Page 22 of Taking The Shot

“Maybe now is a good time?” Constance hesitated, looking at him.

“Do you want me here?”

“No,” Paige said openly – and he lifted an eyebrow at Constance as if to make his point.

“Paige, stop it,” Constance said firmly, looking at her daughter. “I like Keith, and I like him being around us, so please try not to be rude to people I want to include in my life.” And turned to grab a piece of paper, drawing three interlocking circles as she looked at her children’s faces. “You and Kayla are this circle. This is my circle, and this is Keith’s – and there is no reason we can’t find a way to exist here, in this middle part, all of us as friends.”

“Mommmm…”

“Paige?” Keith began and constance hesitated, giving him the floor. “Do you know how to ice skate?”

“Yes,” she retorted in an exaggerated manner, deliberately being rude to him again – and bless him, Keith didn’t bat an eye.

“Then you know sometimes skating is fun, you can go fast or slow, or even skate backward or…”

“I know that. I’m not dumb.”

“No, you aren’t,” he replied simply. “Far from it, but there is a difference between different pairs of skates and…”

“No, there isn’t.”

“Yes, there is,” he said firmly. “They are all fun but do different things. My skates that I use for hockey don’t have teeth on the front.”

“See? Weird. He is talking about skates having teeth, and you are over here drawing circles while the both of you are avoiding telling me whatever secret you are keeping. What’s the big deal? It’s not like you are dating or something…”

Keith and Constance looked at each other.

“Seriously?Yuck. Justyuck. I mean,him? Mom!”

“Well, my ego just took a hit…” Keith chuckled.

“Paige, stop. I like Keith, and things are changing in my life – but even if they change, that doesn’t alter how I feel about you and Kayla. You’ll always be my babies.”

“Was that the big stupid secret? That you twoare dating?”

Constance looked at him, and Keith gave her a gentle half-smile.

“It’s up to you – I’m here for it, but the decisions are ultimately yours and always will be,” he offered softly, watching her with those warm eyes. “I’ll go along with whatever you choose.”

“Mom?”

Constance looked back at the three houses and clicked on the one with the fancy bedrooms. One was painted like a scene from Winnie the Pooh, and the other was almost a Mario theme. There was carpet-covered cat ledges around both rooms in various parts of the wall, almost fitting in with the themes. In the Mario room, one ledge looked like bricks and had a coin on it, and at the top of the wall, was an opening to the next room, allowing a cat to pass through. It was adorable and child friendly, and she thought her children would love this one the most.

“What do you think of this?” Constance said gently, showing her the picture. “Would you like this for your bedroom? And this one would be Kayla’s bedroom?”

“It’s nice,” Paige said begrudgingly. “What’s that?”

“It’s for a cat.”

“We’re getting a cat?”

“Maybe,” she said evasively and glanced at Keith, who simply shrugged and smiled at her. “Maybe we will once we get settled in a new house with Keith.”

Paige’s small face scrunched up as she processed the words. Her eight-year-old mind worked through what this meant for her, for her little sister, and for the life she knew.

“We’re moving?” Paige asked, her voice hesitant, uncertain.

Constance felt the weight of her daughter’s question settle in her chest like a stone. She had anticipated this moment and had prepared herself for the inevitable questions, but it didn’t make it any easier. Keith was watching Paige carefully, his body language guarded and unreadable.

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