Long Ball(33)

“Fine. I’ll text you her parent’s phone number. Don’t f*ck this up or I’ll make sure you never see them again.”

“I believe you. See you tomorrow?”

“Bright and early.” She sighs again. “God, why so early?”

“We have a game.” I say apologetically. “But this is important. It can’t wait.”

“I hope so.” She hangs up and I dive right into my next round of phone calls, heart threatening to explode or give up, I’m not sure which.

The next morning, Kate and Cora meet me at the park. Cora gives me a huge hug and breathlessly tells me how much she missed me and every single thing she did in the two weeks we were apart.

“I went to school and had donuts and sandwiches and I don’t like tuna. Tuna is gross. And then we went outside and Daniel tried to chase me but he could never catch me. Mommy told me to never let boys catch me and I don’t want them to kiss me. Boys are gross. But not you, because you’re a big boy…”

She rambles on for another ten minutes with Kate standing in the background, suppressing a laugh behind her hands. Cora talks rapid-fire, an unending stream of consciousness about the color of the sky and her favorite colors, but she never stops looking me in the eye. She even grabs my hand and spins in circles while talking.

I have never been so sure about anything in my entire life. I kiss her on the head and watch her run off to play as Kate shoos her off. We need to talk, but I’m sad to see my little girl run away.

Mine. I made her. Sure, her mother raised her into the wonderful little person she is, but my DNA had something to say about it. It’s incredible to think I had a hand in something so wonderful.

“That girl won’t shut up sometimes.” Kate plops down next to me on the bench and shakes her head. “She’s been going ninety miles an hour since she woke up.”

“I love it,” I say in earnest. “I could listen to her all day.”

Kate snorts. “Yeah, for like three days, maybe. After that, you’ll contemplate bashing your head in.”

“She’s perfect.” And I mean it.

Kate studies me intensely. I ignore her and watch Cora scamper around the playground, already with new friends in tow.

“What?”

“I’m trying to figure out how serious you are about this.”

“What, about my plan?”

“About Megan and Cora.” I tear my gaze away from Cora and look at Kate. She’s got her arms crossed and disbelief peels off of her. “You hardly know them.”

“We have a history.”

“Almost six years ago.”

“Look.” I straighten my clothes and try to look as put together as possible. “I know this all sounds crazy. I know we haven’t been together long and this situation isn’t exactly as easy as two single, childless people who meet in a bar or on a dating app and hit it off. But I’ve literally spent my entire life waiting for her. I looked everywhere for her after we first met and I’ve never gotten over her. Every day feels like it is one step closer to forever. They are my home, Kate. They are where I belong. I don’t care about the baggage or the history. I want to be there to help carry it. I want to put Cora to bed every night I can. I want to remind Megan every day how wonderful she is. I want to paint the rest of my life in memories of us. We belong together and together we are stronger than any fight, any f*ck up, any set of life circumstances. This is where I belong, with them, every day.”

We hold each other’s gaze for a long minute. I hold my breath, hoping she’ll realize just how serious I am. She breaks contact first and scratches her nose, letting out a long sigh.

“Okay, okay. You’ve convinced me. I didn’t think you could, but you did. Megan’s just got to be careful, you know? She’s got a little girl to protect.”

“I’d give up my life for her.” I turn to look at Megan. “I told you what happened. I was an idiot and I should have brought Megan, but I didn’t want to scare her off. I was, am, terrified my lifestyle is too much for her. She’s so quiet, reserved. My life is constantly on blast. But I will give it up in a heartbeat if it means a life with them.”

“Whoa, pony. We’re banking on another trip to the Series this year. Let’s not talk about quitting just yet.” She smiles at me, and it puts me at ease.

“Do you think this will work?”

Kate chews her lip as she mulls it over. I turn back to watch Cora as she flies down the slide, giggling. The love I feel for her is so intense, I feel like I could explode. I never knew a human being was capable of loving someone so much. Every time I see her, it grows. It multiplies. She’s everything to me. Megan is everything and then some.

I have no idea how I got so lucky, but I’m not going to waste this opportunity.

“The chances are high. Probably. Maybe. She’s really mad.”

“I’ll prove it to her. She’ll see. You’ll see.”

“This is ballsy.” Kate cuts a glance to me. “Really ballsy. You sure this is what you want?”

Cora giggles again and I’m filled with a peace I’ve never before experienced. “Positive.” I pull out my wallet and riffle through the cards until I find the weighted black one. “Use this. Take her out shopping. Tell her to feel like a million bucks. It doesn’t have to be fancy or sparkly or anything she doesn’t want. Tell her to pick out whatever makes her feel beautiful.”