Free Strike Out by Cheryl Douglas Page B

his bare feet. “She’s gonna be real mad that I called you.”
    Zach had never been so furious and hurt. How could Rennie have done that? What possible reason could she have had for keeping him from his child? He knew he needed to cool down before he faced his son’s mother. He couldn’t trust himself not to make a scene, and he didn’t want to ruin Tyler’s tenth birthday party. Ten . His son was ten, and Zach had to come to terms with the fact that he’d missed out on so much… because another man was raising his son. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he needed to tell his son, but he couldn’t. They would have to break it to him gently, but a part of Zach resented waiting another minute to let Tyler know he was his. “I’ll handle your mama. Are you having a good party so far?”
    “Yeah, it’s pretty great,” Tyler said, a wide smile spreading across his face. “Especially now that you’re here. I told my friends you were coming, but they didn’t believe me.”
    Zach saw a group of a dozen boys, who looked as though they ranged in age from ten to twelve, huddled together, whispering and pointing at Zach. He lifted a hand to acknowledge the kids. He would have to greet them later, but the only kid he was interested in spending time with was his own. “Listen, I have a present for you in the car. Why don’t we go and grab it?”
    “Zach,” Lenora said, placing her hand on her son’s shoulder, “don’t you think you should check with his mother first?”
    He didn’t think he could stand to look at Rennie, much less ask her permission to spend a few minutes alone with the son she’d made it her life’s mission to keep from him. “If she asks, tell her we’ll be right back.” Zach stood up, realizing his mother was probably as anxious to make Tyler’s acquaintance as he had been. “Hey, buddy, this is my mama.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Foster,” Tyler said shyly.
    Zach’s heart swelled with pride. Even though he’d had nothing to do with instilling those impeccable manners in Tyler, he couldn’t help himself. He was his son. His son . And Zach wanted the whole world to know. He caught Jackie watching them, and that’s when he realized they’d all been in on Rennie’s secret. For years, he’d treated those people like family, even after Rennie left, because he loved and trusted them. He had to face facts—they’d executed the ultimate betrayal.
    “It’s nice to meet you too, Tyler,” Lenora said with a watery smile as she bent to slip her hand into his. “Happy birthday, by the way. I heard you like golf, so we bought you a gift certificate for golf camp and private lessons with one of our pros this summer.”
    “Seriously?” Tyler’s dark eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “That’d be awesome!”
    “So you like sports, huh, kid?” Zach ruffled Tyler’s hair. His hair was the exact same color as Zach’s—dark-blond with brown and lighter blond streaks.
    “Are you kidding? Sports are pretty much my life.” He grinned. “I wanna be a professional pitcher just like you when I grow up, Zach.”
    Zach. He couldn’t wait for the day when Tyler would call him Dad. “Good thing you’re getting started young then. It’s hard work, but with the right combination of talent and luck, it could happen.” The chances of the average kid becoming a professional athlete with akin to their parents winning the lottery, but he would die before he’d quash his son’s dreams. If his parents hadn’t believed in him and taught him to believe in himself, he wouldn’t be where he was.
    “I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” Tyler said, lifting his chin.
    Zach’s lips quirked. “You know, the right coaching could go a long way to helping you.”
    “My dad used to coach my teams.” His eyes fell to a butterfly flitting around a nearby bush.
    The last thing Zach wanted to talk about was the man who had taken his place. He put his arm around Tyler’s shoulder and