Chapter 4 #3
Riley’s heart melted for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.
Seeing how great Porter was with his nephew was making it really hard to look at him as nothing but a neighbor.
She was impressed with him, and he wasn’t even trying to impress her.
He was just trying to be the best uncle he could.
And the fact that he’d taken her advice, at least in a small way, and flat-out told Logan that he loved him also impressed her.
She watched as Porter stood. “You want to show Riley your new room?”
Predictably, Logan shrugged, but he walked out of the kitchen and said, “I can show you my room, if you want.”
“I’d love to see it,” Riley said with a smile.
What she really wanted to do was stay with Porter.
To talk to him. Help soothe him, because even though his lips were quirked upward, it was obvious he wasn’t all that happy.
She couldn’t blame him. The small details Logan was inadvertently revealing about his life were heartbreaking.
And she had a feeling they didn’t know the half of it.
Riley glanced back at Porter as she and Logan headed down the hall to his room, and she saw he’d dropped his head and was gripping the back of his neck with one hand, the other fisted by his side.
She hated seeing him so stressed but there wasn’t anything she could do about it other than entertain Logan for a while to give Porter some time to collect himself.
Logan led her to his room, the second bedroom, which she used as a home studio back at her place—and she gasped in surprise at what she saw.
Porter had transformed the room into a space perfect for a little boy.
Riley had no idea what Porter had used this room for before Logan arrived, but now it had a full-size bed, a set of drawers, and a small desk against one wall.
There was a bookshelf, which was mostly empty, and she could see clothes hanging up in the open closet.
And everywhere she looked, there was baseball paraphernalia.
On the wall was a poster of a Texas Ranger pitcher, and a rug shaped like a baseball sat on the floor.
Riley saw a bat, ball, and glove in the corner of the room.
The comforter even had the logo of the Texas Rangers on it.
The nickname Porter had given his nephew made a lot more sense now.
“So…you like baseball, huh?” Riley asked.
Logan nodded. “Yeah. Shin-Soo Choo is my favorite outfielder. He’s amazing and has caught some crazy flyballs.
He even saved a kid from getting a foul ball in the face once.
And he bats and throws left-handed, which is cool.
He’s from South Korea and has three kids.
All their names start with A, which is awesome.
Get it? A for awesome. He led all active major league players in career hit by pitch with one hundred and thirty-two. ”
“What’s hit by pitch?” Riley asked, thrilled the kid was actually talking. It was obvious baseball was his passion.
“It’s when the batter is hit by a pitch,” Logan said completely straight-faced.
Riley wanted to laugh, but she held back and nodded instead.
“As long as the batter did his best to avoid being hit, he then gets to go to first base automatically. And in two thousand nineteen, he was the eighth oldest player in the American League.”
Riley’s head was spinning, but she gamely tried to keep up. “So your uncle knows that you like baseball and got you all this stuff, huh?”
Logan nodded and looked at the floor. “When he washed my stuff, he saw my Texas Rangers T-shirt.”
“I have a feeling Porter’s pretty observant.”
“Yeah. He has to be since he’s special forces.”
That was news to Riley, but it didn’t really surprise her. He’d talked about “his team,” and while she’d just assumed he was talking about the men he worked with on the Army base, it made sense that they were as close as they were because they weren’t just regular soldiers.
Then Logan surprised her by saying, “My mom talked about him a lot. Said she was proud of him.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Riley wasn’t sure she should discuss Porter behind his back, but since Logan was talking, she went with it. “He seems as if he’s a guy anyone would be proud of.”
“I’m not sure why he’s being so nice to me. If he didn’t like my mom, why would he like me?”
Riley’s heart broke for the boy. “He liked your mom,” she said immediately.
“Sometimes adults have arguments and they stop talking, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still care for each other.
And he’s nice to you because he loves you.
You’re his nephew. He might not have talked to your mom in a long time, but that has nothing to do with you, Logan.
And I know if he’d known of your existence, he would’ve reached out and fixed the relationship with your mom. ”
“She wasn’t the best mom,” Logan said softly.
“Mine wasn’t either,” she admitted sadly.
When Logan looked up at her, as if he needed to know he wasn’t alone in how he felt about his mother, she went on.
“She and my dad hit me sometimes. And they forgot to buy food. And they didn’t wash my clothes, so kids at school made fun of me.
Someone would report them and the authorities would take me away.
I’d live with foster families until my parents stopped drinking and got themselves back on track.
Things would be okay for a while, but then they’d start drinking again and the same thing would happen.
But you know what? I loved them anyway. They hurt me, ignored me, and made me feel sad, but they were still my parents. ”
“What happened to them?” Logan asked. He’d sat on the bed and was facing her with his legs crossed, his elbows resting on his knees.
Riley lay back and stared at the ceiling.
“I got old enough to take care of myself, so I could wash my own clothes and make my own food. I learned to steal money from them so I could go to the grocery store. I worked really hard and graduated from high school and moved out. Four months after I moved away, they died in a drunk-driving accident. They were coming back from a bar and had drank too much. They drove off a bridge and their car sank. Even with all their faults, they didn’t deserve that. ”
“I loved my mom,” Logan admitted. “I didn’t understand why she was so mean when I was little, but she got better. She stopped doing drugs and we were doing good. I miss her.”
Riley sat up and reached for Logan. Then she remembered what Porter had said earlier, about getting permission to touch, and asked, “Can I give you a hug?”
Logan didn’t respond verbally, but he did scoot closer to her and initiate the hug himself.
Riley wrapped her arms around the skinny little boy. She had no idea what had gone on in his house, but the love he still had for his mom was easy to see.
They sat on his bed with their arms around each other a few minutes, until Logan seemed to get control over his emotions.
Not wanting him to be embarrassed, Riley said, “Your uncle is a good man. It sounds like he and your mom had a hard childhood too. I have no doubt he’ll do whatever he has to in order to make sure from here on out, your life is as easy as he can make it.
Including buying you a bed, baseball stuff, and clothes.
But that doesn’t mean you have to forget your mom.
That you don’t love her any less. You can love more than one person. And you know what else?”
“What?” Logan asked, looking up at her with huge tear-filled eyes.
“I bet he’ll want to know all about your mom.
He feels awful that he didn’t get in touch with her for so long.
I know he won’t mind you talking about her.
” Riley made a mental note to make sure she talked with Porter about what she’d told his nephew.
He could get mad at her, but it was obvious Logan wanted, and needed, to talk about his mom.
Logan nodded.
“I like your room,” she said.
“Me too,” Logan admitted softly.
“I live right next door,” she told the little boy. “If you ever need anything, you’re welcome to come over anytime.”
“Thanks. Riley?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you tell Oz that I’m tired? I think I’m gonna go to bed.”
“You sure?” Riley asked, hating that he might not want to hang out with his uncle.
“Yeah. I need to brush my teeth. I’m gonna go to school tomorrow and I want the other kids to like me.”
“They will,” Riley said, realizing that Logan was nervous about starting a new school.
He shrugged.
“Okay, I’ll tell him. Thanks for talking to me and showing me your room,” Riley said.
Logan nodded.
“See you later.”
“Later,” Logan said.
Riley got up and headed for the door. She closed it behind her and walked down the hall toward the living room.
When she got there, Porter was standing by the large window that overlooked a green courtyard behind the apartments.
There were picnic tables, a few public-use grills, and a volleyball court no one ever used.
And since it was dark, there certainly wasn’t anything interesting going on outside.
So why he looked like he was studying the courtyard as if there would be a test later on, she had no idea.
When she entered the room, he turned to face her, and Riley felt horrible about the sad look on his face. She knew immediately he’d been listening to her conversation. “You heard?” she asked softly.
Porter nodded. “You were great with him.”
“I think I remind him of his mom. You know, because I’m female,” she said, wanting to make Porter feel better.
He shook his head, and that reminded her a lot of Logan. “No, it’s not that. It’s just you.”
“He’ll come around,” Riley told him. “He’s just unsure about everything right now.”
“I’m sorry about your parents,” Porter said.