Still dripping from the aftermath of Valerie’s fiery outburst, Gage growled in frustration. His idea to set that fire ablaze in her eyes again had just started to get interesting, but this went way beyond what he’d imagined. “Valerie!” Not even sure of what he wanted to say, he followed after her. But if he’d expected her to turn around and apologize, then he’d been kidding himself.
Yet he couldn’t deny that she was right. Nor could he fathom the struggles Valerie had been through. Gage was just as guilty of treating his ex-wife as Valerie’s ex was in the way he’d treated her. He had blamed April for everything that was wrong with their marriage. While most of his finger-pointing had been on target, maybe he should have used softer gloves in their shouting matches. Her claim that he was trying to control her had rankled and he’d slung several cutting remarks of his own her way in retaliation.
As hard as Gage tried, he couldn’t let the thought go that his life should have been different. It would have been if he had never left the Church. He took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. One thing Gage did know was that the once-extinguished embers in Valerie’s eyes had smoldered back to life in her defiant glare.
He now knew what he wanted, which was the same thing he’d wanted all those years ago. He wanted her to look at him and really see the person he was inside. His pride had gotten in the way of him being the person he should have been before. But Gage wasn’t the same jerk she’d known back then. Now, more than ever, he wanted her to know that he was an honorable man, one worth knowing and possibly even loving.
After several attempts, Valerie was finally able to unlatch the gate. She increased her speed when she heard Gage call her a second time.
“Valerie!” He was closer now. Her heart started pounding, but worse, tears threatened to fall. Humiliation over losing her control after bearing the brunt of his censure drove Valerie to quickly herd her children into the car. She thought she’d gained a narrow escape just when Gage and Zach caught up to her.
She sighed, knowing that she couldn’t avoid him any longer. With reluctance, she told her kids to wait for her by the car. Gage bid Zach to follow them.
“Valerie.” The urgency in Gage’s voice hadn’t diminished though the volume had. He came around and tugged on her arm entreatingly, pulling her into an embrace. His cold, wet shirt against her skin was a shock to her face. It had been such a long time since she’d been wrapped in strong arms against a solid chest. His heart was racing at the speed of hers. Though the sensation was discomfiting at first, it brought a keen awareness of the man she’d thought she’d known.
Valerie had never considered Gage a romantic interest. He was always the pest that kept disturbing her life. But Valerie was seeing a different side to him lately and she wasn’t sure what to think about it.
Keeping his arms loosely around her, Gage backed up. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You’ve said yourself that you’re looking forward to the day when Justin will be made perfect. But you’ve got a really great kid right now. Sure, he has some flaws, but we all do. The more you work with him to help him achieve success in life, the better he’ll feel about himself and the more he’ll achieve. Don’t let fear of what others think hold him back.”
She huffed in exasperation. “I don’t. Everywhere I go, I face a new critic who thinks they know more than I do on how to handle my son. Then I lived with my husband’s rejection over our flawed son. I go to church each week not knowing if Justin will throw a fit for the entire ward to see. And what should be a simple trip to the grocery store is nowhere close to one if I don’t give him plenty of advance notice. Taking my kids to a Diamondbacks game is a really big deal. The fact that I can’t predict what will happen scares the heck out of me.”
The tears had fallen, probably creating wet streaks along her cheeks. “I know,” Gage said gently. “I’ll take a personal day and Zach and I will go with you. I’m sure I could procure some extra tickets.”
Valerie’s jaw dropped. “No, Gage. You don’t need to do that for us. Really.”
“I want to take you.” His hands lowered to her shoulders while his voice softened. “What do you say? I’ll be with you if anything goes wrong.”
The offer was tempting, but Valerie wanted to make sure that all her bases were covered, so to speak. “And we could leave in the middle of the game if we needed to?”
Gage’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. “Let’s just try it and see how it goes, all right?”
Looking away, Valerie spied the telltale ink markings of a tattoo peeking out from under the short sleeve of Gage’s shirt. Intrigued, she lifted his sleeve to reveal the image of the Arizona State University mascot, Sparky the Sun Devil.
“Uh,” Gage said, crossing his arm over to tug his sleeve down. “I see you found the evidence of my stupidity.”
There was a story behind that, Valerie felt certain. However, she didn’t have time to delve into the matter. The temperature outside had already reached the century mark.
“Will you tell me about it if we go to the D-Backs’ game with you?” she asked boldly.
His face registered shock before his mouth split into a grin. “I told you that you drive a hard bargain. You’ve got yourself a deal.”
She turned to leave when he spoke her name again, even more softly than before. “Valerie.” She was beginning to like hearing him say it.
“Yes?”
His eyes, which had turned warm with compassion, held a hint of sorrow. “I’m sorry for teasing you all those years ago. It was wrong of me and I need to ask your forgiveness.”
Feeling brave, she responded, “Why did you do it?”
His eyes dipped down briefly before coming back up to meet hers. “Partly because I was an annoying teenager, always seeking attention from the other guys, and partly because I heard that you liked Pierce.” He paused. “I might have wished it was me.”
Nothing could have prepared her for his confession. “Really?”
He shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “Yeah.”
“I hated you back then, Gage. I wanted to fit in with the other girls in my class. But now I realize that the Lord was preparing me for my future trials. I’ve had to learn to stand up for myself. Please don’t feel badly about it anymore.”
“If anything, you’ve managed to make me feel worse.”
Lightly placing her hand on his arm, she said with a teasing grin, “Your conscience is starting to bug you. That’s probably a good thing.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“So, are we good now?”
“Nope.”
His lip twisted into a wry grin, and before Valerie could decipher his meaning, Gage took hold of her waist and bent down to kiss her.
“Is Gage your boyfriend, Mommy?”
Valerie turned onto Greenfield Road, watching traffic carefully through her rearview mirror. Already feeling shaken after her confrontation with Gage, his kiss had rendered her senseless. The fact that Gage actually appeared to be as shocked as she’d been was little consolation.
Taking a calming breath, she deliberately raised her voice an octave. “Boyfriend? Are you kidding me? Boys are gross.”
Valerie hoped her falsetto voice would bring a smile to Whitney’s face. Instead, her puckered brow denoted the fact that her silly attempt had failed.
In a normal tone, she said, “You already asked me about Gage, remember? And I told you that he’s just a friend.”
“But he kissed you.”
Valerie’s heart skipped a beat. Yes, he had. Valerie couldn’t very well shrug it off, saying that it was just a kiss, either, or she’d be sending the wrong message to her daughter about her standards of dating.
“Gage and I were just talking, honey. I’m taking care of Zach while Gage is at work. He appreciates my help. Remember, we’ve known each other for a very long time.”
“No, Mom. I think he likes you. You know, like how a boy likes a girl? Like Daddy liked you?�
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Whitney’s anxiety seemed to intensify tenfold the deeper they dug into this conversation. She couldn’t possibly remember her parents showing affection for each other but was probably wishing for what once had been. Nick’s adoration of Valerie had drastically changed when Justin came along. But despite Nick Hall’s flaws, he loved his daughter. The feeling was mutual. Despite Justin never visiting Nick in his own home, Whitney alternated weekends between her parents.
After Valerie had pulled into her grandparents’ driveway and turned off the car, she asked Whitney, “If that is true, then how do you feel about it?” She might as well get her daughter’s opinion before any further developments occurred.
“I don’t know. I like Gage. But I like Daddy too.”
Valerie got out of the car and placed her hands on Whitney’s shoulders. “Well, sweetie, that’s one thing you don’t need to worry about right now because I am not interested in going on a date with Gage. He stopped going to church a long time ago and if I ever get married again, I would want that person to have a strong testimony of the gospel.” Not that there was much chance for her to remarry as long as she was taking care of Justin. But she was fine with that.
Yet she did get a little lonely sometimes. Valerie missed being able to share the events of her day with someone. And if she was honest with herself, she’d admit that Gage’s kiss had been surprisingly pleasant. Heat suffused her face. Okay, fine. Earth-shattering was more like it.
She wouldn’t mind having someone with which to share the responsibilities of taking care of her children. Maybe when they were older, she might think about dating again. It was too soon to be thinking along those lines, wasn’t it? If Whitney had misgivings about her dating another man, then Justin’s reaction would definitely be a deterrent.
Oh, good grief! Who was she kidding? Gage’s easy-going smile and warm brown eyes were etched in her memory, as was his kiss. She couldn’t believe he’d done that! Her anger simmered. She didn’t date all that much nor was she a casual kisser. If he thought that he could get away with that foolishness, then their babysitting agreement was over!
But it had been a really nice kiss.
Valerie growled. It was so irritating when her head and her heart said two different things.
“So why are we going to a baseball game with Gage?” Whitney asked.
While arguing with herself, Valerie had almost forgotten that Whitney was still standing beside her. “He wants to take us so that we can help Justin adjust to being around more people.”
“Okay. Just checking.” With that enigmatic response, she turned toward the house, leaving Valerie staring after her in bewilderment.
“The Diamondbacks beat the Rockies yesterday three to one. But today’s pitchers are more evenly matched.”
“It will be exciting to see what happens,” Valerie replied as they rode in Gage’s Camaro to Chase Field. Seeing Gage over the past few days when he dropped Zach off and picked him up had been difficult for her. Neither of them had mentioned the kiss. It was almost like it had never happened.
Now, as she sat next to Gage in his Camaro on their way to the Diamondbacks game, she was feeling decidedly nervous. She’d told Whitney that this wasn’t a date. She’d be lying, though, if she didn’t admit to herself that she wished it was.
She glanced back at the kids, who were squished in the back but looking thrilled to be attending a Diamondbacks game. “I’ve always loved being out there, smelling the popcorn and hearing the bat when it connects with the ball.”
Gage looked at her speculatively. “So you have been to a few of their games, after all.”
It was more of a question than a statement. “Nick and I went every so often for the first few years we were together.” Before Justin came along. But she wasn’t about to say it aloud with her son sitting in the backseat.
Gage must have caught her backward glance at Justin because his jaw tightened. Evidently, he wanted to say more but restrained himself. Valerie appreciated his sensitivity to her children’s feelings.
He had arranged for them to take a pre-game tour of Chase Field. When the tour was over, they were among the first groups of fans in line to collect autographs from the players. Valerie watched with interest as Gage casually walked up to Brody Renford. “Gage?” the left fielder said, flipping his shades up to double check.
Gage held out his hand to him. “Hey, Renford. How’s it going?”
“Hey, man. Whatcha doin’ on that side of the fence?”
“I took a day off to bring my son and our friends to the game.” Gage gestured toward them. Nate Dorman, a pitcher who wasn’t on the rotation due to an injury, joined them. Valerie took in the appraisal of the three men before Gage turned back to the players. They lowered their voices so that Valerie could no longer hear what they were saying. At one point, Renford lifted his eyes to assess her and then turned back toward Gage. A few seconds later, Gage shifted his stance awkwardly, flexing his fingers down at his side. An all-too-familiar sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She knew they were talking about her.
Finally, it was their turn to get autographs. As Gage performed the introductions, she shook each player’s hand. Her smile, which had only been a polite gesture before, became genuine when each of them gave the kids a high five, greeting them with a kind word. The five of them then went in search of their seats.
Gage pulled his phone out of his pocket and was scrolling through it. The memory of her shoving Gage into the water hit her again. She cleared her throat. “So . . . I’m assuming you had to get a new phone because of my thoughtless actions from the other day?”
Gage’s face was unreadable. “Afraid so, along with a new key fob for my Camaro. I was stuck at Kiera’s house for a few hours afterward.”
Heat stole into her cheeks as mortification set in. “Oh, Gage. I’m so sorry. Maybe you should dock the cost from my pay?”
Gage paused in consideration. “Hmm. That’s an idea. But then again, the price to pay for that kiss was worth it, wouldn’t you agree?”
Was it possible to feel any more humiliated than at this moment? She decided to change the subject. “What did you say about me to the players?”
“That is classified information, Ms. Hall.”
“Mm-hmm,” she replied, unconvinced. “I think I have a right to know, since you were talking about me. Weren’t you?” she pressed uncertainly.
After a moment of studying her intently, Gage sighed. “Brody Renford liked your girl-next-door looks a little too much for my peace of mind. He has a tendency to overlook the total package, as most ballplayers do.”
Instinctively, she knew that Gage was giving her the G-rated version. She’d wondered why Gage had been flexing his fingers. He’d probably been itching to give the guy a piece of his mind. “So you told him that we’re just friends?”
“Nope. I let him think we are an item.”
She scoffed. “So now you’re turning into one of my overprotective brothers?”
His eyes darkened as they bore into hers. “What do you think?”
What did she think? She thought the best-looking guy she’d hung out with in a long time was looking at her in a way that was anything but brotherly. And at that moment, what she was feeling for him was scaring her more than the idea of coming to the game had. Her mouth felt like she’d swallowed a bunch of cotton candy. “I think . . . that they’re announcing the starting lineups so we should really get our minds on the game.”
His slow grin let her know that he wasn’t fooled by her blasé answer. “Nice save, Ms. Hall. You’re very good at evading tough questions. But this conversation isn’t over yet.” With that enigmatic response, he turned his attention to the players on the field. Blowing out a relieved breath, she settled back to do the same.
Chase Field was one of the best fields in the National League, as far as Valerie was concerned. She and Nick had once attended a party put on by his father’s company at the pool that was located just be
yond right-center field. Chase Field also boasted a retractable roof, which was closed today with respect to the scorching heat. The announcers were loud, but Justin had never seemed to be bothered by loud noises as much as some autistic children were.
Gage was in his element, pointing out the awesome things for the kids to look at and thumbing through their programs to find the players’ stats. He obviously loved this place. His face was alight with pleasure at seeing the kids’ wonder as he answered all of their questions with ease and patience.
Valerie wasn’t sure if she had more fun watching him or the children. Although they had really good seats along the third base line, Whitney’s gaze was continually drawn upward to the huge screen that showed the replays. Justin’s eyes darted up and down between it and the action on the field. Valerie wasn’t even sure how much of it he understood.
Zach, however, was enraptured with every little detail, talking to his dad at a speed that could have competed for the Indy 500. Valerie was amazed at the four-year-old’s scope of knowledge. He and his dad shared a bond that made her feel both happy for them and a little envious for Justin’s sake.
“Look, Justin!” Zach yelled as Brody Renford smashed a ball down the first base line, the fielder’s glove missing it by only a few inches.
The fans cheered while he rounded first base and headed toward second. Justin belatedly followed the direction of Zach’s finger pointing to the ball. When Zach motioned for him to watch Brody’s safe slide at second base for a double, Justin turned a few seconds too late, essentially missing the play altogether. Valerie’s heart constricted from wondering whether he noticed or what he internalized in different situations.
“Who’s hungry? How about popcorn for everybody?” Gage asked as a vendor made his way past them, calling out his wares.
“Justin? Zach? Whitney?” They all answered with a boisterous yes. “Valerie?” His smile, which had always been engaging, seemed especially flirtatious at that moment.
The Matchup Page 11
