Page 86 of Just a Heartbeat Away

Seb parked Matty on the second row of the bleachers and tied Crabby’s leash there as well. He leaned forward and fussed with his son’s new winter coat. It wasn’t that cold out today, but he was gonna be sitting still for a while. He pulled the hood up around Matty’s ears and zipped it to his chin.

“Too tight, Dad,” Matty groused and zipped it back down.

“You’re gonna get cold.”

“You made me wear two pairs of pants! I’m so hot I’m gonna puke.” Matty was one step away from a full-on pout-fest, and Seb knew when to fold ’em.

“You’re right. Are you gonna read or do your puzzle?”

“Read. I like the book.”

“Cool,” Seb said, inching away from his son like he was a wild animal he didn’t want to spook. “Snacks are in the bag. You can have whatever you want. And we’re gonna grab pizza afterward with the team. Just so you know.”

“Why?” Matty looked up from digging through the bag for the snacks and the book.

“Because it’s the last game of the season.”

Matty shrugged. “Okay. Sounds boring, but I like pizza.”

Seb leaned forward quick and kissed his son on the top of the head. No muss, no fuss. He was growing up and didn’t want as much PDA from his dad anymore. But Matty was already opening his book and blocking out the world.

“Matty.”

He looked up.

“It’s cool that you’re reading.”

Matty nodded. “I know.” He held up his fist. “Knuckles, Daddy.”

Seb knocked fists with Matty and jogged over to the dugout and grinned down at Sadie and Via, who were sitting down, stretching their hamstrings. He held a hand out to both of them and hauled them upright. He couldn’t help but trace a thumb over the back of Via’s hand.

“Hi.”

“’Sup,” Sadie said back, stretching her arms over her head.

“Hi,” Via said, almost shyly, her eyes just barely meeting his.

“Holy shit!” Sadie whispered in excitement, squinting over toward the stands. “Is Matty reading on his own, for pleasure?”

“Yes,” Sebastian said in bemused delight. “I mean, I always keep books on his bookshelf and today, for some reason, he just picked one off the shelf and started reading it after breakfast. Heaskedif he could bring it along. I swear, my eyes must have exploded like when Bugs Bunny sees a pretty girl.”

“Well, as his former first-grade teacher, please don’t mind if I take a little bow.” She did just that, making Seb and Via grin.

“It’s very cool,” Via agreed. “It shows a ton of different skills all at once, to sit by himself and read in a sustained fashion.”

“Right?” Sadie agreed. “Reading comprehension, focused attention, willingness to—”

“You two are such teachers,” Seb cut in, a smile on his face. “My reaction was like, cool, you mean I don’t have to pack toys?”

“Well,” Via said as Sadie started calling the team together for her traditional pregame pep talk. “It’s a teacher victory for sure, but it’s definitely a dad victory, too.”

She grinned up at him and knocked her shoulder against his. When she straightened, facing Sadie, Seb closed the distance between them, just a touch. He stood with his shoulder slanted just behind hers. The sleeve of his shirt brushing over her hair.

She reached back to put her hair in a bun, and her elbow knocked him gently. He could smell that rosemary scent of hers and realized it was probably her shampoo. He wanted to bury his face in her hair. But he settled for poking lightly at her bun. She looked back over her shoulder at him, one eyebrow raised and a flush in her cheeks.

He shrugged, offering no explanation for poking at her. He knew it made him seem like an elementary schooler, poking the girl he had a crush on. But he didn’t care. She was cute and so was her bun. And he couldn’t drag her down in the dugout and press his face into that hair like he wanted to, so he settled for a bun poke. He did it again, and this time she knocked his side with her elbow.

He nudged her back.

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