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“I made a shirt for Gage. He said he was coming.”

My heart broke all over again. “Honey, I don’t think we’ll be seeing him anymore.”

“Why?” Andrew asked.

“Yeah, why?” Cora added.

I struggled to find words, but Levi’s jaw was tight as he said, “They broke up.”

Not wanting to wallow in it, I herded everyone toward the door, changing the subject. “Do we get to meet Alyssa today, Levi?”

“She’ll be there,” he said.

I glanced at him. “That’s not a yes.”

He smirked. “It’s a maybe.”

“I’ll take it,” I said, getting into the minivan. There was still a spot of black paint on the door where I’d dinged Gage’s car, and I made a mental note to cover it up with white fingernail polish later. I didn’t need to be reminded of him every second of the day.

But I was too broke to throw out all my underwear. Especially when I didn’t have another job lined up. I might be able to skip panties, but the girls were not suited to going commando.

“Mom,” Andrew said.

Buckling my seatbelt, I said, “Get in your seat, hon. We’re going to be late.”

“But look,” he said.

Annoyed, I looked over my shoulder to see him holding up a yellow dandelion.

“Your favorite,” he said.

My eyes stung as I took the flower. “Thank you, honey. That was sweet of you.”

“You could put it in your hair,” he said.

“That’s a great idea.” I tucked it behind my ear, threading it through my curls pulled into a ponytail, and then made sure all the kids were buckled in before pulling out of the driveway. Every so often, I caught sight of the dandelion in the rearview mirror. This was a sign. Today was going to be a good day. I could do this. I could move on from Gage Griffen and enjoy life with my children. My family.

We reached the ball fields and parked, getting out of the car. While Levi jogged to meet his team, I lathered the younger two and myself in sunscreen and then grabbed the mom bag to walk with them to the bleachers.

We found Mom and Dad in the second row from the front, and they greeted us with smiles and hugs.

Mom squeezed me a second longer than usual, saying, “You look good today, honey.”

I managed a smile. “I’m trying.”

She rubbed my back, and we sat down. “Is Caleb coming?”

“Not today,” I said. “But he’ll be here for the games tomorrow.”

“It’s good he’s stepping up,” she said.

I nodded, trying not to think about Caleb living his happily ever after with his new fiancée while my heart was broken for a man who loved his business more than me.

While the team warmed up, Cora and Drew went to get snacks from the concession stand, and Mom, Dad and I caught up. Dad had his eyes on a new grill that could also be used as a smoker, and Mom grumbled good naturedly she didn’t want him turning their backyard into a renaissance festival with smoked turkey legs.

I laughed, wondering if someday I’d be having similar conversations with a spouse. A life partner. Or if I was destined to be alone.

The game started, a kid on Levi’s team going up to home plate to bat.