A Father's Love

Chapter 66

Shelby had Sunday brunch with her aunt and uncle and cousins at the diner per the deal. The boys wanted to help introduce their cousin to the basics of soccer, so they begged Luke to let them take Shelby for a couple hours. Since Jess had gone off to run some errands, Luke couldn't send him this time. Rebecca assured him though, nothing was going to happen and that no one was going to bring up Rachel. It took a lot to get him to say yes. It helped when Luke asked Shelby what she thought of going to the park with them alone and said she didn't mind and admitted she wanted to go. So, he let them take her. It made him a nervous wreck for sure, but then what didn't? Thankfully, it worked out well and Shelby had a great time learning the basics of soccer. They had to go to the sporting goods store for a soccer ball, which the boys let Shelby keep, thus gaining another new ball. They even helped Luke out and got her a pair of socks, shin guards, and soccer cleats, which was what Luke needed to get, anyway.

Her first practice ended up being on Tuesday, a couple hours after Shelby got home from school. Leaving Caesar and Jess in charge, Luke and Shelby drove over to where the practices and games were being held, parking beside the field. The minute Shelby spotted her teacher, she dashed over to him.

Instead of sitting with the soccer moms, Luke turned his truck around and parked backwards, sitting on the tailgate to watch.

Mr. Harris had the kids introduce themselves first before starting some stretches and warm-ups, then taught them some drills, starting with the basics. The first time the kids took a water break, Luke had to whistle to her to grab her attention and waved Shelby over when she found him. Shelby hurried over to take the water bottle they brought with them.

"Doing great out there, kiddo," he praised, passing her the water bottle.

Shelby took a long drink before thanking her dad.

"You like it so far?"

She gave a quick shrug. "It's okay."

"Well, just remember our deal. Stick through the season, then you won't have to play again if you don't want to. Gotta see things through until the end without quitting," Luke reminded her.

Shelby nodded. "Okay, Dad."

"Besides, you can use this as practice for basketball. You know, like moving around the court and passing, and stuff like that."

Her eyebrows rose at that. "This can help me with bas'i'ball?" she asked in surprise.

"Sure, you bet. There's some similarities between the two," he said.

That got her excited once again. Once Shelby had her fill, she handed the water bottle back to him and Luke told her to hustle back to her team.

This time around, there were a few other girls besides Shelby, on her team, instead of just boys. Any time Mr. Harris asked for a volunteer to help demonstrate a drill or move, Shelby would raise her hand to volunteer, jumping up when he called on her. She still said nothing, but was a good little assistant, trying her best.

While the practice continued, one of the soccer moms came over to Luke. The mom really looked the part, too. Down to the jogging suit, to the fancy, white-framed sunglasses on top of her head. She also wore Nikes tennis shoes.

"Luke Danes, right?"

Luke stood up from the tailgate to shake her hand. "That's right." He then pointed out his kid as the one with the backwards baseball cap.

She smiled, sweetly. "I kind of figured she was yours. Just a hunch." The woman gave him a friendly wink. "I'm Caitlyn Hudson. Mine is Jacob," she pointed over to a boy with short, light brown hair. "He's the one with the freckles all over his face."