Maybe Matt's Miracle(77)

“Of course,” I say. I approach him and sit down on the edge of his bed. “Can we talk? Man to man?”

“Dude, I used a condom,” he blurts out.

“What?” I say. I stand up.

His eyes go wide. “Oh, I thought you figured it out,” he says. He winces. “Shit,” he says. “I messed that up.”

“You’re having sex?” I ask.

“Just…like…once.” He looks everywhere but at me. Hell, he’s sixteen.

“You’re being careful, right?” I ask. “Do we need to go shopping for more condoms?” I’d hate to think he just got one from the school nurse or something.

“Umm, no…” he says. “I got some.”

“Well, when you need some more, let me know.”

He nods and lets out a breath. “You’re not going to tell Aunt Sky, are you?” he asks.

I bite my lips together. “Sorry, but I can’t keep secrets from her.” He nods. “How did it go?” I don’t want details. I just want to know he’s okay.

He keeps packing his bag with his uniform and equipment. “Okay, I guess.” His face gets red.

The first time is usually fantastic for a young man, not so much for a young lady. “Who is she?” I ask. “You need to bring her by to meet us.”

“She’s not quite that kind of girl,” he says with a wince.

“If she’s worth f*cking, she’s worth bringing home to meet your family, dumbass,” I bite out. That shit pisses me off. But I can remember having this same talk with Sam and Pete, too. And Logan for that matter. Logan was a bigger man whore than either of the twins. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

He looks up. “What did you want?”

This time, it’s my turn to fidget. I don’t know why I feel so out of place asking Seth about this. “I want to marry Sky,” I say.

“Okay…” he says.

“That okay with you?”

He nods slowly and then with more speed. “It’s okay with me.”

“So, I was thinking, while we wait for a wedding, that I might move in here.” I wait and watch his face. “How would you feel about that?”

“You already asked her to marry you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not going to change your mind?”

“She couldn’t chase me off with a really big stick.”

He chuckles. “It’s fine if you want to move in, Uncle Matt,” he says. My heart stalls. He just called me Uncle Matt. I’m one step closer to being part of his family.

“I like that,” I say softly.

“Me, too,” he says back. “We had better go.”

Sky has already changed clothes, and she’s getting the girls into their coats. This will be an all-day event, so she’s packed snacks and toys, too.

We all go out together, going to our first event as a family. Her dad isn’t going with us today, though. He’s going to visit Sky’s mom.

Seth wins in back-to-back matches, and he advances to the final round.

Every time Seth wins, he stops after the match and raises his hand toward the sky, like he’s reaching for heaven. It brings a tear to my eye.

His last match isn’t like the others. He’s up against a boy who’s really good. Seth comes up in the stands to talk to me. “Uncle Matt,” he says. “I don’t know what to do.”

I go and retrieve Joey from the bottom of the bleachers because she is getting a little too close to the wrestling mat. One fling of a fully grown boy in her direction, and she’ll get hurt. I go to get her and bring her back up. I blow on her belly and then toss her over my shoulder. She laughs and hangs there, giggling. “About what?” I ask.

He nods toward the bottom of the bleachers. “You see that guy in the wheelchair?” he asks.

I do. I saw him when we first came in.

“He’s my next opponent’s dad.”

“Oh,” I breathe. “Is he sick?” He’s wearing a stocking cap over his bald head, so I can guess what’s wrong with him.

“Final stages of cancer,” Seth says quietly.

“And you’re worried about whether or not you should let his son win?” I weigh it in my mind. I can see why Seth is conflicted. And to be honest, I’m conflicted, too.

“Yeah.”

“Do you think it would make his dad happy for this match to be handed to him?”

Seth shakes his head and gnaws on his lower lip. “Probably not.”

“Seth, if I were his dad, I would want him to do his best, and may the best man win.”

Seth nods.

“Just be prepared.” I squeeze his shoulder. “He might be in it to win it.” He’s a few pounds heavier than Seth, too.

“Okay,” he says. And he goes down to the clock to sign in when it’s his turn.

“What’s wrong?” Sky asks when I sit down beside her. She takes Joey from over my shoulder and sets her beside Mellie, and then puts a crayon in her hand and gives her a piece of paper.

I point with my chin and tell her what’s up. She looks sympathetic. “This one has to be hard for him after what happened with his mom.”