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I can fight this for an hour or two or give in and tell her about Truman being around the other night. She always liked him, but she’s always supported me since we broke up.
In the beginning, I thought I would never forgive him. Sometimes now, I think I have, but that doesn’t mean being around him, parenting Ryle with him, and not being with him doesn’t hurt.
“That day I took Ryle to see Harper?”
Dani nods, eyes narrowed at me now like she’s expecting me to share some deep, dark secret.
“Truman brought Ryle home that night. He stayed for dinner.”
“And?” She leans over the table and stares at me. The look is so dangerous, I sit back and look around the café. We’re on our lunch breaks—Dani needs to get back to her job at City Hall, and I need to get back to the bank. Talking to my best friend is usually much more fun than crunching numbers, but today, I think I’m ready to jump from my chair and run back to work.
“And nothing.” I shrug. “Ryle wanted him to stay. So he did. He and Ryle played games while I got things cleaned up. And then he helped Ryle get ready for bed.”
Dani winces. “Oh no. Ryle’s got his hopes up now? He thinks Truman’s going to be around like that more often?” She nods in understanding, but she stops suddenly and tips her head at me when she realizes I’m not nodding along. “Julie?”
“Ryle actually did really well with it,” I tell her. “I worried he might get upset after the game. He came home with me, but he gave Truman a hug goodbye. Truman took Ethan home.”
Dani bites her lip and lowers her gaze to the table between us.
“Are you sure about this, Jules?” she whispers. “After everything?”
“No,” I admit quickly, “I’m not. I’m just…He’s been around more lately. And he’s so good with Ryle.”
Dani sighs and looks up at me. “What can I do?”
“I don’t know. I guess this baseball thing wasn’t such a good idea for me. We both want to be out there watching Ryle, but I don’t think I can see him a few times a week. It’s too much.”
“You guys could trade games?”
I shake my head and start stacking my dishes and trash. “Not fair to Ryle.”
“You could wear a suit of armor.”
“He didn’t ravish me, Dani.” I roll my eyes. “We talked.”
“About?”
“Nothing important.”
Dani groans softly. “That’s dangerous.”
“Getting along with him?”
“Mmm.” She nods. “I’ll be at the game tomorrow night. I’ll run interference.”
I laugh as we stand and collect our things. “I’m not even sure he’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Well, I’ll be ready if he is. I can play defense.” She pats her still flat belly. “Give me a bit and I’ll be big like a linebacker.”
“You’ll never be that big, and that’s football.”
She giggles and throws her arm around my shoulders as we walk outside together.
“Hey.” She squeezes me before she lets go. “Eric offered to send us to Florida for a beach getaway before the baby’s here, and my life’s upside down. What do you think?”
“A girls’ getaway to the beach?” I smile and nod. “I think that sounds perfect!”
My worries over Ryle and his getting too attached to Truman don’t pan out for a number of reasons. As the weeks go by, Truman is around sometimes, but not always. He’s at some games, but not all of them. Ryle spends more and more time at Harper’s house, and now that Twain is seeing Mabry, Ryle spends some time with them and Mabry’s nephew.
