Page 128 of Over the Line

Chris laughed, though he didn’t seem thrilled by the line of questioning either.

Jack’s laugh was as fake as my smile. “Well, thank you, gentlemen, for your time.” His smile was taut and his eyes were cold; I suspected he was disappointed he hadn’t gotten anything juicy out of us. “Enjoy the rest of the dads’ trip.”

“We will,” Chris said.

Jack shook hands with Chris and me, then left, probably in search of someone else to interrogate.

Once he was out of earshot, I nodded in the direction he’d gone. “I didn’t realize he was part of the media team.”

Chris scowled hard. “He’s technically not, but his stepdad owns the team, so we can’t get rid of him. Ugh. God help me if he sits near us on the jet. I’ll open the emergency door just to get away from him.”

“So it’s not just me?”

“No. He’s a jackass.” He rolled his shoulders and pushed out a breath, then turned to me. “Thanks for, uh, not giving him anything.”

“Of course. Did he know we were… not on good terms?”

My son’s expression turned sheepish and he avoided my gaze.

“It’s okay if he did,” I said softly. “You weren’t happy with me for a while. I don’t imagine you had much good to say about me.”

“I… I mean, it’s not like I shit-talked you, you know?” He motioned to the space Jack had occupied a moment ago. “But he asked me about it on my first dads’ trip with the farm team, and I think I tipped my hand more than I meant to.” Cringing, he added, “More than I should’ve.”

“Oh really?”

A blush bloomed in his cheeks as he nodded. “I don’t remember what I said. Honestly, I don’t. I think I was just feeling shitty that night because everyone’s dad was here but mine, and he asked me about it, and…” He waved a hand.

My stomach knotted with guilt. “I’m sorry you were in that position.”

He shrugged. “We can’t change it now. And… there was an article. One that mentioned us.”

“Oh yeah?”

Avoiding my gaze, he nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t come right out and say we were estranged, but he danced around it a bit.” Rolling his eyes, he exhaled a harsh breath. “I had fans and reporters asking me about it for months.”

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

He waved it away. “Everyone’s moved on from it now, I think. I feel like shit that it’s out there, but gossip doesn’t really last long in this sport, you know? Especially in the minors. And yeah, I said some crap before, but…” He met my gaze and smiled shyly. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

“Me too.” I paused. “And so we’re clear—I am proud of you. Always have been. Being at this level? It’s incredible. Don’t ever think I’m not proud.”

He smiled, dropping his gaze to the soda bottle he was turning between his fingers. “I know. And… thanks.”

I chewed my lip. “Were you nervous about me coming to your first game?”

“I mean…” He shrugged tightly, still staring at the bottle. “It was the first time we’d seen each other. And I was kind of freaked out because you didn’t know Jasmine was pregnant. It was…” He looked at me through his lashes. “It was a lot, but I wanted you to be there. And I was really happy when you said you were coming to Pittsburgh.” With an apologetic half-shrug, he timidly added, “I was just nervous.”

“That’s okay. It really is.” I smiled. “We’ve made a lot of progress. I’m not going to hold it against you if you had less than flattering things to say about me in the past. I kind of earned them.”

“Not as much as you think,” he said. “But… I’m glad we’re back to this. And I’m glad you’re on this trip.” He rolled his eyes. “Even if it means you have to put up with Jack Arlen.”

I laughed and patted his arm. “Well, you have to put up with him all the time. I just have to deal with him for a week.”

“Lucky you,” he laughed. “And, uh… sorry he was digging at you about your love life. The guy has no sense of boundaries, I swear.”

“You don’t say,” I muttered into my drink.

Fortunately, we shifted our conversation back to talking about the upcoming games, and Chris steadily relaxed.