Page 42 of Hard To Leave

“Sounds good,” she said, forcing a smile as I called Tanner over.

After drying him off and brushing the sand out of his hair the best that I could, we said our goodbyes and made our way to the car. As I pulled out of the gravel parking lot, I couldn’t help but hope things would return back to normal between Carly and me sooner rather than later.

* * *

“Tanner,please shut the Xbox off and put your clothes away.”

My son glared at me from across the room as his fingers paused on the latest MLB game. I let him play when we got back from the beach because I needed a clean house and the video game was the only thing that kept him busy and out of my hair.

“Five more minutes, Mom, please,” he pleaded.

I crossed my arms and looked at the clock. Jack would be here soon. Experience taught me that “five minutes” really meant a half hour.

“Now,” I said firmly.

He closed his eyes, seemingly unhappy, but thankfully he stood and walked into his room to unload his laundry basket.

I had just finished getting ready when I heard a knock at my door.

“Mom, your friend is here,” I heard Tanner yell from the other room.

Tanner, being the impatient seven-year-old that he was, ran to the door with the dog following his every step. The moment I saw Jack, I paused.

He was wearing dark jeans and a blue button-down that matched his eyes. His hair looked like he had been running his fingers through it all day.

His was also staring at my son like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. He looked nervous and completely out of place.

I walked over and placed my hands on Tanner’s shoulders.

“Tanner.” I peered down at him. “This is my friend, Jack.”

Tanner had to tip his head all the back to meet Jack’s gaze. “Hi.”

Jack stepped closer. “Nice to meet you, Tanner,” he said gently. He lifted his head and glanced at me. His mouth stretched into an uneasy smile.

I could tell he wasn’t sure how to act or what to say. This moment was a first for all of us. He knelt down and placed something round in Tanner’s hand. “Your mom told me that you’re a baseball fan.” Tanner’s eyes grew wide as saucers as he stared at the baseball in his hand. He rolled it around in his palm until he read the signature on the back of the ball.

“Holy cow! This is so cool. Is that really Aaron Judge’s signature?” Tanner asked, pointing to black sharpie writing on the back side of the ball.

“It sure is. Your mom told me how much you love the Yankees.” He lifted his head to mine and shot me a wink. I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my heart melt a little.

Tanner looked at Jack with wonder in his eyes. “He’s my favorite player. I have a bunch of binders filled with different baseball cards. I even have a jersey card for Derek Jeter. Want to see them?”

Jack laughed. “I would love to.”

Touching the top of Tanner’s hair, I smiled. “Why don’t you go grab your binders and find a safe place for the ball. But first, what do you say to Jack?”

Cradling the ball in his hands as if it would disappear, Tanner looked up at Jack with two, small little dimples forming in his cheeks. “Thank you. This is one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten.”

Jack stood and smiled down at my little boy, and I was thankful that I had the doorjamb to hold onto for support because I felt weak in the knees watching such a tender moment.

“Tanner, go put your ball away in a safe place and then you can come back out and show Jack your card collection.”

“Cool, I’m going to call Tyler first. He’s not going to believe this!” And then he was off.

I closed the door and took a deep breath. “That was very nice of you, but that must be worth a small fortune. Are you sure you don’t want to keep it?”

Jack shrugged like it was no big deal. “I’ve got a couple more at home.” Of course, he did. “Besides, it looks like he appreciates it more than I ever did. So, it was worth it.” He reached out and grabbed my elbow, moving us both away from the door. “I want to kiss you so fucking bad right now.”

---