Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
LUCAS
After getting my morning coffee in the kitchen, I head to the sunroom, my man cave where I work on my RC cars.
I have shelves neatly lined with various vehicles I’ve built and upgraded over the years when I’m not doing soccer stuff.
I have a table set up in the middle of the room where I sit and tinker.
The Maxx is sitting there all torn apart.
I set my mug on the table and begin cleaning.
Thankfully, the damage from the submersion was minimal.
These electric RC cars are pretty resistant to moisture.
I smile at the memory of Nolan flipping the Maxx into the water.
I wasn’t worried about the damage because all the parts to these vehicles can be customized and swapped.
Nolan was a natural at the hobby and soaked the information right up.
I put the battery on the charger since it’s finally dry enough and take a sip of my coffee.
Nolan had looked so devastated when he’d thought he’d ruined my Maxx. But when I taught him how to fix it, he’d looked at me like I was his hero. I’ve had plenty of kids treat me that way, which is pretty normal for a pro soccer player to experience. But this was different.
When I was a kid, I looked at my dad the same way.
Until he left. I worshipped him for the longest time.
He wasn’t always good to me, even when he was with my mom.
He always got so frustrated when my room wasn’t clean enough.
No matter how hard I tried, he complained.
My mom was so stressed all the time. But I was only five, and when he left, I cleaned my room every day, hoping it would make him come back. But he never did.
He couldn’t handle being a dad. And I wasn’t the easiest kid.
It’s what I do. I make life harder.
I stand and walk over to my shelf of RC cars and pull a little crawler down.
It needs new shocks, but I happen to have a spare in the top drawer from a crawler I upgraded last month.
Over the years, as I’ve upgraded various vehicles, I’ve gifted them to fans.
I upgraded this one last year, but since I was injured, I wasn’t around my fans as much.
Tinkering on these cars has helped me get through my injury. I’d watched all the seasons of multiple shows, and I couldn’t take the idleness anymore. So, I got back into the hobby. I’d loved it as a kid. My stepdad introduced me to it when I was about Nolan’s age.
The championship game is only days away. I should be focusing on warmups, team drills, and scouting reports. But all I can think about is how Nolan’s face lit up when I let him drive the Maxx.
Once I have it fixed up, I grab some lunch and then tuck the crawler into a box with the remote, charger, and battery and head out to my truck.
Anabelle’s car is parked at the boutique when I get there.
Nolan should still be in school, so I won’t be there to see his reaction when I give him the crawler, but I’ll have to teach him later how to use it.
There are some rocks behind the boutique that would be fun to use the crawler on.
This one is a little black Jeep Wrangler, and I have a cowboy figurine behind the wheel.
I grab the box with the Jeep and supplies and head into the boutique.
Anabelle is staring at her phone when I enter. She turns it face down and places it near the register. “Hey, Lucas. What do you have there?”
I set the box on the counter. “It’s a gift for Nolan.”
She peeks inside. “Oh, how cute! He’s going to love this!”
“I thought the Maxx would be a little too much power for his age, but this one is perfect. It’s for crawling around on rocks and mounds of dirt. It’s more for precision, not speed.”
“That sounds like a good one for him, although I’m sure he’d want the fast one, too.” She smiles.
“And maybe he can work up to that,” I say.
Her eyes soften. “This was so nice of you. Thank you for thinking of my boy.”
“He’s a great kid.”
Her phone pings, and she flips it over. “I’m sorry. I have some drama going on with Nolan’s father.”
“What’s going on?” Why do I suddenly feel so protective of this woman and her son?
She sweeps a hand across her forehead, like she’s bone-deep tired. “Jeremy is threatening legal action. He says he wants shared custody of Nolan.”
“He’s not here. How could he demand something like that?”
She sighs. “I don’t know what he has planned. He might move back here.”
“All because of a stupid video of us?” What did I even do?
“There was another video leaked. That’s why he’s blowing up my phone today,” she explains.
“Another one?” I’d been so buried in my RC car repairs that I hadn’t picked up my phone. I check it now, and there are three messages from Tommy.
“What’s the video of?” I ask.
She taps her phone a few times and then turns the screen so I can see it. It’s the three of us at the park with the Maxx. Looking like a happy family.
This is my fault. I should have kept my distance when I saw them at the park, but there weren’t many people around.
Truthfully, I couldn’t help myself either.
I’m drawn to Anabelle like a bee to a field of wildflowers.
My stomach twists into slippery knots. What if Jeremy doesn’t want to move here?
What if he plans to take full custody of Nolan and uproot him from Maple Creek?
Anabelle said the guy has money. And that means he can probably afford a good lawyer.
Her phone chimes again. She looks up from the screen. “This time, he says he wants me to keep Nolan away from you. And if I don’t, he’s going to threaten legal action.”
Anger builds inside me. “He can’t do that. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But he can try to take Nolan. And I can’t afford to fight him. Lawyers take tens of thousands of dollars for a big fight like that.”
“I’ll pay for the lawyer. It’s my fault you’re in this situation.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I could never allow that.”
If she won’t accept my money, she’s right. She can’t fight that guy. Not unless she wins the lottery. As long as I’m in her life, she’s already lost.
I take a step back. “I shouldn’t have come here. Nolan can keep the car. But I have to head out.”
“Lucas, wait.”
I run my hand through my hair, and I couldn’t care less if it’s sticking up now. “Don’t you see? I’m all wrong for you. I’m destroying everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
I can’t face the sadness in her eyes, so I turn to leave.
“You’re not destroying anything. You make everything so much better.”
But that’s where she’s wrong.
I kick the ball, but it misses the goal. Thankfully, no one is around to witness me being so bad at this. It’s the third one I’ve missed.
I’m a burden to everyone close to me. I thought I was doing something good by accepting the mentorship. I wanted to make a difference in a troubled kid’s life. But who was I kidding?
Like usual, I’ve ruined everything.
“Good job, loser.”
I whip around, and Jace is coming across the field with a bottle of Gatorade in his hand. So much for having no witnesses. You got to love brothers and their support in your time of need.
“What are you doing here? Practice doesn’t start for another two hours.” I kick the ball to him.
He stops it with his foot and scoops it up with his arms. “Word is you’re over here moping.”
“I’m not moping.”
“Right.” He drops the ball and kicks it right into the goal.
“Thanks for showing your support,” I deadpan with a scowl.
Frustration laces his voice when he speaks. “That’s what I’m trying to do, but you won’t tell me what your problem is.”
I sigh. “I ruin everything.”
“Trouble with Anabelle?”
He throws the Gatorade to me, and I catch it.
“It’s more than that. I’ve been doing it my entire life.” I’ve never admitted this to Jace before. “I wasn’t exactly the easiest kid for Mom and Dad. It’s no wonder he left.”
“You think Dad left because of you?” Jace sounds shocked. “Dad left because he was a selfish loser who ran away from his responsibilities.”
I’ve never allowed myself to accept that before.
“Even if that’s true, I’ve still ruined Anabelle’s life.”
His brow furrows. “What are you talking about?”
“I broke it off with her because Nolan’s dad saw the viral video, and now he’s threatening to take legal action if I don’t stay away. I can’t do that to Anabelle.”
“Who says that guy can do anything? He’s the one who skipped town.
You think a court will like that? Moms are allowed to date,” Jace says.
“Women with kids get remarried all the time. Maybe you should consider that before running away. You’ll be doing the same thing to Nolan that Dad did to us.
Remember how terrible that was? I’ve seen you with Nolan.
His whole face lights up when he sees you.
And Anabelle’s does, too. You could have something real here, and all you want to do is run away from it.
What if you’re chasing the wrong dream, Lucas? ”
I grip the bottle in my hands until the plastic digs into me. “What are you talking about? I’ve fought for this dream since before Dad left. I can’t abandon it.”
“You were miserable when you were with the Arsenal. Would it be so wrong to stay? Maybe your future isn’t on the field anymore.”
I shake my head and walk away from him. I’m not saying he’s wrong.
But I need time to think. Because right now, I have no idea what I’m doing.