Page 6 of Unexpectingly Happily Ever After

The woman, all Lycra’ed out in a matching Lululemon running suit, strides onto the field and grabs Sophie’s arm.

Grabs my daughter’s arm.

I break into a run.

″Casey…don’t,” I hear Nita call after me.

″Get your hands off my daughter,” I cry as I cross the field.

Ms. Lycra looks up with evil eyes. “Your daughter physically assaulted my son.” She keeps a grip on Sophie, who looks ready toburst into tears at the manhandling. The “assaulted” boy rolls on the ground, holding his stomach.

With a visible smirk on his face.

″Your son physically attacked my son,” I point out as Ben rushes to my side. “This is a non-contact sport if you hadn’t noticed. Plus, they’re six years old! Who teaches their kid to tackle at that age?”

The coach of the other team steps up to me, along with Dirk. “Just calm down now.”

I glance at the coach, to the woman still holding my child. “He’s your kid, isn’t he? Tell your wife to get her hands off my daughter before I come over there and make her.”

Lycra throws back her head in shock but releases Sophie who runs not to me, but to Ben. Lucy joins them.

″You should learn to control your children,” the woman says, sounding as snotty as she looks. “Or don’t have that many of them.”

″You b–”

Dirk’s hand on my shoulder is the only thing that stops me from demonstrating to both teams just how to make a proper tackle. “Casey,” he warns. “Not a good idea in front of the kids.”

I take a deep breath, then another. Conscious of the crowd thronged around me, I crouch in front of Ben. “Bennie, are you okay?”

His face is tear-stained, but he nods. I drop a kiss on his head and take his little hand in mine. “Sophie,” I say in a firm voice. “Apologize to the boy for hitting him. You shouldn’t have done that.”

″But Momma, he hurt Ben…”

″He made him cry,” Lucy chimes in.

My heart fills with pride at how they defend each other, but I don’t let on yet.

″He did hurt your brother, and that’s something he’ll have to live with. I need you to apologize for hittinghim, Sophie.”

″That’s all?” Lycra’s expression is one of incredulousness. “That’s how you’re going to fix this?”

″It’s a start, and it’s better than what your hooligan of a son is doing,” I snap back. I soften my voice. “Sophie.”

″I’m sorry for hitting you,” she says in a sullen voice.

I squeeze her hand and glance at Dirk, who looks unsure of what to do next.

″Such behaviour.” A grandmotherly woman gasped. I’m not sure what team she’s rooting for. “And from a little girl.”

″That’s what happens when you let girls play with the boys,” reprimands her partner.

Most of the women in the crowd, me included, turn and glare at him.

″She should get suspended from the league,” booms a voice from the opposite team.

″She’ssix,” I hear Lisa from behind me.

″And the kid hurt her brother,” Nita adds. “Game over if you ask me.”

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