After Tommy leaves, I clean up my workspace and pack a bag with an extra hoodie and a blanket for practice. I want to spend time with both of them, so walking at the park suits me fine.
Near two, I leave my townhouse and make a quick stop at the Perk. I grab an iced latte for myself and a few scones for Ellie and me. I pull into the driveway and let myself inside. It feels a bit weird, but I push those concerns away. I’m here for Ellie.
I curl up on the chaise with my book and coffee to wait for Ellie. After a few chapters, I hear a key slide into the front door. Closing the book, I move to the front door, but it isn’t Ellie.
“Who are you?”
A tall man with dark hair and similar light eyes to Tommy steps inside. “I’m Toby. You must be Frankie.”
“Hi, Tommy’s brother, right? Sorry, I was only expecting Ellie.” I ignore the warning bells in my head from Luca. The man has a key to the house. He looks similar enough to Tommy, and he knows my name. I kind of dig he’s talking about me to his family. No, it’s more than kind of; I love it.
“Yes. No problem. Wow, he wasn’t lying,” Toby replies.
“About?”
“You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Is he home?”
I shake my head. “He went back to court this afternoon. He asked me to meet Ellie.” As I my finish the sentence, Ellie opens the front door.
“Hi, Elle belle.”
“Hi, Uncle Toby. Hi, Frankie.”
I see concern on her face. “He asked me to meet you. He’s still at court.”
“Okay, so it isn’t terrible news,” Ellie replies.
“No news yet. How was school?” I don’t plan on sharing the little bit I know. It could still go either way.
She shrugs and walks into the kitchen.
I follow her and ask, “Do you have any homework?”
“Nope.”
“Want to kick outside?”
She nods and runs upstairs.
“You have any soccer skills, Toby?” I inquire of him.
From upstairs, Ellie shouts, “Absolutely none, but it’s fun to watch him try.”
Toby smirks and hangs his head.
“Okay then.”
The three of us head outside to the backyard. Ellie pulls a goal out from behind the workshop. I team up with Toby against Ellie. She’s holding her own against the two of us. To be fair, her assessment was correct; Toby is awful. Despite the goings on with her parents, Ellie is laughing and cheering while we shoot around in her yard. The smile on her face is worth the fact I’m exhausted now. Apparently, landscaping shape doesn’t equal soccer shape.
“Do you eat before practice or after?” I ask while she retrieves the errant kick Toby made.
“After.”
“Good, then we have a few more minutes.”
Ellie dribbles around Toby, and he lands on his butt. I hear a hearty laugh from behind me. Ellie too. She stops dribbling and runs to hug her dad.
“So?”
“Let’s clean up, head inside, and we can talk.”
Ellie frowns. “Is it bad?”
“I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it.”
She nods, and Toby helps her put the goal away. I approach him, kiss him, and pull away much too soon.
“Thank you for being here. I forgot to mention Toby might stop by. I’m sorry.”
“No worries. So I heard from a certain little brother of yours you might have mentioned me.”
“Oh no! What did he say?”
I smile. “Nothing bad.”
Relief streaks across his face, but I see his mind working on what he may have said to Toby. I’m more curious now. Ellie and Toby interrupt, and we head inside.
“Come on, Dad. Spill,” Ellie urges.
“For now, the relocation motion has been dismissed. However, your mom can refile it later.”
“Okay. Where is she now?”
He takes Ellie’s hand in his. “I still don’t have any more information than I shared with you. Mom didn’t show up this morning. I learned she wasn’t coming from her lawyer.”
“Is she okay?” Ellie whispers as her shoulders fall.
Oh my heart. Not only does Tommy wear his heart on his sleeve, so does Ellie.
“As far as I know, she contacted her lawyer to say she wasn’t coming.”
Her shoulders fall further before she speaks again. “If she can call the lawyer, why can’t she call me or you back? It doesn’t make sense. Does she even want me around?”
Tommy pulls Ellie into a hug. After a few seconds, she pulls me in as well. I look at Tommy. His expression screams heartbreak and hope at the same time. Heartbreak from her statement but hope of her acceptance of me. Ellie releases us both.
“Still up for practice?” Tommy asks.
“No choice. I want to start on Saturday against the Renegades, except…”
“Except what?” Concern laces Tommy’s voice.
“I don’t have my uniform here. What if Mom doesn’t come home in time?”
“I’m coordinating with the lawyers to take you to her place to get whatever you need.”
“Is it still trashed?”
“I don’t know. Okay?”
“Yup, I’ll get ready,” Ellie hustles upstairs.
“Damn, bro! That’s heavy,” Toby admits.
Tommy takes a few deep breaths before replying, “Yes, it is.”
“I’m going to head home. It was a pleasure meeting you, Frankie.”
“You as well.”
Tommy walks Toby to the door, and I overhear, “Don’t screw up, big bro.”
“Don’t plan on it.”
We leave for Ellie’s practice with barely enough time to get there. She hurries to the field while we walk around the park hand in hand. It’s a bit brisk, so I’m glad I brought my hoodie. Plus, leaning into Tommy isn’t a hardship at all.
“Do you want to talk more?”
He shrugs. “I’m torn. While my attorney got the motion thrown out, Tess can refile. Her refiling doesn’t concern me as much as her failure to return from Connecticut and the boarding school threat. I may not be married to Tess anymore, but something is wrong. The problem is I don’t know what. Is it her choosing Michael over Ellie or something worse like a problem with someone from Michael’s job?”
“What does your gut tell you?” I urge him.
He shakes his head. “This is about Michael. Before him, she never failed to show up for parenting time. We were more communicative than we were when we slept side by side. I highly doubt boarding school was Tess’s idea. Too many things don’t add up.”
I tighten my fingers in his.
“Let’s talk about something else,” he suggests.
I raise an eyebrow. “Such as?”
“I like waking with you nestled in my arms in the morning.”
I smile. “I do too. What is the plan for Saturday, or is it up in the air because of Tess?”
“You’re truly one of a kind. I asked Remi and Eva to hang out with Ellie.”
“Okay. Where are we going?”
“We’re going to dinner at Château Franc.”
It’s nearly impossible to get reservations there. “I’m looking forward to it.”
He leans near the shell of my ear. As he moves closer, my body heats despite the chilly air. “So am I.”
We walk in silence for a bit and reach the end of the path. Turning back toward the field, Tommy inhales sharply. “I don’t have words to express my gratitude for you and Talia.”
“Talia?”
He laughs. “If it weren’t for her, would we be here right now?”
I smirk at him. “Eventually, probably. She did expedite our meeting though.”
“I’ve never met anyone like you. You see me. You see Ellie. Most importantly, you see me and Ellie as a unit but separately as well. You’re a rare woman, and I’m grateful Talia makes fun of you on your coffee cup.”
“Me too.”
We meander our way back to our vehicles. Before Ellie wraps up, we share a toe-curling, melt-into-a-puddle-of-goo kiss that is barely appropriate for our surroundings.
“You can’t kiss me like that here.”
A twinkle materializes in his eyes. “Why not?”
“It makes me want more.”
A devilish grin grows on his face. “I want more with you—soon.”
Sweet mercy! All I can do is nod, clamp my eyes closed, and clench my thighs together. Ellie joins us, and we each head home separately.