Page 166 of Off Season

“He’s a grown man. He can make his own decisions. He very obviously loves you. Do you love him?”

I nod.

“Then take him at his word. Or maybe you’ll feel differently one day. Have you ever allowed for that possibility, or are you too stubborn about being stubborn?”

“What does that mean?”

“You have strong convictions, Kamryn. Like you’re dead set on hating Tanner. So dead set that I can’t get you to admit that you’re starting to like him.”

The corners of my mouth raise slightly. “All fungus grows.”

“Not all fungus is bad. In fact, some of it’s good.”

I’m quiet before she continues. “She loves him, and he loves her. Whether you like it or not, and whether he can give her everything she thought she needed or not, they’re going to end up together. He makes her happy. Maybe it won’t be in the ways she had always imagined, and maybe it will, but she could do a lot worse than Tanner Montgomery.”

“If you love him so much, why didn’t you stay married to him?” I’ve asked her a million times about the end of her marriage, but she never gives me any answers.

She shakes her head. “I’m notinlove with him, but I’ll always love him and always want the best for him. He’s the father of my child.Nothingwill ever change that.”

“Do you think he was the love of your life?”

She exhales a long breath. “Fuck. I hope not, Kamryn.” She bites her lip. “If I tell you something, can you keep it between us?”

I nod.

“I’ve gone on a handful of dates with someone recently. The man I mentioned to you a while back. I said no to him at first, buthe kept asking for months, and I finally decided why the fuck not. I have nothing to lose. Then Bailey’s injury happened, and I moved in here. We finally went out recently and hit it off. Bailey will transition to outpatient soon. I’m going to tell Tanner that I’m moving out next week. Once I do, I want to see where things go with this guy.”

“That’s amazing, Fallon. Do you have any pictures of him?”

She scrunches her face. “I do, but—”

“But what?”

“You might recognize him. He’s kind of famous.”

I gasp. “Is it Vance? I can totally see you with him. He’s hot.”

She giggles. “In a million years, I wouldn’t date a client of Tanner’s. That’s way too close to home. And I don’t want to date someone younger than me who would want more kids. I’ll be forty this year. I don’t know if I can still have kids.”

“Do you want more kids?”

She nods. “I do. Very much so, but each year that goes by I know what the odds are.”

“I guess if I had a Harper, I’d want more too.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “So if you were to have a Harper, you’d be interested in having kids?”

I twist my lips. “Hmm. There are no guarantees. And stop changing the topic. Let me see a picture of him.”

She reaches for her phone and swipes away until she finally hands it to me. I look at the screen, immediately recognizing the photo. “You’re datinghim?”

She gives me a small smile and nods. “I suppose I am.”

“How old is he?”

“Just a few years older than me. He has two adult kids, a daughter and a son.”

I nod. “His daughter is a basketball player, right?”

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