Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Ben
I got to the playground a half hour early.
Since lurking there without a kid in tow didn’t feel right, I went to a nearby café to kill some time.
Once I got there, everything that could go wrong did.
First, a fan spotted me and drew me into a conversation I couldn’t find my way out of.
Normally, I was all about shooting the breeze with rugby enthusiasts, but not today.
I eventually managed to extricate myself, only to have a cup of ice coffee spilled down my shirt.
So I took myself to the bathroom and made a valiant effort to rinse it off so my daughter didn’t have to meet her dad looking like a slob.
I did an okay job, but when I tried to get out of the bathroom, the handle just spun and spun in circles.
I had to bang on the door for a few minutes before someone let me out.
Needless to say, by the time I was racing back to the park, I was frazzled. Late, sweaty, smelling like coffee. Mazzy probably thought I wasn’t going to show, and I hated myself for giving her even a second of doubt. She’d already had five years of it.
I found her standing beside a bench, her arms crossed, eyes on the playground.
Just like the first time I saw her, her hair sucked up the light and reflected it back like a piece of shiny glass.
I couldn’t say the rest of her was the same, though.
But five years was a long time. A lot of life had happened between now and then.
She’d been heartbroken when we met. A little lost too.
Now…she looked like she had her shit together in her neat, professional clothes and the sharpness in her gaze.
This situation was already intimidating, but seeing her like that, when I was coffee stained and bedraggled, put me even more on my back foot.
I skidded to a stop beside her, panting. “I’m here, I’m here.”
She turned to me, her lips parting in surprise. “Oh, hey. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it.”
“I know. God, I know. I was here early, so I went to get coffee.” I gestured to my stained T-shirt. “There were a few incidents, including getting locked in a bathroom and freaking the fu—” Oh no, I couldn’t cuss now that I was a dad. I had to remember that. “The heck out.”
To my surprise, she let out a soft giggle, and it softened the hard edges that hadn’t been there five years ago. “You look like you’ve been through hell and back.”
“Yeah.” I scanned my shirt. In the daylight, the coffee stain was even more evident. So much for my cleanup job. “Not the first impression I wanted to make.”
Her nose crinkled. “Luckily, Katty’s not the judgmental sort.”
“Um, so—” I glanced at the kids on the play structure. They looked like little ants from this distance and I didn’t even try to pick out which one might’ve been mine. “She’s here, right?”
“Yeah.” Mazzy tipped her head toward the slide. “I told her we were meeting a friend, so I thought maybe we could let her come over when she’s ready. If I try to drag her off the playground, she might be pissed off.”
“Makes sense.” I leaned closer. “Are we allowed to cuss around here? Isn’t it against the rules?”
“Well, I don’t cuss out children, but I’m not sure if there are any official rules on the matter.” Her eyes glinted with mischief, bringing me back to the time we spent together. I liked seeing her that way.
Yesterday had been…dark. She’d seemed so tired and serious. I mean, I got it. I’d been pretty out of my mind since she told me about Katty. But standing here with her now, it was better.
“There she comes,” Mazzy singsonged.
With my heart in my throat, I spotted the little person running toward us and my knees went weak.
She was tiny. Possibly smaller than Jonah, and he was two years younger. She had curls just like him—like me. Brown and wild, they floated around her head like a distorted halo.
And she was wearing glasses. Pink plastic glasses over bright little eyes.
“Mama!”
At the sound of her voice, I stumbled back, but managed to stay upright. It helped that Mazzy put her hand on my arm. Not that she could hold me up, but the reminder that she was there steadied me.
“Katty!” The little steam engine barreled into Mazzy’s knees, and she caught her with a laugh. “Did you go down the slide?”
Katty looked up at her mom with bright eyes and a big smile that revealed a row of perfect, miniature white teeth. “I went down the slide seven times.”
“Seven? Not eight?”
“No.” Katty shook her head with adamance. “Only seven.”
Well, my kid was clearly a genius. Not even in kindergarten, and she already knew her numbers. I wished my brothers were here, so they could see how incredible she was. They wouldn’t believe me when I told them. I’d have to—
“Ben.” Mazzy patted my arm. “Do you want to meet Kateryna?”
“Yes.” I cleared the clog from my throat. “I’d love to meet her.”
Wide eyes peered up at me from around Mazzy’s legs. I waved, and her mouth twitched. She was so small, it felt like she was a million miles away, so I crouched down in front of her and held out my hand.
“Hey, I’m Ben.”
Her soft brow furrowed with puzzlement at my offered hand for a moment, then she slapped it and proclaimed, “High five.”
Yep, she was a genius.
“High five,” I agreed.
She twisted the toe of her sparkly sneaker on the ground. “My name is Kateryna.”
Her voice was like wind chimes on a hot, still day. The sound of them a burst of relief. Clear, but soft. I leaned closer to hear more of it. So I didn’t miss even a single syllable.
“Yeah? That’s a really pretty name. Do people maybe call you Katty?”
She nodded hard. “Uh-huh. Do people call you Benny?”
“Some people do, like my brothers. I have a bigger name too, like you do. It’s Bennett.”
“I like Benny.” She reached up and twisted a ringlet around her finger. “I don’t have brothers.”
“Well, I have three. It’s a lot of boys.”
She raised her shoulder in a careless shrug. “Boys are good—sometimes.” Then her sweet face transformed into a mask of righteous indignation. “Declan takes my markers, though.”
“What? Why would Declan do that?” When I found this kid…
Mazzy laughed and put her hand on top of Katty’s head. “Declan’s in Katty’s preschool class. I get a report about things Declan does almost every day.”
My brow dropped. “Well, someone needs to do something about this kid. He’s just allowed to run wild and steal markers? Is there no oversight? He sounds like a criminal and—”
Katty cackled, her head falling back with glee. “You’re so funny. I like your red face.”
I touched my cheek. “I’m red?” Then I looked up at Mazzy. “Am I red?”
Her mouth twitched, like she was trying to hold back her own laughter, and she held up her thumb and forefinger, an inch apart. “Just a little, yes.”
I wasn’t finding the humor in this. “I don’t like the idea of some kid pushing her around.”
Katty folded her arms across her chest. “Declan’s my friend.”
My jaw hung loose. “Wait. The kid who steals your markers is your friend?”
“Yep. All the kids are my friends,” she explained slowly, like I was the idiot here. And I guessed I was. I was about four years behind on the comings and goings of this little girl, but I’d catch up. I was determined.
Mazzy snorted. “To be fair, the markers are for everyone to share, and Katty has a tendency to hoard them.”
Katty hmphed. “Only the pretty colors, Mama.”
“Which colors are pretty?” I asked, utterly fascinated by this creature. Had anyone ever been more interesting? She had a whole life and opinions, and I wanted to know all of it.
Katty’s bright eyes lit, and she proceeded to list every color in existence. Sometimes twice. Purple was mentioned three times, and I took that to mean she especially loved it. Noting that in my head for next time, when maybe I would be allowed to bring her a present.
By the time she’d trailed off, slightly out of breath from all the talking she’d done, my old bones were getting tired of crouching, so I asked if she’d sit with me on the bench behind us.
She took me up on the offer, pulling her mom along with us.
Katty climbed up between Mazzy and me. Her little legs stuck out straight and were kicking as her shoulders rose around her ears.
“This is a fun day,” she declared, easy as could be.
I had to take a breath and will myself not to cry again. She’d think I was a nut if I suddenly started to sob, but it was nearly impossible at this point. She was just so cute and cool and…well, everything.
“Right? The most fun,” I finally agreed.
She kicked her feet a few more times and pressed her hands together between her knees. My chest grew so tight, it was hard to sit still. The urge to run laps around this playground and scream out a battle cry hit me hard, but I kept myself under control.
“I live in a garage.” She blinked up at me. “Where do you live?”
“A garage, huh? That’s cool.” I was sure there was more to it than that. “I just live in a regular ol’ house,” I said.
Mazzy leaned around her to clear things up. “We live in an apartment over my aunt’s garage. We don’t have cars as roommates.”
I swiped my forehead. “Phew. I was totally picturing you two sleeping in a back seat and eating dinner out of a trunk.”
Katty snickered. “We eat dinner at a table. I have my own bed too. It’s brown.”
“Is it made of wood?” I asked.
She turned to Mazzy. “Is my bed made of wood?”
“It is,” she replied. “Well…it’s from IKEA, so I’m not sure if it’s real wood or wood adjacent.”
Katty turned back to me. “It’s wood-Jason.”
“Right.” I nodded. “Wood-Jason is my personal favorite. Maybe one day I can stop by your garage and see your room.”
“You can come right now,” she said.
I wanted to leap at her offer, but Mazzy had given me one hour today. I assumed that hour didn’t include a home tour.
“How about next time?” I asked.
“Okay,” she replied. “You can come to my house, and then I can come to your house.”
“Yeah? I’d love that.”
“I know.” She patted my hand before springing off the bench. “I’m gonna go slide seven more times. Bye!”