Page 32 of The Way Love Heals

Clearing her throat, Brielle said, “Nyle, the team did so well today. I was so proud to see you out there coaching them. AJ is something special, Brittish. I can see him going very far with baseball.”

My heart swelled. Anytime anyone complimented AJ on baseball made me so proud. “Thank you. Right now, outside of me, it’s the love of his life. He puts his all into it.”

“He does.” Diamond agreed. “I didn’t know Nyle was his coach. You used to play or something?”

“Oh, did he.” Lela Mae beamed, reaching over and placing her hands on top of Nyle’s. “He’s been playing since he was three. I remember when we first signed him up for T-ball. It was the cutest thing, but even then, I could see the passion in his eyes. He went all the way through college, going to school on a baseball scholarship.”

“That’s what’s up.” Dionte bobbed his head. “That makes me feel better about AJ being on his team. Some of these coaches’ hearts aren’t in it for real, and it can make a difference.”

Nyle chimed in. “You’re right. I’ve seen a lot throughout my time playing, so my goal is to pour into the boys and grow their passion. Baseball can take them far.”

“It truly can, especially young Black boys. I used to hear all the time about how it was the white man’s sport, but we all know Black people have been dominating from the very beginning.”

Everyone at the table agreed. Once our drinks arrived, the conversation shifted to other things. Every so often, I could feel Lela Mae watching me. Her brows rose when Nyle laced his fingers with mine. She tried to be discreet by nudging Brielle and telling her to look, but I caught it. I didn’t say anything, but I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through their minds.

“Brittish.” Lela Mae called my name, and I gulped. Under the table, Dionte squeezed my thigh to calm me.

“Ma’am?”

“How did you and my grandson meet?”

Low laughs sounded off all over the table. Nyle lowered his head while Naheem looked back and forth between us, waiting for us to answer. Since Lela Mae had directed the question to me, I carefully chose my words.

“We met at the club one night.”

She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. “That’s not the type of scene I expected. Let me guess . . .” When she leaned forward and glared at Naheem, Nyle and Brielle started laughing. Pointing her finger at Naheem, Lela Mae said, “You’re the one who took him there, aren’t you?”

Naheem shrugged. “I just wanted to clear his mind from the dreams, that’s all.”

“What dreams?” Diamond inquired, and the table went silent.

Ellie was the one to break it. “Does Uncle Nyle have bad dreams?”

“Sometimes, sweetie,” was all Brielle offered.

My hand immediately tightened around Nyle’s. He seemed to be fine. There wasn’t a far-off look in his eyes, and I wondered if that had to do with him being around his family. They were the ones to help him through it, so I was sure they brought him peace about it as well.

“That’s a hard conversation,” Nyle answered. “Let’s just sum it up and say there’s a reason I go hard for the boys I coach. There’s a reason I protect them the way I do.”

Diamond didn’t push it. He simply nodded and said, “I respect it.”

Once again, Lela Mae brought the conversation back to me. “So, Brittish. Why aren’t you and your child’s father together?”

“Nannie!” All three of her grandchildren sounded off.

“What?” She hunched one shoulder and took a sip of her drink. “I’m simply trying to get to know her and her story. It’s obvious Nyle is smitten by her, so I want to know some of her background.” Her eyes found mine. “I’m not trying to offend you or anything, Brittish. If I am, I’m sorry. I’m just genuinely curious.”

From what I could tell, her words were sincere. She seemed like the type to like it straight with no chaser, and I could respect that.

“Our relationship was toxic, especially after we had our son. We grew apart and didn’t need to force ourselves to be together for the sake of our son. We’re better apart, and a lot of it has to do with how awesome his wife is. If it wasn’t for her, I’m not sure he’d be as active in AJ’s life as he is. In the end, we simply weren’t meant to be.”

“Damn sure wasn’t.” Diamond snorted. “I almost wanted to take his head off for how he did you, but he’s good now. Only because of the way he shows up for my nephew.”

Lela Mae pursed her lips together and gave one slow nod. “Oh, I understand toxic relationships. You should be proud of yourself for leaving and doing what’s best for yourself and your son. It’s not always easy, especially when you love someone.”

And there it was, something other than Nyle we were able to connect on.

The remainder of dinner went smoothly. We talked and laughed for hours until Lela Mae was tired and ready to go. Sweetly, Nyle took care of the bill for everyone. Once I was safely inside his truck, I exhaled the deepest breath, grateful everything went better than expected.