A Love Rekindled (The Game of Love #1)

by Sharon Cummin

  “She pushed me all the time to tell you,” Jessica said. “She was always on your side. What happened yesterday?”

  Jessica put her arms around Renee as well.

  “You can go back and see him now,” the woman at the desk called out.

  “Can I go with you?” Luke asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Let's go,” Luke said.

  The three of them went back and Jessica slowly entered the room. Be strong, she told herself, as she opened the door. She saw Lucas and was relieved to see his open eyes looking up at her. His arm was wrapped in something, he had something around his neck, and he had some bandages on his face. He was sitting up and he seemed to know what was going on.

  “Hey baby, how are you?” she asked softly.

  “Okay, my arm hurts mommy,” he answered.

  “I brought someone with me,” she said. “Is it okay if they come in to see you?”

  “Yes, who is it? Is it a surprise?” he asked.

  “Yes, it's a surprise,” she said. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” he said, with a smile.

  She opened the door and walked in with Renee behind her.

  “Aunt Renee is the surprise?” he asked, with a frown.

  “Thanks bud,” Renee said, as she laughed.

  The door opened all the way and Luke walked in. Lucas' eyes lit up and he had the biggest smile on his face.

  “Daddy, is that you?” Lucas asked.

  “Yes, it's me,” Luke said, as he walked over to the bed.

  Lucas moved to get up, but Luke hurried to lean in toward him.

  “You have to sit still bud,” Luke said.

  Luke sat on the bed next to his son, put his arm around him, kissed his head, and held him tight. Jessica saw tears in Luke's eyes. She felt so bad for the time he missed with his son and for the time she had lost with him. Luke looked into his sons eyes. It looked like he was memorizing everything about him.

  “I can't believe it's really you,” Lucas said. “Me and mommy watched you play football on television. You're really good.”

  “Did you?” Luke asked. “I can teach you to play if you want.”

  “Don't you have to be with your team?” the little boy asked. “They needed you so they could win. Don't they still need you?”

  “No, the only place I need to be is here with you,” Luke said, as he held his son. “Can I stay here and spend time with you?”

  “Yes, you can stay,” Lucas said. “Does that mean I will get to see you all the time?”

  “It sure does. We can do everything together. I am never leaving you. I will always be here with you,” Luke said.

  Jessica walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She rubbed Lucas' leg through the sheet.

  “How are you feeling little man?” she asked.

  She wanted to take him into her arms so bad. He was her baby and she had been so afraid of losing him, but she knew after everything Luke had been through, he needed to be next to his son.

  “I am hurting on my arm and my head, but I am happy daddy is here,” Lucas said.

  “Good baby, I'm glad,” she said.

  The doctor came into the room to talk to them. Renee stayed with Lucas while Luke and Jessica went into the hallway with the doctor. He told them that Lucas had broken his arm and needed surgery to fix it. He would have a cast on after for six to eight weeks. He told them that someone would need to be home with him for a week or so before he could go back to school. The surgery would be the following morning, and he would have to stay that night as well. They were watching him for a concussion since he had hit his head, but everything seemed okay so far. The doctor walked away and Luke wrapped his arms around Jessica.

  “I am so happy he's okay,” Luke said. “I was so afraid to lose him and I had not even had him yet. I would do anything for him.”

  “Luke, I am so sorry for letting you go and for not telling you about Lucas. I know an apology is not going to take away what I did. I thought I was making the right decision, but I see now, that I made the wrong decisions. I hope that one day you understand why I did it. I know you will never forgive me, and I'm okay with that. I just hope you know how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt anyone,” Jessica said.

  “I know you didn't mean to hurt me or him,” Luke said.

  “I can take the week off, but then I won't be able to take the week off at Christmas vacation,” Jessica said.

  “No, I will stay with him this week, if that's okay with you,” Luke said.

  “Of course it's okay. You're his father. If you want to be there, then you will be there. You can help make any decisions you want. I want you to be as big a part of his life as you want to be,” she said.

  “I want to be with him Christmas week too. Maybe we can go somewhere,” Luke said.

  “I am going to take tomorrow off for his surgery, and you can take him home Tuesday while I am at work,” she said.

  “I want to be there with him while he is healing. I want to help him with everything he needs. He needs his dad and is mom right now,” Luke said.

  Luke kissed the top of her head as she opened the door and went back inside. Renee asked what the doctor said. She looked so scared. Jessica and Luke explained the surgery to Lucas and Renee. They made it sound fun and exciting. He would have a cast. He could have his friends at school write on it. They told Renee he would have to stay the next night as well. Renee plopped into the chair and cried. Luke walked over and knelt in front of her. He hugged her and told her it was not her fault and that nobody blamed her. She had brought him and his son together, and he was so thankful for that.

  Officer Jenkins, who was as the accident, came to the door and Lucas was all excited. He let Lucas look at his badge and play with his cuffs with his other hand. He explained that the accident was not Renee's fault and that the other driver was texting and did not see her car. Jessica could tell that the officer felt bad, because he kept mentioning that is was not Renee's fault. He looked over at Renee as she wiped her tears.

  “I should have seen them. My nephew could have been killed. I should have protected him,” she said.

  “There was so no way to avoid them,” he said, as he walked to her. “You could not have changed anything. Your nephew is going to be okay. It's not your fault.”

  He looked into her eyes and Jessica thought it was so sweet that he was so caring. She had never seen an officer look so caring before. It was nice that he went to check on Lucas. He walked over to the door and handed a card to Renee on the way out.

  “Call me if you need anything. My name is Dillon,” he said softly. “We will call you with the information you requested. Have a good day. I promise you, it was not your fault.”

  The door closed behind him. Renee let out a sigh.

  “Auntie Renee, come here,” Lucas said.

  Renee walked over to him and hugged him.

  “I love you Auntie,” he said.

  “I love you too buddy,” she said.

  Chapter 13

  Luke

  He sat next to his son, holding him, for hours. It felt amazing to meet him and know that he would be in his life. Lucas asked him questions about football and his family. Luke told him about how excited his grandma would be to meet him. Lucas was excited to find out that he had a grandma. He had never had grandparents before. Luke thought about how he was going to tell his mother. He knew she would be happy, but he didn't want her to have hard feelings toward Jessica.

  Luke was hungry and knew that everyone else was also. He asked the nurse if he could bring some food in. They said yes but that Lucas could not eat the following morning. Luke asked him what he wanted to eat, and he decided that he wanted pizza. Luke went out and brought back pizza and soda. He had stopped at the gift shop and bought a kids magazine, a coloring book set, and a stuffed turtle on the way back to the room with the food. Lucas was very excited to get his first present from his daddy.

  They all ate dinner and the nurs
e told them visiting hours were over. Luke told the nurse he was not leaving his son for one minute alone. She said the parents could stay but that was all. Renee let out a breath and gave the nurse a dirty look. Jessica asked her if she was going to be okay, or if she wanted her to go home with her. Renee said she would be fine. She knew Lucas was okay, but she would be back first thing in the morning. Her little man hugged her tight and told her how much he loved her. Luke reached into his pocket and handed her keys.

  “What are these for?” Renee asked.

  “How were you planning on getting home?” he asked.

  “Oh, I really hadn't thought about it,” she said, as she shook her head. “My car was totaled.”

  “Once Lucas goes home, I can take you to get all of your stuff out of your car. You should call that officer and make sure we have a few days. We will go and get you a car after that. Until then, you can use mine,” Luke said. “Is that is okay with you?”

  “You sure you don't mind me using your car for that long?” Renee asked.

  “I'm sure,” he said. “I'll walk you out, so you know where it is.”

  Renee said goodbye to Lucas and Jessica.

  “I will see you in the morning. I want to be one of the first to see your cool cast,” she said, as she walked out the door.

  Luke and Renee walked outside in silence. He walked her over to his car. She had a huge smile on her face when he opened the door.

  “I get to drive a nice sports car. Are you kidding me? You do know that I totaled a car today right?” she laughed.

  “It was not your fault,” he snapped. “Yes you are driving my car. Have fun.”

  She laughed.

  “Renee, thank you,” he said. “You have no idea how thankful I am that you told me to talk to her. I would never have known. I'm pissed at her, but I understand why she did the things she did.”

  “I begged her a million times to tell you, Luke,” she said. “I want you to know that. She had a very hard time breaking up with you. Her pregnancy was rough. Are parents were horrible to her. It was so hard for her not to tell you. She wanted you to have your life and dream. Please don't be mad at her. She loves you. She has never been with another man. Did she tell you that? I can't say that I supported that. I'm sorry. I am so glad you know and that he gets to know you. I know you will be a great father to him. He loves you. She has told him so much about you. He knows about your high school, college, and professional days. I do give her credit for that. Not a day went by that she didn't mention you. Everything she ever said was positive. I hope everything works out for you two. I really do.”

  Luke hugged her and held the car door open for her. He gave her the keys.

  “Get some rest,” he said. “We'll see you first thing in the morning. We love you Renee.”

  “I love you guys,” she said, as he closed the door and walked back toward the hospital.

  Luke sat on a bench outside for a few minutes. He was so thankful that his son was okay. In one day he found out he had a son, and he had felt more scared than he had ever been in his life, that he was going to lose him. He sat on the bench with his head hung down. She had loved him the whole time. He couldn't believe that she had never moved on. They had a child. Luke knew that he would appreciate every single second with his boy. He got up, dried a tear from his face, and went back to be with his son.

  When Luke walked back into the room, Jessica was sitting on the bed, holding their son. He had fallen asleep. She quietly covered him up and walked over to Luke. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled into his chest.

  “Thank you so much for being here today,” she said. “I don't know what I would have done if you weren't.”

  “I am the reason Renee took Lucas out today,” he said.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  Luke pulled her over and sat down on a chair, as he pulled her into his lap.

  “When I drove by your house yesterday, I saw you and Lucas outside. I was upset. Later, I went to the mall and ran into Renee. I asked her questions about you and she told me I needed to come over and talk to you. She called you and asked to take Lucas so I could show up to talk to you. I feel horrible. If it weren't for me, he would not be here,” Luke said.

  “It's not your fault and it's not Renee's fault. It is the person who hit her that is to blame. Don't blame yourself. You just wanted answers. I am glad you came over. Lucas has his dad now. Everything is going to be okay,” she said. “I can take the time off. You don't have to do it.”

  “I want to do it. I want to take care of him and spend time with him. It will be nice,” Luke said.

  Luke leaned his head back against the wall.

  “Can I stay at your house while he is recovering? I want to be there to help you. I don't want to leave you two alone every night, just to come back in the morning. I'll sleep on the couch,” he said.

  “That is fine. It will only be for a week,” she said.

  “Not just while I am taking care of him,” he said. “I mean his whole recovery, until he gets his cast off.”

  “You do know that is like six to eight weeks, right?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he answered.

  “If you are sure that is what you want. I am sure he will be excited to have you there. You can have Renee's room, unless she decides to stay too. We can figure out something,” she said.

  Jessica yawned and put her head down on Luke's chest. They both fell asleep.

  Chapter 14

  Jessica

  Lucas was awake early. Renee made it to the hospital just in time to see him before surgery. He had both of his parents with him before he went in and when he came out. They told him he could pick what color cast he wanted, and he picked blue. His arm was sore when he woke up, but he was in a pretty good mood. The four of them laughed, talked, and watched cartoons for the rest of the day.

  Jessica wanted to stay the night again, but Luke told her to go home and sleep for work. He wanted to stay with Lucas and spend time with him. Luke said he would call her if he needed anything. She got Luke's phone number and told him she would call him. Renee drove Jessica home in Luke's car.

  She could not fall asleep that night. Her thoughts went to Luke and the way he spent every second with Lucas. He was so good about making him comfortable and keeping him positive and busy. She regretted that she had not told him about his son when she was pregnant. He would have been there for them. They would have been together. She felt so horrible for her bad decisions. Jessica took her phone of the nightstand and started to type out a text message.

  “How is Lucas doing?”

  “He is fine. Get some sleep. You have to work in the morning. I will take good care of him,” Luke sent.

  “I can't sleep. I am so sorry for everything I did to you,” she sent.

  “I know. Thank you for letting me be here with him,” he sent.

  “He was so happy to see you. I miss you already. I can't believe you are really back. Goodnight,” she sent.

  “Goodnight,” he sent.

  Jessica could still smell Luke on her pillow. She wrapped the sheet around her body and snuggled into the pillow. It smelled so good.

  She went to work and text Luke several times during the day to check on Lucas. He was fine. They were going to let him go home later that day. It was almost time for her to leave work when she heard her phone beep with a text from Luke.

  “I need you to do me a favor. Find out what Renee's dream car is and what color. Don't just ask her. She can't realize you are asking. Just find out, please.”

  “Okay,” she sent back.

  “They are going to release Lucas in about an hour. Can you come and get us? Your sister has my car,” he sent.

  “I am leaving work now. I will be there soon,” she sent.

  Jessica left work and called her sister on the way to the hospital. They talked about Lucas and Renee said she would be by to visit later that evening. They talked about her car and how she had to call the
insurance and also clean her stuff out of it. Jessica got her on the subject of their dream cars. They talked for a while about it. She hoped Renee did not think anything of their conversation.

  They were releasing Lucas just as Jessica walked into the room. He was happy to be leaving. They got him to the car and went home. Luke helped him into the house and took him to his bed. Jessica loved to hear Lucas laugh and joke with his daddy. Lucas fell asleep from all of the medicine he had been taking. Luke and Jessica went quietly to the living room. Jessica sat down on the couch, and he fell onto it next to her.

  He asked her how Renee was. They talked about the conversation Jessica had with Renee earlier. Luke told her that he had to run out for a little bit and would pick up something for dinner on his way back.

  As soon as Luke left, she leaned back on the couch and fell asleep. When she woke up, Luke was nudging her arm.

  “Jessica, wake up,” he said. “I picked up food. Get up and get something to eat.”

  She opened her eyes and could not believe she had slept the whole time he was gone.

  “I fell asleep as soon as you left,” she laughed.

  He walked out of the room. She could hear him asking Lucas if he was hungry. They came out together and sat at the table. The three of them ate dinner together. Jessica thought about what it would be like if they were a family.

  “Lucas, would it be okay if I stayed here while your arm heals up? It would be a long time,” Luke asked.

  “Yes,” Lucas answered. “I want you to stay.”

  Luke looked at Jessica with a huge smile on his face. She could see how happy he was to hear his son say that.

  After dinner, Renee had come over to visit with Lucas for about an hour. She left and they put Lucas to bed together. When they left his bedroom, Jessica was not sure what to do. She could not help think about the amazing sex she had with Luke just before her sister had called about the accident. Jessica wanted to snuggle into Luke's arms again, but she wasn't sure what he wanted. She knew she should just go into her room and go to bed. He walked into the living room and sat down.