Page 12

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CADE

M y mom was christened as Wendy Sue Brown, then she married my dad, Marcus Alexander Jennings. He came from money, she most definitely did not. In fact, her family was quite poor. She married into money. My dad’s family is loaded. They own a business started by my father’s father. Thank God my brother Quinn wanted to be in on the family business, which took the pressure off me, allowing me to pursue my baseball dreams. I say this to point out the conundrum I’m facing trying to make sense of Mom’s way of thinking as she reacts to my big news.

I watch the color drain from my mom’s face. “What?” she screeches. “A child? With that country bumpkin?”

“Mother I will not put up with you disparaging Georgia.”

“Well, it’s true,” she insists.

“I expected more from you. She is the mother of your grandchild.”

“Supposed grandchild! I, for one, won’t believe it until you take a paternity test. It’s very convenient to attach oneself to a successful athlete. Latch on to the proverbial gravy train.”

“Wendy,” my father gently scolds.

“Mark, let me have my moment. You’re a big softie and see the best in everyone. Not everybody is a nice person.”

“But Georgia is ,” I say through gritted teeth. “Mom, I ran into her at the grocery store. It was a fluke, not her stalking me. She flew out of there like she’d seen a ghost. Hardly someone trying to catch her man. There will be no paternity test,” I say firmly. “There is no doubt he’s mine.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! How can you be so sure? By all means, there will be a paternity test! This is a con as old as time. Trap a man into child support.”

“Do you even hear how misogynistic you sound?”

“You are my son and I won’t let you be taken advantage of like this. Your life will be ruined!”

“Mom, let me show you something.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and show her and Dad the photos I snapped at our picnic.

She literally gasps then her eyes fill with tears. “Oh my God. It could be you! He looks exactly like you when you were a baby.”

“I know. Still think I need a paternity test?” I say dryly.

She plops into a chair like her legs have given out. “I… I… just can’t believe it.”

“I know the feeling.”

“He is a carbon copy of you,” Dad says.

“It’s important you both understand, Georgia is being super generous and kind to even consider letting me into his life.”

Mom scoffs, “Kind? She stole two years of my grandson’s life from me… not to mention yours! You have rights! You are his father. How dare she. I’m calling our lawyer tomorrow.”

I have whiplash. Fastest turnaround in history. “Stop!” I say sharply. “A second ago you didn’t want me to claim him and now you’re making demands? This is none of your business. I’m telling you this as a courtesy. There will be no calling any lawyers. It’s completely unnecessary. Georgia and I are doing just fine with figuring things out. A lawyer would only confuse things and do more harm than good.”

“You are being na?ve. You’re thinking like a starry-eyed child. You are making seven figures. If you think she doesn’t know that, you’ve got another think coming!”

“She wasn’t exactly following my career, Mom. In fact, the opposite.”

“So she says.”

“You don’t know Georgia like I do. She’s not like that. She’s one of the most honest and sincere people I’ve ever met.”

“You’re blinded by her beauty. I’ll give you that. She is a stunning girl. I can see why she’d have you fooled.”

“She’s just as beautiful on the inside.”

“Puleeze! She got her hooks into you the day you met. She almost cost you your career. Your father and I had to practically push you out the door.” I bite my tongue before I say something I can’t take back.

My dad walks over and stands behind Mom’s chair massaging her shoulders. “Wendy, you have to give her a chance if you want to have a relationship with…” he looks at me, “by the way, what is our grandson’s name?”

“August.”

“August? What kind of a name is that?” Mom says.

“It’s a fine name,” Dad replies.

She sniffs. “I suppose. At least it isn’t Jethro or Virgil or something equally bad. I can work with that.”

I grit my teeth. When did my mom become such a snob?

“In case you give a shit, my first meeting with August went very well. Thanks for asking,” I say.

“It should go without saying that we care,” Dad says. He stops massaging Mom and comes over to embrace me. “We’re just caught off guard here. It’s a lot to take in.”

“I know I gave you no leadup but I wanted to tell you before I left for my road trip.”

Dad nods. “We’re glad you did. Give your mom some time to digest all this. She’ll come around.”

“I am sitting right here, you know,” Mom gripes.

“As if we could forget,” I snap back.

“When do we get to meet our grandson?” she says.

“When I get back, we’ll make arrangements. This isn’t going to come together overnight. There is a lot to consider and Auggie has to get to know us and you know my schedule. It will take a little time for him to get comfortable.”

Mom waves her hand dismissively. “Kids go to daycare with strangers every day. I’m sure he can handle being with a family that loves him.”

I clench my fists in frustration. “Mom, what has gotten into you? Has all logic flown out the window? I’d think you’d want the transition to go smoothly.” Mom’s attitude is so black and white that I want to scream. I’m realizing that trying to reason with her right now is a colossal waste of my time. She’s a smart woman who is currently blinded by emotions. I hardly recognize her.

“Listen, I’m out of here. I still have to pack for tomorrow. We leave at the crack of dawn.”

“You should have an easy time of it with these next two teams. They’re a lot lower in the standings,” Dad says.

“You never know,” I say. “Sometimes you beat the best and lose to the worst.”

“We’ll be here rooting for you. Right, Wendy?”

“Of course we will be.” Mom stands and walks over to me. “I’m sorry, Cade. I’ll genuinely try to be open. I can’t help it. I don’t trust Georgia. Call it a mother’s intuition if you will. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll promise, but I’m one hundred percent sure that you have nothing to worry about.”

“It does make me feel better. Good luck on your road trip. Call me.”

“I always do,” I say then hug her. I love my parents and they’ve always supported me and had my back no matter what. Mom’s overprotective but she’ll come around. She has no choice. My mom is a wicked good grandma to my brother’s kids. The sun rises and sets in Emma and Grayson. It will all work out. Once she gets to know Georgia better and sees what a great person she is, she’ll change her tune.