Page 128 of The Problem with Players

“My point is that Cameron is your son. Not your punching bag.”

“Now you hold on right there, I ain’t never laid one hand on my son. Sure, I might’ve shoved him a little last night, but he fell alone. How dare you even accuse me of such a thing? Was last night bad? Yes, but I’d never?—”

“He needs you, Adam.” I cut in. “You might not be physically abusing him, but your words and actions…those are hitting him deeper than you’ll ever know. Yet that boy loves you more than anything. You are his hero, and I think watching you struggle after the loss of your wife has been the hardest thing for him. Because he knows this isn’t you, Adam. Cameron knows that this version of you isn’t his father. I know you might find the need to get defensive, but you don’t have to do that. I’m not here to shame you. I’m here to help.”

“To help?” he huffed, shaking his head. His hands clasped together, and he looked down at his hands. “How the hell could you help me?” he smugly asked. “How the hell could you make anything I’ve been going through better? You don’t know half the shit I’m dealing with.”

“You’re right,” I agreed. “I don’t. But I’ve been your son. I’ve had someone like you as my father. And I would’ve done anything I could’ve to get my father back.”

“I wasn’t supposed to do this without her,” he whispered. I saw tears falling from his face as he kept staring at the floor in front of him. He shook his head. “She wasn’t supposed to be the one who left first.”

“I can’t imagine how hard it was to lose your wife.”

“No,” he agreed. “You can’t. Because she was the lighthouse. She was the way home for Cam and me. And without her, there’s just darkness.”

At that moment, I thought of Avery and what she had shared with me about Willow and her mother. If that was true for her, I was certain it was true for Cameron and his mother, too.

“But you still have that light of her in him, Adam. Cameron is a walking miracle of his mother. He is the living legacy of something you and her crafted. And you’re missing it. She’s in every piece of him, and you’re just too lost in grief to see how much of a miracle that is. She left you the greatest gift she could’ve ever given you…a son who loves you more than life itself. You might have lost your wife, but Cam…he lost his mother. Don’t let him lose his father, too.”

“Damn.” He sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’m messed up, man. I know I am, and I don’t know howto fix it. Cameron doesn’t deserve this. But I don’t know how to get better.”

“I think that’s the first step. Realizing that you’re not okay.” I cleared my throat and clasped my hands together. “The second step is getting help, which is why I’m here. Cam mentioned some money issues. I can help with that. You can get a position at my family farm. I’ll look after Cameron whenever you need an extra hand. All I need you to do is get help. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. You can’t keep going like this. I need you to recognize that you need help. Then things can start to change.”

“Why, though?” Adam asked, looking back up at me. “Why would you do this for me?”

“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for a son who just wants his father back. He has already lost part of his heart. He doesn’t need to lose the other half, too.”

He sniffled some more and stood from his chair. “All right. I’ll do it.” He held a hand out toward me. I stood and shook his hand. “Thank you, Coach.”

“Anything for Cam.”

“You’re a good role model for those kids.”

“They’re better ones for me. We’ll figure out a game plan, but first…I got a call from Prest University, down in Georgia. A few scouts came out and want to have Cameron come down to explore their campus in a few weeks.”

“Prest University?” he asked. “They have one of the best baseball programs in the country.”

“Same one I went to before the big leagues. Those coaches take the game seriously. Cameron would excel at that.”

“Wow…” He shook his head as his eyes flashed with more emotions. “My son at Prest University, huh?”

“Yeah. I want to plan a trip where I take him down and show him around for a weekend. I’d love for you to come with us. It might be a great bonding opportunity for you both.”

“Oh, yeah. Okay. I’d be interested.”

I smiled. “Good. All right. We’ll be in touch soon.”

I turned to walk out of his house, and he called after me, making me turn back to face him.

“Can you tell my boy I love him?” Adam asked.

“He’ll be back tonight,” I said. “You tell him yourself.”

39

AVERY

Everything was going well.

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