A Game of COURAGE

by Lena Hart

  For now, he was thoroughly embarrassed.

  “I’m sorry for the confusion,” Mason said, feeling more than a little foolish with each passing minute. “My daughter has quite the imagination.”

  That I overly encourage.

  Mason glanced over at his wife and daughter again, then shook his head wryly for the unnecessary fear and anxiety they had all suffered.

  “My daughter’s name is Madison Courage. I’ll be sure she never forgets that.”

  Mason stood outside his daughter’s bedroom, waiting until Jules put Madison to bed. He had just finished up with Jeremy but knew Jules would want the extra time with their daughter. The whole incident earlier had terrified them both, but evidently it was going to take his wife longer to recover.

  When Jules stepped out of the bedroom, Mason pushed away from the wall.

  “Is she asleep?”

  Jules nodded. “I may have been in there a little longer watching her, but I couldn’t help it.”

  “I understand.” Mason held out his hand to her. “Let’s talk.”

  She tilted her head to the side, but took his hand.

  He thought about going into their bedroom, but then thought against it. They needed to have a serious talk, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to do that with a bed near. Not the way he was feeling.

  They made their way into the living room and settled on the sofa. He was ready to put everything behind him and get them back on track. If he’d learned anything from today, it was that his wife and children were his everything, and at any moment he could lose them for good.

  The thought was terrifying.

  “I’m sorry I pulled you away from your work today,” Jules began. “I feel silly for falling apart like that when I should have had the common sense to ask them to take me into the classrooms and look for her myself.”

  Mason stared at her, stunned by her apology. Did she really believe his work was so important that he would rather be there than looking for his missing daughter?

  “Jules, I’m glad you called me. Madison is my daughter too, and what happened today scared the shit out of me. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have completely lost it.”

  “Me? How? I was a hysterical mess.”

  “You’re always so strong and taking care of all of us. But today was the first time that I saw how much you needed me to be there for you. I knew I had to be strong for both of us.”

  A frown tugged at her brow. “Mason, it may look like I have everything under control, but I always need you. The kids need you.”

  “But you were ready to leave me.”

  She dropped her gaze, and Mason stared at her bent head. It wasn’t an accusation or a question, simply a statement of fact. It was clear by her filing for divorce that needing him wasn’t necessarily enough to keep her with him. And as much as he wanted her and their family to stay intact, he also wanted her to want those same things.

  He loved her too much to force her to stay in a marriage she wasn’t happy in.

  “It’s okay, Jules. I know you haven’t been happy with me for a while and I don’t want to be the cause of your misery.”

  She whipped her head up, her eyes moving over him. “What are you saying?”

  Mason clenched his jaw, the words hard to say, but very necessary in this moment. “I’m saying that if you want to end our marriage, then I won’t fight you on it. It won’t change how I feel about you. You’re it for me and letting you go will be hard as hell. But I would rather fight for you than with you. Even if it means starting all over again.”

  Jules reached over and slipped her hand into his. “I don’t want our marriage to end, Mason. Leaving you is the last thing I want. But between your work and the kids, I’m tired of coming in last place with you.” She stared down at their hands. “I just don’t want us to get to a place where we start to hate each other.”

  “I could never hate you, Jules.” Mason thought about what Slater Reyes had told him and what he had learned in the process. “Slater Reyes came by my office today.”

  Her mouth fell open then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What? Why? What did he want?”

  “To talk.”

  “About what?”

  “About you and us. He helped remind me of what I forgot I had.” Mason ran the pad of his thumb across her cheek. “I’m sorry I haven’t been my best self lately. I should have never stopped believing in you. In us. I’m going to do everything I can to be better, to make you happy again.”

  He brought her hand to his lips, then gathered her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his middle and settled against him.

  “I love you, Mason. I want us to continue working at being better to, and for, each other. I want us both to be happy.”

  He pressed a kiss against her hair. “I want that, too.”

  15

  Four weeks later…

  “Daddy, what is that?”

  “It’s a cup, sweetie.”

  Madison scrunched her nose. “No, it’s not. It’s too big.”

  “It’s a special kind of cup.”

  “Is it for us?”

  “Yes, but only for today. You want to take a look?”

  She nodded, and Mason took down the Cup from the dining table. He placed it on the floor, and she got on her tiptoes to peer inside it.

  “It’s so shiny!”

  Mason smiled down at her bent head, finding her gleeful fascination contagious. The Keeper of the Cup Edwin Motz had brought by the trophy early, and was now taking a quick nap after his long overnight trip. Being an early riser like him, his darling daughter had come down to investigate. And while Mason thought about where he would display the nearly three foot trophy, he couldn’t help but admire it with the same wonder his daughter did.

  In the corner of his eye, Mason caught a pajama-clad Jeremy standing a few feet away. He stared curiously at the impressive trophy, an unopened box of his favorite cereal clutched in his hands.

  “Did you want me to help you with breakfast, Jeremy?”

  He kept his eyes fixed on the Cup. “Big.”

  “Yes, it’s pretty big.” Mason waved him over. “Come take a closer look with us.”

  Mason watched as his kids examined it, taking in every detail, even the names engraved at the base. He saw the box of cereal on the ground and remembered that they needed to be fed. The Family Fun Day event Jules had been working hard on was in a couple hours, and they would all need to eat, get dressed, and be out the door soon.

  “Daddy, what are we going to drink in it?” Madison asked, beaming up at him expectantly.

  Mason chuckled. Any liquid they put in it would take several grown men to finish. With his petite daughter and his son’s picky eating habits, it would take them days.

  “Why don’t we focus on having breakfast first?” Mason said, placing the box of cereal on the table.

  He went to the kitchen and took down three small bowls from the cabinets. With milk, bowls, and utensils in hand, Mason returned to the dining room and stopped in his tracks.

  “Jeremy, what are you doing?”

  His son poured the last of the cereal and marshmallow pieces into the Cup before placing the box down. “Breakfast.”

  Mason sighed as he set the items in his hands down on the table. “I know you want breakfast, son, but that’s not a bowl.”

  Jeremy ignored him and began picking the marshmallow pieces from the bunch. He continued to stuff them in his mouth while Madison awkwardly shoved a chair closer to the trophy.

  He started to stop her, then shrugged.

  “Madison, do you know where Mommy keeps the colorful party spoons?” he asked, grabbing the gallon of milk and twisting off the cap.

  She nodded. “Yes, in the pantry.”

  “Can you go grab us a few?”

  She hurried off, and Mason began to pour milk over the cereal. It was deeper than he’d initially thought, though the grains and marshmallow pieces began to rise steadily and float in the
milk. In a flash, Madison was back at his side with a small carton of brightly colored plastic cutlery.

  Mason pulled out three spoons and handed them each one. “Use only these spoons to eat with so we don’t scratch the Cup, okay?”

  “Okay!” Madison said as she climbed up on the chair and knelt on the seat.

  She was the first to dig in. Jeremy carefully sifted through the milk and cereal for the colorful marshmallows. Mason pulled up a chair for himself and dug in. He got over the initial awkwardness of eating from the large silver bowl and enjoyed the simple meal.

  “What are you all doing?”

  Mason turned to find Jules in her bathrobe, looking beautifully disheveled. He had left her sleeping when he came down to let Edwin in with the Cup.

  “We’re eating breakfast in Daddy’s special cup,” Madison said, her mouth full of half-chewed cereal.

  “I can see that,” Jules said, coming closer. “But why?”

  “Because it’s fun!”

  Mason smiled and winked at his wife. “Yeah, because it’s fun.”

  Jules shook her head and laughed. “Okay, you win. But I have to take a picture of this.” She grabbed his phone from the table. “Smile.”

  They looked over at her, and she took another series of pictures.

  “Now, come here, babe.”

  When she came close enough, Mason wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down on his lap. He took the phone from her hand and pulled up the camera app.

  “Jeremy, Madison. Look over here. Now say cheese.”

  “Cheese!” Madison squealed.

  He instantly snapped the photo before their kids turned their attention back to the bowl. Jules took the phone from his hand and studied their family selfie. It wasn’t quality stuff—a wide-eyed Jeremy had his fingers in his mouth, Madison smiled from ear to ear with her tiny teeth on full display, and they were all in desperate need of a comb—but still…

  “It’s perfect.”

  Exactly.

  Mason glanced up at his wife. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

  The warm pleasure in her eyes made his heart swell. She gave him a quick kiss on his stubbly cheek, and he hugged her close.

  “So, is that all you have planned for this magnificent Cup? Cereal with your kids?”

  Mason stared at her. “You think it’s magnificent?”

  “Of course.” She turned to admire it again, a wide smile on her face. “I may not be much of a sports fan, but this is the Cup. Not everyone gets the honor of winning it, but you and your team did. And looking at it now, I can understand what it was you were working hard for.” She turned back to him and cupped his jaw. “I’m proud of you.”

  Mason froze as her words triggered something warm and peaceful inside him. It was a blend of immense pleasure and relief. He welcomed the unexpected emotions until it suddenly dawned on him as to why he felt this way.

  She was proud of him.

  For so long, he had let himself believe that winning the Cup had been about making his father proud, but that wasn’t true. It had been about making his wife proud. Why couldn’t he see that before he almost let his fixation on winning ruin his marriage?

  With a wry laugh, Mason shook his head.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that. For months I’ve been telling myself that winning the Cup was for my dad, but it wasn’t. It was for you.”

  She tilted her head. “Me?”

  “Yes. If losing my dad had taught me anything, it was that nothing’s ever promised. I guess I wanted to do something that would make you proud to be my wife, to carry my name.”

  Her eyes glistened with tears, but she blinked them away. “You silly man. I’ve always been proud of you. And I’m proud to be your wife. I’m just sorry I wasn’t more patient with you.”

  “You’ve been more than patient with me, babe.”

  “Perhaps on some things, but I knew how important this was for you. I shouldn’t have been so…jealous of your career.”

  Mason tightened his arms around her. “It’s true my career is important to me, but it doesn’t take the place of you or the kids. It never will. I hope you know that.”

  “I do.” She pressed her lips against his forehead and stroked his cheek. “I think I have an idea of what we could do with the Cup today. But first we need to get this cereal finished.”

  “You got it.”

  Reaching for his spoon, Mason dug into the cereal. Madison had joined her brother in picking out just the marshmallows, which left a lot of the sugary oats floating in the milk. He fed Jules a healthy spoonful before he served himself another bite.

  She chewed thoughtfully before turning to him. “You did clean that first, didn’t you?”

  Mason paused, glancing at her then back to the large silver bowl. “Hmm, I’m pretty sure Edwin took care of that.”

  “You should bring home the Cup every year,” Jules said over the crowd of children laughing and running around them. “The kids love it.”

  Mason scoffed, then threw his arms around her. “No pressure, right?”

  He pulled her close to his side as they both stood back and watched family after family take pictures with the Cup. Her program director had found a suitable space in the center of the park to display it, and it currently sat atop a makeshift pedestal. As news of the Cup’s presence spread, the crowd steadily began to grow.

  Jules glanced over to the sensory tent stationed near the trophy that Madison and Jeremy had wandered into. There were many tents like it around the park, as well as other wonderful activities and games, but it was the championship Cup that appeared to be the main attraction.

  Edwin, who stood not too far away, kept a vigilant eye on the Cup. He, however, was virtually ignored by the excited crowd. From the delighted expressions and lively chatter, Jules knew they were experiencing the same enchanted wonder she had felt earlier. Everyone who came in sight of the impressive trophy was instantly drawn in. It had certainly turned out to be an invaluable addition to her first charity event, and she couldn’t be more thrilled.

  “Thank you for letting me borrow your trophy today.”

  “Well, it’s as much yours as it is mine,” he murmured. “For putting up with me this past season.”

  Jules looped her arm around him and rested her head against his shoulder. He may not point it out, but she took full responsibility in her role in driving the wedge between them this past year. Instead of arguing or getting frustrated at the things he didn’t do, she should have mustered more patience and offered her support.

  But that was all in the past.

  “When is Edwin taking the Cup back?”

  “He leaves tonight at midnight with it.”

  “Okay, we’ll have to make sure we take one last picture before then. Will Ryder still be flying in today?”

  “Yeah, he’ll be here tonight. He didn’t want to pass up having a drink in the legendary Cup. His words.”

  Jules watched as a few kids were hoisted on their fathers’ shoulders and posed beside the trophy. As a few eager little hands grabbed the rim and touched inside the Cup, she made a mental note to wash it again before her brother-in-law got in.

  “I think I’m going to miss it,” she murmured with a small sigh.

  “Me too. Breakfast will never be the same after today.”

  She laughed. “Exactly.”

  After today, however, there was a lot she was going to miss. Counseling this summer had helped her understand just how much they both needed to improve in their marriage. These past few weeks, they had continued to put what they learned from Dr. Kahn into practice. Every week, Jules looked forward to their next date night, and she enjoyed their talks before bed. Their communication had improved significantly, and she would always remember this summer and how they had managed to find their way back to each other.

  “I’m going to miss this summer too,” she said wistfully.
“It’s been nice having you around more.”

  He pressed a kiss on her temple. “This season won’t be like the last. I’m going to be around more for you and the kids. I will make you happy again.”

  He tried to keep his tone light, but the tension in his voice was plain for her to hear. Jules could only stare at him, staggered.

  “Mason, I am happy.”

  “That’s not what you said a few months ago.”

  She tightened her arms around him. “Okay. I admit I was more than a little upset with you, but it’s only because I wanted more of you.”

  “And believe me, you’ll have it. I’m not promising I’ll be perfect, but I will be a better husband and father this time around.”

  Did he think she expected him to be some kind of super dad or super husband? He was already a devoted coach, a loving, faithful husband, and a terrific father. From what she could tell, his good qualities certainly outweighed his flaws.

  And it had only taken several sessions of marriage counseling, the frightening possibility that they had lost their daughter, and a shiny silver Cup for her to realize what she would have given up if she had gone through with the divorce. In hindsight, she couldn’t ask for a better husband.

  Jules moved to stand in front of her husband then wrapped her arms around him. She peered up at him, and her heart fluttered at the love that shone in his eyes.

  “You may not be perfect, true. But neither am I. And you know what? I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Not even for the most souped up luxury car.”

  “What?”

  She laughed, then rose to the tips of her ballet flats to kiss him lightly on the lips. “What I’m trying to say is I love you, Mason Courage. Flaws and all.”

  Dear Reader

  I hope you enjoyed Mason and Jules story! I’m a big fan of second chance romances and when their story came to me, I knew I had to tell it.

  If you’re looking for more second chance romances, be sure to check out my To Be Loved series. The prequel is FREE and I’ve also included an extended excerpt after this note of my most popular story in the series, BECAUSE THIS IS FOREVER.