Swing and a Mishap

by Tara Sivec

  “I’m gonna throw my goddamn money around the right way this time without crossing any lines,” I tell Murphy as the call connects to a hedge fund company in North Carolina.

  CHAPTER 20

  Wren

  “I was taught to hit and steal.”

  “You didn’t know he was failing Algebra? Why am I not surprised?” Kevin asks smugly, and I just sigh, looking down at my phone for the tenth time.

  It serves me right that Shepherd isn’t replying. God, I was so awful to him last night.

  “I’m not failing!” Owen shouts angrily, and I quickly look away from my phone and wrap a reassuring arm around my son’s shoulders, so freaking pissed off Kevin ambushed us when we were playing catch in the front yard.

  Playing catch with Owen always calms me down and makes everything better. Every year that he’s gotten older and he’s needed me less and less, no matter what I’m doing, I will always stop everything when he hands me my glove and asks me to toss him some balls. For a few minutes in time, I can stand out in this yard and pretend like he isn’t growing up right in front of my eyes, and all I see standing across the yard from me is that little boy who’d rest his head on my lap while we watched a movie, and who wouldn’t let me go to sleep until I read him three bedtime stories.

  For a few minutes tonight, I was able to forget about what a stupid, stupid mistake I made last night with Shepherd. I’ve spent all day beating myself up about it, trying to find the right words to say to him to apologize and hope that he forgives me for saying such hurtful and callous things to him I never meant, and then Kevin had to come along and ruin it.

  And now I have a headache, because he won’t fucking shut up.

  “I’m not failing, Mom,” Owen quickly reassures me, looking at me with worried, pleading eyes, and I just want to punch that smug look off Kevin’s face for making my baby feel like this. “I failed my last test, and it brought my grade down to a D, and I already sent a text to Chris, and he’s gonna come over tomorrow and start tutoring me again. I was gonna tell you; I swear.”

  “I know,” I tell him softly, giving him a reassuring smile and squeezing my arm around his shoulders tighter. “It’s okay.”

  “Maybe if you didn’t work so much or spend so much time sleeping around with his coach, you’d know what our son’s grades were,” Kevin sneers.

  “Screw you,” Owen immediately growls, and I have to tighten my hold on him when he tries to charge.

  “Nice manners you’ve taught him.”

  “Oh, eat shit, Kevin,” I finally mutter, having had just about enough of the last ten minutes of him berating me about my parenting skills and what a slut I am in front of my son.

  “Nice. Really nice, Wren. What an excellent role model you are.” Kevin snorts, not even realizing what a hypocrite he is, as he just stands here in my fucking front yard, on my island, in his stupid pastel button-down and white linen pants, wearing loafers with no socks, and so much product slicking his hair back I wish Tess was here with a lighter.

  “Owen, go inside.”

  “But I—”

  “Go inside!”

  I can count on one hand how many times I’ve raised my voice with my son, and Owen knows when I mean business. Just to make sure he knows my anger isn’t aimed at him, I quickly lean in and press my lips to the side of his head. I take a deep breath of the smell of his hair fresh from the shower he took before we came out here to play catch, before whispering in his ear.

  “I love you. I’ve got this. I promise. Go inside.”

  Owen pulls his head back to look at me, and I smile at him, dropping my arm from his shoulders and holding my fist out to him. He gives me a fist bump and a crooked smile then turns and starts walking away from me, my heart swelling with pride and making me remember that no matter what Kevin says, I have done an excellent job raising him.

  For once, I’m glad Owen isn’t a toddler when he slams his shoulder into Kevin’s as hard as he can as he walks by him, making me let out a snort of amusement. Especially when Kevin curses in pain like a big baby and starts rubbing his arm. As soon as Owen is up the steps and the front door is slamming shut behind him, I let go of that tight hold I had on my anger, not wanting my son to witness his mother losing her shit. Glancing down at my silent phone one last time just in case, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

  It’s fine. I can do this. This isn’t his fight anyway.

  “Let me tell you what’s going to happen, now that—”

  “In case you didn’t hear me the first time, eat shit,” I cut Kevin off, slowly opening my eyes. “Yes, I work a lot, and yes, I wasn’t aware that Owen had just failed a math test this morning, because I was at work. But where in the fuck have you been for the last fifteen years? You’ve never given a shit about my son, so don’t pretend to give a shit now. You’re just threatened, because someone else came along to take the place you never deserved. He’s better than you, and he’s kinder than you, and he only thinks of Owen’s happiness instead of his own fucking agenda, and God I love him so much for that. Fuck! You are such a piece of shit!”

  I throw my hands up in the air in frustration, because it doesn’t even matter what I say to this man; nothing is going to get through that narcissistic, bullshit head of his.

  “You sure do talk a big game, acting all tough when you actually called in the cavalry, because you’re weak,” Kevin mutters, jerking his chin back behind me.

  Before I can ask him what the hell he’s talking about, I turn around to see Shepherd stalking across my front lawn, with Palmer, Bodhi, and Murphy not far behind him, as Tess and Birdie squeal up to the curb in Tess’s golf cart.

  Shepherd’s eyes are locked on mine as he moves. My heart is pounding in my chest that he’s actually here, and I have just enough time to lock my knees and brace myself before he’s just walking right into my body, wrapping his arms around me, and crashing his lips to mine. My arms fly around his shoulders, and I cling to him as tightly as I can, whimpering into his mouth when he kisses the hell out of me, plunging his tongue through my mouth and bruising my lips with the force of his kiss.

  “Um, hello? We were in the middle of a discussion.”

  The annoyed complaint from Kevin has Shepherd yanking his mouth away from mine with a growl as I slide my hands down to rest against his chest to feel the steady beat of his heart beneath my palms, reassuring me that he’s really here and I don’t have to do this alone. I know I can; I just don’t want to. Shepherd keeps his eyes on mine as he quickly unwraps his arms from around me to bring his hands up and cup my cheeks.

  “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch.” Shepherd smiles down at me, making me laugh and shake my head at him, knowing he probably passed a minimum of two golf carts on his way here. “You okay?”

  “I am now. I just have a headache that weighs around 175 pounds, reeks of Axe body spray, and won’t shut the hell up.”

  Shepherd chuckles, and I just stare up into his blue eyes looking at me with so much love in them, wondering how in the hell I could have ever compared him to Kevin.

  “You came,” I whisper, finally feeling like I can breathe again now that he’s standing right in front of me and he doesn’t hate me for what I said to him last night.

  “Of course I did. I should have been here sooner. I’m so sorry.”

  “No.” I shake my head, fisting the front of his shirt in my hands. “I’m sorry. You are nothing like him, and I never should have said that to you. I was just scared, and I felt like I was losing Owen, and it has nothing to do with you or the money or what an amazing thing you did for him, even though I’m still kind of pissed you didn’t talk to me about it first, and that can never happen again, and I swear to God if my baby moves to California, I will gut you like a fish.”

  “And I will gladly hand you the knife,” Shepherd chuckles softly, dropping his head to rest his forehead against mine while his thumbs brush back and forth against my cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry I las
hed out at you like that. I just kept hearing all the stupid crap in my head I’ve been hearing for years and I took it out on you.”

  “Voice of reason right here, folks!” Bodhi shouts from where he’s leaning against Kevin’s golf cart in the driveway.

  “What a weak little bitch.”

  I have to lock my knees once again and push like hell against Shepherd’s chest when he drops his hands from my face and tries to move around me to get to Kevin.

  “Hey, knight in shining armor,” I say softly, bringing one of my hands up to the side of Shepherd’s face to get him to look at me instead of the idiot who can’t keep his mouth shut behind me. “I’ve got this. Let the queen handle this one.”

  Shepherd finally looks down at me, the corner of his mouth slowly tipping up until I can see his dimple, and all of that fire and murderous rage he was aiming at Kevin disappears from his face.

  “As you wish, my queen,” Shepherd says softly, smirking at me as he takes a step back and sweeps his arm down and up in a graceful arc, pointing me in Kevin’s direction.

  I just want to kiss that damn smirking mouth of his again, but I have some trash to take out first. Turning around with Shepherd at my back, and the rest of my family and friends standing around my yard supporting me, I glare at the man who has made me feel like shit for far too long, finally understanding that he doesn’t have any power or control over me anymore unless I give it to him. And I’m done giving it to him. Especially when I have a man like Shepherd standing behind me, making sure of it.

  “Get the hell off this island and don’t come back,” I tell Kevin, crossing my arms in front of me.

  “I’m not just going to stand around and let some washed-up baseball player take what’s mine.”

  “Oh, hey now,” Shepherd pipes up from behind me. “I just retired like, a month ago. I won’t be washed up for at least five years.”

  “Oooh, better make it four,” Palmer shouts from the driveway, where he has his arm wrapped tight around Birdie’s waist, looking like he’s trying to hold her back just like I did with Shepherd. “The Bennett sisters are exhausting.”

  Everyone laughs when Birdie elbows Palmer in the stomach, and then Kevin has to go and ruin it again.

  “In case you’re forgetting something, I’m his father, and there are laws preventing this pathetic little bitch from keeping me from my son.”

  I just sigh, so used to these words at this point, but I have to quickly bring my hand up and hold it against Shepherd’s chest when he growls and steps right up against my back. I know it must be killing him that I won’t let him rearrange Kevin’s face, but I love that he’s staying behind me and letting me fight this battle.

  “Really? You’re his father?” I ask Kevin, taking a step toward him. “What’s his favorite color? His favorite food? His favorite snack? What PlayStation game does he play more than any other? What was his first word? What’s his shoe size? What does he always ask for when he’s sick? Who’s his favorite teacher?”

  Kevin opens and closes his mouth, unable to answer even one goddamn question about his own son, just like I knew.

  “Neon green. His mom’s spaghetti and homemade garlic bread, but it has to be angel hair pasta or it’s just gross. Salty is Cool Ranch Doritos, and sweet is a Hershey bar with almonds. MLB The Show 20, although he still sneaks in a lot of Fortnite but will never admit it to another living soul. ‘Titi,’ which is short for auntie, which made Aunt Birdie deliriously happy and Mom not so much. Seven and a half. A Sprite with a straw and Flavor Blasted Goldfish crackers, but they have to be put in the plastic Spongebob bowl. And Mrs. Schneider,” Shepherd rattles off without missing a beat or even pausing to think.

  God, I love this man so much.

  “You’re his coach and you’re screwing his mother,” Kevin tries once again with his sad attempt at making me feel bad. “Of course you know a lot of stuff about him, because you’re around him all the time.”

  “And whose fault is that?” I fire back. “No one but yourself. You’ve had fifteen years to be a father to that amazing, wonderful boy inside that house and to get to know him, and you chose not to. It says a lot about a man by the way he treats his child’s mother. You’ve never hidden the way you feel about me in front of him, and it’s spoken volumes over the years. It’s your fault Owen can’t even stand to look at you or be in the same room with you, not mine, and certainly not Shepherd’s, who is more of a man than you could ever even hope to be and has done nothing but love us and take care of us, and never once makes us feel like we aren’t good enough for him. So for the last time, take your narcissistic bullshit off this island and stay the hell away from me and Owen. He has a father now, and it certainly isn’t you.”

  Everyone in the yard starts clapping, cheering, and whistling when I finish my speech, but I stay still and quiet as Kevin’s face gets beet-red and his hands clench into fists at his sides. I silently watch the anger building up in him, knowing something super special is about to come out of his mouth, because he really doesn’t like to be embarrassed in front of other people.

  “Oh, you’re a fucking cunt!”

  “Nope,” Shepherd immediately states calmly from behind me.

  With a gentle shove against my shoulder to push me out of the way, Shepherd takes three giant steps forward, pulls his fist back, and punches Kevin right in the face.

  There’s a collective “Oooh” of pain from the front yard crowd.

  “You asshole! You broke my fucking nose!” Kevin wails in a muffled voice, bent over at the waist with his hands up over his face and blood pouring through his fingers.

  Shepherd just shakes out his hand and turns back around with a smile on his face as he walks back to me.

  “Sorry, my queen. I couldn’t let that one stand.”

  “You’re forgiven,” I tell him with a smile. “How’s your hand?”

  Shepherd lets me take his hand and bring it up to my mouth for a quick kiss to make the pain go away.

  “Hurts like a bitch, but probably not as much as his face.” Shepherd winks, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder at Kevin, who is now freaking out about the blood stains on his expensive shirt.

  “Do you have any idea who my father is?” Kevin shouts while Shepherd and I just stand here staring at each other with sappy smiles on our faces. “You are going down, you piece of shit! Oh my God, I am going to own you!” He just laughs like a maniac while his phone starts ringing in his pocket.

  “I know you’ve got this handled, baby, but do you mind if I take one more swing, just for old time’s sake?” Shepherd asks, making me wonder how I ever survived without him in my life.

  “Swing away, Oliver.”

  With a kiss to the tip of my nose, Shepherd turns and wraps his arm around my shoulders, leaning against me casually while Kevin’s phone continues to ring from his pocket.

  “Actually, I do know your father, Kevin,” Shepherd tells him with amusement on his face as he brings his hand up to study his nails, making me laugh. “We had a nice little chat on my way over here. Turns out Roger Stratford is a huge Hawks fan, and he was just so delighted to get a phone call from little old me, Shepherd Oliver. Coincidentally one of his favorite Hawks players. But I mean, can you blame him? I’m a pretty big deal. You gonna get that?” Shepherd pauses to glance down at Kevin’s pocket where his phone is still ringing and then shrugs.

  “Anyway, he wasn’t too happy about all the bullshit his son has been pulling, and really wasn’t happy about the whole Dip and Twist thing, you naughty boy.” Shepherd chuckles and wags his finger at Kevin.

  “Are you kidding me? He really did trash the shop?” I mutter, glaring at Kevin, who is now starting to turn an alarming shade of green as Shepherd continues.

  “Turns out he’s been trying to get season tickets for years and hasn’t been able to. But no worries, Kevin! I hooked Daddy up. He’s got season tickets behind home plate for life and a press pass to get into the locker room whenever he wants, to
go with it. Seriously, you might want to answer that phone now.”

  The ringing finally stops when Kevin pulls his phone out of his pocket with a shaky hand, bringing it up to his ear. His eyes widen and actually fill with tears, and no one says a word until Kevin suddenly runs as fast as he can out of my yard.

  Bodhi, Tess, Palmer, and Birdie all step away from his golf cart as he scrambles inside it with the phone still up to his ear, backing up and peeling away so fast he almost runs right into Tess’s golf cart parked against the curb. It’s not until he’s out of sight that everyone finally throws their heads back and laughs.

  “And that, ladies and gentleman, is what it looks like when daddy has your yacht and your Porsche impounded, and then threatens to cut off the rest of your money.”

  When Shepherd leans in to give me a kiss, I quickly bring my hand up to his mouth to stop him.

  “Hold that thought. I need to go inside and get Owen.”

  Knowing there’s no way I can truly celebrate what just happened here without my son, I turn and race back into the house, feeling happier and lighter than I have in a really long time.

  175 pounds of douchebag lighter, to be exact.

  CHAPTER 21

  Shepherd

  “Swing and a Mishap.”

  I don’t even pay attention to the celebration happening behind me. I just stand here in the middle of Wren’s yard staring at her front door she disappeared behind a few minutes ago with a big, shit-eating grin on my face. I bounce on the balls of my feet, not wanting to move an inch until she and Owen come back outside.

  Until my family comes back outside.

  “He’s better than you, and he’s kinder than you, and he only thinks of Owen’s happiness instead of his own fucking agenda, and God, I love him so much for that.”