Free Crown's Chance at Love by Mayra Statham, Nicole Louise Page B

the meatball mixture.
    “Mom, Mike should go with us. I mean if you want to go. The place we go to, you get to add all your own toppings and stuff. It’s really good.”
    “I’d like that,” he says quickly and I look at him a little surprised. “It’s ready, should I start rolling?” he asks me.
    “Umm.. Yeah sure, want help?” I ask as he catches me off guard. Not sure what I was most surprised about, him wanting to help roll and cook meatballs or him wanting to go with us to get frozen yogurt. I decided not to think too much about it and go with the flow.
    “Sure… Penny want to roll meatballs with me?” he asks and she beams nodding as she goes to wash her hands. I feel like I have no idea who this little girl is in my kitchen, especially because Penny hates helping in the kitchen. I walk over to grab a pot for the pasta.
    “Mom! Mark keeps changing the NFL Network and they are having a special on the Harbough brothers!” Chris yells from the living room.
    “Mark, come on bud, Chris was watching first,” I shout back, slightly cringing at myself for yelling in front of Mike. I turn to look at Penny and Mike roll and start to cook up the meatballs on the cast iron pan.
    “Yeah but the Giants are playing mom!” Mark yells back and I take a deep breath.
    “Giants?” Mike whispers, “What kind of kids are you raising? Traitors?” Penny and I laugh.
    “We used to live up north in Berkeley before dad died, everyone’s a Giants fan there,” Penny says and I completely freeze as I am filling a pot of water to boil the pasta. I look over to Mike. He looks a little surprised but doesn’t say anything.
    “Well I guess that explains the Giants fascination, but you guys live here now… on the better part of California! We have the Dodgers and the Angels… even the Padres are better than the Giants,” he says teasingly.
    “Don’t let Mark hear you say that.” Penny jokes with him and I just stare at the interaction between them.
    “Mom! He won’t change it back.” Chris comes into the kitchen heading to the fridge, grabbing an apple he sits at the breakfast bar watching Mike and Penny make meatballs.
    “Chris it’s okay. How many times have you seen the Harbough brother’s special?”
    “That’s not the point Mom, I was watching first. Then his big head comes and changes it.” Chris pouts.
    “Baby watch your words.”
    “Big head isn’t a bad word.”
    “Chris! We have company please be nice,” I say as he starts to try my patience, but it really wasn’t what Chris was doing that was irritating me. I had irritated myself by not having been upfront with Mike about Sean.
    “Mike what would you rather watch? A special on one of the most interesting set of coaching brothers in the NFL, future football coaching legends OR watch the stupid Giants play?”
    He chuckles. “Bud I agree with you but I’m making meatballs. Want to help us?” he asks and I look over at Chris and he nods. Again I can’t seem to hold my smile back as I watch Chris wash his hands and head over to the mixture and start rolling meatballs.
    “This is what brains must look like,” he says and we all laugh.
    “That’s so gross Chris,” Penny chimes in.
    We cook and once the meatballs, sauce and pasta are all done, the kids go back to the living room to watch a movie.
    “Would you like something to drink?” I ask Mike, nervously since we have been left alone in the kitchen.
    “I’ll take another bottle of water.” I nod and grab us two bottles out of the fridge, and hand it over to him, “Want to go out back?”
    “Sure,” he says and he follows me, my heart’s beating hard. I know I have to explain about Sean and I am not sure how.
    We sit at the porch swing, his thigh touching mine and I look at him and smile.
    “So I should explain,” I say looking at him in the eye.
    “About?” he asks raising an eyebrow.
    “About the kid’s dad… my husband,” I say softly.
    He takes a deep breath,