I swallowed down the rush of emotion. Something brushed my hand and I looked down to find Hugo tugging my fingers.
“What’s up, buddy?” He beckoned me down to him, so I crouched down to meet his eye level.
Tentatively, he leaned in, cupping his hands around his mouth. “O- open envelope please,” he said.
“Yeah?” My heart almost burst.
He nodded, looking skittish. I didn’t want to scare him off, so I steeled myself and kept an even tone. “That’s really great to hear, Hugo. Shall we go get it down?”
“Yes, please.” His voice was barely a whisper, but his words were perfect.
I stood and held out my hand. Hugo took it, and everyone in the center stopped to watch as we crossed the room and I plucked the envelope off the shelf, handing it to him.
“Go ahead, open it,” I said. “And then we can see if we can make your wish come true.”
Asher
“Stop,” Diego grunted. “You’re like a fucking yo-yo.”
“I’m just nervous.”
“Dude, it’s a bunch of kids. What could possibly go wrong?”
Diego had clearly never met some of the kids Mya worked with. They wouldn’t hesitate to tell us if what we had planned was totally lame and uncool. But hopefully they would all enjoy it.
Especially Hugo.
Mya had come home that day—the day he finally chose to use his words—a teary-eyed emotional mess. I’d held her while she cried her happy tears and then she’d given me a blow-by-blow account of what had happened.
The little guy had done amazing, so it was only right he got to see his wish come true. Coach had been able to pull a few strings, and together, he and Sally had arranged the event at the football field today.
“They’re here.” I spotted Mya and Sally and a handful of the other volunteers walking out of the tunnel with Hugo, his brothers, and some of the other kids in New Hope’s program for kids in the foster care system.
They were wide-eyed, their expressions full of wonder as they took in the vastness of the Lincoln Financial Field stadium.
“Come on,” I said to the guys. “Let’s go introduce ourselves. And remember, keep cussing to a minimum.”
“Yeah, yeah, Bennet, keep your hair on. I think we can behave for an hour.” Aiden chuckled.
“Hey.” Mya reached us. We were here on official team business, but it didn’t stop me leaning in to press a chaste kiss to her cheek. “They’re so excited,” she whispered.
“How are you all doing?” I asked the huddle of kids. Jay and Mario were grinning ear to ear, but most of the other kids looked like Hugo, completely awestruck.
“You ready to play some ball with us?”
A chorus of ‘yeahs’ filled the air. “Well, before we get started with some warm-up activities, I have a little surprise for you. Bring him out, Coach,” I yelled.
“You did it,” Mya breathed, reaching my hand, as we watched Swoop the eagle traipse out onto the field.
Hugo clapped his hands with glee, and I crouched down to his level. “What do you think, buddy?”
He looked at me with tears shining in his eyes, and whispered, “Best. Day. Ever.”
Mya
“Hey guys, over here.” Faith beckoned us over to where she and Rex were sitting. “We didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“We almost didn’t,” Asher murmured, and I elbowed him in the ribs.