Page 120 of The One for Me
“I sure do try.”
He grins. “Can I go over to the store?”
Devney nods. “Just don’t go too far, okay?”
Austin, who has become a pro in his wheelchair that I rented for the trip, wheels off to check it out without even a reply. Since we got here, he’s been the buoyant kid I met a few months ago. He’s smiling, talking nonstop, and there’s a sense of excitement that has been missing.
“Thank you,” Devney says as she watches him.
“For?”
“All of this.”
Her smile is worth every penny spent. “You don’t have to thank me.”
“I think I do. Even if this is all . . . extravagant.” Devney’s voice is soft as she looks around.
“No, this is Christmas. I wanted us to have whatever we wanted.”
She moves toward me. “All I wanted was us.”
“You have that.”
I can see the hesitation in her eyes. “What about his leg? I mean, it’s going to suck.”
“Everything is fine, sweetheart. I talked to his physical therapy team, and he knows his limits. We got the wheelchair and this way we get onto the rides without having to wait!”
I called the doctors before booking this to make sure he could do some of this and it wasn’t like dangling candy in front of a diabetic. He said that as long as Austin wore his brace, used crutches or a wheelchair, he would be okay.
Roller coasters are a no-go, but anything else should be fine. Luckily, the kid doesn’t even like roller coasters, so there’s nothing he’s missing out on.
Plus, Austin knows the easier he is on healing his body, the faster he’ll be back on the field. For a kid who just wants to play ball, telling him to take it easy will go one of two ways. They either go too fast or they baby it. Austin seems to be on the latter, which is a good thing. You can push someone to start doing more, but trying to scale them back is often a challenge.
“I know, and he’s great, but . . . I don’t know. We would’ve been fine with a regular flight or a normal room, and we didn’t need all these . . . perks.”
I shrug as I pull her hips to mine. “I’d rather spoil the shit out of you.”
“I know what you’re doing.”
“And what is that?”
She lifts one brow. “You’re trying to get me to love Florida as much as I love you so I’ll agree to move.”
She would be correct. “Is it working?”
“I’ve been here for fewer than twenty-four hours.”
“But hasn’t that time been spectacular?”
Devney plays with the string on my hoodie. “You’re spectacular.”
“This we knew.”
Her laugh is effortless. “You’re a mess.”
“Yeah, well . . . it’s what keeps things interesting.”
Austin makes his way back over just as they start to open the gates. Devney moves to push his chair for him so he can put all his focus on looking around. Neither one of us misses the way his eyes light up, and it’s that expression that makes all of this worth it.
