"Ready to be defeated, Alpha?" I tried to keep my tone light, giving the ball a small toss.
The corner of his mouth twitched, as if fighting a genuine smile. "Give it your best shot, Sera."
''Just for today,' I thought, raising the ball, my eyes locked on his in a silent, fragile truce. 'Tomorrow, we go back to being distant exes.'
Time seemed to slip away in a blur of laughter and friendly competition. Alpha Kieran was a formidable goalkeeper, but with a little mother-son teamwork, we managed to score a respectable number of goals, at least enough to set a new personal record for Daniel.
"That was awesome, Mom! You're the best!" he cried, running to high-five me, his triumphant laughter a balm to my soul.
I pulled him into a tight hug, imprinting the feel of his small, solid body aga
