Page 63 of Passed Ball

"I don't believe that for a second." The words are out, hanging between us, but I refuse to take them back.

"He showed me how not to be a father."

"And I've seen you with Holland. The love you have for her is authentic. It's not manufactured by your past. Giving him credit for the father you are isn't fair to you or her. He didn't do that, you did."

He shrugs before he adds. "That girl is my entire world and I'll never let her know the pain of a parent who has given up. She'll always know that I'm there for her. It's something I'm acutely aware of because of him."

I think about earlier and how he sent Tenley home. How he sat me down on the couch with wine instead of letting me help. Since he showed up at the camp a month ago, ragged and stressed, it's been a common thread--guilt over not doing it all.

"Accepting help from the people who care about both of you doesn't mean you've given up. It means you can give her more. You're not alone anymore."

I can practically see him turning the words over in his head.

A cry pierces the air, echoing through the baby monitor on the coffee table, and his head falls to my stomach. Xavier's soft lips brush over my skin. "No, I'm most definitely not alone. I have to get her," he says, pulling me with him as he sits up.

"And I need to get home," I say slowly, unsure if it's what I want.

This time it's him looking at me with a brow cocked in

challenge. "Do you?"

Another wail comes from the monitor, and the need to help hits me squarely in the chest. "Yeah, I think I do."

Chapter 28

Vivienne

There's a knock on my window that has me nearly jumping through the roof of my car. Exhaling deeply I turn to find Poppy looking amused and adorable. She's decked out in the cutest, two piece, red gingham set looking ready to celebrate the holiday.

"You look like you're about to bolt." Her voice is muted by the glass between us, but the message comes through loud and clear.

The thought had crossed my mind. "It's not that I don't want to be here . . ." I step out of the car, joining her in Dom's driveway.

She grins like she's in on a secret. "It's just that you don't want to be here?"

"Kind of. I'm used to being on my own." And honestly intimated, I wouldn't admit it outloud but this day feels like a WAGs only event. And I'm not that.

"You can run and I won't even tell them I caught you."

"No." I roll my eyes, annoyed with myself. "I want to be here, really. It's silly nerves."

"Making friends as an adult is hard. If it gets to be too much, start talking about hippopotamuses and I'll help you fake an emergency."

The absurdity of her suggestion puts me at ease. "Hippopotamuses?"

"Can you think of any real-life situation in which nature's angry marshmallows would come up today?"

"What?" I choke out, now laughing in earnest.

"They're round, squishy-looking, but shockingly ready to charge on a whim--angry marshmallows."

It reminds me of exactly the kind of nonsensical conversation I would have with Tenley. So when Poppy starts walking up the driveway and through the house, I follow her, already less anxious.

"This place is adorable," I comment as she leads me through the kitchen and living room to the back patio.

"Dom is surprisingly domestic," she agrees.

Everyone else is already floating in the pool. The sun is high in the afternoon sky making the pool glitter and the clear view of the mountains a stunning backdrop.

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