Chapter Seven
Presley
It’s been a month since Saint’s birthday, and we’re in the thick of the season now.
It’s a Tuesday, and the team is off today after our win on Sunday.
Alie and I both went into the office for a while, but after lunch, we decide to take off early.
Alie typically likes to go home when she knows Liam is there, but today she asks if I want to go with her and Seraphina to Bubble Planet.
So, we grab our little peanut from the nursery in the building and head out.
Bubble Planet is exactly what it sounds like.
The second we step inside, it feels like we’re in another world, with walls washed in soft pastel light, floating spheres hanging from the ceiling, and iridescent reflections dancing across every surface, like we walked into a kaleidoscope.
Seraphina gasps. Loudly. Like one of those full-body, wide-eyed, hands-to-her-cheeks gasp that makes every adult around us smile.
“Bubbles!” she shrieks.
And then she takes off.
Not really gone. She’s just turned three, so her version of gone is sprinting eight feet ahead of us to the nearest cluster of floating circles, immediately trying to hug one into her tiny body, and falling to the ground, giggling.
I can’t stop the laugh that spills out of me. “Hey, careful, silly girl.”
“She’s fine,” Alie says from beside me, way too calm for a mom watching her child launch herself into a room full of reflective objects.
“She just tried tackling a bubble.”
Alie shrugs one shoulder. “Yeah,” she watches with amusement. “Reminds me of someone else I know.”
“Who? Her dad?”
She smiles and looks over at me. “No, you.”
I point a finger at my chest. “I wasn’t like that. And you wouldn’t remember anyway. I’m five years older than you.”
“True. I didn’t know you at her age, obviously, but she shares your spirit. She’s not afraid of anything or anyone. She sees something she wants, she goes after it.”
“And none of us tells her no.”
“True again. But seriously, Pres. I’ve always admired that about you,” she says, bumping her elbow to mine.
Seraphina laughs as one of the bubbles spins in her hands, catching the lights and reflecting on her face. She laughs again like the whole room exists just for her.
Everything in my chest softens as I watch her. I’m obsessed with her. I love being her aunt.
I crouch next to her. “What do you think, Sera?”
She looks at me with awe. “It’s like magic, Auntie Pwes.”
I press a kiss to her wavy brown hair. “Yeah, it kind of is.”
We continue to move through the rooms slowly because Sera needs to touch literally everything. Every floating orb. Every shimmery wall. Every ripple reflected on the floor.
One of the rooms is filled with oversize balloons that change color when you brush against them. Then there is another room with mirrors angled in impossible ways so her reflection stretches and multiplies, then disappears.
She runs from one thing to the next, laughing, dancing, and completely narrating her own adventure in toddler speak, yet Alie and I understand everything she says.
“Wook!” she yells, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward a tunnel with glowing plastic bubbles. “Stars!”
I look up and smile. “They do look like stars; you’re right.”
Behind us, Alie asks us to turn around for a picture. Her phone is aimed toward us like she’s likely already taken a few.
“She’s going to sleep for, like, twelve hours after this.” She laughs.
“Happy to contribute to wearing her out. That’ll give you and Liam some quality time together,” I say, laughing and wiggling my eyebrows.
Alie blushes. “That sounds good to me. Liam is pretty intense during the season. I feel like he’s still trying to prove himself here, even though he doesn’t need to.”
“I think he’s having fun though. He has great chemistry with the team.”
“Yeah, you’re right; he does. I’m sure, next season, he’ll be more relaxed.”
“Absolutely,” I agree.
We walk through the tunnel, the lights changing from soft blues to pinks, then gold. Seraphina’s tiny hand is wrapped tightly around mine, and her head is tilted back as she watches the colors above us.
I look down at her, and everything feels simple. Easy.
Almost like the world outside this bubble-filled space doesn’t exist.
“You’re so good with her,” Alie says when we reach the next room.
We sit on a bench and watch Seraphina try to catch projected bubbles on the floor that disappear when she jumps on them.
“I love her.” I lift a shoulder in a shrug.
“I know you do. And she loves you.” She smiles at me. “You’ll be a great mom, Pres.”
The words unexpectedly hit me.
“Maybe,” I say with a tilt to my head.
“You will. I just know it.”
“I guess if I can keep grown men alive, I can probably handle a kid,” I joke.
“That’s exactly what I mean.” She turns to look at me on the bench. “You’re kind, patient, observant, and you stay calm under pressure.”
I nod. “When I’m on the field or working with one of the players, I’m definitely in my realm. I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do, and I love what I do. Not a lot of people get to say that. We’re very fortunate, and I don’t take that for granted.”
We watch Sera throw herself dramatically on the floor when one of the bubbles escapes her.
“I agree with you. But I’m just saying, someday, Sera will want some cousins.” She pushes my knee with her hand.
Where the fuck is this coming from?
“Someday. We’ll see what happens.”
She huffs lightly. “You do this, you know.”
“Do what?”
“Brush off compliments unless it’s about your work.”
I smile faintly. “No, I don’t. I just have things I want to do before I even think about having kids.”
“Yeah, I know. I just wanted to put it out there. It’s okay to want something outside of your job.”
“There is something I’ve been thinking about. Well, actually, it’s been in my head for quite a long time.” I clear my throat and pause for a second. “I’d like to use a portion of my trust fund to create a youth sports program for underprivileged kids and teens.”
“Really?” She looks at me with a smile. “That’s a really great idea, Pres. I can totally see you doing something like that. Do you have a plan laid out yet, or are you just in the brainstorming stage?”
I laugh because I can practically see my sister crunching numbers in her head.
“Yeah, but you know I can’t access the money yet since I’m not thirty-five or married, so I have some time to work on it. It’s not like I’ll leave the team or anything. I just want to build something on my own, you know?”
“I love it!” she places a hand on my arm. “And not that you asked, but I’m happy to help in any way I can, and I would love to be involved when you get it up and running. What made you think of doing this?”
“Obviously, I would love your help,” I say, laughing.
“But honestly, it was working in the hospital. I can’t remember the boy’s name, but he came in with a sprain, and we were talking about wearing proper equipment and how to avoid injuries in the future.
He said something that kind of stuck with me, and I just never forgot it. ”
“What did he say?” Alie asks.
“He said the programs in his town don’t have the money to get new gear, so they usually get second-hand equipment from the high school, which had been stretched thin.
So I just thought that creating a place, and developing programs where kids who come from communities like that could play safely with proper equipment, but also learn about nutrition and how to prevent injuries.
” I pause. “But I also want kids to feel like they have adults they can count on and come to for guidance.
“Then Saint and I were talking recently about how his dad struggled and worked all the time to make sure he and his sister had what they needed. So hearing that, and tying it into what was already in my head, just makes me think it’s the right path.
I just want to do something good with the money.
We’ve grown up very privileged, and our future generations will be set up for life.
I feel like this could add to our legacy. ”
“I love this idea, Pres. It’s incredible, and I mean it, I’m on board for whatever you need.” She touches the top of my hand. “You have some time to work out the details. Unless you get married.” She laughs.
“I don’t see that happening any time soon, so yeah, I have lots of time,” I smirk.
We fall into a comfortable silence and watch Seraphina bounce up from the floor and declare a victory over a stubborn cluster of bubbles.
Alie’s words linger though.
You’ll be a great mom.
It’s not the first time she’s said that to me. And in the past, I would have said something like, Of course I will, but today, it hit different.
Maybe it’s because we’re hanging out in a place that’s built for wonder and imagination. Like it feels heavier and a little more real.
The next room is filled with massive translucent balloons that are floating at varying heights. Sera runs right into them, shrieking as they bounce off and around her.
Alie leans against the wall, watching her daughter with a steady kind of happiness that’s settled since Liam’s been here.
“You’re really happy, aren’t you?” I say.
She doesn’t look at me but smiles. “I am.”
“Liam’s so good for you. I’m so happy he turned out to be the man we hoped he would be. A good father, and a good partner for you.”
She glances over at me, giving me a soft look.
“He really is.” She pauses. “And I think I’m good for him too.”
“Absolutely.” I tilt my head back. “You and Sera are the best parts of him. You both make him so happy. I don’t think he knows what to do with it.”
We both laugh. But there’s so much truth in what I’m saying.
They’ve made it work, and while they had a bit of a rough start, they fit in a way that feels solid and very real.
I watch her for a second longer, then look back at Sera.
“Do you ever think about it?” I ask.
“About what? Liam?”
“Yeah, like how you knew he was … it.”