She just shook her head. “Luca’s good people. I’ll hang with him anytime.”
Luca grinned even wider. “Arden’s going to teach me how to gallop!”
Sutton’s face paled. “Gallop?” she squeaked.
Luca nodded so fast his head was a blur. “Yup! And maybe I can do barrel racing one day.”
Sutton pressed a hand to her chest. “You can’t love golf?”
His face scrunched up. “Sweater vests, Mom. Ew.”
I laughed as I moved to wrap an arm around Sutton. “Give it up, Mama. Your kid is way too cool for golf.”
She sighed, slumping against me. “It was worth a try.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I released Sutton to pull it out.
Angie
This just got sent to me. I thought you might want a heads-up.
An article from a huge sports site was linked.Copeland Colson Uses Friend’s Funeral to Show Off New Girlfriend. I scanned thearticle, my temper spiking hotter with each sentence. Accusations that called into question whether I cared about Teddy’s memory at all.
Fucking hell.
Then the page reloaded with an update.
This just in. We’re hearing Cope decked teammate Marcus Warner, son of the late, great Weston Warner. When will the Sparks have enough and finally trade this risk to their organization? We’re hearing it might be sooner rather than later.
23
SUTTON
“Do you think Cope is okay?”Luca asked as I set the book we were reading on the nightstand.
My tenderhearted boy. He might be a mini adrenaline junkie, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a softer side. I loved the balance that continued to grow within him, and I wanted to nurture those empathetic pieces, even if it meant he had to live with worry. Because if there was one thing I could dream for my boy, it was for him to be kind. And kindness meant feeling things deeply.
I brushed those light-brown locks away from his face, exposing eyes that were almost identical to mine. “I think he’s hurting, but he’ll be okay.”
Luca’s lips pursed. “I wish I could make it better.”
“Me, too, baby. But I know you helped tonight.”
His brows rose. “I did?”
“Are you kidding me? AMighty Ducksmarathon with all the snacks in the world? What could be better than that?”
Luca let out a soft giggle. “It’s the best movie ever.”
I grinned at my kid. I’d memorized every word of the film overthe past couple of years. It was a miracle we hadn’t worn out the DVD with as much playtime as it got.
I leaned down and brushed my lips across Luca’s temple. “So proud of you.”
Pink hit his cheeks. “Moooom.”
“I am. Nothing makes me prouder than seeing how you care for other people, how kind you are.”
“I get it from you,” Luca said softly. “You take care of everybody. Even the bees.”
