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“Lightly,” Calista whispers, saying exactly what I would have.
Maisie lightly kicks the ball in the same direction as the net.
“Now go, girl.” Calista’s hands are clasped under her chin.
Maisie kicks the ball with her right foot then her left as she makes her way up the field.
She’s got a good rhythm going.
“That’s it. Keep it up.” Calista walks down the sidelines.
“Excuse me,” Kara squeals when Calista steps in front of her.
“Watch out behind you,” Calista shouts, and Maisie swiftly moves the ball to the side, protecting it as she was taught. “Now go as hard as you can.”
Maisie doesn’t look at Calista once, but I can tell she’s listening to her. She runs toward the net, the ball getting a little away from her, but she keeps it in her possession before her leg goes back and kicks hard.
I stop breathing for a moment, zeroing in on the ball floating in the air. The goalie shuffles from right to left. The buzzer for the timer goes off as the ball slides into the right-hand side of the net, just over the line.
“Goal!” I shout and run toward the field, but an arm stops me.
It’s Calista. We step back because Maisie’s teammates are surrounding her, telling her what a great job she did, giving her high fives.
I put my arm around Calista and lean in close. “Thank you. You’ll be her new hero.”
She looks up at me, her head on my shoulder. She shakes her head as wetness pools in her eyes. “I never thought I could love it again. Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Calista!” Maisie is running toward us, and Calista falls to her knees and hugs her tightly. “I did it. I scored a goal!”
“I saw, and it was perfect. Your uncle can’t make a goal look that easy.”
Maisie laughs.
“I’m so proud of you.” Calista hugs her again.
I pick up Maisie and put her on my shoulder. “MVP! MVP! MVP!”
The other kids start chanting it as I carry her around the field before dropping her into Mandi’s arms. Mandi’s clearly been crying, and Noah shakes my hand.
“Imagine if you hadn’t come home. Calista wouldn’t be comfortable on a soccer field again and your niece wouldn’t have gotten any playing time,” my dad says into my ear and pats me on the back.
I set Maisie down and she goes back over to Calista to thank her, and my dad’s words repeat in my head. If I hadn’t come home for Declan’s wedding, Maisie might have gotten time on the field, but she most likely wouldn’t have scored. And celebrating these moments with my family feels good. Better than I thought it would.
“Pizza and ice cream at the house!” my mom shouts.
I walk over to Calista and she beams. God, I missed that. “Ready?”
“Yeah, but I can’t go to your parents’. I have dinner plans with Brinley and Dion.”
My shoulders sag in disappointment, but I know she has a life. I can’t just expect that she’ll push everyone else to the side because I’m here.
“Okay, I’ll drop you off.” I hold my hand out and she accepts it.
After we say our goodbyes and I tell my family I’ll be there after I drop off Calista, we walk down the hill to the car.
