The Problem with Sports - M.E. Clayton Page 0,17

had started dating again. It was about eight months after our divorce was finalized, and while I knew he’d eventually move on, it had still hurt. Not in a jealous, heartbroken way, but more of a stamp of finalization that our marriage was, indeed, over.

However, I had been grateful that he had told me, and I hadn’t had to hear about it on social media or through gossip. And to his credit, he hadn’t looked happy about the conversation either. There was also the fact that it had taken eight months, after our divorce, before he could bring himself to get back out there again.

It was hard when a divorce was due to irreconcilable differences. It was sad to know that we just hadn’t been able to work things out. Our emotions had gotten the better of us, and we hadn’t been able to climb out of the tangled web that had trapped us.

“Maybe not,” he conceded. “But that doesn’t change the way I feel, Andie.”

“You don’t get to be jealous, Steven,” I repeated.

“I’m not jealous,” he denied. He let out a soft sigh. “I know I’m the reason we got divorced. I know it. But that doesn’t mean I no longer care about you or feel the need to look out for you. You’re still my family, Andie. You and Grant are still the most important things in the world to me. You will always be my son’s mother, and I don’t want to have to stand back and watch you get swept away by the likes of Nathan Hayes.”

“The likes?” I choked out in a strangled laugh.

“C’mon, Andie,” he grimaced. “A professional athlete? As beautiful as you are, I doubt the man’s used to being monogamous.” That was one thing I was never lacking with Steven. My confidence had been strong in our marriage because I knew Steven really believed me to be beautiful.

“And because of that very thing, I am positive Nathan Hayes is not interested in me, Steven,” I reiterated. “The man can have anyone on the planet he wants. There’s no way he wants a divorced mother of a young son.”

Steven scoffed.

I grinned.

“Steven, he was just really impressed with how knowledgeable Grant was in sports,” I told him. “He took an interest, and that is it.”

Steven nodded, then dragged me into his arms in a tight hug. “Just be careful, Andie,” he muttered in my hair.

“This is about Grant,” I reassured him. “Just Grant.”

Steven pulled back and gave me an unconvincing nod. “Look, I’ll think about it this week,” he promised. “But if we do this, then it’s us taking him to his first game, and it’s going to be a football game.” I smiled. “Since football is his favorite sport, that’s what we’ll give him. The regular season doesn’t start until September, but that’ll give us plenty of time to get tickets, or whatever.”

I looked at him and knew that if this had been the Steven I had been dealing with when Grant had been diagnosed, we’d still be married. But no matter how far he’s come, there was no way I could ever forget how cruel and self-absorbed he’d been that year following Grant’s diagnosis.

We went back inside the house, and Grant was watching Sports Center. When he saw us, he looked irritated. “They’re talking about trading Grier Malone next season,” he announced. “Who in their right mind would trade Grier Malone?”

My brows rose. “And…”

“He’s the best striker in soccer, Mom,” he replied, as if I should know this.

“Sometimes it’s not about the talent, bud,” Steven said. “Maybe he’s not getting along with his teammates or something.”

“It’s not that hard to get along with people,” he grumbled, but then, he was just a kid. He didn’t know yet that people sucked.

Steven looked over at me. “Do you mind if I hang out a bit?” It wasn’t an odd request. Steven’s hung out plenty of times since we moved here.

I nodded. “Sure.” Then I went to the bedroom to get my Kindle, so that he and Grant could hang out in front of the television.

All things considered, it could be worse.

Chapter 10

Nathan~

I had expected some friction, but not a full-blown argument.

But this little dude was really arguing with me.

“All I’m saying is that all those sports records aren’t a true reflection of the player or players,” Grant repeated, sounding all as if his opinion was fact.

“So, you’re saying when a…quarterback throws for a pass that exceeds the previous record, it’s bullsh-crap?”

“Apples and oranges,” he