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I passed a sleeping Ella to her, admiring how careful Vivian was with my daughter. Muriella touched Ella’s cheek, yet Mulaney inched away like she was afraid. I’d watched that woman speak to hundreds of people and not bat an eye. And around kids, even ones as young as a few years old, she was amazing. Put her near a tiny human, and she almost froze.
I touched her shoulder and leaned where only she could hear. “Before Ella, they kind of scared me too.”
She relaxed, adjusting the brim of her baseball cap. “I’ll be the one to drop her on her head. I can’t handle that kind of responsibility.”
“You already know you can play any hand you’re dealt.”
Mulaney looked at me in surprise before her expression turned serious. “I could say the same of you.”
I didn’t tell just anyone about what had happened to me, but these ladies all knew at least some of my story. I’d gotten to know them during my time at Paths, where they volunteered often. Except that word didn’t seem adequate to describe how much they did for the shelter. They were a part of the place. They inspired trust when once upon a time not so long ago, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to trust again. Paths of Purpose made me feel safe, which lent itself to trusting a little easier.
Mulaney stuck her finger and thumb between her lips and let out a shrill whistle. “Let’s go, Gabriel. Strike ’em out.”
“Did I miss anything?” An out-of-breath Holly Santiago climbed up the last few bleachers and plopped down next to Baker. “I didn’t think I was going to make it.”
Gabriel was her six-year-old son, and this was his Little League game. All of the women’s husbands coached the boys. I had a hard time deciding who was having more fun: the six-year-olds or the little-boys-at-heart.
Drew Carter, Sonya’s husband, trotted out to the mound where Gabriel was getting ready to throw the first pitch. After a few last-minute instructions, Drew tugged on the brim of the boy’s baseball cap and headed back to the dugout.
Holly shifted next to Baker, but she kept her eyes on the field. I couldn’t see what they held because her sunglasses shielded them. Gabriel looked up at the stands, found his mother, and gave her a big wave before spinning the baseball in his hands a few times. Holly waved back.
I hoped when Ella was his age, she and I would be that close. Would she like to play sports? I wasn’t particularly athletic, but her father might have been.
“You’re pale,” Baker whispered in my ear.
My hands burned to have Ella in them again. She was still sleeping in Vivian’s arms. I forced a smile. “I’m good.”
“I need more popcorn,” Sonya said as she held up her empty container, shaking it to and fro. Just like that, she’d distracted me. I laughed. “I don’t see what’s funny about that,” she huffed indignantly. “I have two vacuums inside me. They’ll probably both come out at ten pounds.” She rubbed her stomach affectionately.
“Loretta said Drew was twelve pounds when he was born,” Mulaney said, keeping her eyes on the game.
“What?” Sonya shoved Mulaney in the arm. “She didn’t tell me that.”
Loretta was Drew’s mother. Cancer had taken her a few months earlier. I’d only met her a couple of times, but I understood why she was sorely missed.
“Probably because she didn’t want to scare you.”
“Is she lying?” Sonya asked Vivian, who shrugged, though her lips twitched. “Be right back.” She was a woman on a mission as she waddled down the bleachers. “Drew Harris,” she yelled, and his eyes rounded while he watched her stomp over to the dugout.
Her hands flew around wildly. Drew grabbed them and pulled her to him, kissing her forehead. That seemed to temporarily settle her. Whatever he’d said to her must have been good enough. She headed for the concession stand, Drew watching her go with an amused smile on his face until he could no longer see her. Then he flicked his chin at Mulaney in some sort of acknowledgment.
“He wasn’t twelve pounds when he was born, was he?” Muriella asked.
“I have no idea,” Mulaney said dryly.
I snickered, and Mulaney held out her hand for a low five, which I slapped.
“You know how volatile she is.” Vivian’s complaint was light. “She takes the meaning of crazy pregnant lady to a whole new level.”
Mulaney flashed a wicked grin at her. “That’s Drew’s problem, ain’t it?”
“Oh my Go—gobbledygook.” Vivian corrected herself before Muriella had a chance to. “The two of you are never going to give up your feud.”
“Probably not.”
Sonya was one of a kind, and I was aware there was some tension between her and her husband’s family, but a feud? I didn’t know it was that bad.
“Mulaney Carter, you are the worst sister-in-law ever,” Sonya said as she stormed back up the bleachers, carrying two tubs of popcorn.
