I paused outside of Tanner’s room as we were getting ready to leave for practice, and I found him sitting on the edge of his bed, leaving a message for Jack.

“Hey, Jack. The coach is going to give us our schedule tonight after practice, so I’ll let you know when my first game is. I hope you call me back soon. Bye…Oh, this is Tanner.”

My little boy’s voice sounded so sad. His normally fun, sweet personality was nowhere to be found. It worried me, especially with Brogan coming over later.

The last thing I wanted to do was upset my son with opening up a can of worms that would complicate his life even more. Our conversation wasn’t going to be easy, but I couldn’t deny Brogan any longer.

I leaned against the doorjamb and crossed my arms. “Hey buddy, are you almost ready?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess.”

Normally he was a ball of energy, but these past few days he’s been exceptionally quiet.

“Are you still upset that we didn’t get to go to the beach yesterday?”

He sniffed, fighting back a tear. “Why did Jack leave without saying goodbye, and why did you come back looking so upset?”

I smiled and pretended that this whole situation didn’t bother me, no matter how much I was breaking apart inside. I’ve called Jack, and left dozens of messages, but he hasn’t returned a single one. He had every right to be upset with me, but there was no excuse for taking things out on an innocent little boy.

“I told you, I had something that I had to take care of, and Jack needed to get home. I’m sure he’ll call you soon.”

“Whatever.” He jumped off his bed without another word and walked over to the closet to change into his practice uniform. Once he was dressed, he threw his bag over his shoulder and sulked the entire car ride. I tried to keep the mood light by telling him a corny joke and playing his favorite music, but nothing worked. He knew that something was off between Jack and me, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to make him feel better. I felt like the worst mother in the world.

Tanner’s practice let out a few minutes early. Normally, that would have made me happy, but I was hoping to stretch this night out as long as possible. I was nervous and had no idea how the conversation was going to play out. Having a shitty night’s sleep last night didn’t help either.

Brogan rose from his folding chair and dusted off his jeans. He was wearing a Nike baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses, a black Under Armour shirt and black Converse Chuck Taylors. He was trying to blend in, but even dressed down, Brogan Hayes still attracted attention. It seemed like every female at practice noticed him.

There were a few media outlets that had gotten wind of our story, so there was quite a bit of chatter going through our small little town. I was concerned that him coming here would draw too much attention, but thankfully everyone has left us alone.

The practice was over, and Tanner approached me as he came walking through the infield grass. Brogan stood tall, his eyes blinking rapidly. He looked absolutely petrified.

“Hey,” I hesitated slightly and took his bag from his shoulder. “You looked great out there.”

He squinted his eyes in the sun. “Thanks.” He peeked over at Brogan, giving him a wary look. “Aren’t you the guy from my mom’s work yesterday?”

Brogan swallowed nervously. His eyes were locked on mine. “Yeah, I hope it’s okay that I’m here. I told your mom I wanted to watch your practice. I used to play in high school. You got a pretty strong left arm. I was a lefty too.”

“My coach said it will work to my advantage.”

Brogan chuckled. “It sure will. I can give you a few pointers sometime if you’d like?”

I sucked in a breath. This was something Jack and Tanner did together, and it would crush Brogan if he turned him down.

I quickly grabbed his hand before he could say anything. “That’s awfully nice of you. Maybe you guys could talk more about baseball after dessert. I have Tanner’s favorite homemade ice cream cake sitting in the freezer. Why don’t we head back to the house, before it gets too late.”

Brogan nodded his head while I led Tanner through the park.

Thankfully, it was a short ride to my house, and Brogan drove separately, giving me the space I needed.

Tanner turned his game off and unbuckled his seat belt when we turned in the driveway. Brogan pulled his rental in behind me.

Tanner swerved his head when he noticed the black Ford pickup truck. He gave me an annoyed look. “How do you know that guy?”

I pulled the keys out of the ignition and shoved them in my purse. “I told you earlier. He’s a friend from college.”

As far as Tanner knew, Brogan was just an old friend passing through town.

“How come you never mentioned him before?”

I forgot how inquisitive he could be. “We lost touch over the years.”

Tanner stared at me from underneath his baseball cap. “Is he why Jack left yesterday?”

I leaned against the door and took a few calming breaths.

Brogan walked up and tapped on my window. “Come on,” I said, thankful for the disruption and opened my door. “Let’s go eat some ice-cream cake.”

We stepped into the living room, and Tanner kicked off his dirty cleats, sending dirt flying all over my hardwood floor. He then pulled his dirty white socks off, and trudged to the bathroom to clean up.

I shook my head and picked up the dirty socks and shoes and put them in the laundry room and got a towel to wipe up the mess.

I took in a slow breath and wiped my clammy hands down the front of my shorts before rushing into the kitchen.

I rummaged through the freezer and pulled the ice-cream cake out and set it on the counter. Brogan stopped in the middle of the room, his tall frame looking completely out of place in my modest cottage. He made it seem smaller than it actually was.

Having him here made me nervous.

He passed by me and stood in the small corner of the kitchen, admiring all of Tanner’s artwork hanging on the fridge door.

Brogan stared at the picture that Tanner drew of Yankees stadium. He looked curious as he pointed to the stick figures wearing blue and white pinstriped uniforms. “Is he a Yankees fan?”

“He is,” I said, while carefully taking the lid off the cake so it could thaw out. The Yankees were what bonded Tanner and Jack together. Brogan, however, was an Atlanta Braves fan—always has been and always will be.

“Hmm,” was all he said and walked over to the slider to look in the backyard. He placed his hands on his hips as his gaze swept across the yard. It wasn’t much, but it was all that we needed. I’m sure it was nothing compared to the mansion he lived in now. It was a harsh reminder of how different our worlds were.

Brogan has come a long way from eating buttered noodles out of the studio apartment we shared in Myrtle Beach.

He turned and stared at me from across my small kitchen. His fingers fidgeted with the watch around his wrist. “It looks like you guys are happy here.”

“We are. I know it’s not much, but...” I started to offer an apology, but he cut me off.

“Hey. It’s perfect. I may have a bigger house and more money, but I’m still the guy you used to live with in that cramped, off-campus apartment.” His smile softened, and I sighed with relief. He had no idea how much I needed to hear that.

“Mom!” Tanner called from the hallway. “Is dessert ready yet?”

I opened up the cupboard to pull out three glasses from the cabinet. “Almost. Why don’t you come here, so we can chat with our guest?”

Brogan and I shared a glance. I was suddenly having a hard time breathing. Tanner rounded the corner and took a seat at the kitchen table. I set his glass of chocolate milk in front of him while the dog came running into the room.

“Well, hello there,” Brogan said while scratching the side of Smuckers’ head. The dog was sniffing his legs like he had a T-bone steak hidden in his pocket.

“I’m sorry. I’ll put the little mooch outside.”

“He’s fine.” Brogan smiled with his right dimple making an appearance. “I have a black lab at home. He probably smells Hank on me.”

Tanner looked up from his milk. “You have a dog named Hank?”

Brogan laughed. “Yeah, after my Idol, Hank Williams, Junior.”

Tanner twisted his face. “Never heard of him.”

“He’s a country singer,” Brogan answered easily like that was the only explanation it needed.

“I don’t listen to country.” The words slid out of Tanner’s mouth as I tried not to laugh.

Brogan’s mouth hung open, and he cut his eyes to mine

“What kind of music do you listen to?” Brogan asked Tanner gently, but I could still see his knee bouncing under the table.

“All kinds. Bruno Mars is my favorite.”

“Yeah?” Brogan leaned back in his chair. Self-doubt clouded his eyes. “He’s pretty good.”

I sat down and steepled my hands together under my chin.

“Tanner, I have to talk to you about something.”

Tanner’s big brown eyes looked up at me, and I was hit with an overwhelming wave of guilt. “You know how I told you that Brogan and I used to be friends?”

He nodded, and I swear, I felt my heart pounding so hard in my chest, you could hear it from the other side of the kitchen. “Well, we were more than just friends. He was someone very special to me.”

His eyebrows drew together. “Is he your new boyfriend? Is that why Jack left and hasn’t called me back?”

My son’s innocent eyes stared back at me. I so desperately wanted nothing more than to spare him the ugly truth of what I did, but that train left the station years ago. There was no way I could avoid feeling like a complete failure when the night was over.

“No, honey, he’s not my new boyfriend.” I leaned forward and grabbed his hand. This wasn’t going to be easy, and it was going to be a huge change, but he needed to know the truth no matter how difficult this was. “He’s your dad.”

A few seconds passed while I waited on bated breath for my son’s reaction.

His chair scraped against the floor as he threw it back. “No. He’s not. You said you didn’t know where my dad was. That he had to go away for work.” He looked angry, and I felt horrible.

Brogan’s eyes darted to mine. He swallowed hard, looking at me with panic in his eyes. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. He was counting on me to handle this, and man was I screwing everything up. Big time.

“He did have to go away for work.” Brogan’s hand found my knee under the table as I fumbled through my words. “He left before I got a chance to tell him that we were going to have a baby. He just found out about you yesterday.”

He looked at Brogan and studied him for a moment. His forehead creased with uncertainty. “Did you not want me?”

Tears streamed down my face. My heart was being torn into tatters. I dropped to my knees next to Tanner. “Nothing could be further from the truth. As soon as he found out that he had a son, he couldn’t wait to meet you.”

Tanner’s eyes snapped to Brogan’s. “Really?”

Brogan rested his arms on the table. He looked like he wanted to reach out and comfort Tanner but stopped himself. “Of course. I know this is all confusing to you right now. Truthfully, it’s confusing for me, too, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to get to know you. Your mom has told me so much about you. You sound like a pretty awesome kid.”

Tanner’s smile dimmed, and his bottom lip started to quiver. “Does this mean I’m going to have to move?”

Brogan’s eyes darted to mine in panic as he ran a hand through his hair.

I shook my head. “No. Brogan lives in Tennessee, but that doesn’t mean you have to move. He wants to visit you as often as he can. He just wants to spend time with you so he can get to know you. Will you give him a chance?”

Brogan cut in. “I know this is a lot to take in all at once. Maybe we can start out as buddies, hang out and get to know each other. I don’t want you to feel pressured with doing anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“What about Jack?” Tanner asked me. I tried to ignore the pain that hit my chest from that one simple question. I wanted to tell him that Jack and I were fine, but I wasn’t going lie to him.

Brogan’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw ticked. I felt a knot twist in my stomach.

“Things are complicated with Jack and me right now. But I know that he loves you no matter what. Just like Brogan does.”

Tanner looked at Brogan. “Do I call you dad?”

Brogan laughed, and I felt myself breathing for the first time since this discussion started. “You can call me whatever you like.”