Page 28 of Catching Our Moment

Kelcie

Shaw walked out the back door and over to his side of the duplex just as I was opening the front door.

The dichotomy between my ex-husband and Shaw had never been so apparent as it was in that moment—Shaw’s sad smile as he walked away from us and my ex-husband’s impatience at me for taking too long to open the door.

“Is he ready?” James said as a way of saying hello, staring at his phone.

“Good morning, James,” I said with a forced smile. I’d kill the bastard with kindness.

“We need to get on the road. Traffic is going to be a bitch, and I had to detour to come out this way to get him,” he said.

“Yes, well. I offered to meet you—” I said.

He waved me off. “It doesn’t matter at this point. Are you going to invite me in?”

I gritted my teeth. He wanted to see the place. That was why he was here. He wanted to report to his parents that he’d checked out where Aaron was staying.

I stepped out of the doorway and invited him in with an arm gesture and a tighter smile.

“Hi, Dad.” Aaron’s jacket was on, and his bag was in his hand. He was ready to leave.

“Hi there,” he said. “How’s it going, buddy?” His tone was lighter than the one he used with me, but it was also the same one he’d used when Aaron was five years old. James slipped his phone in his pocket and surveyed our house.

“Are you going to your parents alone?” I asked him.

He walked around the family room. “Yes, Amber and her kids are going to her parents’ house.” He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “So, it’s just us guys this time.”

I nodded.

“How about you show me your room?—”

“I thought you were in a hurry to leave, Dad?” Aaron said.

“I am, but I wanted to see your room.”

“Go ahead, Aaron. Show him your room.” I gestured upstairs.

Aaron dropped his bag and trudged upstairs while I stood at the bottom and waited.

“This is my room. That’s the bathroom. That closed door is Mom’s room,” Aaron said with the efficiency James would normally appreciate.

“Oh! I almost forgot…” Aaron raced down the stairs.

“Mom, can I take this with me? Maybe my cousins will help me practice.”

In his hand, he held the football Shaw had given him. “Sure. I think that should be fine,” I said.

James came back downstairs. “What’s that?”

“The football Shaw gave me,” Aaron said, running up and showing his father.

“Shaw showed me how to throw a spiral. We are working on my distance. He said I’ve got natural talent, and I’m fast. He said I get it from Pop-pop.

I can’t wait to show Pop-pop when he gets back from his trip. Wait until he sees what I can do.”

Pop-pop was my father, Holden Hammer, who was RVing around the southern states and was expected home in a few days.

While only our close friends knew about our change in status, Shaw and I knew my father was going to be less than thrilled with the situation.

It would probably be a toss-up between him and James over how bad a reaction they would have.

James’s hands went to his hips, and his smile froze. “Shaw? I thought Shaw went back to Charlotte. Shouldn’t he be back with the team by now?”

Aaron shook his head, beating me to an explanation. “No, he lives next door. Mom’s working on Shaw’s body to get him in shape, and he’s showing me how to play football.”

I stopped any further sharing with, “I think taking your football would be a great idea. It’ll be a way to get outside and get some exercise while you’re gone.

Work off all that pie your grandma will make.

I bet she makes the chocolate one just for you.

” I went and picked up his bag for him. I needed James to go before this conversation went off the rails.

James motioned Aaron out the door, but his focus never left me. “Go ahead and take your things out. I’ll be right there.”

I helped Aaron shoulder his bag and held the door. “Have fun, honey.” I snuck a kiss on his cheek as he walked out.

“Bye, Mom. Tell Shaw I said bye.”

I nodded and braced myself for whatever James was going to hit me with as the screen door slammed, and Aaron walked down to the car.

“How long will Shaw be living next door?”

I crossed my arms. “I don’t know. Until he’s ready to return to play, I guess.”

“And when will that be?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss his medical condition?—”

“Cut the crap, Kelcie. Why didn’t you mention he was living next door?”

“Because I didn’t find it relevant.”

“Not relevant. The man who wanted to raise my son moves in next door to you just a few

months after you and I get divorced, and that’s not relevant?”

“It’s not. It doesn’t affect our custody, and therefore, it’s not relevant.”

“It damn well?—”

I held up my hand. “I’m not doing this with you now.

” I pointed to the driveway. “You are going to get in that car and drive to your parents and spend time with your son.” The son you haven’t seen in months.

“What you’re not going to do is get bent out of shape all of a sudden about who is living next door to me. ”

“Amber and I are getting married,” he blurted out.

“O-kay…” It was whipped at me without any preamble. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to respond to it. “Congratulations.”

“Amber and her two kids will become part of Aaron’s life now. I need to make sure he won’t be influenced by your outrageous behavior where Shaw is concerned. It’s important for him to have stability.”

I stepped up to the door, ushering him out. “Go, James.” I wasn’t even going to touch that asinine statement. He had enough of his own outrageous behavior to answer for. “Enjoy the holiday with our son. He’s missed you. Spend some time with him.”

He took one step forward. His lips thinned as he tried to hold back any further opinions. “Did you pack his earplugs?”

“Yes, he packed them, but he tries not to use them as much.”

His shoulders squared, and he walked past me. “His tablet—did you pack that too?”

“Yes, but he really does like to go outside and throw the ball now.”

He banged the porch door open and gritted out, “Yeah. I’m sure he does. But what good is that going to do him, Kelcie? It’s not like any team is going to let him play.”

The gut punch synchronized with the slam of the screen door, unleashing the toxic wake-up call that had fed my own negative thoughts for a year.

I opened the door and stared daggers at the back of his head. “You don’t know that,” I muttered. Maybe spending a few days with his son, seeing how much he’d changed, would make him realize that Aaron playing on a team was no longer the impossibility it once was.