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ABBY
My plan was to get through practice without interacting with Nick. However, I’d failed miserably. But it was Ben’s fault. First, Ben insisted on confronting Nick about Hunter’s pitching, and I felt like I needed to be there to run interference. Then, Ben invited him to play baseball with us, and now he’d invited him to dinner. Was Ben concerned about Nick, or did he suspect something happened between us?
Nick and Brody arrived first and were ahead of us as we crossed the parking lot.
“Why did Ben invite them?” I asked Brooke as we headed toward the front door of Giovanni’s. “I’m not saying it’s not a nice thing to do, but I was hoping for more separation with the coach.”
Brooke smiled softly. “I think he wants to get to know him better. Then he won’t worry about you.”
My heart pinged that Ben was so protective of me. “It’s sweet he worries about me, but you know, he doesn’t have to. I can take care of myself.”
Brooke’s smile faded into an expression of concern. “He knows you can. He’s close to Hunter—almost like an uncle, and you’re my sister. We’re family.”
“He’ll be his uncle soon enough,” I said, nodding toward her sparkling diamond.
Brooke smiled with happiness. “Ben feels an extra kinship with you since you were both single parents. He knows how hard it is do everything yourself, to rely on someone else. He’s just looking out for you.”
I lowered my voice, not wanting Cammie to overhear. “My situation is different, though. Cammie’s mother died. Hunter’s father is still in the picture.”
“Let’s be honest; Seth is gone.” Brooke gestured around us. “Do you see him coming to his practices? Throwing a ball with Hunter?”
The truth settled like a rock in my stomach. “No.”
“And you won’t ask him to step up. You don’t expect anything from him.” Brooke’s disappointment hit me hard.
Her opinion on how I dealt with Seth was a source of contention between us. I didn’t expect much from him because I was insulating Hunter and myself from the inevitable disappointment. Brooke couldn’t possibly understand what it was like to expect something from someone and have them let you down over and over again.
“You don’t know how he is. It’s too much, and I hate listening to him grasp for excuses. Or tell me how hard it is. I know how hard it is. I’m doing it all myself.” Whenever I talked about him or the situation, I felt oddly vulnerable. As if admitting the truth made it more real.
“I’ve been here through everything. I know.” Her voice was gentle.
My ex left around the same time that Brooke’s asked for a divorce. Her ex, Levi, left her soon after he got his green card, blindsiding her. She’d thought their marriage was real. Devastated, she’d moved home to be closer to me and to help with Hunter. I could never repay her. She’d always been there for us. “And I’m grateful for that.”
Brooke shook her head, her lips pressed into a straight line. “I’m not looking for thanks. I just wanted you to acknowledge that Hunter’s dad should step up.”
“He can’t.” I couldn’t explain it to other people. Expectations made him pull back and do less. I’d learned that the hard way.
“You could at least go after him for financial support.”
I wanted to do everything on my own, but I wasn’t stupid. “He carries his health insurance. That’s huge since I’m a business owner.”
“It’s not enough.”
My ex would never be what Hunter needed.
We arrived at Giovanni’s at the same time as Nick and Brody, and Nick opened the front door to the pizzeria for us.
My gaze fell on him as my family filed in ahead of me. I wondered if a man would be there for us, and it wouldn’t be so hard. He’d just step in and be exactly what we needed. Tingles traveled over my body. The thought made me feel lighter, happier. Hopeful. The man who popped into my head was Nick.
I walked in last, and Nick shut the door behind us. Every nerve was on high alert as I swore I felt his hand ghosting over my lower back, guiding me through the restaurant.
“Thanks for inviting us,” he said into my ear, his masculine scent, leather and sweat, washing over me.
I smiled at him, reminding myself to maintain my distance. “Ben and Brooke want to get to know you better.”
He lowered his head to whisper in my ear, “And you don’t?”
Goose bumps erupted over my skin. His eyes held a challenge. The words caught in my throat. What could I say? That I was attracted to my son’s baseball coach? One night wasn’t enough. He’d incited a fire that was raging out of control, and only he had the power to douse it.
