Out of The Blue

Chapter 8

"Don't worry about it," I said, waving him off. "It's just getting late, and I promised Bowen I'd pick him up early tomorrow from my parents and take him bike riding." Taking my wallet out of my pocket, I asked, "How much do I owe you?"

He grabbed my empty glass and said, "Fifteen."

Pulling a twenty out, I handed it to him. "Keep the change. I'll see you around."

Walking toward the door, I paused before leaving, throwing a look over my shoulder to zero in on the back booth. Sloane's head was thrown back as she laughed at something one of her friends said, and as though she felt my eyes on her, her head turned so that her gaze met mine. I watched as her expression softened and she raised her glass in acknowledgement.

Offering her a smile in return, I turned away, wishing I wasn't heading home alone.

***

Over the next week I was simply a man trying to keep his head above water. I took the parenting thing day by day, and while I didn't have to call in my own parents as reinforcements, I was grateful when they offered their support. Taking Bowen out for lunch one day, playing catch with him in the backyard while I took a call with my agent, hosting a family dinner. They were simple things, but they lifted a marginal amount of stress off my shoulders, even if the reprieve was temporary.

It also didn't escape me that, while it likely wasn't healthy, I was almost waiting for Bowen to have another breakdown. When we went fishing, built sandcastles on the beach, or were watching cartoons, there was a part of me bracing for it. Even at night, it took me ages to fall asleep myself as worry coursed through my veins that he'd have a nightmare.

And every morning the cycle started again, though I tried my darndest to cloak my features so nobody saw the cogs in my brain constantly whirring.

"What are we going to do today?" Bowen asked on a Monday morning around the pancakes he'd stuffed into his mouth.

I shot him a knowing look over my shoulder as I cleaned the dirty dishes. "Why don't you swallow first," I said, shooting him a knowing look over my shoulder as I cleaned the dirty dishes. It was then that I also saw Scout, who'd already eaten, wagging his tail happily as he watched Bowen eat—which was no surprise, considering that since we'd arrived, he'd more or less become a shadow to my nephew. "And then tell me what you'd like to do. I'm up for anything."

"Sorry." He sheepishly covered his mouth with his hand as he chewed his breakfast and swallowed. His eyes then brightened, and I knew an idea had hit him. "What about canoeing? Dad bought me a paddle last year and everything."

Scout's accompanying bark signified that he liked that idea.

I, however, turned away from him at the mention of Liam, because while he seemed to be dropping both him and Thea into casual conversations over the last week, the wound in my own heart was still too fresh. "Sounds good, kid," I said, and heard him yelp in excitement. It was then that my cell rang, and I dried my hands off on the kitchen towel. "Why don't you go get dressed and brush your teeth while I take this, then we can head out."

"Okay," he replied excitedly, climbing down out of his chair before heading upstairs with my dog hot on his heels.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I saw it was Derrick calling—my former teammate and one of my best friends—and accepted the call.

"Hey, man."

"Ryan—" Derrick breathed a sigh of relief through the phone "—finally. Do you know how long I've been trying to reach you for?"