Game(63)

“Let’s get a coffee. Just sit and chat.”

“What town is this?”

“It doesn’t matter, sweetie. We’re taking a road trip, right? I have time off until the next fight.”

Shayna reached over and touched my eye. The swelling was gone, the stitches out. There was just a yellow dot there now. The leftovers from my last fight. He had really given it to me. My toughest fight ever. But I pushed through and ended up with a TKO in the final minute of the fight. I wore him down and got the final punch.

“Your eye looks good,” she said. “They’re going to want you to fight again.”

“Come on,” I said.

I got out of the car.

I opened the backdoor and grabbed the carseat. Little Cormac was sleeping, but his eyes popped open when I lifted the carseat. He looked at me and smiled, then moved his hands.

The kid’s going to be a fighter someday.

And, yeah, we named the little guy Cormac. How could we not? The world didn’t need another Finn… but another Cormac? Yeah, that was good.

I held Shayna’s hand and carried the carseat with the other.

We went into the cafe and sat down. I put the carseat on the table. Cormac let out a noise and Shayna rocked the carseat to her. That baby loved Shayna more than I did, which I always thought would be impossible. The connection was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Christ, I’m supposed to be this big, tough fighter, but each time I saw Shayna with Cormac, it choked me up. It was the most beautiful sight in the world.

She had powered through nine long months of pregnancy. It took me four of those months to really convince her I was staying. I understood it though. Our circumstances were completely f*cked up from day one. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Except Cormac dying. When I thought about that big Irishman holding the baby, it made me smile. He’d be the one who would rub whiskey on the baby’s gums when he teethed. He’d probably call himself Uncle C-mac or something stupid. And you know what? The kid would have grown to love Cormac.

But none of that could happen.

So my son had Cormac’s name. A big legacy to carry, but he’d be tough enough to handle it.

Shayna held Cormac and I waited.

When I spotted her walking toward us, I reached for Shayna’s hand.

“Hey there! Can I get you two…”

The waitress stopped talking. Shayna looked and her lips instantly began to shake.

“Oh… my…”

“Shayna,” the waitress whispered.

I pointed to the waitress’s apron. “Hey there, Sarah.”

Sarah.

The new name for Sasha. Yes, Shayna’s sister.

“We’d like two coffees,” I said. “To go. We can’t stay long, Sarah.”

Sarah looked at me. Then at Shayna. Then at the baby.

“This is Cormac,” Shayna said. “Our baby. We had a baby recently.”

Sarah crouched down. “He’s beautiful.”

From the side I could see the resemblance between Shayna and Sasha. From the front, they were totally different. Fraternal twins.

Sarah touched Cormac’s hand and smiled. “So precious. I’m happy for you.”

“Are you okay?” Shayna asked. “I don’t get it…”

“Let me show you the drinks,” Sarah said and took out a menu. She opened it and leaned in. “I had to run. I’m so sorry I never came back, Shayna. I never wanted you in danger. I’m okay here. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Okay,” I said. “Just the two coffees, please.”

“I’ll be right back,” Sarah - Sasha - said.

Shayna looked at me. “Finn.”

“We can’t stay,” I said. “They want her. You know that.”

“I know,” Shayna whispered. “So I’m going to say goodbye for real now.”

My heart twisted a little.

I didn’t respond.

Shayna put Cormac back in his carseat. He started to get fussy and whine.

Sarah came back with two coffees, a carrier, sugar, and cream.

I put a five on the table.

Shayna and Sarah stared at each other. They wanted to hug each other but couldn’t.

I had eyes all around. I could never really know who was who. This was final duty to Mara, Marie, and all that family bullshit.

Then again, blood was thicker than water, right?

“Oh, damn,” I said. “Cormac spit up. Sarah, do you have a napkin?”

Sarah handed me a napkin.

Cormac was fine.

I hurried to grab a pen from Sarah’s apron. Fast hands, fighter hands. I pretended to wipe Cormac’s face. I put the napkin on the table and started to write, all the while keeping my eyes on the cafe. It was sloppy, but the note was quick.

They’re coming. Run like hell. Visit your nephew anytime.

I curled up the napkin and gave it to Sarah. If she was smart, she’d know what just happened.

It was hard to get in the car and drive away. It was easy to grab Shayna’s hand as I pulled over a few minutes later. I explained what I had done.

I looked back to the carseat. We had a mirror on the seat so we could see Cormac’s face.

“That’s why,” I whispered. “For him. For us. She’s smart, she’ll run.”