Man, she was pretty.

“19 when we broke up.”

“19,” she repeated. She then shook her head in what Tate thought was disbelief. He didn’t understand why though. Young people get engaged all the time, so why did it matter how old he was?

“Why did y’all break up?” Piper asked.

“Piper…” Audrey warned, but again Piper ignored her, grinning over at Tate.

“Um, well….”

Tate hated thinking of Elsa. He had thought she was the one, the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with. His mother and father loved her, Matilda didn’t, but he knew she would warm up to her. Matilda loved Tate with all of her heart and didn’t think anyone was good enough for him. But then again, maybe Matilda was on to something because without warning Tate and Elsa’s relationship fell apart. He blamed a lot of it on himself, but she had her part too.

Tate still missed Elsa every once in a while, but it was nothing like the way he missed Audrey. It blew his mind the way he wanted her. He didn’t understand it. Tate consistently felt empty. It was worse when he didn’t get the chance to see Audrey’s luscious lips or her voluptuous body. He felt like he wanted to get in a hole and never ever come out again. The glimmer of hope that he might get to see her soon, helped Tate stay out of that hole. Call it juvenile but he was smitten with her. He just wished she felt the same.

It would make everything so much easier.

Tate looked up to see Piper still waiting for an answer. She was a persistent woman, that’s for sure.

“We, ahhh-”

“Tate you don’t have to answer her. She’s a pain.” Audrey said quickly, reaching over and smacking Piper. “Leave him be.”

“No, she’s fine,” Tate said because he wanted Audrey to know. Since talking directly towards her was awkward for her, this was the second best way. “When the Florida Rays made an offer, my family was really excited. I was going to play in America, on one of the best farm teams in the nation. Elsa, my ex, wasn’t too happy. She didn’t want to leave home, her job, her family. She told me that if I go, we are through.” Tate paused.

He had made the decision to leave a week after he buried his family. He had to leave; he couldn’t stay in that place. Not being able to hear his mother’s laugh, his father’s afternoon TV court shows, or his baby sister playing her violin or dancing around, honestly killed him. He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle living in the house where they all had lived their whole lives. So he left. He left everything.

“I told her this was a great opportunity, and that I was going. I asked her to come but she said, “No”. I asked if she wanted to do a long distance thing, but no, she didn’t want anything to do with me at all,” Tate finished. When he glanced up, Audrey was blinking at him while Piper was nodding.

“Her loss, because America is freaking awesome,” Piper exclaimed with a grin, “I’m also pretty sure that you’re freaking amazing too.”

Audrey rolled her eyes, falling back into her chair as Piper giggled. Tate smiled and leaned back also, giving Aiden a better place to lie. Aiden glanced up at Tate and smiled before taking another bite of his s’more. Tate smiled back, his heart filling with the love only a child could give him. He loved Aiden, a lot. The kid was just like his dad, and made him laugh constantly. When Tate was learning English, Aiden was always right there, trying to help. He was such a great kid.

“Are you looking for a girlfriend, Tate?”

Tate’s eyes met Piper’s as her face broke into a wicked grin. She slowly licked marshmallow off her finger and Tate had to chuckle. For a little woman, she sure was brash.

“For the love of God,” Audrey muttered, shaking her head.

“Well, Piper, who’s wondering? You?”

It was a Lucas thing to say, but this needed to be nipped in the bud. He didn’t want Piper and he didn’t want Audrey to think he did.

But Piper didn’t even blush, instead her grin grew. “Maybe. Maybe not. I have a source who is very curious but won’t ask anything.”

Tate smiled, hoping that it was Audrey. He had a feeling it was, but she wasn’t giving anything away. Her eyes were glued to her phone. She was constantly on that thing, he noticed. With a chuckle, Tate said, “If the right girl came around, sure.”

“Good to know,” she said. Audrey shook her head as Tate leaned back, shifting Aiden in his arms. The little guy had fallen asleep. His eye lashes fanned over his plump cheeks and his lips were slightly parted. He really was a sweet kid. Aiden’s head fell into the crook of his arm and Tate smiled down at him. He used to watch Matilda sleep all the time when she was younger. She was so pretty with her golden hair wrapping around her face. Her eye lashes were longer than Aiden’s, her lips fuller, but staring down at Aiden still brought back all the memories of her causing Tate’s heart to slowly break all over again. Matilda was almost five years younger than he and being a big brother, Tate felt extremely protective of her. He was always scared something horrible would happen to her.

And it did.

Before Tate could fully subject himself to the pain that was about to come, he was startled by the sound of hands being clapped together. Tate looked up to see Piper stand with her hands in the air.

“I am drunk!” she proclaimed, “too much beer.”

“Two cans,” Audrey said with a shake of her head. She then started dialing her phone before bringing it up to her ear.