Fallon
Kennedy and I have forged a very natural friendship.
I like her. A lot. She’s funny and smart.
I’ve never seen anyone who works as hard as she does.
In fact, she’s working too hard. Her muscles have been a little achy, but that’s only given me more of a chance to spend time with her in the training room.
I shake my head at Coach Lakshmi. “Nothing other than to keep moving the ball around and crash the boards. We’re smaller than New York, but we need to play bigger.”
They’re our opponents in our season opener tomorrow night. Harper, who’s also in the huddle, has become a bit of a gym rat. She loves coming to practice and hanging with the team. The players have been so welcoming to her. I think they get a kick out of her mouth.
Her brain is like a sponge, absorbing everything.
She and I talk about the intricacies of the game all the time.
It’s been great connecting with her like this.
She’s always been so softball obsessed—which she still is—but now she’s enjoying basketball too.
She’s got natural athleticism and is only nine years old. She can play both sports.
While she and Bailey share softball, she and I now share basketball. It’s been so fulfilling for me.
As the team gathers their belongings from the sidelines, I make my way to the training room for the inevitable flow of players that will visit me for various treatments.
Harper is with me. “Mommy, you didn’t practice the play we discussed. Did you mention it to Coach Lakshmi?”
Harper hates how every play revolves around Sulley. She came up with a decoy play to get Kennedy the ball and asked me to tell Coach Lakshmi about it. I’m trying not to be obvious about favoring Kennedy, but it happens to be a smart play. At some point, I’ll mention it.
“I will when the time is right. We want it to be in a big moment, right?”
She smiles as she nods. “Are you being veridical, Mommy?”
“Fucking toilet paper,” I mumble.
“Mommy!” she shouts. “Language. You owe money to the swear jar.”
I sigh. “Right. Tell me what veridical means.”
“Truthful,” she replies.
“Yes, I’m being veridical. We’ll bust out your play when the time is right. I promise.”
She looks at me skeptically before seamlessly helping me prepare some of the machines the team will need.
It’s become our routine. I smile as I look at her carefully setting everything up with practiced precision.
This is what I hoped for when taking this job.
Something that would excite Harper. Something she would be proud of. Something we could do together.
Kennedy, Sulley, and Shay all walk into the training room.
Harper runs to Kennedy with the E-stim machine and instructs, “Lie on your stomach first. I’ll set up the pads on your hamstring.
One pad near your gluteal fold, one just above your knee, and the other two on both the medial and lateral sides of the tender area. ”
Kennedy messes Harper’s hair. “You got it, little genius.” That’s her nickname for Harper, and my daughter basks in the attention.
Put mildly, Harper is obsessed with Kennedy. Kennedy’s so rough and tough in her style of play, and Harper gets the biggest kick out of it. She’s always quick to help Kennedy with treatments, desperate to spend time with her.
“How’s the leg feeling?” I ask Kennedy from across the room.
She smiles. “Much better, thanks. I’m doing everything you told me to. I’m even eating more protein.” I told her that it would help in muscle recovery.
“Good. I’m clearing you to play in the game, but don’t stop what you’ve been doing. We don’t want this to bother you all season.”
She nods. “I won’t. I’m taking my brother to a steak dinner tonight. Lots of protein, I promise.”
I clap my hands excitedly. “It’s nice that you and Pierce are spending time together.”
She pinches her eyebrows together. “I don’t remember telling you his name.” She shrugs. “I must have at some point.”
I swallow as I mumble, “Yep, you must have.”
Shit. I need to be careful.
Harper carefully applies the adhesive patches to Kennedy’s ailing leg. I look on as she does so perfectly. When she’s done, she says to Kennedy, “Don’t forget veggies, Kennedy. They’re just as important as protein. A robust diet is well-rounded.”
Kennedy laughs. “Harper, you’re my favorite person in the world. When I have a daughter, I hope she’s just like you.”
My heart just about melts seeing the two of them together. I can’t help but imagine them as sisters one day.
Harper grins widely. “Which steakhouse are you going to?” she asks.
“Daddy says everyone likes Del Frisco’s, but we like Barclay Prime.
Both are super hard to get into. You have to make reservations really far in advance, but Daddy got one for Bails—my bonus mom—and him last week.
Did you make your reservation far in advance?
If you did, get the back room at Barclay Prime.
It’s more private. Daddy prefers it there because it’s not as loud.
And we usually see famous people there, but none as famous as you. ”
Sometimes my daughter speaks a mile a minute.
Kennedy lifts her head and looks at Harper. “Let me teach you something beyond your toilet paper. There’s a little something called pretty privilege. When you’re pretty, like you and me, people bend over backward to do things for you.”
“Kennedy,” I warn.
She holds up her hand. “Harper needs to understand the real world, Fallon. She’s pretty. That’s a fact. She will have advantages in life because of it, like easily being able to get a good table at a nice restaurant without a reservation.”
Harper scrunches her face. “Daddy says people should like me for my mind, and Aunt Kam told me I shouldn’t care about being pretty. I should care about being iconic.”
I smile with pride.
“Uncle Daylen,” Harper continues, “told me I’m pretty, but I told him I prefer to be smart.”
Kennedy rolls her eyes. “Uncle Daylen is a moron. He’s not pretty or smart.”
Sulley groans in annoyance. “Don’t listen to Kennedy, Harper. She’s not a people person. That’s why she doesn’t like Daylen. He’s such a good guy.”
Kennedy scowls. “It’s not that I’m not a people person. I’m not a stupid people person. Uncle Daylen is stupid.”
Harper pouts. “Stupid is a lazy word. Don’t be lazy, Kennedy.”
Sulley and Shay giggle at Harper putting Kennedy in her place.
God, I love watching my daughter interact with this team.
Harper and I are visiting her favorite ice cream shop. I order my usual, rum raisin, and she orders a scoop of dark chocolate with chunks of fudge brownie. I brought her here to talk about meeting Jett.
We’re sitting on a bench outside when I build the courage to broach the subject. “Sweetie, before I drop you at Bails and Daddy’s house, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Her curious eyes meet mine, though her mouth remains blissfully buried in her ice cream.
Why am I so nervous?
“So…you know how happy Daddy and Bails are, right?”
She nods. “Yes. And I’m getting two new sisters.”
The ultrasound last week revealed Bailey is having twin girls. Tanner nearly passed out when the doctor told us.
“Yes. It’s very exciting. Before you get married, you date several people until you find someone you like a lot. Someone you love.”
“Daddy tells Bails he loves her all the time.”
“Yes, they’re married. They love each other.”
“You were married to Daddy. Do you love him?” she asks with genuine curiosity.
Oh crap. I cornered myself into this one. “Yes, of course. It’s a little different from the way he and Bails love each other. Anyway, Mommy sometimes goes on dates with boys. I want to find someone to love like Daddy found Bails.”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “When do you go on dates with boys?”
“When you’re with Daddy. Like Daddy and Bails used to go on dates when you were with me. There’s a boy who I like a lot—”
“Like the way I like Luke?”
Thanks to Kamryn’s tactics, Luke and Harper are now boyfriend and girlfriend. Brandon was upset, but Harper told him he’s too late. I’m not sure whether to be upset or impressed by Kam, but my daughter now has two cute boys eating out of the palm of her hand.
I smile at her naivety. “Sort of. I like him a lot. Enough that I think I’d like for you to meet him to see if you like him too.”
Her face falls a bit, making my heart drop. “When am I meeting him?” she asks.
“Soon. I’ll be away with the Beavers next week. Maybe after that?” I offer hopefully.
Her shoulders relax. “Phew, it’s not tonight.”
“No, sweetie, I wanted you to think about it and ask any questions you might have.”
She shrugs. “Okay, good. I don’t have time for a nappitizer today.”
“What’s a nappitizer? Is that an Aunt Kam word?”
She nods. “Yes. It’s a nap on the couch before you go out to dinner. Aunt Kam says it’s a good idea to do so that you don’t get tired when you go out. I don’t want to be tired when I meet your boyfriend.”
I twist my lips. “Hmm, I think I like that word. I wouldn’t mind a nappitizer before I go out. Do you have any questions, sweetie?”
“About what?”
“About my boyfriend.”
“Oh. Umm…is he cute?”
I smile as I nod enthusiastically. “Yes. Very cute.”
“Is he nice to you? Sally Banders at school has a boyfriend, but he’s mean to her and makes her cry. I don’t like that. Does your boyfriend make you cry?”
I shake my head. “No. Not once. Ever.” Hmm, that’s a really special thought. It’s been over four months and he’s never once made me sad. “He’s extremely nice to me. He wouldn’t be my boyfriend if he wasn’t nice to me.”
She smiles goofily with a face full of chocolate. “Okay. Good.”
“Any more questions?”
“Nope.”
I open Tanner’s door. “Bailey? You home?”
“In here,” she announces from the kitchen area.
I walk in and see her standing at the stove mixing something while Kam is sitting at the kitchen island. Bailey smiles at Harper. “Hey, sweet girl.”
“Hey, Bails.” Harper looks at the stove. “What’s for dinner?”
“Steak au Poivre with a red wine pan sauce.”
“Yummy. What veggie?”
“Asparagus Caesar with pecorino.”
Harper gasps in excitement. “Can I grate the pecorino?”
Bailey winks at her. “That’s why I saved it for you. If you take your shower now, I’ll let you do it.”
“Thanks, Bails. You’re the best.” Harper gives me a quick hug. “Bye, Mommy. Love you.”
“Love you too,” I express to deaf ears as she races upstairs to shower.
I shake my head. “I don’t even understand half of what you said.”
“Preach,” agrees Kam. “Contextually, I’m guessing pecorino is a cheese?”
Bailey giggles. “It is. It’s like a more sophisticated parmesan. Harper likes it. She likes grating it even better. And it gets her to eat asparagus.”
I nod in understanding. She used to hate asparagus. “We had pizza last night. I don’t mean to brag, but there were mushrooms on it. You’re not the only one who can get her to eat her veggies.”
Bailey giggles. “Whatever works.”
“Did I hear wine mentioned?” I ask suggestively.
Kam stands. “On it.”
She disappears into the wine cellar.
I get closer to the stove and take in the aroma. “Damn, that smells delectable.”
“I have plenty. Want to stay?”
I twist my lips. “Hmm, sure. I don’t have plans tonight.”
“No Jett?” she asks.
“Nope. He has a father-son camping trip tonight.”
Kam returns with a good bottle. She always picks the most expensive one she can find just to piss off Tanner.
“Ooh,” Kam coos, “how’s it going with your hottie? I noticed on TikTok last week that he has a dimple. If I were you, I’d sit on that dimple.”
I can’t contain my smile, and she high-fives me. “Niiice,” she praises. “Did you know if you sit on his face, you own him? Squatter’s rights.”
I wiggle my eyebrows up and down. “Then I guess I own him.”
Kam laughs as she pours two glasses of wine. “You know what they say. A tongue in the ass makes a relationship last.”
“Who says that?” I ask cheekily.
“Me,” she deadpans as we clink glasses. “I’m happy to have someone to drink with. Bailey is so boring lately.”
“I’m pregnant, you idiot,” Bailey responds.
Kam makes a look of disgust. “Ugh. Don’t remind me. I will never ruin my body with a pregnancy.”
I stare at her in shock. “You don’t want kids?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. No desire. The shitty mom thing ruined it for me. Not even interested in having only one like you.”
“I still want more kids,” I inform her.
“Uhh, you’re getting a little long in the tooth, sister.”
I scowl at her. “I’m not even forty yet. And I froze my eggs during the divorce just in case. I’ve got young eggs on the ready.”
She lifts an amused eyebrow. “Does the sexy Mr. Jeffries, who has two adult kids, know about your plans for more little babies?”
I wince. “I’ve been hesitant to bring it up. I’m not sure how he’ll feel about it.”
Bailey looks at me with concern. “You should talk about it with him.”
I exhale a long breath. “I know. We’re only a few months in. On one hand, it feels a little premature. On the other, I agree that we should at least discuss it. I can’t imagine he’s ever considered having more kids, but I’m hoping he’ll change his mind.”
Kam shakes her head. “Unless he’s wearing a diaper, you can’t change a man.”
Yep, that’s what I’m afraid of.