“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.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Rex said to Asher.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Listen, I hope there are no hard feelings about before. You guys are perfect for each other, and I was being a judgmental bastard.”