Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game(78)

She smiled while snuggling closer to him. “That’s true.”

“Hey Noah, want some popcorn?” Greg asked.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, as he passed the bowl over to me.

We settled down as the opening credits appeared. It didn’t take me long to both like and hate the movie. For one, it was about a kinda slacker guy who fell in love with the goody Valedictorian—ring any bells?

I was practically in tears when the girl broke up with the guy—much in the same way Maddie had said good-bye earlier today. When the guy, Lloyd, did his epic feat to win her back, I was on the edge of my seat. He stood outside her window all night playing Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes—a song that meant something to both of them. Not only was I impressed that he was able to hoist that massive boom box over his head most of the night, but I also felt empowered.

Mom interrupted my moment. “Oh, pause it a second, honey. I’ve got to pee, again,” she groaned as she hopped off the couch.

Once he heard the bathroom door close, Greg whistled at me. “Hey Noah, Maggie told me what had happened with Maddie.”

“Yeah,” I said tentatively, silently praying he wasn’t trying to get all fatherly on me.

“Well, I, uh…” He glanced down at his hands. “I just wanted you to know there’s a six pack of beer hidden behind my golf clubs in the garage—you know in case you were thirsty later.”

I couldn’t help laughing at his suggestion and the fact he was whipped enough to be hiding booze from Mom. Giving him a genuine grin, I replied, “Thanks, Greg. I appreciate that.”

He nodded. “No problem.”

When Mom came back from the bathroom, I winked at Greg. “Yeah, I think I’ll go outside for a while—you know, get a little fresh air.”

Before Mom could argue that the movie wasn’t over, Greg piped up. “That sounds like a good idea, Noah. You take as much time as you need.”

I nodded as I headed into the kitchen. As I flipped the light on in the garage, I had to admit Greg was pretty cool. It was almost laughable he feared Mom enough that he was hiding his beer. Despite the fact Mom was half-Irish, she hated alcohol in the house. Her Southern Baptist roots from Grammy’s side must have won out on that one.

I found the beer just as he said it would be. I grabbed up three bottles and headed for the swing in the back yard. I downed the first one in three long gulps. The second one I sipped slowly—as I gathered my thoughts and tried to figure out what the hell had gone wrong. Finally, on the third one, the scene from the movie flashed before my eyes, and I knew what I had to do.

I had to get Maddie back.

But more than that, I had to do something—something epic if I was going to win her love and trust again. I tossed the beer bottles over the fence and raced inside the house for the phone.

***

Chapter-Twenty-Three

Mom remained quiet the entire ride to the airport the next morning. I knew she wasn’t thrilled about my trip, even though she’d known about it for months now.

“Sweetie, are you sure you’re up for this?” she finally asked.

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

She nodded. “I just wish you weren’t going to be gone so long.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s really not that long, Mom.”

“I know, I know.”

But she still didn’t look convinced. Greg eyed me in the rear view mirror before turning to my mom. “He’ll be fine, Maggie. Noah’s a responsible young man, and he’s not going to go to a foreign country and go wild. You’ve done an amazing job raising him.”

When he glanced back at me again, I grinned. Yeah, Greg was turning out not to be a tool at all. I was glad Mom had him, and I was pretty sure he was going to make a great dad for my little sister.

We headed off the interstate and towards the South Terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. After we inched up to a spot, Greg hopped out and helped upload my suitcases.

Mom eyed them. “You sure are taking a lot with you for just two weeks.”

I glanced at Greg. He nodded and then got back into the car. I drew in a deep breath. “I’m not going to Rio anymore, Mom.”

“What?”

“I’m going to Costa Rica,” I admitted.

“But what’s in Costa Rica?”

“Mission work…and Maddie.”

Mom gasped. “You’re going after her, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, after the movie last night and what an ass I’d been, I figured I needed a grand gesture, so I called her dad and got all her flight information. He really helped me out.”

Tears sprung in Mom’s eyes, but she smiled. “I think that’s wonderful, sweetie.”

“Even though it means I’m going to be gone a month?”

She nodded. “Even if you were going to be gone six months.” She reached out and touched my cheek. “I want you to be happy, and I know she makes you happy.”

Wow, I hadn’t expected that. It must’ve been the pregnancy hormones, and I decided I needed to thank my sister someday for saving me a lot of airport grief.

I smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

She pulled me into her arms, squeezing me so tightly to her that I felt her baby bump. “Mom, I can’t breathe,” I joked.