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Gwen Thomson had a set of lungs on her, and it was obvious that she got into her baseball games. Cassie couldn’t help but smile at the woman’s exuberance. She shouted when the team made it to a base, shouted when she didn’t like a call, and shouted sometimes just because it had been five minutes since her last release of breath, Cassie thought to herself. It made the game very entertaining, and not just because of the movements on the field.
Alex and Will had both been able to bat one time each, and neither had struck out. They had looked up at her for a thumbs up right after Alex was walked home and Will got a hit that took him to second. She was grinning and having a great time. Harper had seen a little girl from her class and had gone to sit with her family. The twins were sitting off to the side of the bleachers on a blanket with an umbrella strategically providing shade, playing with some toys she had packed. Baseball did not appear to be their cup of tea. Sachie had fallen asleep on the blanket next to them. Having made it until mid-afternoon without a nap, she was overdue.
Gwen looked over at her, “Is this your first season for baseball?”
“Yes. I’ve never even seen but a few minutes here and there on TV. Alex is enthralled with it. It must be a boy thing. I was so grateful that Gwen Abbott at their school thought about the team for them this year. Your sons have been so kind to take them under their wing.”
“That’s my boys. They try to act big and tough, but inside they are softies. They brought home wounded children and a few wild animals growing up.”
“Sounds like my Alex, and Will follows him around wherever he goes. They are always exploring something, and have brought a few interesting finds home,” she said chuckling while arching an eyebrow to emphasis the statement. “Will is a fan of his big brother. It’s odd because he is only 13 months younger.”
“So what grades are they in?”
“Well Alex was a bit delayed so he and Will are both in fifth this year, Harper is in fourth and then the twins are in pre-k. Their birthdays were 3 days shy for the deadline last year.”
“Wow, and then Sachie. You do have your hands full.”
“Yeah.”
With the break on the field, it appeared that Gwen was going to turn her attention fully on Cassie. Cassie looked down toward the dugout, as Gwen had informed her the area the team now occupied was called. Trent caught her eyes and mouthed, “I’m sorry.” She shook her head at him and grinned. As she did she saw Gwen give her a peculiar look.
“So what’s the deal with the kids? You are obviously a great mom, but none of them look like you. Are they adopted?”
She now fully understood where Trent got his direct speech from. Yet somehow from his mother it didn’t feel intrusive.
“Yes. And no. When I was twelve, my sister found me in the welfare system and took me to live with her. The five oldest kids are from different situations that put them into foster care also, but over time, Megan and her husband Bruce took them in and eventually adopted them. Then they found out they were going to have Sachie. They were so excited. She was the blessing they never hoped to have.” She took a deep shaky breath before finishing. “They were in a collision on the way to the hospital the night Sachie was born. Bruce died instantly. Megan only lived long enough to deliver Sachie. I gave her the name they had chosen. I am the only mother she has ever known,” she told the story methodically and precisely while trying not to cry at the emotions behind the statements.
“Oh...my dear...I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s been over two years now. I miss Megan every day but she left me the greatest gift in the world. I never expected to have a family of my own, and now I have a huge one.”
“Yes.” She got very quiet for a minute and then turned slowly to look candidly at Cassie. “So what’s the story with you and Trent?”
“We are...we agreed to... to be friends. We are working on a big project and he is helping the boys to catch up to the rest of the team, because they had never played before.”
“Hmmm...give an old woman something.”
“Truly nothing to tell.”
“So he hasn’t kissed you yet?”
“No! It’s really not like that. I promise you. Trent has turned out to be a really good friend...which no one that saw our first meeting would have predicted. We kind of rubbed each other wrong.”
“That sounds like Trent. All bark but no bite.”
“Yeah,” she looked down at the field again as the announcer let everyone know they were about to start back up.
“Let me know if I get too boisterous for you.”
“You are fine. You really seem to love baseball.”
“Yeah, all the boys played. I’ve sat through hundreds of games over two decades.”
“That’s a lot of baseball.”
“Wyatt went to college on a baseball scholarship. So I attended all the high school games for the younger boys, and all his games. There were days I had three games to sit through. But it grew on me over time. Watching all those young’uns having a great time learning from my boys makes me happy.”
Cassie looked down the row to where Wyatt sat with his very pregnant wife. He wasn’t out of shape but not Trent’s trimmed physique either. Gwen’s husband Charles sat to her right and then Quentin with Emily, Holden with Viviana, Grayson with Sharon and Gwen’s three grandkids. The family occupied almost two rows. It was a strange experience to be part of something so big. She was grateful that her kids were getting a taste of that, because it was what she wanted for each of them. As they grew and matured she hoped they stayed close and build the next generation on the same platform. That was her hope for her little hodgepodge family. As the inning started, she faced forward and settled in to watch the fireworks a bit longer.
***
Trent sat on the porch with Sachie sound asleep on his lap, watching the scene before him. The toddler had not left his side since they arrived, except when Cassie had bribed her away with the promise of splashing in the shallow end of the pool. She had played for quite a while in the liquid heaven, going up and down the steps holding on to the rail and giggling each time she dipped a little lower or splashed water at one of her siblings. Eventually she had toddled back to Trent, climbed into his lap and fallen asleep.
He saw Cassie’s kids with Isiah, Becca and Dante all frolicking in the large pool. Cassie, Monica and Emily were hovering nearby, chatting with Viviana and Sharon, who did not have children of their own, but joined in keeping an eye on the water activities. His sister-in-laws were all ready for the pool, in swim suits and wraps. Even Monica who was eight plus months pregnant didn’t allow it to stop her from dipping her toes in the water. Cassie didn’t appear to have come prepared for the water in her modest navy shorts and striped top. He didn’t doubt for a minute she would be the first one in the pool should one of the kids be in trouble. He found himself imagining what she would look like in a bikini and was surprised at the stab of desire that shot through him.
Overall she appeared to be doing okay. Only once had he observed a strange, melancholy look cross her face. It was when Wyatt had walked over to gently help Monica get to her feet. The expression was quickly replaced with her usual serene one, but the momentary longing he had seen made his heart hurt. In that instant he realized that her proclamations of aversion to marriage were not because she was unable to love, but rather her belief that no one could love her in return. He couldn’t fathom what her childhood had been like, so different from his own happy one. In many ways she did a great job at hiding it, and her kids were well adjusted, happy and behaved for all they had gone through. It was a wonder.
“Are you holding that baby to get out of helping your mother?” Gwen interrupted his musings.
“No ma’am,” he teased in return. “She just seems to be the only female willing to sit on my lap at the moment.”
She slapped him lightly on the head, “Shame on you.”
“I’m just grateful for no surprise guests today,” he quirked an eyebrow and grinned at her when she moved into his line of sight.
“I’ve retired my matchmaking skills.”
“I’m sorry did I hear that correctly?” Quentin asked from behind her.
“Yeah, I think I might have water in my ears also,” Wyatt chimed in.
“She is just trying to keep me off balance,” Trent said.
“Nope. You are a grown man, you can date who you want. Stay single if you want. No more interfering from me. I just want my boys happy,” she said reaching over and squeezing Trent’s shoulders so as not to wake Sachie.
“Okay, what have you done with my real mother?”
She swatted him again as she looked over the patio and pool area. “Didn’t Cassie bring a swimsuit? I’ve known you all to throw in anyone showing up here not wearing one, why did she get a pass?”
“First big family function, I thought I would let her get her feet under her first.”
“I agree big brother, she is looking a bit warm,” Quentin added.
“Definitely, I remember that we had to throw each of our wives and Grayson’s fiancé in to baptize them for no good reason.”
“You gotta do it man,” Grayson chimed in.
He looked to Holden hoping for one ally. “Don’t look at me, I’m just here enjoying the sun and beer.”
“Are you going to have to deal with her during the week?” he directed the question at Quentin trying a last ditch attempt to get someone to take his side.
“Man up son, it’s a tradition.”
“For women we intend to marry, or are dating...that’s not the case here...” he caught everyone looking around the table at each other with dubious eyes. “I’m not kidding we aren’t like that...and she has...” he could tell from the looks no one was going to believe a word he said. Standing up slowly so as to not tousle Sachie, he walked through the screen porch door and laid her on the sofa directly inside.
“Can you keep an eye on her?” he asked his mom as he passed by.
“Sure sweetheart,” she said innocently.
He pulled his t-shirt over his head and flung it over the back of the chair.
“I hate you all,” he said to everyone and no one as he walked out of his shoes and towards the group of women.
Cassie’s back was to him, but the other women took a step back. They all knew what was coming. As Cassie turned, he noticed her eyes were riveted on his chest for a minute longer than he was expecting. By the time her pink stained face made eye to eye contact, he knew without a doubt he had made a mistake. A huge one, but sibling peer pressure always won out on common sense.
“So you have two options, you go in fully clothed... or if you are wearing a suit under there, now would be the time to strip down,” he said with a cheeky grin.
She looked over at Emily who blithely informed her, “it’s tradition for new visitors.” Bless her heart that made it seem a lot more innocent than the conversation at the table.
One more glance his direction and she must have realized any arguing was futile. She walked toward one the chairs a few feet away and quickly pulled her tank top off. The sport top style bikini was not what he had been expecting, but far better than the granny one piece it could have been. As she slipped out of her flip flops and unbuttoned her shorts, he realized that the cold pool was going to be necessary in a moment. For the all buttoned up Cassie, it was a lot of skin and she had a body he could see himself getting lost in. Just the right curves in all the right places. It would be a blessing if the ground opened and swallowed him up now before he made a fool out of himself.
Turning she looked right at him, she had a look of fight in her eyes. By now Alex, Will, Harper and the twins had stopped what they were doing.
“You coming in Mom?” Harper asked.
“I’m gonna throw your mom in,” Trent said with a cocky tone he knew would rile her.
“You and what army,” she asked back with a flip of her head and hand on her hip.
He walked toward her, and she squealed and ducked his hands. Before he could get his hands on her, she sped around him and jumped in the pool. He jumped in right behind her.
Making short work of the distance between them, he grabbed her as she surfaced. With a valiant twist she flipped around and attempted to get her hands on his head and make a play to push him under. He gave her a mild victory as he went under the water, but having her by the waist she went with him. As they surfaced he could hear the kids cheering. He grinned at them and pumped a victory fist in the air.
“You think you won?”
“You’re all wet...” he said and found himself trailing off as he realized she was firmly anchored to his chest with her hand on his shoulder and his around her waist. The equalizing water brought her close to eye level with him and in that moment, as he looked at her, he realized that if the kids weren’t there as witnesses this situation could get out of control fast.
The urge to dip his head and kiss her was all his brain was registering. Her eyes had turned storm-cloud grey, and from the hitch in her breath he knew that the attraction was not one sided. What he was feeling went beyond anything he had ever felt before, he realized with panic welling in his chest. Perhaps Quentin was right. This was a bad idea. He wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly Cassie pushed him under water. When he came to the surface she was half way to the side of the pool the kids occupied.
Following close behind her, he asked “Who wants to be thrown into the deep end?”
As he pointed at Alex first, he noticed Cassie wouldn’t turn to meet his eyes. Probably a good thing, too. The last thing he needed was to do anything that would give his family real reason to suspect there was something going on. Besides he needed to figure it out first. The land mine his brain had landed him in a few minutes before was not where he thought this day would have ended and he needed time to process.
