“I saw on the news that one of the local teams was doing well.”
“Yes. They won for our county, which made them eligible to play in the regional tournament in a few weeks. It probably won’t be long enough for him to play. I feel so bad for him. He loves baseball.”
“I played in Little League for several years, although we never came close to winning any tournaments. The summers of my childhood were always filled with night games and popcorn from the concession stands. I quit the league when my parents died. Playing in high school was never quite the same.”
“I liked watching you play. And I like watching Joey play, too, when I can go. A lot of times, Craig has to take him because I’m working.”
“That must be hard, missing out on things.”
Rose shrugged away his concerns. Lots of things in life were hard, but you did what you had to do. “Someone has to pay for Little League. It’s not cheap. Neither is clothing a boy that seems like he grows an inch a month. He’s not even a teenager yet.”
“You won’t be able to keep enough food in the house,” Xander said teasingly. “I remember when all the boys hit their midteen growth spurts. Molly was having fits trying to keep us fed. It was impossible.”
“Craig was like that. I think that was half the reason he ended up getting a job at a fast-food place. He ate most of his salary.”
Rose could see the lights of the hospital in the distance. Xander slowed down and pulled into the parking lot near the emergency-room entrance. He found a spot and turned off the engine. She was anxious to get inside to Joey, but she could sense a hesitation in Xander. She waited a moment and at last he spoke.
“Rose, why didn’t you mention that you had a son before? We’ve been talking for hours. I would think that would come up in the conversation.”
Panic seized her, tightening her chest like a vise clamped on to her lungs. Her mind raced for an answer. “Honestly, tonight was about being back in high school again.” These words were true, if not entirely so. “You were attracted to me, just like the old days. I didn’t want to ruin the fantasy of our reunion by mentioning I was a single mother.”
“Why would that ruin it?”
Rose shrugged. “Because then I’m not the sexy girl from high school. I’m the single mother you used to date, complete with her own set of baggage.”
“Everyone has baggage.”
Boy, didn’t she know it. Joey wasn’t even the half of it. “I’m sorry not to bring him up. I’d better get inside. Thank you for driving me.”
Rose reached for the handle of the door but realized as she climbed out that Xander was getting out, too. Was he coming in with her? Why would he do that? Damn it. He was too thoughtful.
She rounded the hood of the car and stepped into his path. “You don’t need to go in with me.”
“I know that.” He ignored her protests and took her elbow, guiding her toward the building. “You’re upset. I’m going to walk you inside.”
With every step closer to the door, Rose could feel the noose tightening around her neck. There was no way that Xander would be able to look at her son and not realize the truth. Until he was about four, Joey had been a towhead and looked more like her sister than anyone. That and distance from Cornwall had bought her time from questions. But now Joey was so much the image of his father that sometimes it was painful for Rose to look at him. They had the same light brown hair, the same wide golden-hazel eyes. Joey had her nose and lighter complexion, but everything else was his father, especially as he got older. In a few years, he’d develop the same strong build and square jaw.
If Xander went into the patient area with her, there’d be no hiding it. Or denying it. As they pushed past the information desk into the E.R. waiting room, she wondered if she should stop and tell him the truth. Put an end to the hiding and the worries. At the very least, warn him before they got inside. They were in the middle of a crowded emergency room, surrounded by strangers with a variety of injuries and infectious diseases. It wasn’t the ideal place or time, but when exactly was? She couldn’t go back eleven years and change things. She either had to tell him or send him home. At least here there were too many witnesses for him to kill her.
“Xander?” She hesitated outside the door that would lead to the pediatric triage area. “Before I go in there, I need to tell you something.”
“Right now?” His brow knit together in concern. “Don’t we need to get back there to Joey?”
“I do,” she said. This was the moment. She could confess. The words were on the tip of her tongue. Then she chickened out. “But you don’t. Please go home. It’s late.”