Glancing up, I see Cam is in the hallway, watching the two of us. His gaze is hard to read, which isn’t unusual for him. When it comes to Trinity, he keeps his feelings close to the vest. I wonder if it’s because of what he went through with his ex-wife or just the fact he’s careful with what he wants to put Trinity through. I wish I could see the thoughts behind the man, but I’m not sure he’ll ever let me that close.
“Y’all ready?” He asks, coming into the living room.
He acts like things are fine, as if he didn’t hear the conversation we had. I have to hand it to him; he can always appear to be on for Trin. If it were up to him, she’d never worry about a thing. Which is more attractive to me than he knows. “Let me finish up with her hair. It’ll be a few more minutes.”
“I’ll take the stuff out to the truck then come back in.”
On instinct, he bends down and kisses me on the cheek.
“Dad! You’ve never kissed Nat on the cheek before.” Trinity looks back and forth between the two of us.
He rubs at the hair on his face. “Trying it out; seeing how it feels.”
She giggles, lifting her cheek up to him. “Me too.”
They melt my heart with those smiles on their faces. In moments like this, I can’t figure out how someone could walk away from them. I wonder what was going through Rebecca’s head when she decided this was no longer what she wanted. She’s missing out on the best parts of life and I can’t help but feel sorry for her. Shaking my head to clear the thoughts, I grab up our bags. “Let’s go.”
* * *
It’s a hot one,but the change of season can be slightly felt. The humidity is down a little and the sun isn’t beating down. I’m ready. All I can think about are quiet nights with Cam, curled up on the couch after Trinity goes to bed. Maybe I’ll get to experience a bonfire with him, or get him to take me out on a four-wheeler. Do all the things I wanted to do as a teenager I couldn’t, because I was so busy playing softball. I know I shouldn’t, but my hopes are up this will be different.
This season is going to be much different than the ones before it.
We’re sitting in the stands and waiting for our game to start. Lately when we’ve been sitting next to each other, I’ve taken to resting my hand on his thigh, and he’s started leaning into me. It’s super-human determination that keeps me from doing it right now. I’d love to snuggle up, get a hint of the scent distinctly his.
