Between Sundays (15 page)

M
egan wasn’t sure what to make of seeing Aaron Hill enter the youth center next to Derrick and Jay Ryder that Thursday night. But here he was, and something seemed different about him. Every time she stole a glance in his direction, he was locked in sincere conversation with a child, not just giving out an autograph and a practiced smile, but actually caring about them. At least it looked that way.

Megan grabbed a dishrag from a bucket of hot soapy water. She wrung it out and worked it over the food table. It was six-thirty and most of the kids had already eaten since the party started at five tonight. Megan lifted her eyes to the front of the room. It was Cory’s turn to talk to Aaron.

Megan straightened, because this was her boy. He could catch her watching and that wouldn’t be a problem. Without looking, she dropped the rag on the table and took a few steps forward. Cory was standing directly in front of Aaron, and Aaron had his hands on Cory’s shoulders. Whatever the quarterback was saying, the atmosphere looked happy and upbeat. Which left only one explanation. The guy still hadn’t read Cory’s letter.

Megan sighed and returned to her cleaning. What would it take, five minutes? Could Aaron really care so little about the boy that he wouldn’t give even that much time to read the letter of a young fan? She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and took her anger out on the messy table. She was finishing the job when she heard Cory run up behind her.

“Megan, quick…” He was breathless and excited.

She set the rag back in the bucket and turned to him. He needed to get home and work on his times tables. “Ready to go?”

“No.” He came to a sudden stop and his expression fell. “Aaron wants to go to the park.” Cory pointed toward the open gym door. “It’s still light.”

Megan hesitated. She didn’t want Cory spending time with a guy who couldn’t be bothered to read a kid’s letter, but maybe the park was a good idea. That way she could pull Aaron aside and tell him what she thought of him. Megan nodded slowly. “Yes.” She brushed her hands on her jeans and smiled at the boy. “Let’s go to the park.”

The line of kids was much shorter today, so Aaron had no trouble leaving early. He said a few words to Derrick and Jay, and then he looked at her and smiled. It wasn’t the come-on smile he’d flashed at her the first time they met. Now there was depth and something else in his look. A bittersweet sadness. Whatever it was, Megan’s heart reacted to it, and she chided herself. The next hour had to be about Cory, not about some misguided infatuation the guy had for her.

They met up at the door and he kept his eyes on her. “Thanks for doing this.” He glanced at Cory. “I know it’s a school night.”

“That’s okay.” Cory placed himself between them. “I only have a little homework.”

“You have your sevens.” Megan gave him a teasing frown. “Let’s not forget that.”

“Right. My sevens.” Cory managed to seem subdued for a moment before bursting into a big grin again. “Still, the sevens will always be there. Right, Megan?”

Despite the seriousness of what lay ahead—at least from her perspective—Cory’s comment made her laugh. She put her hand on his shoulder as they walked. “You have a point.”

They were passing the youth center parking lot when Aaron motioned to his Hummer. “Just a minute.” He jogged over, opened the door, and snagged a football from the front seat. He smiled at Cory as he shut the door. “Wanna play catch?”

“Wow! Really?” Cory ran to him and held out his hands. Aaron tossed him the ball, and the two caught up with Megan again and headed up the street. Again Megan was baffled. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t figure Aaron out. If he’d read the letter, then why was he taking them to the park? Why offer to play catch with the boy? If he hadn’t read the letter, then his actions were all a well-put-together show, intended to impress her that he was someone he wasn’t.

Megan redirected her thoughts. The sky was blue, the day warmer than usual. “Indian summer,” the customers at Bob’s Diner had called it earlier today. It was still warm enough that none of them needed a jacket. Cory kept the conversation going as they made the five-minute walk. “Derrick’s pretty good.” Cory squinted up at Aaron. He had the football tucked beneath his right arm.

“Derrick’s very good.” Aaron’s tone held a level of respect that hadn’t been there before. “He’s teaching me a lot.”

Megan listened, interested. The papers had hinted that Aaron had been frustrated when Derrick was acquired earlier this year. She let her eyes meet Aaron’s. “Derrick could help the team this year.”

“He could.” No defensiveness rang in his tone. “No question. I’m glad we have him.”

They reached the park and walked until they came to a large patch of grass. Aaron took the ball from Cory. “Okay…” He drew his arm back, ready to throw. “Go long!”

Cory ran as fast and hard as he could, his eyes never leaving Aaron. “Ready!”

Aaron winged a perfect spiral straight into Cory’s hands. “Nice catch.” He jogged a little closer and held out his hands. Cory threw the ball back and Aaron chuckled. “You’re pretty good, Cory.”

“Thanks.”

Megan felt guarded and jaded, and she wondered at her sanity for allowing this trip. Still, Cory would remember it as long as he lived, the chance to play catch with Aaron Hill in a city park. She moved to a nearby bench and sat down, mesmerized by the picture they made. Again, she noticed a resemblance between them. The same sandy blond hair, the same cheeks.

Ridiculous, isn’t it, God…why am I thinking that way? Cory isn’t Aaron’s son, so why sit here and get caught up in the fantasy? Just because they look so natural together? That’s not a good reason, and I know it. So give me a clear mind, God. Please…

She filled her lungs and kept her focus. This wasn’t about Cory, not a bit.

When ten minutes had passed, a boy from Cory’s soccer team called to him from across the small park. The boy was with his dad and brothers, and he wanted Cory to join him on the climbing structure. The boys didn’t seem to recognize Aaron through the long shadows and trees that marked the distance between them, and when Cory hesitated, Aaron tucked the ball under his arm. “Go ahead. I want to talk to Megan for a minute anyway.”

Her heart skipped a beat. What could he want to talk to her about? Cory headed off to play with the kids, and Aaron ambled over to her. The bench wasn’t long, and now she slid toward the side, giving him plenty of room. He sat down and caught his breath, his eyes still on Cory. “I like that kid.”

“He likes you.” Megan folded her hands. It took everything she had to keep her tone pleasant. “But I think he’d like you even more if you read his letter.”

Aaron set the football down between them and leaned over his knees. “I read it.” He was still watching Cory. “That’s why I wanted to come here. So we could talk.”

Megan gripped the edge of the bench. “You understand, right? Cory thinks you’re his father.”

Aaron looked at her. “You and I both know that isn’t the case.”

There it was. Never mind the resemblance, Aaron Hill was not Cory’s father. “Of course.” She hurt for Cory, for the disappointment ahead. “That little boy wants a dad so badly, he somehow created this…this idea. And now he believes it.”

“I know. I can tell.” Aaron sat up straight and shifted so he could see her better. “I’ve never had this happen.” His words were thoughtful, not rushed or nervous. “I figured you’d know best what should take place from here.”

Megan tried to understand. She angled her face. “You don’t owe him anything, Mr. Hill.”

Her use of his last name hit its mark, but this time Aaron didn’t correct her. Instead, his eyes danced with a teasing that made him seem warm and familiar. “I realize that…Ms. Gunn.” He paused. “But I like him. And I sort of like you too.” He grimaced. “Though I’m not sure why, really.”

The awkwardness of the moment and the emotions battling each other came together in a nervous laugh. She leaned back on the bench and turned her attention to Cory again. “I’m not sure either.”

“Anyway…Cory has to know the truth.” His teasing faded. “I’ve learned a little about kids lately. Someone told me the other day that I shouldn’t lie—not to kids or adults.”

“True.” Megan stifled a smile. “So Cory needs to know, and you’re not sure how to tell him?”

“Or if I should tell him.” He sighed. “Maybe it should come from you.”

“Maybe.” A pair of birds flew past and landed in a tree a short distance from the bench. The sounds of the boys on the play equipment made the atmosphere feel comfortable and familiar. “Actually, I’ve told him before. Lots of times.”

A curious look came over Aaron. “So he’s believed this for a while?”

“Since his mother died.” Megan felt the familiar sorrow. “Two years ago, when Cory was six.”

“Oh…” Aaron closed his eyes for a moment and groaned. “I wondered…about his background, what led him to the foster care system.”

“His mother and I were friends. We worked together.”

“Did she…” He sounded slightly uncertain. “Did she ever mention me?”

“No. Not once.” Megan gave him a sad smile. “She was single as long as I knew her. Never dated. Spent every spare moment with Cory.” Her attention shifted to the boy, still playing in the distance. “If she thought you were her son’s father, she would’ve said something. I have to believe that.”

Aaron was quiet, taking in the details of Cory’s life.

“I want to adopt him, Mr. Hill. I’m all the boy has.” She felt the futility of Cory’s situation, deep in her heart. “The system won’t let me make him my own until they get his father to sign off. He insists you’re his father, so his social worker isn’t ready to label him abandoned.”

“Wow.” He raised his eyebrows. “It’s that serious, then.”

“It is.” Her tone lightened some. “That’s why I knew you hadn’t read his letter.”

“Yeah.” He winced. “I got that pretty much the minute I read it.” He stretched his legs, linked his hands, and placed them behind his head. “How did you wind up with Cory?”

“His mother came down with pneumonia. She called me, but it was too late.” She shrugged. “Cory had nowhere to go, no family, so he stayed with me during the funeral week, and that’s when I realized it was up to me. I went through the training and became a foster mother.”

For a few seconds Aaron said nothing. Then he looked at her and his eyes seemed to see deeper, past her heart and into her soul. “You must love him very much.”

“I do.” She felt the weight of her responsibility, the way she felt it often. “There’re so many kids like Cory. Someone has to do something to help them.”

They talked some about the system, and how younger children could get by okay. “But when no one steps up and adopts these kids, then what?”

She told him the statistics, how hard life was on the older teenage foster children and how they were often left to fend for themselves once they became adults. “Derrick told me at the last pizza party he’s talking to Jay Ryder about the two of them starting a foundation. Derrick and Jay might testify before the state legislature and see about getting laws changed.”

“I’m impressed.” He sounded sincere. “I didn’t know much about foster kids until a few weeks ago.”

“And now a foster boy thinks you’re his dad.” Her smile was intended to show him empathy. This talk was good for her. He wasn’t the bad guy she’d made him out to be. Deep inside he cared more than she gave him credit for, or at least he was starting to care.

“Cory deserves a dad.” Aaron picked up the football and rolled it around in his fingers. “Every kid does.”

They talked a few more minutes, and then Cory came sprinting over. Megan wanted to finish the conversation. “I’ll tell him. It’s okay.”

“That’d probably be better.”

Cory reached them, a smile stretched across his face. “Ready?”

“More catch?” Aaron stood and patted Cory on the back. “You bet.”

For another fifteen minutes, they tossed the ball. Megan watched, and in the distant part of her heart, the part that still believed in happy endings, a sorrow took root. Because the moment Cory was having was all make- believe. Aaron Hill was a busy guy. Just because Cory had some strange delusion that Aaron was his father didn’t obligate the quarterback to spend time with him. Megan hoped Cory was holding on to every moment of this magical afternoon. Because the odds of it happening again—now that the truth was out on the table—were next to nothing.

Aaron walked them back to the center and gave them a ride home. Again, he looked like he wanted to come up, maybe share coffee or more conversation. But he didn’t ask. Cory told Aaron goodbye. “Let’s play again sometime, okay?”

“Definitely.” Aaron reached into the backseat across the console and gave Cory a hug before the boy stepped out onto the curb. Then he turned and faced Megan. “We’re away this week and next.”

“I know. Cory told me.” Megan’s mouth was dry. Why was she letting him have this effect on her? She wasn’t a football groupie, and she didn’t want to date him or anyone else. So why did he make her heart beat faster every time he looked into her eyes? “And no more pizza parties, right?”

“Not for now. Derrick said he might put something together mid-season on our bye week, but it’ll be pretty busy.” His eyes lit up. “After the season, though. Derrick and Jay are talking about making a regular event out of stopping by the center.”

“That’s right.” Megan had heard the director talking about the possibility. Nothing was for sure yet. “Anyway, thanks for reading his letter.” She looked intently at him, trying to figure him out. “I sort of thought we wouldn’t see you again, once you knew what Cory thought about you.”

“Why?” His smile was easy. “Little boys create fantasy worlds all the time. It’s part of being a kid.” The smile faded. “I don’t want him hurt, that’s all.”

“I’ll tell him. Maybe not tonight, but before the weekend.”

Megan wasn’t looking forward to the moment. Cory wouldn’t believe her at first, but if she explained that she and Aaron had talked, then as sad and difficult as the truth would be for a while, the boy would have no choice but to believe it. She took a quick breath and reached for the door handle. “The good news is I can adopt him now. If he tells the social worker he doesn’t know his dad, and since there’s been no father in the picture all these years, the judge will clear him for adoption.”