Chapter Fifteen
After seeing Ben wheeled into surgery, Mia went to the waiting room, where she found a slew of people waiting for her. There were some parents from the team, Nana, and sitting in a corner was Adam. He locked eyes with her immediately and Mia felt calm, safe. It was centered in her heart and spread through her. God, she was in serious trouble.
Right then she knew jettisoning Noah was the right thing to do. There was no way she should date anyone else when she felt this way about Adam, and unless she was blind and stupid, he was feeling the same.
Without missing a beat, Susan Rand grabbed Mia’s hand and dragged her over to the other parents. “What’s happening?”
“He’s going to be in there a couple of hours. We just have to wait.”
“You poor thing. Are you hungry? I can get you a sandwich or…”
Just then, she felt a familiar tingle and warmth. She didn’t have to see him to know that Adam was there. His hand settled on her back and he pulled her close.
“Susan, let Mia settle down a little. One of us can get her something later.”
“Are you sure, I don’t mind…”
“I’m not very hungry right now, but thanks.”
Taking charge, Adam led her toward her grandmother, putting a little distance between her and the crowd. It wasn’t that Mia didn’t love all the support, she did, but she was never one to expose her feelings publicly. Once she sat, Nana’s arms looped around her shoulders and Mia leaned in.
“Are you calling your mother?”
“No,” Mia said. “I’ll call after he’s in his room. There’s no use in setting her off prematurely.”
Nana nodded, understanding full well that this was going to unleash a tirade from her mother, and Mia wanted to avoid it as long as possible. If she could avoid telling her altogether, she would.
“Did the doctor say anything else?”
“Just that it was going to be a long recovery.” Now she was questioning everything and turned to Adam. “He’s the best, right? You said he’s the best.”
“He’s the best. Ben couldn’t be in better hands.”
Satisfied with that, Mia turned her attention to what actually happened at the field. All she knew was that there was a collision.
Just the thought of it made her cringe. “I can’t imagine how hard he was hit for him to be so badly injured. What happened?”
“It never should have happened, and the other coach was very apologetic. The kid took it on himself to make the run home. He had at least forty pounds on Ben. It was like a truck hitting him.”
“They should assign kids to leagues based on height and weight. Age means nothing at this stage.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll bet the kid who hit him is shaving in a year.”
Mia tried to laugh, but the whole situation was too scary. Her baby was injured. Badly injured.
“Ben planted his feet and got into position to protect the plate. When the other boy made contact, his leg just snapped.”
“Oh, God.”
Putting his arm around her, Adam tried to be of some comfort, but it seemed even he wasn’t sure what to do. “He’s tough. He’ll come through fine. And to top it all off, he can tell everyone that he made the out.”
“He what? He made the out?”
Adam smiled. “He did. Held onto the ball, which I’m going to bet is one of the first things he asks when he can think clearly.”
Smiling herself now, Mia nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“He’s got a lot of spirit. He’s going to be okay.”
“Listen to Adam, Mia. He’s right,” urged Janet.
She nodded and thought about Ben’s face when he came off the ambulance. She hated that he was in pain, but remarkably, she wasn’t second-guessing her decision to let him play. Six months ago, she would have been doing just that, but now she chalked it up to him being an active boy. Yeah, the kid who hit him needed some discipline, but overall, being on a team had been great for Ben.
Adam was the other really good thing.
The silence between them was a little awkward, and she guessed it had something to do with their close encounter after practice the other day. Mia hadn’t been able to get the kisses out of her head, and she wondered if Adam was feeling the same thing.
“So, ah,” he began. “Is Noah meeting you here?”
“No,” she whispered. “He’s not.” He fixed his gaze on her, one of his eyebrows shooting up. Mia could tell he had questions, but he wasn’t going to ask.
However, Nana had no problem asking. “He’s not coming? Why?”
“We decided to part ways. It wasn’t working out.”
“No kidding,” Nana mumbled.
“Nana, he’s very nice. It’s just…”
“Just what? That you two were completely wrong for each other?”
“I don’t know about completely wrong.” At this point she saw Adam was listening, but trying not making it obvious. There was a tiny, self-satisfied tilt at the corner of his mouth. But it was Nana’s piercing stare that got her attention. More explanation was required; unfortunately, Mia didn’t have much. “He doesn’t get me.”
“Doesn’t get you?” her grandmother repeated.
“No, and we are done talking about this. Especially here. I get that you’re trying to distract me…”
“No, I’m not. I just want to know.” Nana folded her arms and shot a quick glance at Adam. “He doesn’t get you?”
Now she could see Adam was fighting an even bigger smile, because he’d just those words to her not two weeks before.
“Nana!”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I was curious.”
“I don’t know exactly what I mean, but it wasn’t going to work. He’s not a bad guy, but… I don’t know.”
Nana smiled and patted her hand. “It’s good you figured that out before it went too far.”
“Hmmph. Going too far wasn’t the issue.” Crap. Mia hated when she did that. There was no reason to say certain things aloud, and she did anyway. Nana was stifling a giggle, and Adam was looking away. Mia had just blurted out information about her sex life, or lack of it, and now she wanted to crawl under the chair.
Until she looked back at Adam and the softness of his expression made her heart jump. It was the same face he wore after he kissed her. His eyes smiled, and the curve of his mouth reminded her of how she felt when he touched her. Immediately, she could feel the stroke of his hands, the gentle pressure of his lips, the sweep of his tongue, and Mia gasped. Right out loud, she gasped.
Adam’s smile widened, and her grandmother watched each of their reactions, turning her head side to side, and finally grinning herself. God, Mia hated when she was outnumbered. But just as quickly, Adam’s face dropped. Walking toward him was an older woman—a tall, striking brunette with blue eyes and a gentle smile.
“I heard you were here.” The woman extended her arms, and when Adam stood, they wrapped each other in a strong hug.
What the hell?
“Hi, Mom.”
Mom? This was his mother?
“You promised you’d come and see me, you brat. Do I have to drop in next Sunday? Really early? I’ll bring donuts.”
“I’ll come over.” He smiled and shrugged and even winced a little when she slapped his arm. But the whole exchange was playful and lovely, and it made Mia smile.
“So why are you here?” she asked.
Adam ran his hand through his hair and looked at Mia. “That’s a little complicated.” He stepped around Nana and brought Mia forward toward his mother. Holy shit, was she meeting his mother? She had a kid in surgery and now she had to meet Adam’s mother?
“Mom, this is Mia DeAngelis. Her nephew has been hanging out with the team.” He watched his mother’s face, and added a little more to the story. “Ben was hurt at his baseball game today. He’s in surgery.”
“Oh, you poor thing!” Adam’s mom came to her instantly, grabbing her hand and sitting down with her. “You must be worried sick. I’m Linda, and if you need anything, let me know.”
“Mom is the patient advocate here.”
Mia’s head was spinning. Respond, Mia. Say something. “Thank you. Everyone has been so caring.”
“Good to hear. I’ll check in with the OR and see if there’s any information.”
“Oh, you can do that?” Mia looked from Linda to Adam and back.
Patting her hand, Linda stood. “Honey, I can do anything I want. Be back in a few minutes.”
*
Adam hadn’t expected to see his mother at the hospital and it wasn’t the way he’d thought she’d meet Mia, but she could give them information about Ben, so any discomfort was a moot point.
“I appreciate your mother’s help.” The way she was twisting her fingers, Adam could see Mia was still fighting waves of panic. Any information his mother could give her would help, but it wasn’t going to be enough.
Adam stuffed his hands in his pocket and stood close. He was ready, because Mia was on the verge of breaking.
Once she slumped forward, her elbows on her knees, her head propped in her hands, Adam moved. It was the sniffle and the tremble in her shoulders that sent him to his knee.
Crouching before her, Adam pulled Mia into his arms and held her as the emotions flooded out.
The tears didn’t come hard, but softly, and he knew this wasn’t about anything except being scared.
“It’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay.”
“I know. In my head, I know that. But there’s so much I don’t know. What’s he going to need? How’s his recovery going to go? There are so many things I have to think about.”
Adam leaned back, but his hand stayed on her shoulder, moving up and down her arm in a gentle motion. Her grandmother was sitting next to her now, rubbing her back.
“You do things one at a time.” He grabbed a tissue from a box that was one the table next to her, and blotted at her face. “Don’t try to plan it or figure it out all at once.”
“Sweetie, Adam’s right. Get through one thing at a time.”
“I know, but it’s not how I work.”
“That’s how it has to be,” Nana said. “Ben’s going to look to you for comfort. If you’re a basket case, he’s going to know.”
Mia nodded. Adam released her face and took her hands in his. They were small and so cold. Fear was swamping her, and the best he could do was offer a shoulder and support. “Try not to worry,” he said. “You aren’t alone here. You have friends and family to see you both through this.”
“I’m not alone,” Mia whispered.
“No, you’re not.” With her grandmother’s gentle touch reassuring her and Adam holding her hands, Mia relaxed as the realization set in. Knowing she didn’t have to cope with Ben’s injury by herself made all the difference. And as the tension drained, her tears stopped.
“Thank you. Thank you both.”
Adam made a last swipe near her eyes, and as the wetness touched his fingers, he knew he was going to a place he’d never been with a woman. He’d certainly never expected Mia to have this effect on him when she walked into his office six weeks ago.
Never in a million years.
“Well, I have some news.” His mother. His mother was right behind him, and after this was all over he was going to have to tell her everything.
He stood and turned around, making quick eye contact with his mom. He hoped his expression told her not to ask too many questions. Not now. Not today.
“How’s Ben?” Mia was on her feet and stepping around him to face his mother.
“Dr. McAndrews said it’s going to be a while yet, but everything is going as expected. There are no surprises.”
“Okay. That’s good.”
“The break is bad and needs to be dealt with carefully since Ben is still growing.”
“He mentioned that. Okay.” Mia glanced over her shoulder at Nana and Adam, looking relieved. Turning back to his mother, she grasped her hand. “Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. I’ll check in on you in a little while.” His mom took a step away and turned back. “Adam? Could you come with me for a minute?”
“Sure.” And like the good son he was, he followed, readying himself for the questions he’d hoped to avoid. Once they were a safe distance away, his mom turned and folded her arms. Yup. She was going to grill him.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“What’s going on with you two? She’s lovely, by the way.”
“She is.”
“You didn’t tell anyone you were seeing her again?”
“We’re friends. That’s all.”
“Friends? Adam, honestly. You expect me to believe that?”
“Mom, I swear, until today she was dating one of the new professors at school.”
“They broke up?”
“Today.”
“Considering the way you two look at each other, that’s probably a good thing.”
He took a breath and ran his hand across the back of his neck. He had no comeback for that; the chemistry between him and Mia was undeniable.
“I care about her. I don’t know what’s going to happen yet.”
“Don’t screw it up like you did last time.”
“Mom…”
“Adam, you don’t get a second chance with the love of your life every day. Don’t. Screw. It. Up.” She poked him in the shoulder for emphasis.
“Love of my life? Mom–”
“Don’t be an idiot. I need more grandchildren.”
When she kissed him on the cheek and patted his shoulder, he realized his usual excuses weren’t going to work. He’d have to tell her the truth.
“I don’t know if she’ll have me.”
“Honey, based on the way she looked at you, she’s half in love with you already. All you have to do is let yourself love her back.”
His mother walked away, leaving him with something to think about, just like when he was a kid. Then, he was too young and stupid to appreciate her wisdom; now, he took it to heart.
His eyes drifted to Mia, who was in a conversation with Susan Rand and Gabe. His heart squeezed tight at the sight of her.
Love her back. Just love her back.