The Matchup

by Laura L. Walker

  Pierce peered at her speculatively. “I didn’t realize that you’ve kept in contact with Gage.”

  “I haven’t,” she admitted. “We ran into each other while shopping the other night. Until then, I hadn’t seen him in several years.”

  “That’s interesting. He didn’t mention anything. Then again, he rarely does anymore,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Maybe that’s because you hound him to death when he does,” Noelle said pointedly.

  Valerie looked from one to the other, noting Pierce’s defensive posture. “I was only trying to help, okay?” he told his wife.

  “Does Gage know that?”

  “If he doesn’t, then that’s his problem.”

  This sounded like a conversation that she shouldn’t be hearing. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Pierce. And I’m glad to meet you, Noelle.”

  “You’re coming to the house for dinner, right?” Valerie heard Kurt’s voice behind her just before his hand landed on her shoulder. “Val? Pierce and Noelle?” He looked at them expectantly.

  “Yeah, we’re coming.”

  “Great.” Kurt continued talking to his friends while Valerie slipped away with Justin. Within minutes, she found Whitney and led them to her beat-up car. Looking at the sad excuse for transportation, she decided that she wouldn’t risk taking it on their vacation. She’d ask her parents if she could borrow their vehicle instead.

  Driving an extra thirty minutes past his house in east Mesa to pick up his son normally wouldn’t have been a big deal to Gage. But now that he’d finished working his second shift in the past thirty hours, he was ready to call it a day. Learning from Pierce a few minutes ago that they were still at Kurt Levington’s house in Queen Creek and that it’d be another few hours until he could crash in his bed made him feel that much crankier.

  Or was it because he knew he’d have to show his face to the Levington family again after all this time? John Levington was probably the one person in Gage’s ward while growing up who hadn’t given up on the Logan brothers after their father slipped off the ward’s radar. Gage wondered what kind of a reception he’d receive from him now.

  After taking the turnoff to Queen Creek, memories of Gage’s college days stretched out much like the long road he was driving on. The weekend frat parties at Arizona State University became the only thing he’d looked forward to. Considering the daze he’d been in each Monday morning, it was a miracle he’d been able to pull off decent grades.

  He’d been blessed with many talents, not in the least of which was an ability to read people with innate accuracy and tailor each sales pitch to their particular interests. For that reason alone, Gage couldn’t understand how he’d been duped so blindly by April Westbrook. He’d met her after graduating from ASU and finding employment as a marketing strategist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her beauty pageant looks had enhanced her down-to-earth persona.

  April had been a student that summer, making up a class that she’d failed earlier in the spring semester. April’s inability to pass her classes should have been a red flag. But she was so fun to hang out with. When she and Gage traveled together with a group to Las Vegas, talking and laughing the whole way, Gage fell for April—hard. Amid the parties and drinking, they exchanged marriage vows in a cheap wedding chapel.

  Back in Tucson, Gage learned that his new wife was an utter fake. Gage found himself at home alone nearly every night, needing to sleep so he could go to work the next morning, while April went clubbing with their friends. The stories he heard of April’s flirtations with other men vexed him. She’d left the club a few times with a new guy and not returned until the early hours of the morning. April’s hateful words when Gage confronted her about it still echoed inside his head. “All you really were to me was my ticket out of school, Gage. I was sick of always trying to please my parents.” With a sneer, she’d added, “It’s too bad you weren’t the rich, naïve kid I thought you were.” He’d been naïve, all right. Gage still felt like the world’s biggest fool for being reeled in by the cold, calculating woman whose sweet, innocent, and almost shy looks she’d passed his way.

  Perhaps the biggest irony in their marriage came in the form of an unplanned pregnancy. How April managed to conceive Zach when she was using preventative measures, Gage didn’t know. But Zach’s arrival had unwittingly done what Gage had tried so hard to do—pin his wife down for a time. Only by then, she’d become his ex-wife.

  Gage turned the radio on in an effort to dislodge his gloomy thoughts. A reporter, his voice sounding a little harried, grabbed his attention. “We interrupt this program to inform listeners of a multi-car pileup along I-10 near Casa Grande, due to low visibility caused by a sandstorm.” Gage cringed at the graphic scene and growing number of fatalities the reporter listed. His mind immediately went to Zach. Gage was glad to know that his little boy was safe and sound at Kurt Levington’s house.

  Gage parked his Camaro farther down the street from the many cars that flanked Kurt’s house. As he approached the door, it burst opened and a screaming little boy with dark wavy hair darted out, heading straight for the street. His instincts kicking in, Gage immediately ran to his left to catch up with him. A few seconds later, he caught the boy around the arms. “Whoa, buddy. Where are you going?”

  The boy didn’t stop screaming or trying to dislodge Gage’s hold on him. Pinning him against his legs, Gage looked up in time to see Valerie Hall rush toward them.

  “Justin, come back here.” When she saw him holding the boy, her mouth dropped open. “Gage!” She disentangled the boy from Gage’s grasp and lifted him up, putting her head on his to stop his tantrum. However, the boy kept pummeling her chest and screaming.

  Valerie spent a few more minutes shushing him and rocking back and forth on her feet. Breathing hard, Gage waited until he felt that she would be able to hear him over the noise of the boy’s tantrum before he spoke.

  “I’m sorry, Valerie. I saw him running away and I just reacted. I hope I didn’t hurt him.”

  She raised wide eyes to him, her lips trembling—whether from shock or fear, Gage didn’t know. “No. Thank you, Gage. You saved him from getting hit by a car.”

  Gage tore his gaze from her to study Justin more closely. This scrappy kid had run with amazing speed. He was still struggling with Valerie, though he had stopped screaming. “If I had pulled up a few minutes later, it would have been mine.” The enormity of the situation hit him hard, especially after just hearing the horrific news on the radio. “I’m glad he’s okay. Why did he run away?”

  Her lips pressed together in a straight line. Gage tried not to notice how full and soft they looked. “Justin was upset with one of his cousins over a toy they were playing with. Something trivial.”

  If it was so trivial, then why did the disagreement cause such a strong reaction? “It was important enough for him to cry over it.”

  She lifted one shoulder indifferently. “With Justin, it’s hard to know what is important and what isn’t.”

  That didn’t make sense. What kind of mother didn’t know what was important or unimportant to her child?

  Valerie set Justin down and knelt to his level, disregarding the fact that her ankle-length dress was dusting the ground. Looking at Justin with compassion, she told him firmly, “Remember what I’ve told you, kiddo. If something happens that you don’t like, you can come tell me. Please don’t scream in front of everybody else. They are here to enjoy each other’s company and have a good time.”

  Gage watched the interaction between mother and son. Valerie was an odd mixture of lace and steel. Her voice softened to a near whisper before asking, “Can you do that for me, little man?”

  Justin didn’t answer, looking at his feet instead. With a firm but gentle touch, Valerie lifted his chin. “Look at me,” she commanded. When, after another long pause, he still hadn’t responded, she prodded with a little more gusto, “Justin!” The stormy look he sent her shocked Gage. He’d never see
n such a belligerent child. “We’ll go home in a little while. But first I would like for you to go tell Paisley that you’re sorry.”

  “No. I don’t want to!”

  “Please?”

  “NO!”

  Time stood still for Gage. Valerie and her son glared at each other in a standoff that left Gage feeling like he was watching an old Western on television. Who would back down first?

  Valerie heaved a sigh and stood, walking with Justin back to the porch and sitting on the porch swing. Feeling totally out of his element but too curious for his own good, Gage slowly followed.

  Valerie smiled wanly. “You can go inside, if you’d like. We’re going to be here for a while.”

  Leaning against a post and crossing his arms like he had all the time in the world, Gage replied, “No, I’m good.” The truth was, he was concerned about Valerie. A few seconds ago, she’d given the impression that she was indifferent to her child’s needs. Upon closer inspection, however, she appeared to be on the verge of tears.

  “Please, Gage? I need a few minutes alone with my son.”

  Yep. Her voice was definitely shaky. Pushing himself off against the post, he came closer and crouched down in front of her. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked softly.

  She shook her head, keeping her gaze down. Something about the way she rubbed Justin’s back while simultaneously cradling his head in her arms touched a place in Gage’s heart that had long been dead.

  “Valerie,” he said softly.

  She lifted her eyes to him. Gage’s heart constricted at the sorrow he found there. Who would have imagined when they were young that they’d both be single parents? He’d always teased her so that he could see a flare of indignation light her gaze. That fire had apparently been extinguished a long time ago.

  He’d have to see if he could reignite it.

  Taking a deep breath, Valerie looked up at Gage. He was still crouched down, wearing a surprising expression of tenderness that nearly knocked her off balance. “How can I help you?” he implored gently once again.

  She took a deep breath before answering. “It’s time for us to leave. It would be best if Justin stays out here. Would you mind sitting with him while I run inside to find my daughter?”

  Gage turned his gaze onto Justin, who’d hunched his shoulders at her suggestion. His silence indicated that while he might not like having Gage sit with him, at least he wouldn’t throw another fit.

  Because of Justin’s disorder, they were all living on intense emotions far too often than was healthy. She knew that medications were a lifetime commitment. If she could find a way to stabilize his emotional state without the use of medications, so much the better.

  Gage nodded. “I could do that.”

  “Thank you. I’ll only be a few minutes.” She stood and turned Justin around so that he was facing her. “Justin, this is my friend Gage. Can you stay with him for a few minutes while I get Whitney? And then we’ll go home.”

  Justin scowled at Valerie. “All right.”

  Valerie ruffled his hair affectionately. “Okay. I’ll be just a minute.”

  She entered the house and found Kurt and Ashley, congratulating them again on Hope’s blessing. When she reached for her handbag, her mother asked, “Going so soon, honey?”

  Valerie looked up at the circle of faces that were watching her. Her dad, who stood close to her mom as they talked with Pierce and Noelle, paused to hear her answer. “Yes, I think Justin has had all the stimulation he can handle for one day. But it’s been good to see you all.” She smiled brightly to mask her disappointment in always having to leave family functions early for this reason.

  Her mother’s face showed compassion. “I’ll find Whitney and tell her you’re ready to leave.” She excused herself and left the room.

  “Pierce, Gage is here to collect his son. He’s waiting outside.”

  “He is?” John Levington said jovially. “Bring him in here. I haven’t seen that boy in ages.” Valerie’s dad had been the Scoutmaster in their ward for several years while Valerie was growing up, and as a result, many of his formers Boy Scouts remained close to him.

  “He’s sitting with Justin on the porch swing right now,” Valerie said quietly. “I’d better go. Please tell Jake that I’m sorry for the way Justin behaved toward Paisley. We’ll try to make it up to her next time.” Paisley was the youngest daughter of Valerie’s oldest brother.

  Valerie noticed Pierce and Noelle gazing at her speculatively. They must have sensed her discomfort because they didn’t ask any questions. Whitney soon joined the group. With a sigh of relief, Valerie herded her daughter out the door.

  “Hi, Justin. I’m Gage.”

  Gage held out his hand for the boy to shake, but instead of responding, he lowered his eyes to the ground. Gage slowly lowered his hand. Okay, so he’d been a little stressed out lately, but most people usually responded positively to his upbeat personality.

  He decided to try again. “How old are you?”

  A long minute passed before Gage heard him say quietly, “Five.”

  “Really? That’s great. I have a little boy named Zach. He’s four. Did you see him inside the house?”

  After another pause, Justin gave a quick nod. “He showed me his cars.”

  “Yeah, Zach likes cars. What about you, Justin? What do you like?” No response.

  Gage was starting to wonder if he’d said the wrong thing. “Well, Zach likes dinosaurs too. Do you like dinosaurs, Justin?”

  Another quick nod followed while keeping his gaze down. Gage didn’t know much about children, but even he could see that this wasn’t a typical five-year-old. Some kids were shy, but this one seemed to be extremely so.

  “What are some of your favorites?”

  “T. Rex and triceratops.”

  “Yeah, those are some of Zach’s favorites too.”

  Just then, the door opened and Valerie exited with a cute little girl in tow. “Thank you, Gage.” Leaning slightly to one side so that she could balance her bag on her shoulder while reaching for Justin’s hand, she said, “Okay, let’s go.”

  Gage held out his hand to Justin. “I’ve got him.”

  Valerie looked startled when her son placed his little hand into Gage’s large one. Turning, she led them to a car that had obviously seen better days. Gage wondered about Valerie’s ex-husband and what had happened in their marriage.

  Whatever kind of man he was, Gage knew one thing about him. He was out of his mind for letting Valerie go.

  Valerie’s daughter peered up at Gage quizzically. “Who are you?”

  “A friend of your mom’s.”

  She studied him closely before turning back to Valerie. “Mom, is he your boyfriend?”

  Though the words startled him, Gage was amused to see Valerie blush. “Whitney,” she said sternly, “you know better than to ask a question like that.” Whitney stared at Gage for a full five seconds before looking at her feet.

  “Will you be all right?” Gage asked after Valerie had buckled the kids in her car.

  Her back stiffened and she raised her chin, meeting his gaze straight on. “We’ll be fine.”

  The determination in her voice was hard to miss. Obviously, Valerie wasn’t comfortable with accepting help from other people beyond her own family members. Gage smiled to show his support.

  She smiled back, offering a truce. “We’ve had two chance meetings now. What are the odds of that? Maybe next time you’ll let me in on what’s going on between you and Pierce.”

  If there was a next time.

  Gage coughed. “Just a little family matter. I’m sure it’ll blow over soon.” He hoped.

  She seemed to accept the fact that he didn’t want to talk about it. “We all have our little spats from time to time.”

  Exactly.

  Gage entered Kurt’s home, determined to ignore the feeling of being out of place. Aside from the Levington family, the place was packed with lots of people he didn’
t know. Amid the chatter, Gage heard Zach’s voice as it carried from down the hallway. “Daddy!” He was followed by Caleb and a bunch of miniature Levington-ites.

  Zach looked like a different kid altogether in his borrowed church clothes, with his hair slicked down. Fleetingly, Gage wondered what his son had thought of his church experience. He’d probably been confused by it all. “Hey, buddy,” he greeted, lifting Zach up to him. “Looks like you’re having fun.”

  “Yeah. There are lots of kids here to play with!”

  Gage chuckled and set him down. Zach frowned up at him. “Is it time to go already?”

  “Almost. How about five more minutes?”

  “Ten, please?”

  Gage shook his head. “We’ve been in the Levingtons’ way long enough.”

  “Pleeeze¸ Daddy? I don’t wanna go yet.” While Zach’s scrunched-up face was kind of cute, Gage knew exactly whom he’d perfected that ploy from. Another reason to put some distance between Zach and his mother.

  “We’ll see.”

  “Gage.” John Levington’s booming voice interrupted his train of thought. His old Scoutmaster had given him a good start in Scouting before Gage’s interest had gradually waned. He didn’t seem to hold a grudge, however, as he pumped Gage’s arm up and down enthusiastically. “It’s good to see you, son.”

  “Thanks, John. It’s good to see you too,” he said, noticing the sparseness of hair on his head. His kind eyes and friendly smile were still the same, though, making Gage feel that old but familiar connection.

  Valerie’s mother, Brande, walked up to him and enveloped him in a loving embrace. “The prodigal son returns,” she teased.

  Gage grimaced. While not intended to be offensive, the pun had hit its mark. Judging by the chagrined looks on everyone’s faces, they knew it too. There’s nothing better than being put on the spot, Gage thought morosely.

  “I’ve been watching that adorable son of yours,” Brande continued. “He’s a fireball of energy, isn’t he?”