Olivia
Ethan runs drills with his team on the far side of the field and I sit on the metal bleachers clapping every time he touches the ball.
The other moms scatter along the row, some on their phones, some watching.
I try to be one watching. I know how much it means to him to have me here, and it's one of the few things Derek never shows up for.
It's special, I think, that he has a parent supporting him.
"Go, Ethan! Nice pass!" I cup my hands around my mouth, and he glances over and grins before chasing the ball down the sideline.
The mom next to me leans over and grins. "He's getting so much faster this season."
"He's been practicing in the back yard nonstop," I tell her, pulling my sunglasses down. The sun rides low on the horizon, making any direction but the field painful to view. "I think he wore a path in the grass."
"Tyler won't practice unless I bribe him with screen time," she says, shaking her head.
I laugh and take a sip of water and glance toward the parking lot.
Caleb's black truck sits under the tree at the far edge of the lot with the windows down.
I don't know how long he's been there, but it's sweet that he showed up.
Ethan mentioned to him that he had spring soccer this weekend and wanted him to come.
It warms my heart to know this man I'm falling for isn't just present for me. I think he likes Ethan too.
The coach blows the whistle for a water break, and Ethan sprints toward me with his face beet red and his shin guards flopping on his legs. He grabs his bottle from my bag and drinks half of it, then stops mid-gulp.
"Is that Caleb?" he asks, pointing at the truck with his water bottle. He looks so grown up in his soccer gear, not eight years old. I guess divorce can do that to a kid—make them grow up too fast. I hate that he's had to endure this, and I'm hoping life can settle down soon.
"Looks like it," I say, turning my attention to the handsome man watching every interaction. I really am glad he made it.
"Can I go say hi?"
"Sure, bud…" Before I even get the words out, he drops the bottle and takes off across the lot.
I watch him run up to the driver's side and start gesturing wildly with his hands.
Caleb leans toward the window and says something.
Ethan points at the field, but Caleb shakes his head.
It looks like a pretty intense fight on Ethan's part, convincing the old military man to come kick around a little, but eventually, Caleb slides out of his truck and starts walking toward the field as Ethan bolts toward a loose ball.
I sigh happily, hearing a few of the ladies make smutty comments about the hot guy playing ball with my son.
I ignore them, though, because what's going on in my family is none of their business, but part of me likes it.
Caleb really is sexy, and it gets even better when those clothes are off. That thought makes my cheeks burn.
"Pass it back!" Ethan yells, waving his arms.
Caleb sends it back right to Ethan's feet, and he chases it down and boots it back harder this time.
"Easy," Caleb calls out, stopping it without moving his body.
"Control first, then power." God, even the way he coaches soccer is sexy.
I can't stop admiring him. He's helpful and kind, albeit a bit gruff, but now he's showing real potential with parenting skills.
It's making me rethink my entire resistance to entering the dating pool again.
Especially if that's one of the fish in the sea.
"Like this?" Ethan dribbles toward him and tries to pass with the inside of his foot.
"Better. But keep your plant foot pointed where you want it to go." Caleb taps the ball back gently, and Ethan traps it on the second try and lights up.
"I got it!"
"You got it." Caleb adjusts every pass to match Ethan's level so naturally, I don't think he knows he's doing it. He looks like he's hating every second and he keeps playing anyway, which makes me chuckle. How can one man be so stern and serious and yet he's so good at being kind?
"You're really good!" Ethan says, dribbling in a circle around him. "Did you play in the Marines?"
"A little." Caleb's head tilts, then he looks up at me, as if he's checking to see if I'm watching. Oh, I'm watching, alright.
"Were you good?"
"I was okay."
"I bet you were awesome." Ethan kicks the ball between Caleb's legs and cackles when it goes through. Caleb turns and looks at him with that deadpan scowl, and Ethan laughs harder.
I’m about to head down to kick around with them for a while, but Derek's truck pulls into the lot and my stomach drops.
He has no reason to be here. This isn't his weekend and pickup has been mine since the agreement was signed.
I highly doubt he's here to actually observe the practice, since it'd be a cold day in hell before he sat in the same space with me and controlled his temper.
God, I hate confrontation.
He parks near Caleb's truck and gets out, then narrows his eyes at Ethan out playing soccer with the neighbor.
The scowl is so natural, I'm beginning to think he forgot how to smile or be warm at all.
I can't remember a time when he was genuinely happy, unlike Caleb who wears that serious mask over the heart he hides. Derek is just nasty, not troubled.
He stomps straight toward me, so I reluctantly walk down to field level and cross my arms over my chest, leaving my bag and Ethan's water bottle on the bleachers. At least we're a few feet away from the other ladies, who'll get an earful no matter what anyway.
"What the hell is this, Olivia?" he says, quietly, but it's so sharp there's no mistaking his anger. He jerks his chin toward the field. "I drove past and saw a strange man running around with my son."
"His name is Caleb and he's our neighbor.
Ethan asked him to kick the ball around.
What's wrong with that?" Derek doesn't respond.
He stares out at Caleb with a lot more hostility in his expression than normal.
This looks more personal, like he's got a vendetta against Caleb or something.
Or maybe he's just jealous that I could possibly be moving on.
"I'm right here. I've been watching the whole time. "
"Do you understand how dangerous he could be?"
I roll my eyes and sigh hard, only making his angry glare worse. "A neighbor kicked a soccer ball with a kid while his mother sat thirty feet away, Derek. How is that dangerous?"
He steps closer and points at the field where Caleb has stopped playing and watches us.
He holds the ball under his arm and Ethan has run off, talking to one of his teammates.
"This is exactly what I've been talking about.
Some rando in my son's personal space… How long before he sleeps over?
Hmm?" I flinch when he lifts his hand quickly, but he just runs it through his hair.
"How long until that man has my son calling him Dad? "
"Oh, Christ," I grumble, glowering at him. If anyone on this planet can make me forget to stay joyful and present, it's this idiot. "Really, Derek? I'm not dating him. He's a kind man who happens to be my neighbor."
But he knows every button I have because he built them all. Every fear I have about losing Ethan, every doubt that hits me at two in the morning—he knows where they live and he digs straight in, purposefully trying to push them all.
"You're disgusting," he snarls, and that crosses the line. He has women at his house all the time without giving me a chance to interview them and find out whether I want them around my son. What I do on my time is my business, not his.
"You need to leave," I tell him angrily, raising my hand to point at the parking lot. "This is my time with Ethan and you're not on the schedule."
"Keep that bastard away from my son," he growls, "or next time I see this, I'm calling the mediator."
He turns and stomps off, but my hands are shaking now.
Derek is such an ass. It's like the only thing in his head is some sick vendetta to prove I'm trash.
If I'm so bad, why did he marry me to begin with?
All that lovey-dovey talk of growing old together means nothing now that I've seen his true colors.
He just can't stand it that he cheated and got caught and a judge sided with me that I'm the better parent.
And now it's coming back to bite me daily.
I'm about to start crying when Caleb walks up, sans Ethan. He's managed to slip the tail for a second and his hand lands on my shoulder. When I turn, burying my face in his chest, he acts surprised at first, then softens and holds me.
"He's such an ass," I sob, feeling so vulnerable. I hate Derek so much. I can't believe I ever loved him or saw any good in him. What was I thinking?
"You're doing everything right," he says quietly. "Don't let him make you question that."
Caleb is such a rock right now, letting me fall apart, but it's really too soon for this much display of affection. I sniffle and wipe my eyes, pulling back to force a smile.
"Thank you," I manage, but it comes out rough and broken.
Caleb's scowl has returned again, but it's darker than normal. That protective look in his eyes is comforting. Whether he knows my ex-husband or not, I can see he recognizes how bad that relationship has gotten. "Go watch your kid play," he says. "I'll be in the truck."
I want to hug him, or place a kiss on his cheek, but he walks away.
I watch him go for a moment before I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and walk to the bleachers to sit down.
Ethan is back on the field with a few kids who've stuck around after practice.
The coach stands talking with a few parents, and I sink into my spot wishing like hell I had the money to sell that old house and move so far away, Derek could never find us.
Ethan would be heartbroken, but I know it would remove one hundred percent of my stress.
And when I look over at the truck under the tree where Caleb sits watching the field, I know something has shifted between us.
This man doesn't have any obligation to me or my son, but he keeps being present.
And while his rough demeanor makes it difficult to discern what he's really thinking, he's proving by his actions that he wants to show up.
God, I'm falling for him, and it's going to make things between me and Derek ten times worse. It's a price worth paying, especially for how incredible Caleb seems to be, but I'm not sure I can pay that cost.
I'm so tired of fighting.