Love Lifted Me (22 page)

Brad stood with Calvin. Colton lined up with Noah. Max stayed behind the circle. Top dogs duking it out. This was good. The underlying tension was finally erupting.

“Look, Noah, all you got to do is run the play Coach calls. Don't improvise and do something different. Simple, my granny could do it. She could pass better too.”

Oh, Calvin, bad move
. Max moved through the boys just as Noah threw the first punch. Hines blew his whistle. “Focus. Focus. Eyes on me.”

He waded through the team, grabbing the boys by the pads and tossing them out of the way.

But the fight was on. The boys imploded and Max saw nothing but heels and elbows.

“Break it up.” Max worked through the wall of smell and sweat. Tomorrow, a hygiene talk.

Hines whistled his way through, reaching in, grabbing a kid and tossing him out of the pile. But he jumped right back in. Unlocked tension was a frightening force.

Then the oddest sound arrested them all. A shrill whistle and the bass bellow of Haley. “Enough!” She surged through the pile, yanking boys by the collar and tossing them to the ground like they were paper. “Get on your feet and start running.” The boys stared at her, panting. “I said run. Now! Don't stop until my whistle blows. If you do, you're giving me fifty push-ups. Better hope your mamas are keeping dinner warm—this is going to be a long run.”

Haley looked back at Max with a wink. “I said run.”

The boys jumped together and started for the track.

Hines bent forward, hands on his knees, panting. “If you have any lingering regret about her, Max, you best give it up now.”

Max watched Haley run alongside the boys, backward, striding in time with them, ordering them forward.

“Oh, it's gone, Hines. Completely gone.”

Twenty-one

When the truck headlights fired through the living room window, Jade jumped up from the sofa. Sofa!

The furniture arrived a day after she'd surrendered her fears and welcomed trust into her heart. Then Ellen Feinberg, a woman she met at the church Mom's Meeting, called for a playdate. Her youngest was the same age as Asa. They had three playdates scheduled for the next week—and Ellen didn't seem to despise Max for firing the old coaches and hiring new.

Tonight, pasta for the Warriors' head coach. Anything Italian fit his favoritefood bill. Steam rose from the boiling water as Jade lifted the lid and dumped in a handful of whole wheat spaghetti. Snapping open the oven, she slid in the buttered bread to warm. Max loved Italian—she loved bread.

“Asa, Daddy's home.” He jumped up from playing with his cars in the dining room and thundered into the living room, flopping belly-first on the ottoman. Jade shook her head. For that boy, it was critical to run fast and loud.

Jade tugged her phone from her pocket and aimed the camera at Asa's silhouette against the pink and purple twilight window.

“Asa.” Max swept his son into his arms. “Were you watching me?” A tall someone trailed behind Max. Jade recognized Tucker Walberg. “Look who I found.” Max hooked his arm around the teen. “The Warriors' future star kicker.”

“Well, future star kicker, I hope you like spaghetti.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He stood kind of hunched together just inside the living room, a white Walmart shopping bag hanging from his fist. He appeared to be both terrified and uncomfortable.

“Make yourself at home. You can shower right in there.” Max pointed to the hallway, then motioned for Jade to follow him to the bedroom.

“You know about his mom—Mariah?” Max kicked off his sneakers and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it into the laundry basket.

“Yeah, I've heard things.”

“I'm driving home from practice, going over the day.” He made a face. “It was a doozy. The boys got in a fistfight.”

“Max, no. What happened?” Jade perched on the edge of their new bed.

“Just a bunch of young bucks duking it out.” He grinned. “Old Hines and I are weeding through the pile, trying to break things up when Haley comes out with this big booming voice. You've never seen teen boys move so fast. ‘Run until I tell you to stop. Go. Now.' ” Max imitated her, stamping his foot. “They must have gone three miles before she blew the whistle. Ran the fight right out of them. The boys went dragging home.”

“Go, Haley.”

“But as I start home, I see this kid walking down the road.”

“Tucker.” Jade said.

“You got it. I thought, why is he walking home? He's got to be beat. Didn't any of the boys give him a ride? I pulled over.” Max joined Jade on the bed. “You should see where he lives.”

“I heard from Dr. Gelman. A pretty bad part of town.”

“A trailer park from the '70s. When I dropped him off, it was obvious no one was home. He pretended it was all good, but I could hear his stomach rumbling.”

“Oh, Max.”

“So as I'm leaving, I check on him through the rearview. Know what he was doing? Sitting on those metal front steps, you know the kind I'm talking about, pulling his books from his bag. He had to be starving and exhausted, and it hit me, he was locked out. So I backed up and told him I needed company for a Walmart run. I drove through McDonald's on the way. He ate two quarter-pounders with cheese and fries. Ten bucks says he eats three big helpings of spaghetti.”

“Sucker bet. I'm not taking it.” Jade caressed Max's cheek. “You're a good man, Maxwell Benson.”

“Not really. Just trying to do a few things right. When I was his age, I ate a whole large pepperoni pizza for snack after practice. And two or three helpings of whatever Mom made for dinner.”

“Speaking of dinner.” Jade rolled off the bed. “Max, do you really think it's that bad for Tuck?”

“Yeah, I do. I bought him some toiletries and clothes at Walmart. You should've seen his face. He kept telling me he couldn't take the stuff, but he seemed so amazed, like no one had ever shopped for him before. I told him he was welcome here anytime. Is that okay?”

“You don't even have to ask.”

“Good, because if his mom doesn't call him back, he's spending the night.”

Jade finished prepping dinner while Max showered. When Tucker emerged from the guest bathroom, his face scrubbed, his wet hair combed in place, he had the Walmart bag in one hand and a wad of clothes in the other.

Jade reached for them. “I got a load of laundry to do. Mind if I throw these in?”

“No, ma'am.” His sweet voice matched his expression. “I appreciate you letting me crash here. My mom must be working.”

“You don't have a key to your house?”

“No, ma'am. There's only one and the lock is so old we can't find anyone to make us a new key. Not that we can afford one anyway.”

“I see.” Jade turned for the laundry room. “You're welcome here anytime, Tucker.”

About dinner, Max was right. Kind of. Tucker ate three helpings of spaghetti, plus one. Four helpings. That'd feed Jade for a week.

Mariah never called, so Tucker left word with his granny that he was sleeping at Coach's house.

Jade watched him as he played with Asa until she put him in bed, then Tucker sat at the dining room table doing his homework, looking up from time to time to tell Jade how much he liked the house. She made up his bed on the couch, and at ten, he closed his books and said good night.

Wandering into Max's office—the third bedroom—Jade slipped her arms around his shoulders. He watched a DVD of yesterday's practice, frowning.

“He can move in as far as I'm concerned.”

Max hit Pause and glanced up at her. “Tucker?”

“Who else? Of course, Tucker. He's so sweet, Max.”

“He's a good kid. Can't kick a football worth a darn, but I'd love to have more boys with his heart and eagerness.” He kept one eye on the video while he reached around and brought Jade to his lap.

She curled against him and rested her cheek in the strong curve of his neck.

“He reminds me of me. How I felt all those lonely days when Mama took off, leaving Granny to watch us.”

“Ah, come on, we can't get that play right.” Max spoke to the screen, resting his hand on her hip and backing up the video again.

Jade loved the feel of his chest beneath her hand and how his soapy shower still lingered on his skin. His love, constant but flawed, lifted her out of fear, shining a light in the dark corners of her heart.

His love brought her here, to Texas, to a level place. Brought her Tucker. The moment she saw the boy standing behind Max, just inside the door, love had pinged between her ribs. It only took a second and four plates of spaghetti for her to fall in love, again, with another son from a different mother.

Until this moment, the whole head-coaching gig felt surreal—as if Max meandered through an Indiana Jones dream. The hours he'd spent with Hines and Haley designing plays, developing strategy, and watching film consumed him enough that he didn't have to think about
this
moment—the one where he took his place on the sidelines and realized he'd bet his, Asa's, and Jade's futures on a whim and a prayer.

Nerves twisted his gut so tight he couldn't draw a deep breath. Everything called his confidence into account. Opening game against the formidable Canyon Eagles . . . and Carter Davis. But the energy in the air? It was intoxicating.

The marching band boosted the excitement with their drumbeats and the braided sound of woodwinds and brass. Expectant Warrior fans flowed through the stadium like a red and gold river.

Max cinched his hand into a fist. Then released it, stretching his fingers. He paced, watching Hines and Haley warm up the team. Finally,
finally
, the team had started to jell. The offense clicked. The defense understood their strategy.

The Warriors were as ready for this opening game as they'd ever be this season. Max prayed. Max hoped. He brushed the perspiration from his brow. It was a
hot
Texas Friday night.

This wasn't goofing around with a few boys at the Outpost. This was real.

Texas high school football. Game on.

He searched the stands for Jade and Asa. When the dark sheen of her hair glinted in the bright field lights, his heart rattled his ribs. He'd not be standing here without her. It'd take the rest of his life to prove his gratitude. Jade smiled and waved, pointing Max out to Asa. Max raised his hand to hers.

Dr. Julie Gelman squeezed in on Jade's right. She also caught Max looking and waved.

“Max! Oh Max!” Brenda Karlin stood on the other side of the fence with her sidekick, Bit Wyatt. They were decked from head to toe in Warrior wear.

Max acknowledged them with a wave, but Brenda insisted with a fanatical arm gesture that he meet her at the fence. He jogged over. If other fans saw this, he'd never get back to the sidelines. “Yeah, Brenda, I'm kind of busy.”

She smacked her hand on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and tilted her head toward the sky. “Lord God in heaven, I know you love Max, I know you love Texas, and I know you love football because we love football. Give Max grace, wisdom and oh, dear Lord, if it's not too much, a win. This year.” Brenda's sincere prayer warmed the chill off Max's nerves. “Now, go get 'em, Coach.”

Brenda shoved him back and walked off, calling out to another Warrior fan.

Bit passed Max, smiling, and whispered, “Amen.”

Back on the sideline, Max checked the scoreboard. Five minutes to kickoff.

Hines and Haley had their starters huddled up for last-minute instructions.

Then Max called the whole team together.

“This is our game. Our team. Our season. It's not your granddaddy's or daddy's, or your brother's or cousin's.
We
are the Warriors. Wins and losses of the past mean nothing. Warrior tradition starts over tonight. I'm proud of you boys. You worked hard all week. The coaches and I couldn't have asked for more.” Max thrust his fist in the air with confidence. “Warriors on three.” The boys raised their fists and leaned toward Max. “One, two, three . . .”

“Warriors!”

The huddle broke and Haley gathered her defense. They were on the field first.

When Brad Schmidt walked past, Max collared the boy by his shoulder pads. “Brad, who's your quarterback?”

“Noah Warren.”

“What's your job?” A decent-size kid with strength and quickness, Brad lacked the killer instinct.

“Protect him.”

“Right. You block and tackle like Coach Hines told you. Got it?”

Brad nodded. “Yes, Coach.”

“All right, good job.” Max released him and found Tucker, who was practicing for the kickoff. His weak, nervous kicks mocked Max's confidence. Hours of practice and drills boiled down to this—opening their first game with their weakest player.

“Tuck, remember what you've practiced. Plant your foot and follow through. Right?”