Page 56 of The Aster Valley Collection, Vol. 1

“I’m going to Colorado. If you think this game is more important to me than that man, you’re mistaken,” I hissed at him.

“And if Coach wants to fight me on this, I’m happy to trot out all of the medical specialists who advised me against playing.

Now, go get Coach and tell him his son has been in an accident. ”

Antone’s eyes were big. He stepped up next to Markus and shook his head.

“No fucking way, man. We’ve been through this before.

When we were in the playoffs against the Broncos—this was before you—his boy Eddie was in a motorcycle accident.

Broke his tibia and needed surgery. We interrupted the game to tell Coach about it, and he still hasn’t forgiven us.

We lost by one point. He made it very clear that as long as Eddie was in good hands with the right medical care, there was no reason to interrupt the game.

Fretting at his bedside could wait. Those were his exact words.

Mikey understands that. He understands there’s nothing Coach can do to help him in a hospital. He’s no doctor.”

Markus nodded. Even our kicker, old-timer Trace Elliott, nodded aggressively over Markus’s shoulder. “He’s right. Coach will fuck you up if you bring him this shit right now.”

I stared at them, unable to grasp not wanting to know if my child was okay or not.

Markus continued. “What I’m saying is, Mikey will understand if you get to his hospital bed at midnight instead of eight. What’s the difference?” He frowned and reached for his phone. “I’ll find someone to go be with him.”

I yanked his phone out of his hand and was about to throw it on the floor when I had an idea.

“Not necessary. There’s nothing you can say to stop me from going to see Mikey right now.

” I tried to say it in a calm voice, but I didn’t feel one speck of calm on the inside.

I felt terrified and angry. Terrified for Mikey and so damned angry that his parents wouldn’t feel the same sense of urgency to get to him.

I hoped he never found out. My heart broke for him. He thought my dad placed too much emphasis on football, but it was nothing like this.

I made eye contact with Markus as I handed him back his phone. “You need to do whatever it takes to get me on a private jet from Buffalo to Aster Valley, Colorado, ASAP. If you do this for me, I will forgive you for telling me not to do this.”

His jaw ticked for a beat before he nodded and took the phone.

I bolted out of the stadium while arranging for a ride on an app. As soon as that was done, I dialed Winter Waites.

“Hey, Tiller. I hope this means they’re not playing you tonight.” He sounded happy and relaxed which meant he didn’t know what had happened.

“I need your help. Mike—” My voice cracked. I swallowed and banged the phone against my forehead before trying again. “Mikey was in some kind of accident in front of Truman’s shop. He’s being taken to the hospital. Can you… can—” I sucked in a breath.

His voice was all business when he cut in. “Yes. I’m on my way there right now. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out what’s going on.”

“Thank you.”

“Hang in there, okay? He’ll be in good hands. It’s a regional hospital, but it’s top-notch. And they have a helicopter if he needs to go somewhere else.”

I nodded and hung up before dialing my mom. Meanwhile, my car pulled up and I hopped in, grateful the app already told the driver where to take me.

“Honey, I thought you were playing in the game tonight?” Mom asked when she answered. “Your father’s all set up in the den already, watching the pregame.”

“Something’s happened. Can you go to Aster Valley? Mikey’s been in some kind of accident.”

“Oh no, what kind of accident?” She called out to my father in the background, and within seconds, he was on the line. “Tiller? Where is he? We’ll head there straightaway.”

I blew out a breath of bittersweet relief. If only Mikey’s own parents would react the same way. “Thank you. I needed to hear that. Thank you.”

When I got off the phone with them, I tried Sam.

There was no answer, so I left him a detailed voice message.

I bolted out of the car with a shouted thanks to the driver and raced inside to discover Markus had worked his magic.

I practically walked right onto a small jet, and within twenty minutes, we were hauling ass down the runway.

The flight seemed to take days, but when we finally landed, I was grateful to see it was at a little private airstrip just outside of Aster Valley.

Gentry stood on the tarmac by the small terminal building in a familiar moss-green parka.

As soon as he saw me step off the plane, he jogged out to greet me.

“He’s okay,” he called as soon as he was within shouting distance.

I almost stumbled over my feet in relief. Gent gave me a strong hug and told me again. “He’s okay. Just a broken arm and some bumps and scrapes. Winter is with him right now. Let’s go.”

We hopped in his SUV and made our way through the dark night to the small, well-lit emergency room at Aster Valley Med.

On the short drive, Gent explained that a drunk driver had careened off the road onto the sidewalk right where Truman was standing.

Pim and Mikey saw it coming and jumped forward to grab Truman out of the way.

The car hit Pim and Mikey as they shielded Truman.

“Jesus, is Pim alright?”

Gent nodded. “Yeah, Bill’s with him. Pim’s bruised up from the fall, so they’re keeping him overnight to keep an eye on him. Same with Mikey. Just as a precaution, though.”

I blew out a breath and tried to relax now that I knew no one was in a life-or-death situation.

But arriving there was still stressful. Was there anyone on earth who didn’t get nervous in hospitals?

Medical professionals, presumably. But the rest of us, especially those of us who had careers based on staying injury-free, had visceral reactions to the sights and sounds.

I was certainly not immune. But never had I expected my next trip to a hospital to be for someone else—for Mikey.

Gent led me to his room and held the door for me.

Mikey was tiny in the bed. One side of his face was covered in bruises and scratches, and a purple cast covered his left arm and part of his hand.

His eyes moved to me when I let out an unexpected sound of relief. He was here. He was alive. He was talking.

“Tiller?” He sounded like he didn’t believe it was really me. I advanced on him, trying to figure out how to grab him up and hold him tight without hurting him.

As I came closer, he realized it really was me. The sound he let out was almost feral, like a cry of pain and relief all mixed into one. He reached out his arms for me and burst into tears. Winter, who’d been holding his good hand, moved out of the way as I leaned in to wrap my arms around Mikey.

“Shh, I’m here. You’re okay, you’re okay,” I repeated against his ear. His entire body shook against me, and he winced when he tried to move. I carefully let him go and moved my hands to cup his face, smoothing tears away with my thumbs the same way Mopellei had done for me earlier. “I love you.”

Mikey’s eyes widened comically in surprise. “Wh-what?”

The band finally loosened from around my chest. I had everything I needed right here. “I love you so much. I’m in love with you.”

His gaze slid to the television on the wall, where I could see he had the game playing. “But…”

I gently angled him back to meet my eyes. “No buts. I don’t care about the game… or your father. He can send me to the moon for all I care. I’ll finish out the remainder of my contract and then reassess. With you.”

He cried into my neck while Winter and Gent moved toward the door. I waved them back. “Stay,” I said. “I want you to stay so I can thank you.”

Winter smiled. “Your parents went down to grab some coffee. Why don’t I go find them?”

My mom’s voice carried from the doorway. “No need, dear. We’re back.” Mom and Dad bustled into the room with trays full of coffee cups.

Dad went around to the other side of the bed and reached out to squeeze Mikey’s leg.

“I thought you said you didn’t need Tiller here?

Said you’d be fine without him. I distinctly remember hearing you telling Winter to make sure Tiller stayed in Buffalo for the game.

And now here you are acting like he’s important or something. ”

I could tell he was teasing Mikey, and seeing my dad smile down at Mikey with affection made me want to cry like a baby. At no point had I thought my father would second-guess my decision to leave the game. My dad may have loved football, but he loved his family more.

Mikey scoffed and moved his arm as if to point. “Moose, he’s important. Okay? I’ve been in love with your son for a long time. And you know that. I told you—” He winced and put his arm back down.

My heart went nuts at his confession, and I couldn’t hold back a grin. When Mikey caught it, he smiled through the pain and rolled his eyes.

“Yes, you big dummy. I love you. Don’t act so surprised.”

“But I am. And I can be surprised and happy at the same time,” I said.

His eyes turned soft. Maybe it was the pain meds, but I chose to believe it was love. “I love you,” he said again.

I leaned over and kissed him carefully before pulling back and meeting his eyes. “I love you, too. And I don’t like being apart.”

He shook his head and then smiled. “Me neither. But I have a plan.”

I had one, too, and I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it.