After a while, she prompts me,
“Go on, Claire.”
“Watching my three sons grow up without a father, day in and day out, is far worse.” My eyes fill with tears. “Every Saturday,” I whisper, hardly able to push the words past my lips. “Every Saturday . . . we go to their games. And when they do something good, they look up into the stands to see me.”
I stare straight ahead as I pause.
“Take your time, dear.”
“They’re so proud, and then I watch their little faces fall when they remember that their dad’s not here to see it.”
Elouise nods quietly.
“So yeah . . .” I shrug. “Little League is the hardest thing about my life.”
The group remains silent, and I glance up to see Deelan standing to the side of the circle. His hands are in his pockets, and his haunted eyes hold mine.
I drop my h
