by L A Cotton
Asher
“Hold on, I’m just connecting Cam now.”
“Ash? What is it?” Cameron’s face appeared on the screen.
“Can you see us?” I asked, and he nodded. “Jason and Fee too?”
Another nod.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath, hugging Mya to my side. “We have something to tell you...”
“Oh my god, you didn’t?” Felicity shrieked, clutching Jase’s shoulder.
“We did,” Mya said, shooting me an infectious smile. “We’re engaged.”
“Congratulations,” Hailee and Cameron said.
“Nice one,” Jase grinned, and Fee blurted out, “Let’s see it then.”
“Well, I... so, funny story...”
“Asher Bennet,” she groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t propose without a ring.”
“It just sort of happened.”
“Oh shit,” Jase breathed. “You didn’t get a ring.”
“Hang on a second, it isn’t like that,” I argued, and Mya buried her face into my neck, smothering her laughter.
“Ash, I was counting on you for the grand romantic gesture,” Felicity let out an exasperated breath.
“I think it’s sweet,” Hailee added. “Spur of the moment. I like that.”
“Back up, Giles,” Jase was no longer looking at us. Instead, his eyes were fixed on his fiancée. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I made a big gesture. Or have you forgotten when I got down on one knee on national television?”
“Don’t be silly, babe, I haven't forgotten, and it was very sweet, but I had high hopes for Asher and Mya.”
“Guys,” I interrupted. “It’s not like I don’t plan on getting a ring. We’re going shopping in the week to look—”
“No, no, no.” Fee looked mortified. “You can’t let Mya pick her own ring, it’s bad luck.”
“Well, I’m glad we decided to call our friends and share our happy news with them.”
“Ignore them,” Hailee said. “I think it’s great news. I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thank you.” Mya leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Have you talked about wedding plans yet?”
“Seriously?” I balked. “I didn’t even get a ring...”
Mya dug her fingers into my ribs, and I yelped. “No, we haven’t,” she said. “Sometime after graduation. We’re in no rush.”
“You’re the last man standing now, Cam,” I smirked. “You know that, right? It’s time you upped your game.”
“Ash...” Hailee warned.
“Relax, he knows I’m joking.”
“Trust me, when I do finally pop the question, I’ll make sure to have an actual ring.”
“Burn,” Jason hissed, unable to hide his amusement.
“Okay, this has been nice and all, but I want some alone time with my fiancée.”
“Not until you put a ring on—”
I hit end call and dropped my cell on the counter, pulling Mya around to me.
“Ash, that was rude.”
“Nah, they get it.” Cameron and Jason were as infatuated with their girlfriends as I was with Mya. They understood what it was like to want to bury yourself so deep inside her, you didn’t know where you ended, and she began.
“I need you, Mya.” Heat coursed through my veins.
“Well, I’m right here.” She licked her lips.
I prowled toward her and ran my hand along the curve of her neck. “Mine,” I breathed.
Mya’s breath caught, her eyes fluttering closed. “Is this real life?” she whispered.
“Does this feel like real life?” I asked her, leaning in to swipe my tongue over her salty sweet skin.
She reached for me, curling her hands into my Temple U hoodie. Without warning, I slipped my hands to the backs of Mya’s thighs and hoisted her against me. Her legs wound around my hips and she shrieked with surprise. Spinning us around, I dropped her on the counter and pushed myself between her thighs. “I love you, Mya. Today, tomorrow, and all the days after.”
“Show me...”
Oh, I would.
I intended on showing her all night long.
Mya
“Hey, Mya,” Sally looked up from her desk. “The boys are running late.”
“Everything okay?” I frowned.
“I think Hugo had a bad day at school. Mariah said some kids have been giving him a hard time.”
“They’re six.”
“I know, right? Kids can be so cruel. But hopefully seeing you will cheer him up.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“Hey, none of that. You’re making a difference, Mya. You just have to trust the process. Be there. Show up. These kids need to learn to trust adults again.”
“You’re right.” I nodded.
“And who knows, maybe today will the day he decides to use his words.”
But it wasn’t.
As soon as Hugo and his brothers arrived at the center, it was apparent that whatever had gone down had made him even less willing to engage.
But I wouldn’t quit. I would be patient. I would wait. And eventually—hopefully—I would help.
Another week passed, and I was no closer to getting Hugo to open up to me.
I knew not to take it personally; it wasn’t about me. It was about the little boy with eyes the color of honey, clinging onto the stuffed Eagle as if it was his life raft.
While he sank further into himself, his brothers flourished in their new foster home and sessions with Pat and Hershel. Jay liked football, basketball, dodgeball; any sport that involved a ball really. Although Mario enjoyed sport, he was also super creative. He and Hershel had started painting a mural on one of the walls inside the main hall. For a fourteen-year-old, the kid oozed talent. When it was finished, I was hoping to invite Hailee down for the unveiling. I knew she’d have something to say to Mario about it.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, sliding onto the bench beside Hugo. “How was your week so far?”
Silence stretched before us as he half-heartedly colored in another printout of Swoop.
“So, remember my boyfriend, Asher? The football player? Well, it’s his first game tomorrow.”
A flicker of interest flashed across Hugo’s face, but he didn’t meet my gaze. “The Owls play at the Lincoln Financial Field too, but I bet you already knew that.”
More silence. I ran a hand down my face, racking my brain for something, anything, that might get Hugo engaging with me. Sally caught my eye across the room and gave me a reassuring smile. A smile that said I was doing the right thing, no matter how useless I felt.
But Hugo didn’t engage. He didn’t smile or gaze up at me, eager for my tidbits about Asher and the team. He just sat there, coloring in and clutching his stuffed toy as if I wasn’t even there.
By the time the session was over, I was emotionally weary. Asher was picking me up and we were going to watch a movie, so once I’d helped clean up, I grabbed my purse out of the locker in the staff room and headed out.
“Bye, guys,” I said to Pat and Hershel. They gave me a quick wave and I made a beeline for the door.
Asher met me halfway. “Hey, how was it?”
I shook my head, noticing Sally waiting with the Garcia kids.
“Is that your boyfriend?” Jay called over.
“Jay,” Sally warned.
“It’s okay,” I said, approaching them. “This is Asher, my boyfriend.” My lips curved, as I discreetly watched Hugo. He peered up at Asher and then my fiancé did the most incredible thing. He crouched low and held up a fist.
“Hey, you must be Hugo. Mya has told me all about you. She said you want to be just like Fletcher Cox when you’re older?”
Jay and Mario could barely contain their excitement, but not Hugo. He simply stared up at Asher, his eyes wide and lips parted.
“Is that Swoop?” Asher asked, completely unfazed at Hugo’s lack of reply. “Can I see him?” He slowly extended his hand but didn
’t get too close.
“Asher,” I whispered, not wanting him to scare Hugo. But then slowly, Hugo pushed Swoop forward and placed him in Asher’s open palm.
“He looks like he could do with a bath.”
Hugo smiled. It was only small, full of trepidation and uncertainty.
But it was a smile.
I looked up at Sally and I knew the emotion in her eyes mirrored the emotion in mine.
“Did Mya tell you it’s our first game of the season tomorrow?”
Hugo nodded.
This was freaking huge. I’d spent weeks trying to get the little boy with pain in his eyes to engage with me, and Asher had managed to do it in under a minute.
“I’m going to ask our running back to score a touchdown just for you.” Asher handed Swoop back and held up his fist again. “What do you say?”
Hugo made a small fist and bumped it to Asher’s. “Awesome. Mya can let you know next time how we got on, okay?” He stood up. “What about you two, you like football?”
Jay pulled up to his full height and puffed out his chest. “Hell yeah.” Sally cleared her throat and he murmured, “I mean, sure do.”
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Jay, and this is my brother Mario.”
“Well, it was nice to meet you all. Perhaps I can drop by with a few guys from the team one day and we can hang out?” I nudged him, and he added, “If Sally says it’s okay.” He shot my mentor a blinding smile.
“I’m sure we can figure something out,” she said returning it with her own.
“You three be good, okay? And I’ll see you soon.” Asher took my hand and guided me away, the sounds of Jay and Mario’s excited chatter following us.
“I can’t believe you just did that. You were so good with him.”
“Nah.” Asher gave me a coy look. “I didn’t do anything, not really.”
“You did. Hugo hasn’t responded to anyone at the center like that, or his foster parents. It was... wow.”
I couldn’t even be envious that Asher had made the breakthrough with Hugo I so desperately wanted, because seeing the guy I loved interact so easily with the lost little boy had been nothing short of heart melting.
“I think I just fell in love with you all over again.”
We reached Asher’s Jeep and he pulled me into his arms. “He’s a cute kid. I can see why he’s got you all tied up in knots.”
“I just want to reach him, ya know?”
“I know.” He leaned in, kissing me softly. “I meant what I said. Me and the guys will drop by one session and play some ball with them. I don’t know why we’ve never thought of it before. Maybe we could get a regular thing going. Coach would love that, having the team giving back to the community.”
“That would be... the kids would love that.” The other volunteers too no doubt. “You’re really okay with this, aren’t you?”
“With what?” His brows bunched together.
“The fostering thing... the work I do.”
“Mya, I don’t know how to make this any clearer to you, but I will always, always support your dreams. I fell for your spirit, your passion and drive... your big heart. I’m crazy in love with you, Mya Hernandez, and one day I’m going to put a huge ring on your finger and claim you as mine in front of all our friends, family, and our houseful of foster kids.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good, because it’s happening, Mya. We just gotta finish school first.” Asher gazed at me with such reverence it took my breath away.
There had been a time when I had questioned what I’d done to deserve Asher, but I realized now it wasn’t about being deserving. Our souls were the same. We loved hard and we fought hard for those we cared about. That’s what brought us together, and that’s what would set the foundation of our life together.
And I couldn’t wait.
Mya
“That’s quite the man you have,” Sally said when I arrived at New Hope on the Monday after Asher’s first game.
“Yeah, he’s really something.”
“Gosh, I remember that feeling,” she sighed. “To be so in love it radiates from your pores.” She grinned.
“Crap.” I blushed. “I’ve become that girl, haven’t I?”
“Yeah, hon, I think you have. But it seems Asher worked his magic because I spoke to Mariah earlier and they had a really good weekend with Hugo.”
“He spoke to them?”
“No.” Her expression fell a little. “But he was using non-verbal cues and even joined in some of their activities.”
“That’s amazing.”
“I have a good feeling about this, Mya.”
I left Sally to her paperwork and made my way into the main hall. I instantly saw the difference in Hugo. He was no longer huddled at one of the tables, clutching his stuffed eagle. Instead, he was on the fringe of the game. He wasn’t exactly participating, but he wasn’t not participating either.
Smiling to myself, I made my way over to him and crouched down. “Hey, buddy. You want to join in?”
He shrugged.
“Maybe there’s something else you’d like to do?” He slid his small hand into mine and my heart swelled. Hugo led me over to his usual table and helped himself to a sheet of paper and a crayon, scribbling something. He thrust the paper at me, and I read it aloud.
“Did they win? The Owls?” I smiled, and he nodded. “They sure did, buddy. The running back scored two touchdowns just for you.”
His whole face lit up.
“In fact, I have a photo. Asher asked me to show it to you.” I dug it out of my pocket and passed it to him. We’d gone to the mall and had it printed out so Hugo could keep it. It was a shot of Asher and the Owls’ running back, Aiden, celebrating. They were pointing right at the camera, right at Hugo.
His smile grew.
“You can keep that. See, Asher and some of team signed the back for you.” His little fingers clutched the photograph as if it was the most precious thing he’d ever received.
“Remember your envelope is waiting. Whenever you’re ready,” I said.
I didn’t push. It had to be on Hugo’s terms, if ever. But he’d made such a huge step and it was all thanks to my fiancé.
God, I would never tire of saying that.
At least, until he was my husband.
I swallowed down the rush of emotion. Something brushed my hand and I looked down to find Hugo tugging my fingers.
“What’s up, buddy?” He beckoned me down to him, so I crouched down to meet his eye level.
Tentatively, he leaned in, cupping his hands around his mouth. “O- open envelope please,” he said.
“Yeah?” My heart almost burst.
He nodded, looking skittish. I didn’t want to scare him off, so I steeled myself and kept an even tone. “That’s really great to hear, Hugo. Shall we go get it down?”
“Yes, please.” His voice was barely a whisper, but his words were perfect.
I stood and held out my hand. Hugo took it, and everyone in the center stopped to watch as we crossed the room and I plucked the envelope off the shelf, handing it to him.
“Go ahead, open it,” I said. “And then we can see if we can make your wish come true.”
Asher
“Stop,” Diego grunted. “You’re like a fucking yo-yo.”
“I’m just nervous.”
“Dude, it’s a bunch of kids. What could possibly go wrong?”
Diego had clearly never met some of the kids Mya worked with. They wouldn’t hesitate to tell us if what we had planned was totally lame and uncool. But hopefully they would all enjoy it.
Especially Hugo.
Mya had come home that day—the day he finally chose to use his words—a teary-eyed emotional mess. I’d held her while she cried her happy tears and then she’d given me a blow-by-blow account of what had happened.
The little guy had done amazing, so it was only right he got to see his wish come true. Coach had been able to
pull a few strings, and together, he and Sally had arranged the event at the football field today.
“They’re here.” I spotted Mya and Sally and a handful of the other volunteers walking out of the tunnel with Hugo, his brothers, and some of the other kids in New Hope’s program for kids in the foster care system.
They were wide-eyed, their expressions full of wonder as they took in the vastness of the Lincoln Financial Field stadium.
“Come on,” I said to the guys. “Let’s go introduce ourselves. And remember, keep cussing to a minimum.”
“Yeah, yeah, Bennet, keep your hair on. I think we can behave for an hour.” Aiden chuckled.
“Hey.” Mya reached us. We were here on official team business, but it didn’t stop me leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her cheek. “They’re so excited,” she whispered.
“How are you all doing?” I asked the huddle of kids. Jay and Mario were grinning ear to ear, but most of the other kids looked like Hugo, completely awestruck.
“You ready to play some ball with us?”
A chorus of ‘yeahs’ filled the air. “Well, before we get started with some warm-up activities, I have a little surprise for you. Bring him out, Coach,” I yelled.
“You did it,” Mya breathed, reaching my hand, as we watched Swoop the eagle traipse out onto the field.
Hugo clapped his hands with glee, and I crouched down to his level. “What do you think, buddy?”
He looked at me with tears shining in his eyes, and whispered, “Best. Day. Ever.”
Mya
“Hey guys, over here.” Faith beckoned us over to where she and Rex were sitting. “We didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“We almost didn’t,” Asher murmured, and I elbowed him in the ribs.
“Play nice,” I mouthed.
When Faith had called to ask if Asher and I would meet her for drinks, I’d almost told her no. Things between us were okay, but I'd had no intentions of putting her and Asher in a room together anytime soon. But he’d overheard the call and said everyone deserved a second chance. So here we were, meeting Faith and... Rex, for drinks.
Odd, she hadn’t mentioned him in her original invitation.
