Page 79 of Mom Ball

“You’re welcome.”

We settle the tent, and I notice Brooke on the other side. She’s spraying sunscreen on kids, and she’s wearing shorts. I take a moment to appreciate her legs, which I haven’t seen since the day she jumped the fence in a bathrobe. She always got cold easily and has worn pants until today.

Morgan gives me a look that communicates she knows what’s up. I press my lips together and give her a firm glare.

I soften my features when I get to Brooke. “Hey.”

She smiles. “Hey, I thought you were in Atlanta.”

“I left this morning.”

“Hey, Nate!” Timothy waves from his spot on a quilt next to Carter. A few more kids sit around them with a stack of Uno cards.

“Hey, buddy. Have y’all played yet?”

“Yes, sir. One game. We lost, but we get to play again.”

“That’s cool.”

I’m preparing to sit beside them when Brooke brings me a chair.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She grabs another chair and sits beside me. “We play the next game. We’re now in the bottom bracket, but can still ‘win’ something.” She makes air quotes around the word “win.”

I chuckle. Like me, Brooke was always competitive. I’m glad to see she didn’t let motherhood turn her into one of those participation trophy people.

“We have snacks if you want anything.”

“I’m good for now, but thanks.” I smile at her, then lean toward the kids.

“Want to play the next round?” Carter asks.

“Sure.”

“Easton plays with us a lot, but he’s at the hospital today.”

I nod. “I haven’t played in a while, but I think I can handle it.”

Carter half smiles. He shuffles and passes out the cards, adding a stack for me. I take them one by one and watch the boys interact.

This is the best part of baseball, being with your ball family. Whether elementary age, high school, or beyond, the friendships are what make it most special.

In the past few years, I’ve had a lot of friends come and go from the team, whether through trades, cuts, or retirements. That gives me more reason to settle down in a place I plan on living forever.

One of the boys plays a card that makes me take ten cards, and I groan. They laugh and keep playing all the crazy cards on me. Before long, I have more than I can manage.

“What are you doing here?”

I look up to Jeffrey. His game just ended, and he came over here? “Shouldn’t you be giving a coach’s speech to your kids?”

“No time for that on tournament days. Besides, we won ten to two. What’s left to say?”

“Not that it matters to you, but I’m playing Uno.” I fan my massive stack of cards.

“I told you to stay out of the park.”

Brooke stands so quickly that her chair falls. She steps across me and squares up with Jeffrey. Well, best she can for someone a foot shorter than him.

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