Free Route 66 Reunions by Mildred Colvin Page A

Seth. She’d been glad when he moved away.
    Why couldn’t Blake be like the others? Tessa propped her elbow on her crossed knee and rubbed her forehead. She couldn’t take the boys out of baseball any more than she could hide Derek from Blake. Especially not now. A laugh without mirth escaped. They’d already been together enough for a blind man to see the familial connection, so maybe Blake would never notice if she didn’t tell him. She could only hope.
    For the rest of practice, Tessa’s conscience warred with her emotions as she wavered between coming clean with Blake or holding close her secret as long as she could. If only she could trust him to stay out of Derek’s life, but she knew Blake would want his son. She couldn’t risk losing Derek.
    Again the boys formed two lines, only this time each line ran past the other as the boys slapped hands in a sort of macho handshake. Ball practice had ended. Maybe she could get away now without Blake stopping her.
    Derek’s yell as he ran across the bare ground, stirring up dust, told her otherwise. “Mom, we’re going for ice cream. Can I ride with Blake?”
    “Ice cream? Don’t we have some in the freezer?” She fumbled for an excuse.
    The incredulous look on Derek’s face said she had failed. “You’ve got to be kidding, Mom. We have to go.”
    “Yeah, Mom.” Seth joined them. “The coach and Blake are buying. Everyone’s going.”
    Tessa watched a dozen boys run toward the parking lot with their parents and siblings close behind and knew she had no choice. Then she remembered. Blake had asked her to sit with him. Supper last week and icecream tonight. What would be next?
    For the first time since she had run into Blake on her vacation, she realized he wasn’t going away. Somehow their lives had become intertwined again with Derek in the middle. Didn’t the Bible say,
“ ‘Be sure that your sin will find you out’ ”?
Surely she had reached a day of reckoning. With a deep-felt sigh, she gave in to what she couldn’t control.
    She turned to the boys. “Did Blake ask you to ride with him?”
    “Yeah, he sort of did.”
    “We get to ride with Blake?” Rob strode up beside her. “Where are we going?”
    “Why don’t you all ride with me?” Blake joined the boys, but his eyes met Tessa’s with the question. “I can drop you back at your car later.”
    Tessa met one expectant gaze after another. Rob’s and Seth’s blue eyes and Blake’s and Derek’s dark brown eyes all watched and waited for her answer. She realized Rob didn’t even care where they were going as long as they were with Blake.
    She threw up her hands in surrender and met Blake’s gaze. “All right, if you think you have room for us, we’ll go.”
    “Yeah!” The two younger boys took off at a run.
    Blake chuckled. “I hope they know where I’m parked.”
    “They do.” Rob tossed the assurance over his shoulder as he followed his brothers.
    The boys and their families swarmed the fast-food restaurant, filling the available tables inside and out. Tessa waited at a booth in the back, while Blake and Coach Warner ordered and paid for a cone for each boy. Blake brought a twist cone to Tessa and handed it over with an expectant light in his eyes.
    “I told you I remember everything.”
    “Thank you, Blake.”
    A message seemed to flash between them as she accepted the chocolate and vanilla ice cream twisted together in the same cone as she had always liked. Just as Blake remembered. She bit the cold point from the tip of the ice cream and let it melt in her mouth, all the while trying to ignore the man she could never stop loving.
    “This is neat, Blake.” Derek shoved in beside Tessa. “Thanks.”
    Seth sat beside Blake while Rob joined some older boys outside. Tessa watched her tall, lanky older son through the window and knew that he would soon be grown up. He hadn’t said much lately about taking his driving exam, but she knew that time would come soon. He