Anna was back.
Somehow Matt had kept his shit together during practice, but his gaze had kept drifting to the woman on the sidelines. Anna was just as beautiful as he remembered her—and affected him just as she had twelve years ago. However, not only was she back, but she had a five-year-old son. That was a kick in the gut.
Part of him was pissed beyond belief at her hypocrisy, and a lesser man might use her son to punish her, but he would never do that. And even if he’d entertained the idea, one look into that innocent, oh-so-eager face and every ounce of animosity toward the boy would have vanished.
He’d wanted to approach her after practice and ask what had made her change her mind about kids…or rather who. When she’d said she didn’t want kids, apparently she’d meant she didn’t want to have them with him. But it had come as a small relief when she’d left immediately. He couldn’t have handled talking to her in front of the other mothers. Several of them had surrounded him, offering to help with everything from ordering T-shirts for the parents to bringing him dinner on practice nights. He’d quickly nixed the dinners, assuring them he was capable of feeding Ethan and himself, and then put Phyllis in charge of delegating all parent projects.
He’d always wanted a family, but after Sylvia, he’d sworn off women. Initially his two best friends, life-long womanizers, had sworn off women after breaking up with crazy exes, too, and they’d jokingly formed the bachelor brotherhood, vowing to remain bachelors and staying away from women indefinitely. Kevin had been the first to bail, sleeping with his now wife the day after they made the pact. Surprisingly, Tyler was next, falling hard for his wife, Lanie, only two months later. Which was a surprise to all three of them. If there had been a Most Likely to Get Married and Have Kids First award, they would have handed it over to Matt soon after high school graduation.
Some days Matt found it difficult to believe that his two friends had each found the love of his life so easily after they made the pact, especially when Matt had always been the one who wanted that the most. He’d been sure he’d found her and he’d been so, so wrong. Nevertheless, Matt was thrilled Kevin and Tyler were so happy. He just wanted to find the love of his life, too.
Ten minutes later, everyone else was long gone, and Ethan was helping him load the equipment into the back of his pickup truck. He checked his phone after he got inside and saw a text he’d missed from his sister.
Just found out I have a study group tonight and have to miss my Skype call with Ethan. Tell him I’m sorry and that I love him.
He glanced over his shoulder at the boy. Abby’s deadbeat husband had left her two years ago and she’d decided to pursue her dream of going to medical school. Unfortunately, Abby hadn’t been accepted at her first pick, a school close to home. Instead, she’d been accepted to a school on the West Coast. It quickly became obvious that the original plan was a bust. There was no way Abby could move in with her mother and count on her full-time child care. But it also became equally clear she couldn’t take Ethan with her. Even if Abby could afford to pay for round-the-clock babysitters when he wasn’t at school, he’d be miserable. So, last August, Abby had loaded up a small U-Haul and headed out West, while Ethan had moved in with Matt’s mother. And that’s where he’d stayed for a few months until Matt’s mother had taken a week-long cruise after Christmas with her new boyfriend, and Ethan had stayed with Matt.
Ethan had fit so seamlessly into Matt’s life and vice versa, he’d never gone back.
Matt loved taking care of his nephew, but he worried about Ethan. Abby had been calling less and less. This wasn’t the first Skype call she’d canceled…it wasn’t even the third, and each time Ethan was hurt. Matt worried that Ethan thought his mother had abandoned him. Sometimes Matt wondered the same thing.
Matt put a smile on his face and glanced back at Ethan. “How about we go out to eat at Red Robin? You can get a balloon.”
“We can’t,” he said, practically bouncing in his seat. “Mommy’s gonna call me. I want to tell her about Toby coming to soccer practice.”
“Actually…” Matt paused and watched him in the rearview mirror. “She sent a text and said she’s busy. She has to go to a study session. She’s really sorry.”
Ethan’s face fell. “She’s not going to call me?”
“Not tonight. Maybe she’ll call tomorrow.”
A deep frown covered his face. “She can’t. Today is Tuesday. She has class on Wednesday night.”
There was something pathetic and sad about a kindergartner learning the days of the week because of his mother’s availability to talk to him.
“So what do you say about Red Robin?” Matt said, forcing a cheerfulness into his voice he didn’t feel.
Ethan didn’t feel it either. He shrugged, a sure sign that he was upset. Red Robin was his favorite restaurant.
“We can talk about Toby and come up with a plan to help him get better.”
That perked him up. “Isn’t he cool, Uncle Matt?”
“Totally cool. And he seems nice.”
“He’s the nicest boy in Mrs. Brown’s class. Even Mrs. Brown says so.”
Matt grinned. “You don’t say?”
“Can we really go to Red Robin?”
“You bet.”
Ethan dove into a tale about a kid who’d thrown up at lunch, delving into enough detail that Matt was having second thoughts about dinner by the time he pulled into the restaurant parking lot.
“How come we get to eat out on a school night, Uncle Matt?” he asked as Matt waited for him to unbuckle his booster seat.
“I thought we’d celebrate your first soccer practice.”
Ethan giggled. “It wasn’t my first practice, sillyhead. I played soccer last year.”
“Okay, you got me. The first soccer practice this year.” And distract you from thinking about your mother, but he obviously kept that part to himself.
They went inside and got a table. The hostess had brought over a kid’s menu for Ethan, crayons included, and he immediately began to color on it. “Play a game of tic-tac-toe with me, Uncle Matt.”
“Okay, but I’m not holding back,” he teased as he picked up a crayon.
Ethan giggled.
Matt let Ethan mark down an X before he put an O in a corner. “So tell me more about your friend, Toby.” It was probably an asshole move to use his nephew to spy on his ex-girlfriend, but desperate times called for underhanded measures. He’d been tempted to look her up on Facebook, but he couldn’t bear the thought of seeing photos of her happy in the life she chose without him.
“He’s awesome.”
“That much is apparent.” Maybe this would go more smoothly if he asked questions. “Did his dad get a job here?” He was going to hell for this, but at least he’d go informed.
“Toby doesn’t have a daddy.”
“Oh?” Matt hated the way his heart tripped at that piece of information.
“His mommy is divorced. Like my mommy.”
“Does his dad live in England?”
Ethan gave him a questioning look. “I don’t know.”
“So his mommy got a job here?”
“No.”
Matt waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, he asked. “So why did they move here?”
Ethan’s face screwed up in confusion. “Why are you asking so many questions about Toby?”
Shit. “Because he’s new. And he’s your friend.”
“My best friend.”
Matt forced a grin. “I had no idea you two had moved to the next level.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.” Considering how much time Matt spent with Ethan, this wasn’t the best news. Matt had hosted several playdates, and his nephew was sure to request one with his new best friend. “So what else do you know about Toby?” he asked as he purposely put his O in a box that would let Ethan win the game.
“He lives with his grandpa, but Toby says he’s mean.”
The hair on the back of Matt’s neck stood on end. “How so?”
“What?” He looked up and blinked. “Toby says he’s just grumpy. And yells. A lot. It scares him.”
Matt had met Anna’s parents several times while they were dating, and Anna’s father had always come across as stern and cranky. It sounded like the man hadn’t softened over the years. “How about his grandma?”
“She’s dead.”
“Oh.” Of Anna’s parents, he’d always preferred her mother. Her patience had softened her husband, which meant Albert Fischer had to be a total bear now.
“But Toby’s here so he can help take care of his grandpa.”
“He’s sick?”
“Dunno.” He looked up at Matt. “So are you gonna teach Toby how to play soccer?”
“That’s what we do at practice. I thought I’d set up some drills for the new kids who are just learning the rules.”
“But I told him you’d help him. Just him. I promised.”
Matt pushed out a sigh. “You really shouldn’t have promised that, Ethan. You can’t promise that someone else will do something unless you ask them first.”
Tears welled in his eyes. “Are you mad at me, Uncle Matt?”
He shook his head and took the boy’s hand. “No, Ethan, but even if I was mad at you, it wouldn’t change how much I love you.”
“But Daddy got mad, and he didn’t come back.”
Matt would love to string that bastard up. “I’m not your father. I’m here no matter what, and you can always count on me. Always. Got it?”
Ethan nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. Abby’s husband had left a lot of damage in his wake, and now she was wreaking her own havoc, even if she hadn’t meant to. Matt realized more than ever that he needed to be the one constant his nephew could count on, and he was more than willingly to be Ethan’s stopgap. He loved the little guy.
“So you won’t help Toby?” Ethan asked with a sniff.
“I’m not sure his mother will let me.”
Ethan’s mouth dropped open. “Why not?”
The last thing he wanted to explain to a five-year-old was that he’d once been in love with his best friend’s mother. “Some moms are too protective to let their kids hang out with their coaches.”
“But all the moms on the team really like you. I heard one of them say she’d like to bring you home for a playdate, and the other mom said she had some toys for you to play with. So why wouldn’t Toby’s mom like you?”
Matt choked on his water, and Ethan patted Matt’s hand. “Are you okay, Uncle Matt?”
“Yeah.” It was obvious his nephew wouldn’t let this drop without a fight, and the earnest look on Toby’s face after practice didn’t make his protest any easier. “Okay, Ethan. I’ll talk to his mom.”
“Tonight?”
“I don’t know, bud…how about at the next practice?”
“He’s going to think I’m a liar.”
Matt’s heart sank. “You told him I’d call his mom? What exactly did you promise him?”
Ethan looked down at the tic-tac-toe game. “That he could come over to your house and we’d play soccer in your backyard.”
Matt reminded himself that his nephew was trying to be a good friend, a character trait to be proud of. Besides, if Toby was living with his grumpy grandfather, he might need a positive male in his life. His past with Anna muddied things. But if he let that interfere with helping the boy, that made him no better than Ethan’s father. “I’ll call her.”
His face jerked up. “Tonight?”
“Yeah.” He suspected this would not go well.