Page 5 of Shotgun Spouse
“Definitely,” Teddy said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s show her what we’ve got.”
As they walked toward the court, Teddy felt a flicker of hope, not just for Jason, but for all the kids here. Maybe he couldn’t fix everything, but he could show up. And sometimes, that was enough.
The basketball smacked against the hardwood floor of the gym, echoing like a drumbeat as Teddy dribbled toward the hoop. Sweat slicked his forehead, and his tie, long abandoned, was now looped lazily through his back pocket. A group of kids swarmed around him as they tried to steal the ball. It was supposed to be three on three, but five on one was just as fun.
“Mayor Carter, you’re going down!” shouted Lily, her pigtails bouncing as she sprinted toward him.
“Oh, is that so?” Teddy teased, sidestepping her with exaggerated flair. The kids groaned collectively as he spun and took a shot, the ball arcing beautifully through the air before swishing through the net.
“Boom! That’s how it’s done,” Teddy crowed, throwing his hands in the air like a champion.
Lily huffed, planting her hands on her hips. “You’re supposed to let us win.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” he shot back, grabbing the ball and tossing it to one of the older kids.
As the game resumed, Teddy’s grin softened into something more contemplative. This was what mattered. The laughter, the joy, the spark in the kids’ eyes as they forgot everything else for a little while.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, his thoughts shifting to Bunny. He hadn't found her before it was time for the after-school program. But he had found the stack of proposals she’d left on his desk. Bunny’s meticulous handwriting had been all over them, every detail outlined with a level of care that would put a Swiss watchmaker to shame.
She'd left a note about both the after-school program and the federal grant. Teddy had told the others he hadn't decided yet, but it was clear to all where his priorities lay. The potholes, the streetlights, the sidewalks—all important, sure. But his priority wasn’t asphalt or bulbs. It was here, in this gym, where kids like Jason could look forward to a safe place to land after school.
Bunny didn’t get it, not really. To her, it was about balance sheets and efficiency. To him, it was about the future. The kids might not understand the full weight of what this program gave them now, but they would. Someday.
“Mayor Carter.” Lily’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “You’re not paying attention.”
Teddy jogged toward the fray as the ball bounced erratically across the court. He swooped it up, narrowly avoiding Jason’s attempt to snatch it away.
“Nice try, buddy,” Teddy said with a grin, dribbling toward the hoop. The hardwood vibrated beneath his sneakers as he made his way across the court.
“Block him!” one of the kids yelled, and suddenly, a swarm of pint-sized defenders surrounded him.
Teddy laughed, his breath coming fast as he dodged one, then another. He leapt, the ball in his hand, and dunked it with a dramatic flourish.
The kids erupted in groans and cheers, a cacophony of good-natured chaos. Teddy landed on the floor, hands on his knees, grinning like a fool.
“All right, all right,” he said, holding up his hands in surrender. “You got me. Next one’s yours.”
He straightened, his chest heaving slightly as he glanced at the clock on the gym wall. Time to wrap it up. The after-school program wasn’t just a line item on a budget to him. It was a lifeline, the kind of thing that could make or break a kid’s future.
He clapped his hands, drawing the kids’ attention. “All right, team. I gotta head out, but you keep practicing over winter break. I expect to see some real competition in the new year.”
The kids groaned in unison, but a few of them waved as he grabbed his coat and headed toward the door. Even Bettie had come out from beneath the bleachers to wave goodbye to him.
The cool December air hit Teddy like a shock as he stepped outside, the faint scent of pine and snow in the air. He jogged to his car, the urgency building in his chest. He had one last mayoral duty today before he began his holiday break—not that mayors truly got a break.
He'd printed out the speech Bunny had written for him to give at this event and?—
A glance at the seat told him he'd left his briefcase back at the office. That was the last thing he needed: Bunny accusing him yet again of not respecting her work and going off-script. Truth be told, Teddy was better at winging it on a microphone than espousing the crafted words. But he didn't want any reason to have her roll her eyes at him. Not when he wanted to make them flutter when he asked her out. So he'd give the speech she prepared. He just had to go back to the office to get it.
Teddy gripped the steering wheel with one hand, the other tapping a slow rhythm on the dashboard as the wipers cleared snow from the windshield. The streets were quiet, muffled by the thick blanket of snow that had been falling all afternoon.
His thoughts, as usual, strayed to Bunny. Bunny with her perfectly pressed blouses and the faint smell of lemon from her tea. Bunny with that sharp, no-nonsense tone she reserved just for him.
She thought he was a mess, didn’t she? He could see it in her exasperated looks, hear it in the way she sighed when he went off-script or—he smiled to himself—when he charmed his waythrough another crisis. But she didn’t understand. He wasn’t irresponsible; he just… prioritized differently.
Fun, that’s what she needed. A little fun. And he was the guy to give it to her.
He parked the car and stepped out, pulling his coat tighter against the biting wind. The snow was still falling, blanketing the world in white. A storm was brewing, a big one.
