I turn my head, flinching when Ty says Kade’s name. Damn, I’ve messed up. Ty really like and respects him. Oh well, I can act like nothing happened and that my heart is not breaking in two. I take a deep breath. “Nope, come on, it’s just me and you kid, but I promise it’s going to be fun.”
He rolls his eyes. “Your kind of fun... like a bookstore or something like that? Or my kind of fun?”
I put my wet hair up in a ponytail. Not bothering with makeup, I slide my sunglasses on and my flip-flops. “Your kind of fun.”
I don’t wait for him. I walk out the door and just hope he follows me.
I walk quietly by Kade’s door, and when Ty finally joins me, he hollers down the hall, “Mom, wait up.”
I don’t wait, though. If anything, I speed up because sure enough Kade’s going to hear Ty hollering and come out to see what’s going on. Luckily, me jogging gets Ty running for me. We’re down the hall, and I take the stairwell, not wanting to wait on an elevator.
“Mom, where are we going?”
I don’t answer him until we’re at the ground floor and walking out into the parking lot. I point to a trailhead opening that looks as if it leads to the woods.
“There? We’re going there?”
I laugh and keep walking. “I’ll have you know this is an adventure, son. Appreciate it. We’re going to take that trail around the lake. There’s a golf cart rental along the way, and I thought we could see the city. What do you think?”
“Nuh-huh! Are you serious?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I wouldn’t lie about fun. I’m the queen of fun. I would think you would know that about me by now.”
“Can I drive?”
I purse my lips. “Do you have your learners’ permit with you?”
He pats his back pocket. “I do.”
I shrug. “I guess you can drive then.”
He starts pumping his hand in the air in excitement. For the rest of the day, Ty and I explore Peachtree City on the golf cart. There’s over a hundred miles of trails, and we travel the golf course, the lake, then we pull straight up to a restaurant to eat before cruising around town some more. It’s almost dark when we get back to the rental place.
The whole walk back, Ty talks nonstop about our little adventure. “You’re the coolest, Mom!”
I put my arm around his shoulder, and it’s hard to do. Somehow, my kid is now taller than me. “Thanks, son. But you know I’ve been trying to tell you that forever now.”
He surprises me with his next question. “Do you like Coach Kade?”
I gasp, and I can feel the heat on my face. Does he know? I shake my head. There’s no way he knows. “Yeah, I like him. He’s a good coach,” I squeak.
Ty looks at me and then at the ground. “I mean, he seems like a good guy, and I think he likes you.”
I open my mouth and close it again, not sure what to say.
Ty looks up at me. “I mean, all I’m saying is if you wanted to start dating again, I’m fine with it. I want you to be happy.”
He wraps his arm around me and pulls me to his side for a quick hug. I barely have time to appreciate it before he’s pulling away and running ahead of me. My mind goes to earlier with Kade, and I shake my head to get rid of the thoughts—and images. Oh well. This was exactly what I needed. A night with my son who undoubtedly is growing up on me. Tomorrow’s the championship game and then we’ll be going home. Surely, I can survive being around Kade until then.
Chapter 13
Kade
I paced my room all night long. Neither Megan nor Ty was anywhere to be found. I tried knocking on their hotel room door, but there was no answer. I sent her a text, but it was simple. It only said, "Hey." I wasn't sure if Ty would be reading it, so I didn't want to say a lot. She never did respond. It wasn't until I met Griff, Krissy, and Benny at the hotel restaurant for dinner that I found out from Benny that Ty and his mom had gone on an adventure together. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I don't know what I was worried about.
We didn't have a lot of time to talk, and I was worried that maybe she was regretting it. But spending time with Ty was exactly what she needed. I take the rest of the night to strategize, with Coach Killian, our game plan for the next morning. As soon as we agree on a plan of who’s playing where and a lineup, I rush back to my room, hoping that I'll get a sighting of Megan. But it seems that she's already gone to sleep, according to Ty.