"I would say that's the best date I've ever been on," she said laughing. "You topped them all."
He reached out and took her hand. "I'm glad you had a great time."
"It must be nice to afford all of this," she said pointing to the plane. "You could have taken me bowling or to the movies and I would have been happy, but this...you're going to make it hard for any other man to top your date."
He grinned. "That was my plan." He squeezed her hand. "I don't want another man to show you a better time."
"Professional football helped you so much financially, but I saw you get hit on television. I saw the pain and I wanted to go down there and tackle that defensive lineman for hurting you."
"He was only doing his job. It was a clean hit, just in the wrong place. Tore my ACL and that was the third one and they told me it was over."
Shocked she hadn't pulled away, he continued to hold her hand. He liked the feel of her skin touching his. He'd loved waking up next to her this morning and hoped that maybe, it would go further, but she'd jumped out of bed quicker than a strike from a rattlesnake.
She gazed at him. "As much as you love football. How did you take the news."
It had been a horrible time in his life. A time he knew was coming, but he'd hoped to play a few more years. But it wasn't meant to be. "Depressed. I went into a deep depression. My mother was so worried about me. She flew out to Minnesota where I'd been injured and we flew home together. She stayed a week with me, helping me get around, talking to me about the next chapter in my life."
"High school football," Meghan said.
He laughed. "Well, let's say first I went to work for a trainer, hoping to help him with his NFL recruits. Teaching them how to be better. But that's not what I love. I did that for a year, before I realized I missed the game. I wanted to spend my time teaching young kids the game of football. So I started looking for a coaching position."
"And here you are," she said.
"For now. A couple of years here and then I will be going to a college team. Or at least I hope I will be."
The airplane hit a pocket of turbulence and the cabin bounced around a little. She held on tighter to his hand. "I hate turbulence. I know flying is safer than driving, but still, I like a smooth ride with an easy landing."
Part of him wanted to ask her about the past, but they'd had such a great weekend, he didn't want to spoil it. He just wanted to continue to enjoy her company, her laughter, her smile, her intelligence. He wasn't an dummy by any means, but Meghan's IQ was a few points higher than his own. Enough she would be the doctor and he would be the coach.
Shaking his head at the thought, for the first time he wondered if he could forgive her for what she'd done to their child. Could they have a second chance at happiness?
Chapter 6
A week had passed and while he'd seen glimpses of Meghan, she'd been standoffish. She hadn't been in the teachers lounge and every time he went to the library, she'd either been in a meeting or helping a student. It was like no matter what he did, she was unavailable.
The weekend trip had been wonderful and now he missed her. He wanted to see her. He wanted to talk about the past and see if they could move forward or end it once and for all, before his heart was so involved, he couldn't walk away.
Without calling, he drove the Corvette over to her apartment. Knocking on the door, he wondered if she would open the door to him.
Just then the door swung open and she stared at him. As always, she looked gorgeous in her yoga pants, top and tennis shoes. Her auburn hair was piled on top of her hair.
"Hey," he said. "You going to work out?"
"Nope. Just got back," she said. "My weekly Yoga class. What are you doing?"
She motioned for him to come inside. "I'm restless. I think it's that spring fever thing. The weather has finally warmed up and well, I'd like to go walking."
"Sounds nice," she said.
"Want to come with me? I could use the company."
He sounded desperate, but he just wanted to spend some time with her and see if they could finally talk about the past.
"Okay, let me grab a jacket," she said. "I was going to study, but it would be nice to go for a walk."
"I'll even buy you a hamburger," he said.
"That's a temptation a girl can't turn down," she grabbed a light weight jacket and they were out the door.
He helped her into the Corvette and then they were speeding out towards his favorite hiking trails. They were going to the lake where when they were younger they'd spent a lot of time making out in the car. Discovering each others bodies, exploring nature and talking about the future.
"Why are you restless?" she asked.
"One of my kids, probably my favorite kid got into trouble. His college scholarship will be yanked so fast he won't see it coming until it's too late. The sad part is he doesn't even know why everyone is upset." He glanced over at her in the car. "Were we that stupid?"
"Probably. We didn't understand the consequences of getting into trouble and how it could affect you permanently. We just had raging hormones that if not kept under control could take flight."
He grinned. "Is that what happened with us?"
"I think so," she said. "Raging hormones, two young kids not realizing the dangers."
"But we were warned. Your dad warned us," he said.
"Yes, but parents don't really think it's going to happen. We weren't prepared for it happening."
Automatically he drove the Corvette over to the oak tree where years before they had made out in his car. Putting the car in park, he hoped out and came around to help her out.
"Let's walk that trail along the edge of the lake," he said.
"It's going to get dark soon," she warned.
"We can find our way back."
Taking her hand, they began to walk along the path, stepping over rocks. "Brings back a lot of memories."
"Yes," she said glancing away, not looking in his eyes.
"Do you remember the night the team realized they were going to the playoffs?" he asked.
She laughed. "How could I forget. The whole town was so excited. I thought we'd never get to go to the party." Glancing at him she sighed. "We dated almost our entire senior year. Everyone thought we would get married."
"But we both wanted to go to college," he said.
'Yes, we did," she replied. "And our parents were right to insist that we give each other some time during college to figure out what we wanted."
He squeezed her hand. "They didn't have to worry did they. We broke up before we even left for college."
"It was for the best," she responded.
A moment of silence as they continued walking the path along the edge of the lake.
"You are probably the person I've dated the longest. My only other really serious relationship lasted about three months. Then he didn't like the fact that I was going to continue on to receive my doctorate. I guess, he was a little intimidated by the fact that I was going to have a better degree than him."
Max laughed. "What was his degree in?"
"Accounting," she replied. "Really dull stuff."
"The fact that you enjoy science as much as you do, fascinates me. How many women like to see an experiment on different components to see what their chemical reaction will be? Going to the science fair, I finally understood why you love scene as much as you do. But honestly I can tell you that I'd be bored in no time."
The sun sank below the horizon, leaving them in darkness. In the darkness, you could hear animals rustling about in the bushes.
"As much as I hate to say this, I guess we should head back to the car."
"I'm glad we did this. I"d forgotten how much I enjoy walking around out here. Now that the weather is warming up, maybe we can come out and do this again."
When they reached the picnic table, he helped her up onto the top of the table, where they sat down and gazed out across the still water. The moon had risen and the light shimm
ered over the water, rippling.
Max gazed out at the lake where he'd spent so many years swimming, fishing, boating and growing up enjoying. He hoped his own children would some day play in this lake.
"Do you remember what occurred here at this spot," she asked.
Oh yes, he remembered very well how they had come out here after the big game. It was the first time they'd made love. And then they'd come back in March and done it again and then again in April and...when their child had been conceived. He'd known that though they used a condom, they were taking a risk, a huge risk of her getting pregnant. And then the condom broke.
"Yes, I remember," he said.
She laughed. "What girl gives a boy her virginity at the lake on a picnic table?"
He pulled her close to him. "A very special girl." He tried to stare into her eyes and see what she was feeling, but it was so dark. "A girl that I thought I would spend forever with."
Turning her head to look at him, he covered her mouth with his. Kissing her, his lips covered hers, his tongue sliding between her teeth, dancing and twirling with her own as the kiss turned demanding and fiery. His hands laid her back onto the table, his mouth never leaving hers. It was a kiss from the past transformed to today. Fueled with passion, he remembered how they'd expressed their passion the very first time right here in this spot.
Just then headlights turned down the road and a group of kids were yelling and screaming out the window as they passed them by.
They jerked apart.
Her breathing was heavy, her lips were swollen as she stared at him. "Your car is very easily recognized. I think it's time you bought me that hamburger."
Max was famished, but it wasn't for food. He wanted to continue the exploration of her mouth, he wanted to continue the seduction, he wanted to begin again, right where they'd left off. But she was right.
Now was not the time and while this had been an excellent spot when they were young, now it wasn't quite as appealing.
"You're right. Let's go get a hamburger."
But when he took her home...hopefully she'd feed his real hunger.
Max turned onto the highway out of the burger joint near the lake and headed the Corvette back to Cupid. They were about fifteen minutes from town. Far enough the county ordinance against liquor stores no longer applied. Two busy stores sat right at the county line.
Tonight they'd made a little progress talking about the past. Remembering the good times, avoiding the touchy subjects of their breakup. And yet he still didn't have the closure he needed. He still had to understand why she'd broken up with him.
The part she'd gotten so upset about was he hadn't responded to her text messages. But he'd made the decision not to react but rather to think about their future and how they would handle the pregnancy while he was away at his first football camp. And then he'd been shocked when they'd taken everyone's phone, the coach telling them there would be no distractions while they learned the plays. When they returned their phones he'd immediately responded to her texts, but she'd never answered.
"I'm thinking of doing to my kids what they did to us at my first ever football camp. I'm wondering how the administration would feel about me taking the kids phones away when they walked into camp."
She gazed at him. "What are you talking about?"
Headlights sped past them on the highway. The two lane road was dark and winding as they headed towards Cupid.
"At college, the very first football camp I attended, they took our phones away when we walked in the door. We didn't get them back until the last day of camp."
In the cramped quarters of the Corvette, he felt her tense.
"I was wondering what you think the administration would think of me taking my students phones away. That way I have their undivided attention. Otherwise, I'm competing with their friends, family, girlfriends and even games. Their brain is occupied with answering their texts and not on my game preparation."
"We have the same problem in the library. Some kids just come in there to make phone calls or to text. My new rule is if you don't have a library book or a textbook out working, you need to leave. I'm not a phone lounge."
With a subtle nudge he was trying to let her know why he'd never responded to her texts all those years ago. Sure he'd texted her that he just got his phone back, but he didn't know if she'd received the message or if she'd been so angry, she ignored his texts. Or even worse, she blocked him.
If she realized what he was saying, she ignored him. She wasn't about to let their discussion lead to the past it seemed. Maybe she'd received his text and decided to ignore him. Obviously, he wasn't going to be able to be subtle in his approach.
Staring out the windshield, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There were headlights in his lane, headed towards them. He flashed his lights, but they kept coming. The car was weaving towards the bar ditch on the side of the road. With traffic in the other lane, he had no choice.
Turning the wheel and slamming on the brakes, he heard Meghan screaming. "Max, watch out."
The impact was on his side of the car and he felt like he was back playing football, except this time, instead of hitting hard flesh, he hit the doorframe just as the air bags deployed and blackness overcame him.
Meghan moved inside the Corvette, pushing the air bag away, releasing her seat belt. Glancing around she saw Max slumped against the door.
"Max," she cried shaking his shoulder. He didn't move. "Max."
She screamed his name over and over, her heart pounding inside her chest, but he didn't respond. She had to call an ambulance.
Reaching over she turned the car off, hoping that in case there was any leaking gas or anything it would keep it from catching fire. Someone knocked on the window.
"Are you okay.?"
She opened the door. "Call an ambulance. My friend is not responding."
Though she was doing everything that needed to be done, she felt like she was moving in slow motion and couldn't believe this was real. She looked at the other car. The front end was pushed up into the drivers seat and she wondered if they'd survived.
Glancing down, she wondered if she was all right, but nothing hurt. The air bags had protected her and the impact had been on Max's side of the car. She would probably be sore in the morning.
She didn't want to move him, for fear she'd do more damage to him, but she couldn't leave him either. Laying her hand on his arm, tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh Max. You've got to be all right. Stay with me Max."
She felt for a pulse on his neck and felt a steady rhythm. She felt his chest and he was breathing. And then she saw the blood trickling down his forehead. His head must have slammed against the window of the car.
The urge to get out and kick the other drivers butt was strong. He'd either been passing or just plain driving on the wrong side of the road.
"Ma'am, an ambulance is on the way. What about you? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, but my friend, he's not moving or waking up. He's got a pulse and he's breathing, but he's not responding to me," she said her eyes tearing up.
What if he never woke up? What if the differences he wanted to discuss they never had the chance to end once and for all. What if she never had the chance to kiss him again?
A sob escaped and she wiped the tears away. "Talk to me Max. I need to hear your voice."
In the distance, she could hear sirens wailing, but she couldn't move from the car. She wasn't leaving his side until he opened those big X eyes of his and gazed at her.
"Max, this is not how our story ends. Do you hear me. You're not leaving me now. You did that years ago, but this time you're not leaving me like this. Damn you. Now speak to me."
Only silence filled the car and then the door opened and Ryan Jones pulled her from the vehicle.
Chapter 7
Meghan didn't want to leave the car with Max inside, but Ryan was giving her no choice.
"Let me stay with him," she insisted.
"You're in
the way of the paramedics. They don't want to move him until they can secure him to the backboard. Let them do their job."
He was right. She knew he was, but she was so afraid that he would take his last breath and she wouldn't be there beside him.
Together they stood off to the side of the car and watched the paramedics working not to move him until they were certain they had his neck and back in a position that wouldn't cause more damage.
Trembles wracked her body when she gazed at the truck where the paramedics had placed a drape over the body of the person who had hit them. Ryan wrapped a blanket around her.
"You sure you're all right?" he asked.
"The airbags deployed and saved me. But the truck was on my side of the road. Why did Max turn the car in his direction," she asked shocked. "He took the brunt of the hit."
Ryan nodded. "He was trying to protect you. Probably he realized that there was nothing he could do to stop this from happening and turned the wheel trying to save you. The driver of the truck must have passed out. You can smell the alcohol and you're both lucky to be alive. Now, I only pray he's not to terribly injured."
"He still is out cold. But I know he's breathing and he had a pulse."
They stood there watching the paramedics load the backboard onto a gurney where they quickly rolled him to the ambulance.
Ryan glanced around the scene. "My deputies are working the scene. Come on we'll follow the ambulance and then I'll come back here and help them."
"Thanks," Meghan said knowing she didn't want to be far from Max. As soon as they arrived at the hospital and she knew more about his condition, she'd call his mother.
She climbed into the patrol car and Ryan turned on his lights and siren. They followed not far from the ambulance.
"Had Max been drinking?" he asked Meghan.
With a laugh, she shook her head. "Only if you consider root beer floats an alcoholic beverage. He worries about driving on the road with drunks. Now I understand why. And his car. He's going to be so upset."
Cupid Scores: (Western Historical Small Town Contemporary Romance) Page 6