Page 75 of The Foul Out

“I get it. I just don’t like it.” She picked up her cup and took another sip just as a knock echoed through the small space.

“I’ll get it,” Sam yelled.

“No. I’ll get it,” I called. “We’ve had this talk about the door.” I pushed back and hustled to the door just as my son pulled it open. And then I was face to face with deep brown eyes and blond hair full of natural highlights.

“Kyle.” I swallowed. What was he doing here? Because of his dear diary messages, I knew his plans were to fly home on Sunday.

“You’re back.” Sam jumped up and down and then flung himself at the tall man without pause.

Chuckling, Kyle caught him. As he lifted him, he adjusted the small bag he was carrying. “Miss me, little man?”

“Lots. Miss Dylan says she can’t play Legos and playdough and Playmobil and Trouble with me all days.”

He snorted a laugh. “She has to take care of the other kids too, buddy.”

“You play with me all the times until Piper gets there.”

He shrugged. “I can’t argue with that. But it’s only because Miss Dylan is there making sure everybody is safe and having fun.”

“Sam, are you coming back?” Grey popped up from behind the couch. “Uncle Kyle? I didn’t know you were coming over too.”

A chair scraped along the floor, and then Zara peeked around the corner.

“Oh.” Kyle winced. “I didn’t realize you had company. Sorry to interrupt.”

“No.” Zara shook her head. “I was getting ready to take the boys to the park down the block.”

Frowning, I shook my head. That had not been the plan.

“Oh, yay! I need my shoes.” Like a cartoon character, Sam took off at a run, heading for his room.

With her brows raised, Zara looked from me to the door, where Kyle rocked back on his heels, still half in and half out, then back again.

Exhaling loudly, I said, “Come in.”

Zara beamed. “Grey, get your shoes.”

In less than a minute, she was herding both boys into the hall. “Cheers!” she called as she pulled the door shut behind her.

As it clicked shut, I turned, finding Kyle watching me, his eyes full of uncertainty.

“I thought you were coming home tomorrow.”

With his teeth pressed into his full bottom lip, he shrugged. “I got a call from Kayla, and I couldn’t wait any longer to talk to you.”

He glanced over at Piper, who was still on the sofa. She hadn’t noticed him come in. Her ability to hyper-focus amazed me sometimes. Fireworks could go off in the room, and with her headphones on, she wouldn’t even notice.

“I brought something for Piper and me to do. We’ve had a deal for a while, and it’s time for her to pay up. But can we talk first, since she’s content for now?”

Swallowing past the boulder that had formed in my throat and kept growing, I waved him to the table. “Let’s sit.” On my way, I snagged the envelope with his name on it from my purse.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he eased into a chair.

I held a hand up. “You’ve apologized probably twenty times at this point. No more. Please. I understand what you did and why you did it.”

Lips parting in shock, he blinked at me.

“I don’t love it. But I can appreciate that it came from a good place, and I accept your apology.”

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