Page 7 of Catching Our Moment

Kelcie

June

When I returned home, James had the divorce moving full steam ahead. Amber had been humiliated by her own actions this time—although she would never admit it—and was eager to have me out of town. This, in turn, made James eager to divorce me with all expeditiousness.

I planned on moving back to Keysville. This did not go over well with James because of the inconvenience it would cause him. But when faced with alimony payments to support me while Aaron and I lived in our current home, he dropped the issue, and we split the house sale.

Shaw’s brother, Dylan, owned a duplex property he was renovating—two attached homes that shared a porch. He was done with one half and had been working on the other half for a few weeks, so he offered to let me live there at a reduced rate while he finished the other side.

James was too busy with his new life to interfere with Aaron and me as we acclimated to our new routine and environment. I started my new job with the physical therapy practice in town, and Aaron spent his days with Grace’s Aunt Maeve until school started.

One day, Shaw texted me, asking if Aaron and I had a minute to jump on a video call.

Curious, I called Aaron into the room and pulled up my laptop.

Shaw hadn’t seen Aaron since he was a small child and only in passing at a few events the whole group attended.

He’d never made a point of mingling with us, trying to minimize the drama.

I’d known Shaw as a skinny, pimply teen with a squeaky voice and feet too big for him to run a straight line without falling.

But I’d seen him bulk up in size and confidence.

I’d held his head when he had the flu, and I’d held his hand the night he was drafted, reaching his lifetime goal of playing professional football.

Yet, the man’s smile always took me by surprise. When he smiled at me, for a heartbeat, I’d lose my ability to form words. He’d appear happy to see me, and for the briefest moment, all the history between us would fade.

For a few seconds, I could pretend he wasn’t a celebrity football player but just a boy I’d grown up with, a man I’d fantasized about.

Then my brain would come back online, reality would hit me upside the head, and I would remember who I was to him. I was the friend who found a date for him to take to prom, the pal who’d helped him pass high school English so he’d get his scholarship.

I thought back to the day I ran to his house to tell him I got a lacrosse scholarship from the same college he was attending—something we both had wanted. Then I heard him in his locked bedroom with Maxine Vanderson and knew I couldn’t go through four years of that.

The tears that had welled in my eyes at hearing him with another girl…again. It just hit me—I wasn’t just one of the guys. I felt more than friendship for him. We needed—no, I needed—to go in a different direction. It was time.

My dad had been right. We needed to live our own lives. I tore up the letter and never told him about it. From that moment on, everything changed.

And even though he still managed to take my breath away with that dangerous smile, I needed to salvage our friendship first. Then, with luck, I’d be able to face my unresolved, unrequited feelings for him later.

“Hey, ya’ll, how’s it going? How’s the summer been so far?” I’d video-chatted with him a few times since he started training camp, mainly updating him on how we were settling in.

“Good,” Aaron and I chimed together.

Shaw began walking again, but a door shut behind him. Keys rattled on a table.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Just finished my afternoon workout. I’m home and about to get cleaned up, but I wanted to catch you two while I had a chance.”

He stopped for a moment. “Aaron, my man. Good God, now that you are standing by your mom, I realize how big you’ve gotten. Are you taller than your mom?”

“Not yet. I’m five feet two inches, and she’s five feet five inches. But I’m close.”

“Well, if you take after your mom’s side of the family, you will bypass her by the summer's end. Your grandfather is almost as tall as I am.” Shaw drank some water and was walking around what I guessed was his home in Charlotte.

“Dad says I’m more like him than Mom’s side of the family.”

I gritted my teeth and said nothing. Shaw was quiet for a moment, and the tension in his smile indicated that he was biting back a snarky remark, too.

He managed to resist. “Yeah. Okay. Well, your mother told me you were a Baltimore fan.”

“Yes. Dad and I love Baltimore football.”

Shaw tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at my son in mock seriousness. “Well, you know I play for Carolina.”

“Yes, you are number 88.” My son settled in to give Shaw a rundown on himself. “Drafted in the first round ten years ago and traded to Carolina two years ago for a draft pick. In 130 targets last year, you made eighty-seven receptions and ran for 1,100 receiving yards,

scored—”

I touched his arm gently. “I think Shaw knows his own statistics, honey…”

“That’s alright,” Shaw said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back his amusement. We hadn’t been around Shaw in the last few years, and if I was reading his reaction right, Shaw was entertained. “You know how much I love hearing about myself.”

“I’m sure your ego feeds off of it,” I added. And because this was Shaw, I couldn’t hold back the dryness in my tone.

Ignoring me, he focused on Aaron. “We’re coming up to play Baltimore in a few weeks. I was wondering if you’d like tickets?”

Aaron’s expression went blank. He sat back, grew quiet, staring down at his hands that were folded in his lap. Then he began to fidget with his fingers. Without looking up, he asked, “Could my mom come?”

Shaw’s smile faded as, even over the video feed, he picked up on Aaron’s change in mood.

“Yes, of course, buddy. I wouldn’t forget about her. You know she used to be my biggest fan?”

Aaron picked at his fingers, deep in his thoughts, bit his lip more, and shifted in his seat. He was getting unsettled.

I leaned over and whispered, “We don’t have to go.”

“I want to go,” he whispered back, leaning closer. “But…you know what Dad says”—he shifted closer and glanced up briefly at Shaw—“about the stadiums being too loud for me and how they would hurt my ears.”

That was going to be an issue. Aaron’s hearing was extremely sensitive, keeping us out of movie theaters, sporting events, and concerts. We watched everything at home, where he could control the volume and take a break when needed.

Unsure of how to handle this, I turned back to the screen, ready to ask Shaw for time to think about it.

“Hey, guys, I forgot to tell you the best part. I got you a box. Do you know what that means?”

Aaron shook his head while my mouth was unable to form words.

Shaw chuckled before continuing. “It means you, your mom, Grace, Aliya, Aunt Maeve, and maybe my pain-in-the-butt brother can all come to watch me play. I got a suite, and you can sit in a separate room that looks over the entire stadium and watch the game. It has doors so you can go inside. There will be food and drinks, so you won’t have to stand in lines.

” My heart melted at what he must have done to get these tickets.

Aaron stopped biting his lip and turned to me for confirmation. I nodded. “They are some of the best seats in the stadium,” I reassured him, “I think we can do this. I have a few ideas.”

My hopeful boy stared back at Shaw. “Okay. I want to go to a game—especially a Baltimore game.”

Shaw grabbed his heart and winced. “You’re killing me, my man. Please. Please. Try to keep your favoritism to yourself that day. Give me and Charlotte a chance…”

Aaron shrugged, but there was a hint of a smile peeking through.

Shaw pointed at the phone. “I’m going to make you convert—just wait.” He turned his focus to me. “I already told Grace, and she will coordinate the arrangements. I will have a car service pick you guys up and drive you to the stadium, so hopefully, I can see you before and after the game.”

“Shaw, that isn’t necessary. Baltimore isn’t even an hour away. We can handle it—” I began to argue.

He held up his hand. “Already ordered. This way, you all can relax and not worry about driving home.”

Aaron was still fidgeting with his fingers. He was obviously still worried.

I opened my arms. “Honey, we got this.” He stepped into my hug but didn’t wrap his arms around me. I squeezed him gently, hoping the pressure would reassure him. “It will be fine. We will talk about it and come up with a plan.” He responded best when things were laid out as a plan.

He nodded, stepped back, and glanced at the screen but could not hold direct contact. “Shaw, I would love to come see you play.”

“I am so excited for you to watch in person. Now, here’s the deal. The only thing I need you to do is promise me not to wear anything with Baltimore’s logo. You’ll kill my reputation.”

Aaron’s smile grew. “Okay. Deal. But I may still root for my favorite players—just quietly.”

Shaw gave an exaggerated side-eye. “I see I have my work cut out for me. But that’s okay. Challenge accepted. I will become your favorite player.” He winked and clapped his hands together. “Okay. I have to go. I will be in touch and see you two in a few weeks.”

“Thank you,” Aaron said, quickly jumping off the stool and running out of the room as if he had something pressing to do.

Shaw and I both waited for his door to shut. Then Shaw’s face fell, and his real thoughts showed. “Should I not have done that? I thought it would be a fun surprise.”

I let out a beleaguered sigh and shook my head. “No, it was sweet, and we do appreciate it. Aaron has always wanted to go to a game. But James was afraid to take him.”

“Afraid?”

I shook my head and waved my hands to dismiss that conversation. “It will be fine. I have an idea that may work. We will have a blast. I appreciate you doing this for us.”

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands through his hair as the word Carolina that was scrawled across his t-shirt stretched over his broad chest. “I just thought you both could use a distraction, and it would be something fun for him to do after school starts.”

I nodded. “It will be fun.”

“I can’t believe how grown-up he’s becoming,” Shaw said, and I didn’t miss the melancholy tone in his voice.

“Yeah, I know. He’s like a little man now.” My heart ached that he’d missed out on knowing Aaron all these years. “I wish?—”

Then a feminine voice said, “Shaw, honey, we have to get you dressed and ready.” Shaw turned his head. “We have to go in forty-five minutes.”

Riley, with long blonde locks of hair, entered the frame. She leaned over Shaw’s arm to see who he was on the call with.

We’d met only a handful of times, and she had a quizzical look on her face, indicating I wasn’t that memorable. Shaw helped her out. “Riley, this is Kelcie. Remember, she’s one of my friends from back home.”

And that was what I was—just an old friend from home. Nothing more or less. Someone he was helping through a tough patch. Her face brightened with understanding. “Ohhh! Yes.” She nodded and flashed me a sympathetic but no less dazzling smile. “Hi, Kelcie. I’m Riley.”

“Yes, I?—”

Shaw interrupted before I could explain how we had previously met. “Kelcie, her son, and a few others will be at the Baltimore game.”

“Oh, what fun.” She stared open-eyed at him, as if trying to say something. “Umm…but I’m going to be sitting with the?—”

Shaw shook his head, lowering his voice. “I got them their own box suite. They’ll sit with Grace, Maeve, and the group. You can hang out with the wives and girlfriends in their section.”

She straightened then smiled again. “Oh, oh. Okay.” Then, she began shooing him off the call. “Nice to talk with you, Kelcie, but I need to get this guy in the shower and ready for the evening.”

Get this guy in the shower. I’m sure she did.

Stop. It.

I plastered on a “you-two-are-so-cute-I-could-puke” smile and said, “Have a great night. Thank you for the invitation, Shaw. We will see you in a few weeks. Night!” and I closed the laptop before I said something I shouldn’t.

Believing I was alone, I gagged at the computer.

“Mom, are you going to puke on the computer?” Aaron snuck up on me. “Are you sick?”

I stood, pushing the offending laptop away. “No, darling, I’m fine. What’s up? I thought you were in your room.” I went into the kitchen to make him snack, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t share my reaction with Shaw when he saw him.