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“How’s that gonna go for her? She’ll dribble down the court but the ball bounces off her foot, she trips and face-plants? Or when they get into position to tip off, the women pee their pants when they jump? Mom might be in good shape, but I can’t picture her playing an entire basketball game, either.”
“That’s exactly how it’ll go. At time-outs, the women will probably all need pee breaks and then they’ll get distracted by showing each other pictures of their family, exchanging recipes, or talking about where they plan to vacation next. Maybe what book they’re reading or making plans to meet for coffee.”
“I have so many questions but really hope I get to watch this go down.”
“You think she won’t expect y’all to be in the fans cheering her on? She’ll probably make everyone wear matching t-shirts and wear foam fingers.”
Shaking my head and chuckling at the accuracy of that statement, I can’t help but agree. “You’re absolutely right about that.” I can hear it now. She’ll go on and on about how many times she was cheering for us in the stands and now it’s our turn. She’s not wrong about that, either. If she joins a team of grandmas playing basketball, I’ll be there not just because it’ll be entertaining but because she’s always been there for us.
“When I met your mom, I knew there was something more between us. It wasn’t right then. We were both married to other people and even having those thoughts about another woman wasn’t right of me. So I didn’t let them continue. Because a man who’s any man at all won’t entertain the thought of other women while they’re married to another. I would never have let anything inappropriate go down between your mother and me, and she wouldn’t have either, though I don’t think she felt the same way I did when we first met. My first wife and I didn’t have a marriage filled with the love a marriage deserves from the start. We were together for the sake of Malina and I don’t regret a single day. We didn’t have a bad marriage; we didn’t fight or scream at each other. We just weren’t meant to be. When we divorced I didn’t plan to pursue your mother, but then life happened, as you know. We were now both single and I couldn’t ignore how I felt.
“But I knew it would take time because your mom wasn’t ready. I was okay with that because I was willing to wait for her. She was and always will be my person so being her friend until she was ready for more was enough for me. I don’t know the details between you and Hadley or about Hadley’s past and it’s truly none of my business unless Hadley wants to share that down the road. I’ll only say this and I want you to listen to the words I’m about to say because they come from a father who loves you whether you came from my blood or not.”
I swallow hard and lick my lips, giving Stone my full attention. He might not be my biological dad and I may not have met him until I was about to graduate high school, but he’s been like a father to me since. He’s the best man I know.
“You look at Hadley the way I look at your mom. The way your mom, thank fuck, looks at me in return. And I saw it in the five seconds I spent around y’all in the same room. She walked through that door and I swear I saw you release a breath as if you’ve been waiting for her to return to your life for however long she’s been out of it. Now, you also looked like you were confused and a little angry at first but when you walked back out of that office I saw nothing but peace in your eyes. I don’t know if she’s your person or not but if she is, and if what brought her here to Red Oak is extreme, take your time and have patience. If she’s worth it, it’ll be easy to give her that time she needs.”
“I met her fifteen years ago when I was on a trip for you in New York. The one where the flight was delayed due to a blizzard blanketing the entire Northeast.”
He nods as if he can recall the exact time I’m talking about. “And you haven’t stopped thinking about her since?”
“I mean, it’s not like I’ve obsessed over her or anything but she’s been in the back of my mind, yeah. I don’t know if she’s my person like you and Mom are for each other, though.”
Stone cocks his head to the side and raises his eyebrows.
“Okay, fine, maybe she is. But seriously we spent twelve hours together years ago. That’s it.”
“And?”
I blow out a breath and drain the last of my beer, setting the empty bottle on the ground. “And I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t everything?”
I scoff. “Why is that? When does life become easy?”
“The easy parts of life aren’t as rewarding in the end.”
Lacing my fingers together behind my head, I look up at the night sky. “I suppose that’s true.”
We sit in silence, listening to the chaos in the house but relishing in the quiet outdoors for a few more minutes before I hear the sliding door open all the way.
“Everything okay out here?” Mom asks.
Stone stretches an arm out to her and tugs her until she lands on his lap. “Everything’s great.” He kisses her cheek and she smiles down at him.
In all the years my parents were married, I don’t recall her smiling like she does with Stone. I also don’t remember them being unhappy, necessarily. They weren’t overly affectionate with one another but they also didn’t fight or argue, much like Stone said about his previous marriage.
“Did you and Dad stay together all those years just because of us kids?” I ask the question that just came to me.
Mom doesn’t flinch or react as if that question was rude or out of line. “In the end, I would say yes. We loved each other in the beginning but over time, things between us shifted. I won’t put all the blame on your father even though he’s the one who asked for the divorce. The fault in our marriage wasn’t one-sided. To answer your question, that was never our intention but it drifted that way on its own, I believe.”
“And you were okay with that?”
“For me, I didn’t know any different. I hadn’t seen what kind of love was waiting for me. And yes, at the time I was okay with that. I look back now and have no regrets aside from you kids not having the best version of your dad now.”
“Yeah,” I respond because I don’t know what else to say.
“Is this about Hadley?”
