Trent (Season Two: The Ninth Inning #4) (26 page)

“It’ll be easier to entertain
her at my house. I’ll text the address. Kaelyn knows where the
spare key is hidden. And she remembers you because she brings you
up whenever we read
Sleeping Beauty
at bedtime. Thank you so
much, Scarlett. Really.”

“Text me everything and I’ll
see you in a couple hours.”

As soon as I hang up, my
phone alerts me of several texts. All from Trent with all the
information I need. I’ve had so many kids in my car before, I
shouldn’t be this concerned or anxious about picking up a little
girl.

I head off to the dance
school and am able to park close. When I walk in, Kaelyn’s eyes
light up and she bolts toward me.

“Scarlett!” She leaps into my
arms.

“Hi, honey.” My heart skips a
beat at the sheer fact that she remembers me.

“Daddy is going to be late,
and Miss Kathy says you’re taking me home.”

“I am. Your dad will be home
soon, though, okay?” She nods. “Do you have everything?” Kaelyn
smiles brightly and I mimic her. “Let’s head out then.”

After I make sure she’s
secure in my backseat, she begins to tell me every single detail
about dance class and her school. I shake my head at a few of her
tales, and when we pull into the driveway, she is still
talking.

“Okay, Kaelyn. Your dad says
you have a house key.” Thankfully, Trent told me the code to turn
off his alarm as well.

“Here.” She points to the
zipper of her Hello Kitty backpack. I open it and pull out a silver
key.

Once we are inside, Kaelyn
goes to wash up and change her clothes. I don’t know what to do for
food, but I’m hoping pizza is okay. I’m sure she’s hungry, and I
could eat a whole pizza by myself right now.

Kaelyn gives me a full tour
of her bedroom, and she is proud of every single doll, book, and
toy she has. It’s heartwarming to see a child who is so cared for,
considering most of the children I see.

When the pizza comes, Kaelyn
helps me set the table and get the drinks. I see pictures of
Deborah all over the place, as there should be. They were a perfect
family and it kills me to think of the heartache they’re feeling
now.

“Can we play?” Kaelyn asks
after she finishes her second slice.

“Sure. What do you want to
play?”

She thinks for a few seconds
and then yells, “A tea party.”

“Show me the way.”

She takes my hand and leads
me back to her room. She pulls out a chest full of play clothes and
accessories. I’m certain she played all the time with her mom.
Kaelyn dresses me in all sorts of items and shows me how to
properly drink tea. I laugh and smile at her and hide the pain I’m
really feeling.

***

I SWALLOW HARD at the
sight before me. Kaelyn is in her Cinderella dress with a tiara
sitting lopsided on her head. Across from her at the small table is
Scarlett in her own tiara, a pink boa wrapped around her neck, and
some of the plastic jewelry Kaelyn has on her fingers. They’re both
laughing, giggling really, and for a moment, I wonder why my tea
parties with Kaelyn never seem as much fun as they are obviously
having.

It’s odd to see Scarlett here
and playing with Kaelyn. My heart hurts because Deborah isn’t here,
but at the same time, I’m glad these two are getting along. I’m
glad that when I needed someone with Kaelyn, I felt comfortable
about Scarlett being with her.

Kaelyn finally notices me
standing in the doorway and she squeals. “Daddy, you’re home!” She
rushes over, and I pick her up.

“Yeah, I’m home. How’s the
tea party going? Are you having fun with Scarlett?”

She nods her head. “Are you
going to play with us? I can find your crown.”

“Maybe next time. Have y’all
had dinner?” I ask Scarlett. “Or is tea all the princesses need?” I
add, trying not to laugh when her tiara almost falls off as she
stands.

“We ate,” she answers.

“We had pizza,” Kaelyn tells
me.

“All right, well, you start
putting away some of your toys and get your pajamas out. Once
Scarlett leaves, you’re taking a bath.”

“With bubbles?” she asks
hopefully.

“If you can put away all your
toys, yep.” I set her down and she starts putting things away.
Scarlett has set her tiara, boa, and jewelry down, and then follows
me out of the room. “Did she behave?”

“She was an angel. Sorry
about the pizza. I didn’t want to mess up your kitchen and I knew
she was hungry. I hope it was okay?”

“Yes, it was. Thanks again
for watching her. I was about to resort to one of the guy’s
girlfriends.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m glad
you trusted me enough to help you out. I had a lot of fun.”

“Sounds like she did too. I
did trust you and I knew she would be in good hands with you. I’m
sorry I haven’t talked to you lately. Things have been
overwhelming.”

"Trent, I understand. We knew
it couldn't work. I'm just glad you called me; it made me feel good
to think you trust me with your daughter.” She pauses. “I really
did have a good time with you.”

“Are you sure you want it to
be over before we even have a fighting chance?”

“Is there a chance?”

“I think so. Don’t you?”

“I want there to be, but I
know we have a lot to overcome too. However, I'm wondering what you
thought about when we didn't talk the past couple weeks?”

“I thought about my life
before all of this and how it is now. I feel like I took another
step with some closure with the legal parts essentially done. And
then, I thought about you and what she would’ve thought and wanted
for me.”

“I thought about you a lot
too. I want a chance. I want to know what happens between us, no
matter our past.”

I smile. “Me too.”

“Daddy, I’m all done!” Kaelyn
shouts as she runs into the room.

“All right. Say goodbye to
Scarlett and we’ll get your bubble bath going.”

Kaelyn throws her arms around
Scarlett. “Bye! Will you come back and play with me again? You make
a good princess.”

“You're the best princess of
them all.”

After our final goodbyes, I
walk Scarlett to the door and then take Kaelyn’s hand, so we can
give her a bubble bath.

While Angie has been staying
with her parents since she’s been sick and Granny still out of
town, now seems like the perfect time to see if Kaelyn’s
grandparents would like to have her for a visit. I debate over
which set to call first before settling on Deborah’s. Kaelyn is
their only true link to their daughter and they haven’t seen her in
months.

It seems like the phone rings
forever before I hear, “Hello?”

“Hey, Beverly. How are y’all
doing?”

“We’re doing okay. How are
you and Kaelyn? It’s been such a long time.”

I swallow hard as if that
will rid me of my guilt. “I know, and I’m sorry for that.”

“We understand,” she rushes
to tell me. “Catch me up on my granddaughter.”

So, I begin filling her in on
Kaelyn’s schooling and what she’s been up to this summer. “Her
nanny is sick and my grandmother is out of town for the week. I
know it’s last minute, and I’ve been meaning to call about this,
but would you like Kaelyn to spend some time with y’all? I’m sure
she’d love to see you.”

“Oh, Trent. We would love to
see her and spend time with her. She can stay for a week, if you
don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I’ve got
practice, but afterward, I’ll drive her out there.”

“Thank you so much,
Trent.”

“No need to thank me. I
promise we’ll stay in touch more often.”

Once we hang up, I head to
Kaelyn’s room to wake her up. “Sleeping Beauty, time to get out of
bed,” I say as I grab her suitcase from her closet.

“I’m too tired,” she
complains.

“Don’t be a bag of lazy
bones.” I set her suitcase by the end of the bed and walk over to
crouch in front of her. “Hey, I have a question for you. Would you
like to go spend the night with Grandma Bev and Grandpa Joe?”

That wakes her up quickly.
“Do you think she’ll make her special chocolate milk?”

“If you asked her nicely. Do
you want to go?” She nods. “Then up and at ‘em.”

She insists on wearing her
dress with the yellow flowers while I pack her things. She demands
to take a few books, so they can read to her before bed. Once we’ve
packed everything she needs and the things she wants to take, we
have breakfast. Hopefully, Sofia won’t be too busy today and won’t
mind if Kaelyn hangs out with her in her office during
practice.

Which isn’t exactly what
happens. Kaelyn hangs out with Sofia, but every now and then I’ll
see them walking around or watching us. Sofia is almost constantly
laughing, and Kaelyn’s little arms are flailing about as she tells
her some outrageous story, I’m sure.

Once it’s over though, we’re
on the way to her grandparents. It’s a three-hour drive to
Deborah’s parents’ house. I don’t stay long with the drive back,
but I promise Beverly that I’ll spend more time with them when I
come to pick Kaelyn up.

I feel like now, more than
ever, is a good opportunity to keep moving forward. I feel ready
for it. Things have quietened down with the reporters, and there’s
been no more trouble out of Junior, thankfully. Baseball is great,
Kaelyn is doing fantastic, and we’ve been able to find a new
normal.

Bored with the drive, I pick
up my phone and call Scarlett since she’ll be off work by now.

“Hey,” she answers and I can
imagine her smiling.

“Hey. How was your day?”

“Good. I think I’m really
going to enjoy this promotion more than I thought I would. What
about you?”

“That’s awesome. I’m on my
way home. Kaelyn is spending the week with Deborah’s parents. I’m
still an hour and a half away, and I thought I’d call you to make
my drive more fun.”

Scarlett laughs. “I don’t
know how helpful I’ll be. It’s good that she’s spending time with
them.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long time.
So, I was thinking since I’m kid-free for a little while, maybe you
could take me out on that date you owe me when you cheated in
Rummy?”

“I didn’t cheat! You’re
impossible, Trent,” she laughs. “When are you thinking? You have a
game tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah and it’s a night game,
so maybe the next day or day after that?”

“The next day sounds good to
me.”

“Do you want to come to the
game tomorrow? I can get you tickets. You could bring Macy, if you
want.”

She’s quiet for a moment
before she says, “Yeah, I think we would enjoy that. Thanks.”

For the rest of the drive, we
talk about all sorts of things. She shares more about her
childhood, college, and her friendship with Macy. I learn more
about her in that hour and a half than ever before. When I get
home, we’re still talking. We even talk about the hardships we’ve
gone through with such honesty that we can’t help but move forward
and feel better after talking about it.

It’s as if we’ve taken
another step forward, and I’m excited about the next step.

***