Chapter 3
Three
“The future for me is already a thing of the past. You were my first love and you will be my last.”
—Bob Dylan
The silence woke Max in the morning. Accustomed to the enthusiasm with which his son began each day, everything felt off without Caden in the house.
Max got up, changed into workout clothes and hit the home gym he’d installed in the house’s third bedroom, since he had no time to go to an actual gym.
He was in the shower by eight and on his way to the barn by eight thirty, eager to see his son after a night apart.
He knew he ought to be thankful for the break, but he vastly preferred being with his little boy than being without him, even if he was in the best possible hands with Molly, Linc and Elmer.
In between thoughts of Caden and what they might do that day, Max relived the night with Lexi and picked over the things she’d told him as he drove toward the covered bridge that led to Hells Peak Road.
Cancer, of all things.
And he’d had no idea she was going through such a harrowing ordeal.
That was by design on her part, but he wished she would’ve made an exception for him. What could he have done, though? With college and Caden to consider, it wasn’t like he could’ve moved to Houston to be on Team Lexi. But he could’ve called and visited and supported her from a distance.
Knowing he would see Caden in a few minutes, Max felt a surge of excitement as he pulled into the driveway at the barn, threw his truck into Park and killed the engine.
He walked into the mudroom, where the walls were covered with hooks from the original Abbott ten and now their many children.
Caden loved that his hook was first on the second row and took his job as a role model to his younger cousins very seriously.
Max stopped on the way into the kitchen to listen to his son’s excited chatter as he talked to Elmer about something that’d happened at school and how funny it was when the teacher found out about it.
“She was so mad,” Caden said, giggling, “but we couldn’t stop laughing.”
Elmer’s low chuckle made Max smile. His grandfather took endless pleasure in Caden and vice versa. “Well, it’s not very nice to put something that makes fart sounds on the teacher’s chair.”
“I know, but it was hilarious,” Caden said. “You should’ve seen her face.” He lost it laughing all over again while Max desperately hoped the whoopee cushion hadn’t come from his house. He assumed he would’ve heard from Mrs. Langtree by now if it had.
“What goes on around here?” Max asked when he stepped into the kitchen.
Caden let out a shriek followed by “Daddy” as he ran to him, nearly toppling his chair at the table in the process.
Elmer reached out to grab it.
Loving the greeting he always received when they spent time apart, Max lifted his son into the air, realizing it wouldn’t be long until he was too heavy for such things.
Caden hugged him like he hadn’t seen Max in weeks.
“We had so much fun. Grandpa-Great let me stay up until ten so we could finish watching The One and Only Ivan. It was so good!” He squiggled to get free the way he often did these days, so Max put him down, and he ran off, yelling for Grandma. “Daddy’s here!”
“Ten o’clock, huh?” Max asked his grandfather as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“It was a good movie.”
“I see you’re still spoiling the grandkids, even the second generation of them.”
“When you’re good at something, it makes sense to stick with it.”
Max laughed. “You could teach the master class.”
“That’s a lovely compliment, my friend. He’s an absolute delight, but of course you know that.”
“Yes, I do. I missed him so much, and yes, I realize that sounds ridiculous.”
“Nah, I get it. How was the reunion?”
“Better than expected.”
“Your mother will gloat.”
“I come prepared for that.”
“Prepared for what?” Molly asked as Caden led her into the kitchen by tugging on her hand.
“To tell you the reunion was better than expected. And I left at nine, so I win the bet.”
“Oh damn,” Molly said. “I was hoping you danced the night away.”
“Not exactly. I left with Lexi, and we went back to my place to catch up.”
“Is that right?” Molly said, her eyes going wide.
“Now you’ve gone and done it,” Elmer said with a chuckle.
“How is she? Where’s she been?”
“She’s good, and she’s been in Houston.”
“What’s there?”
“The MD Anderson Cancer Center.”
“What?” Molly asked, her face going flat with shock.
“She’s been battling leukemia on and off since our freshman year of college. She had a stem cell transplant a year and a half ago and is now in remission and trying to figure out what’s next.”
“Dear Lord,” Molly said, sitting at the table.
Caden climbed into her lap, seeming concerned by her reaction. “What’s loo… Look…”
“Leukemia is a kind of cancer,” Max said. “My friend Lexi from high school had it, or I guess she has it. She said she won’t be considered cured for four more years.”
“I can’t believe we never heard about this,” Elmer said.
“She wanted it kept private. She said she didn’t have the capacity to manage everyone knowing.”
“I can understand that,” Elmer said. “Can you?”
“I guess,” Max said. “But was I just anyone? You know I wondered for years where she was and what’d become of her. If you hadn’t run into her mom that one time at the grocery store, I would’ve thought she was dead.”
“Who are we talking about?” Linc asked when he joined them in the kitchen.
“Lexi,” Molly said. “Max saw her at the reunion and found out she’s been battling cancer all this time.”
“Oh wow. Sorry to hear that. She’s okay now?”
“She is, but she’s got four years until they consider her cured.”
“Are you angry with her, Max?” Molly asked.
“I was,” he admitted, “before I saw her and found out where she’d been. I was surprised she didn’t tell me what was going on. We’d agreed to see other people in college, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care about her anymore.”
“She was so crushed about that,” Molly said. “Remember?”
“I do, but we were going to colleges three thousand miles apart. I was trying to be realistic.”
“And she had hoped you two were forever,” Molly said.
“Is anyone forever at eighteen with three thousand miles between them?” Max asked.
“I suppose it can be done, but I always supported your decision. You were old enough to know that wasn’t what you wanted.”
“It wasn’t about her. It was about the situation. Ten minutes with her last night took me right back to all the things I loved about being with her. It was always so easy.”
“Hmmm,” Molly said with a satisfied smile.
“Don’t say too much, son,” Linc said, “or you might regret it.”
“You hush,” Molly said to her husband. “You want the scoop as much as I do.” She nudged Caden off her lap, got up and then returned to the table a minute later, handing a hundred-dollar bill to her grandson. “Take your daddy skiing this weekend.”
“Can we, Dad?”
“If we get the snow that’s forecast.”
Caden handed Max the money. “You’d better hang on to this. I tend to lose stuff.”
If Max had one frustration with his son, that was it, but they were working on him being more responsible about keeping track of his belongings. “I’ll keep it safe for you, pal.”
Molly took a sip of the coffee Linc had poured for her. “How long is Lexi in town?”
“Just through the weekend.”
“Did you invite your friend to my party?” Caden asked.
“I did. I hope that’s okay.”
“Sure, that’s cool.” He looked up at Max, seeming uncertain. “Grammy said Chase and Molly are sleeping over tonight and I can stay if I want to. She said I’m a big help with them. Would you care if I stayed another night?”
Caden knew that Max missed him when he slept out, thus the uncertainty. “That sounds like fun.” Caden adored his cousin Chase and never missed a chance to be with him. The time he had with his cousins kept Caden from being lonely for siblings, or so Max suspected. “What about Murphy?”
“He’s staying home with his mom and dad,” Caden reported. “He’s too young to sleep over.”
Thinking about his baby nephew sparked the oddest thought. Could Lexi still have children after her treatment? And honestly, what business was that of his?
“Another night off, son,” Linc said without looking away from his morning copy of the Burlington Free Press. “Whatever will you do with yourself?”
Max had no idea.
Lexi had a response from her mom in her inbox that she read as she sipped from her first cup of strong Vermont coffee, another thing she’d missed about her home state.
So glad to hear the reunion was fun and you reconnected with Max.
I can’t believe he’s a single dad to a seven-year-old.
I’m sure he’s a wonderful father as he has a wonderful father—and grandfather.
I can’t wait to hear all about it. Were there any sparks?
You two were so cute together once upon a time.
Dad and I have held out a secret hope that you might find your way back to each other.
“Whoa,” Lexi said. “Easy, ghost rider.”
Thanks for being so good about checking in and understanding how we worry about you.
We promise to work on scaling that back now that you’re doing so much better.
We’re thankful every day for your recovery, and we want to let you spread your wings and fly free.
You’ve certainly earned that after everything you’ve been through.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend in VT, and we’ll see you Monday. Love you! Mom
Lexi appreciated the effort they were making to back off from the critical caregiver role they’d played for so many years.
Untangling the complicated emotions that came with serious illness wouldn’t happen overnight, and their family therapist had told them to be kind to each other as each of them worked through their trauma on their own timelines as they found a new normal.