In The Depths Of Her Soul

Chapter Seven

"Momma?"

"Yes, baby girl?" Regina sweetly coos, peeking down at her daughter who is clinging abnormally tight to her hand like it's her lifeline.

The baseball cap is keeping Evie's eyes hidden from Regina's view, but she continues to watch her daughter closely.

"Who's that?"

"Who is who?"

Evie extends her arm forward and points near the baseball field, encouraging Ruby, Ivy and herself to follow the direction of the little arm.

"That man...playing catch with Henry?"

Regina squints against the morning light, pursing out her lips as she scans the area for her blonde friend. She spots Emma casually strolling away from the concession stand with two iced coffees in hand and a soft smile upon her lips. It's been a solid two weeks since she has seen this woman and her presence only makes Regina realize how much she has missed her, despite their constant texting all day. Those golden curls are piled high into a ponytail on top of her head, and it's absolutely adorable, but what catches Regina's attention are the jeans her friend is wearing; which she finds outrageous for the abnormally high temperatures.

"I'm not sure who is with Henry, but I'm sure we will meet him now, right?" She gently suggests as her daughter grips her hand even tighter. And Regina's hand is growing slick with sweat from the hold, but she refuses to release her, knowing Evie is always so uncomfortable with meeting someone new.

"Maybe that's Henry's dad," Ivy proposes.

"He died," she and Evie respond in unison as their feet shuffle closer to their friends.

Emma has her back toward the group, watching the stranger and Henry play catch before the game to warm up.  The loud smack of the ball barreling into Henry's glove resonates around them and she flinches from how hard that ball must have been traveling.

"Emma," she carefully calls out, prompting her friend to whip around, startled by their presence, but smiles once those green eyes land on Regina, Emma is grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, Regina!" Dancing green eyes shift toward Evie and that grin somehow spreads even wider. "Hi, sweetie," she says and then proceeds to offer a small wave to Ruby and Ivy. "Hey Ruby, Ivy."

They all say hello in return, but their ever growing curiosity leaves their greeting feeling halfhearted. There's a strange tension consuming the small group as they all blatantly stare at the strange man.

"Jack? Could you come here a minute?" Emma addresses the newcomer as she stands behind her son and motions in the direction of Regina and her family.

So, Regina takes this opportunity to assess the man that's jogging toward them. He's rather tall she notices right away, maybe just shy of six feet or maybe he actually reaches that marker with the height of his jet black hair that's drowning in product. The longer style is tossed to one side, creating the vibe that he just stepped out of the shower, ran his fingers through and produced this masterpiece, but she knows by that smug smirk upon his face that he spent time in the mirror adjusting this appearance to perfection. The stranger is sporting a black beard, however the scruff is neatly trimmed and not too long, confirming that he does pay attention to his clean appearance.

His dark brown eyes are squinting in Regina's direction and she is unsure if it's because of the morning sun or maybe he enjoys displaying that smoldering look. Her face however, remains unresponsive to his piercing eyes as she continues to take in his demeanor.

The man is extremely fit by the way his simple black tee is forming to his tight abs and impressive biceps. Even his black jeans are fitting snugly as they run the length of his long legs.