Harry joined the high school soccer team, and I assumed that it would only be a matter of time before he got so involved with friends, team-mates and other activities that we would hardly see him anymore. I had already witnessed girls fawning over him, but now they would have one more reason to fall for him when they saw his athletic body. I couldn't help but feel like a creep for noticing how hot he was, but it was only ten years ago that I was a high school girl. In any case, I felt kind of sad knowing Harry would be coming around less often. I truly enjoyed his company and my children adored him.

One afternoon, a few weeks into the season, Harry stopped by after practice, sweaty and still in his soccer uniform.

"Hey, Harry," I laughed while pretending to move away from him because of his hot and sweaty appearance.

"Oh, it's not that bad," he chuckled. "Besides, British gents don't sweat. We glisten." He finished his sentence with an exaggerated version of his accent.

I laughed. "Yeah, right. What's up?"

"I was, uh, just wondering if you and the girls would want to come to one of my games," he asked shyly.

"Of course, Harry! We'd love to. Maybe we can go with your family," I suggested.

"Uh, well, they haven't come to any games yet."

"Harry, that's terrible! Let me know when your next game is."

He sheepishly pulled a crumpled sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was a schedule. "Just come whenever it works best for you."

I glanced at the schedule and told him, "We'll come next Tuesday." I leaned in to give him a friendly hug, but then I pulled away quickly. "Harry, go take a shower. You stink!"

He laughed all the way out of the house.

I returned to preparing dinner. It really bothered me that Harold and Charlie hadn't made it to one of his games yet. I wiped my hands and glanced at the schedule. There had only been three games so far, but still, aren't parents supposed to make more of an effort for their kids? I looked at the location for the game the following Tuesday. I hadn't noticed that it was over an hour away. That was all right; I would just have to remember to pack some snacks for the kids.

The following Tuesday arrived quickly. I packed up the car with snacks, the baby backpack, and the girls' mini lawn chairs, as well as a few sweatshirts, just in case it got cool later in the evening.

When we arrived at the rival high school's field, I parked and pulled the girls' chairs out of the car and handed one each to Grace and Aurora. I put the baby in the backpack and walked over to the field to find out where the other River Haven fans were sitting. I soon saw a small group of red and gray hats, t-shirts and flags.

I noticed Holland with a group of friends and waved to her. Of course she's here to cheer Harry on, I smiled to myself.

I helped the girls set up their chairs near the end of the bleachers, took a seat and immediately noticed Harry running towards us.

"Hello, girls!" He yelled.

They jumped up from their chairs, squealing in excitement. He grabbed them both at the same time and lifted them up in a hug.

"Glad you could come to my football match," he said, placing them gently back on the ground.

Aurora put her hands on her hips. "Harry, it's soccer, not football," she said sarcastically.

"Rory," I corrected her. "They call it football in England."

"It's all right," Harry told her. "I have to call it the proper thing here, don't I?"

We took our seats as the game started. Harry was very good and it didn't surprise me that he easily led the team to victory. The teams took the time to congratulate each other on a game well played, so the girls and I waited patiently on the sidelines for Harry to finish.

I scanned the crowd, watching other parents praising and/or consoling their players, depending on the team they represented. However, when my eyes landed on the approaching figure, to say I felt uneasy would have been an understatement. I completely forgot that we were a few minutes away from his hometown, and that he had moved back here after the divorce.

Eric.

What on earth was I supposed to say to the guy who had all but abandoned us? Who wanted nothing to do with his own children? Hey, nice to see you. Girls, by the way, this is your deadbeat father.

I just stared in horror as he approached, knowing that Aurora couldn't have forgotten him yet.

"Hi, Lise," he said nonchalantly as he closed the distance.

"Eric," I said dryly, nodding in his general direction. Grace was completely oblivious, her eyes still fixed on Harry while she waited for him to join us. Aurora just stared blankly at Eric, but she didn't say anything, which was unusual for her.

"Hi Rory," Eric said.

She just continued staring and said, "Hi."

"The kids look good, Lise. So do you." He gave me a weak smile.

"Th..thanks," I stuttered.

"Um, hey, can I call you some time? Maybe I can come by and see the girls...?"

I felt like my heart stopped at that moment. Was he serious or was he just toying with me. I had no idea how to respond, but I had no desire to continue the conversation, so I just gave him a stoic, "Sure." Then I turned to the girls and told them to fold up their chairs so we could get ready to go.

Eric took that as his cue to leave, so he just said, "See ya," and walked away.

"Look, girls, here comes Harry! Make sure you say Congratulations and give him lots of hugs and kisses." I tried to sound enthusiastic, but I really wanted to stall them so I could collect myself and dry up the tears that were running down my face before they noticed.

They all but tackled Harry with hugs and kisses and "Gwad-you-ations!" He laughed while they smothered him with praise. Then Harry looked at me and froze.

His eyes went wide and he asked, "What happened?"

"I...I can't talk about it right now," I told him, not wanting to get more upset in front of the girls.

"Wait right here, okay?" He told me. "Don't leave. I'll be right back." So I stood and waited with the girls, and Harry reappeared within a few minutes.

"Can I ride home with you? Coach said it was okay since you're my emergency contact." He gave me his huge grin and I couldn't quite figure out why, but I felt so relieved.

We got to the car and got all the girls in their seats. I had just finished tightening Aurora's seat belt when she asked, "That was my dad, wasn't it?"

I nodded tersely and then turned away before the tears started again.

Harry's eyes widened again after he heard Aurora's question. He stood over me protectively and gently asked, "Lise, what happened?"

"We saw my ex-husband, the girls' father. Nothing really happened, it was just...unexpected, I guess." With that, I broke down and started sobbing, feeling incredibly foolish for doing so in front of Harry.

Instead of just standing there awkwardly, as I would expect any teenage boy to do, he firmly pulled me into his arms and wrapped them tightly around me. And rather than feeling embarrassed that I was completely losing it in front of the neighbor kid, I felt warm and comforted. I let myself be consoled by this completely surprising boy who seemed more like family at the moment.

He didn't say anything, but after I had calmed down, he asked, "Would you like me to drive home?"

I nodded, tossing him the keys.

I forced a smile as I climbed in the passenger seat, and I turned around to tell the girls, "Harry's going to drive us home. Won't that be fun?"

"Yeah!" They cheered.

I opened some snacks and handed them back to Aurora and Grace. Then I asked Grace to give Rachael her pacifier as she was beginning to whimper.

Harry easily guided the vehicle out of the parking lot and I gave him directions as we made our way home.

When we got there, the girls were all asleep. I carried the baby in and Harry grabbed Aurora. I laid Rachael in her crib and went back to get Grace, but I found that Harry had already brought her in as well and laid her in her bed.

"Would you like me to make some tea?" He asked.

"How about some decaf coffee? I'm not much of a tea drinker. But you can help yourself to tea if you'd like." He smiled and went off to busy himself with hot drinks.

I quickly changed the sleeping girls into their pajamas, covered them up and turned off the light.

I found Harry at the kitchen table with two steaming cups of coffee.

"Wow, that was fast!" I remarked. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving!"

I went to the fridge and pulled out a container of leftover roast beef with potatoes and carrots. I made a heaping plate full and microwaved it. When I set it down in front of Harry, he ate like he hadn't had a meal in weeks.

"Thanks," I said quietly as he ate.

"You're welcome," he said after swallowing a bite of food. "For what, exactly?"

I gave him a sheepish smile. "For driving us home. I'm surprised at how upset I was by seeing Eric, but I'm okay now."

"Eric? That's your ex-husband?"

I nodded. "It was just unexpected. I don't have any feelings for him anymore. I mean, I got over that a long time ago. But it was strange to have my daughters' father walk up to them and act like an acquaintance. I mean, little girls need...a...daddy." I choked up on my last few words and started crying again.

What the hell? I wondered. Why was I letting this bother me so much?

"I'm so sorry for dumping all of this on you," I finally whispered, trying desperately to regain control of my shaky voice and force the tears to stop once and for all. "This is really too personal for me to be sharing with you. I'm sorry, this must be really awkward."

Harry finished his food and looked at me for a few moments. Finally, he said, "Lise, I know I'm just a kid," he smirked, emphasizing the word that had once insulted him. "But you're my friend. I want to be here for you, you know? I'm not a fragile little child who can't handle being your confidante. You're my friend," he repeated. "I hope you view me as a friend, too."

I smiled gratefully. I did think of Harry as a friend. He was young, but I didn't think of him as some kid that I had to babysit every time he came over. Maybe he was more like a younger brother. In any case, I knew what he was saying was true – we had a connection that went beyond just being neighbors. We were becoming quite close.

"Thank you so much, Harry," I said, getting up and kissing his forehead. "You really are a good friend." Then I couldn't resist adding, "For a kid!" I smirked, waiting for his response.

He stood up, wrapped his arms around me in another comforting hug. Just before he pulled away, he whispered in my ear, "I won't be a kid for long." When his breath hit my skin, my heart fluttered a little.

What the hell was that?