Chapter 10
Ten
“To love and be loved is to feel
the sun from both sides.” —David Viscott
The party was utter madness and the most fun Lexi had had in years.
There were kids everywhere—Caden and Savvy’s many cousins, as well as their classmates, the kids’ parents and other siblings.
She got to see all of Max’s siblings and to meet their spouses and children as Dani ran the party with military precision, moving the kids from snacks to games to presents to cake to goody bags.
“She’s good at this,” Cameron said when she sat next to Lexi in the dining room with baby Murphy in her arms.
“So good,” Lexi said.
Mia sat on the other side of Lexi. “Look at us only children over here taking shelter.”
“Dani is an only, too, but look at her go,” Cameron said. “I want to hire her to supervise my kids’ parties.”
“I bet she’d love that,” Mia said.
“Remind me again who you’re married to,” Lexi said to Mia.
“Wade. Those are our kids, Carlee and Corbin.” Mia pointed out two kids with golden-brown hair and eyes like their daddy, who stood watch over them.
“They’re beautiful.”
“We like them. Most of the time.”
Cameron hooted with laughter. “Ain’t that the truth?”
Dani led the kids and adults outside to play for the final half hour of the party.
Lexi surveyed the wreckage left behind. “Wow.” Wrapping and tissue paper were strewn about, new toys in boxes were stacked in two piles—one for each of the guests of honor—and cake was ground into the carpet.
Mia laughed. “This is fairly typical for an Abbott/Coleman kids’ party.”
“Molly is a saint for letting them take over her house,” Lexi said.
“Molly is a saint for many reasons,” Cameron said as she put Murphy in a high chair and got busy cleaning up. “This is the least of those reasons.”
“Truth.” Mia got some trash bags and handed one to Lexi. “Hope you don’t mind being put to work.”
“Not at all.”
“So… you and Max dated in high school?” Cameron asked in a casual tone.
“Yes, for three years, until we went to college on separate coasts.”
“I haven’t heard him mention you,” Mia said in the same casual tone.
“That’s because he didn’t know where I was for the last ten years, and he had no choice but to move on.”
“Where were you?” Mia asked, and then seemed to think better of it. “I mean, if you want to tell us.”
“I was diagnosed with leukemia during our freshman year of college. I’ve spent almost every minute since then fighting it. I’m now in remission thanks to a stem cell transplant eighteen months ago.”
“Oh my God,” Mia said. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”
“Thanks. It was hell, but it’s in the past now, or so I hope. It’ll be four more years until they consider me cured, but my oncologist told me to go live my life. He says the worst is behind me.”
“That must be such a relief,” Cameron said as she added snacks to the tray in front of Murphy in the high chair while helping with cleanup, demonstrating multitasking at its finest.
“It is, but I’m still in panic mode. It’s going to take some time to stand down from that frantic struggle. Not sure if that makes sense, but that’s where I’m at.”
“I get what you mean,” Mia said. “I went through something a few years ago that left a similar impact on me. My ex was a drug dealer, and I helped to make the case against him. After all that was over, it took me a long time to accept that I was no longer under threat.”
“That’s very similar,” Lexi said, comforted to hear that someone else understood that sort of stress. “Does it seem like a long time ago now?”
“Like another lifetime, and someday, your illness will be like that for you, too,” Mia said. “I’m sure of it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“We’re always right,” Cameron said. “Ask our husbands.”
The three of them shared a laugh that made baby Murphy laugh, too. He was so cute.
“Who watches all these kids for you guys while you work?”
“Funny story,” Mia said. “About four years ago, Dani’s parents moved here from Kentucky to be closer to her and Lucas and their family.
Her mom, Jessie, said she wasn’t ready to retire, so she opened a childcare center and takes care of all our kids, with the help of five other women.
Dani’s dad handles the business stuff for her.
Jessie says that they’ll retire when the youngest of our kids goes to kindergarten, but we keep having babies, so who knows? ”
“It’s so cool that she did that,” Lexi said.
“We say that all the time,” Cameron replied. “I don’t know what we’d do without her. She’s like another grandma to all our kids, and she’s become good friends with Molly and her sister, Hannah, and Gavin’s mom, Amelia, and Tyler’s mom, Vivienne.”
“Was she here today?”
“Yep, Dani’s parents were here,” Mia said. “There were so many people. Sorry you didn’t get to meet them.”
“Next time hopefully,” Lexi said.
“What’re your plans now?” Cameron asked.
“I’m working on that. I may come back to Butler after the holidays. My parents still own a home here, and the tenants are moving out. It comes with a garage apartment that I might take over while I figure out my life.”
“Does Max figure into that?” Cameron asked with a sly grin.
“I really hope so. I never got over him. Being with him again this weekend has been like a dream come true.”
Cameron placed her hand over her heart. “You don’t know how happy that makes me. We’ve all wanted him to find someone special for so long. He’s such a good guy and a wonderful father to Caden.”
“I’m already sold on him,” Lexi said with a laugh. “I have been since I was fifteen.”
“This is so awesome,” Mia said with a happy-sounding squeal.
“Don’t get too far ahead of us,” Lexi said. “It’s all still new again. We’ve got a lot to figure out, and of course, Caden is part of that.”
“It’s still very exciting,” Cameron said. “We love Max very much.”
“So do I. I always have.”
When tears filled her eyes, Cameron fanned her face. “This is right out of a rom-com. High school sweethearts meet up at their tenth reunion and pick up where they left off.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have left you in here with them,” Max said when he appeared in the doorway. “Knock it off, Cam.”
“Knock what off? Did you or did you not reunite with your first love at your tenth reunion and rekindle the old spark?”
Max glanced at Lexi, who shrugged as she grinned.
“We might’ve done that,” Max said, returning her smile as he gazed at her.
“This is the best thing to happen in Butler in years,” Mia said. “Since my dad fell in love with Izzy!”
“I know,” Cameron said. “It’s been a long time since we had a good romance to sink our teeth into.”
“Keep your teeth and everything else away from Lexi,” Max said, sliding his arm around her and leading her out of the dining room.
“Bring her back!” Cameron called after them.
“In your dreams,” Max said over his shoulder. To Lexi, he said, “Sorry about them.”
“They’re great. I had the nicest time talking to them.”
“They didn’t pump you for details, did they?”
“Not directly, although I suspect they wouldn’t have objected to details.”
He huffed out a laugh. “No, they wouldn’t have. Everyone was up in my grill outside, so I figured I should come rescue you. I’m used to them. You’re not.”
“I remember Abbott mania from years ago.”
“That was before my six brothers had wives in addition to my three sisters who like to know everything that goes on. That doesn’t even count the cousins. Will suggested I might want to rescue you—from his own wife, who’s more in the know about us than we are about ourselves.”
“That’s cute.”
“She’s fascinated by the family dynamics, having been raised largely by nannies after her mom died having her.”
“Aw, that’s sad.”
“It is, but she’s the greatest. We love her.”
“They love you, too. They want you to be happy.”
He drew her into a hug. “With the exception of every minute I’ve spent with Caden, I’m happier than I’ve been since the last time I saw you.”
After the party, they sent out for pizza, and some of the family hung out to eat before parents started taking kids home for baths and bedtime.
“Did you get a final head count today, love?” Linc asked his wife.
“Thirty-six kids, forty-two parents.”
“Holy smokes,” Linc said. “That’s a mob.”
“Sure was, but it was fun.”
Lexi wondered how the Abbotts handled that level of activity on a regular basis, but then again, they were probably used to it after raising ten kids.
“Are your ears ringing, Lexi?” Molly asked.
“Not at all,” she said, smiling. “It was a wonderful day. So great to see everyone again.”
“We loved having you here with us.”
“Thank you. I loved being here.”
“It’s time to pack up, buddy,” Max said to Caden. “We need to get Daisy home to have her dinner.”
“Grammy gave her some treats,” Caden said.
“It’s still time to go.” Max carried Caden’s stack of gifts to his truck in three trips.
The downside to having a huge family was that birthdays yielded far too many new toys for one kid.
Every year, they cleaned out his old toys to donate them to less fortunate kids.
They hadn’t gotten around to doing that before the birthday party, so that was on the docket for this week.
Before they left, Lexi hugged his parents and grandfather. “It was so nice to see you all again.”
“You, too, sweetheart,” Elmer said. “We hope we’ll see you again soon.”
“I hope so, too.”
Max handed Caden his coat and snapped the leash on Daisy. “Come on, girl. Let’s go home.”
Daisy waited until Caden was coming, too, before she headed for the door.
“Did you see that?” Max asked Lexi.
“I did. She already knows who her best friend is going to be.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “So do I.”
On the ride back to his house, Lexi wasn’t sure whether he wanted her to stay for a while or if they would say their goodbyes when they arrived.
Max solved that concern for her. “Hang out for a bit?”
She nodded and followed him, Caden and the dog into the house.
Max showed Caden where the dog food was and how much to give her. “While she eats, hit the shower.”
“I want to play with my toys.”
“Tomorrow after school. Right now, you’re heading for bed.”
“I don’t want to go to bed.”
“Caden…”
The note of warning in Max’s tone brokered no room for negotiation.
“Fine,” he said, storming off toward the bathroom.
“And use soap!” To Lexi, he said, “Sorry about that. He’s always a little cranky after his birthday party when he has to get back to reality.”
“No need to apologize. I don’t blame him. He’s had a big weekend.”
He put his arms around her. “So have we.”
Lexi held on tight to him. “Yes, we have.”
“What now?”
“Now I am going to say good night to you so you can tend to your son and head back to my rental. Tomorrow, I’m flying home to Houston.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay a little longer?”
“Not this time. I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday and some other things to take care of this week.”
“The doctor is nothing to worry about, right?”
“Routine checkup.”
“When will I see you again?”
“Let’s talk about that after I get home, okay?”
“Hey, Dad,” Caden said as he came into the room, stopping short when he saw them hugging.
Lexi quickly released her hold on Max, while he kept an arm around her.
“What’s up, bud?”
“Did you get more shampoo?” he asked, eyeing Lexi suspiciously.
“I did. It’s in the cabinet.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, can you say goodbye to Lexi and thank her for the ski pass?”
“Thank you and bye,” Caden said as he ran off again.
“I need to work on his manners. He’s usually a lot nicer to people.”
“He sees me as a threat,” she said.
“What? No way.”
“Max, come on. It’s been the two of you for all these years. When was the last time he saw you hugging a woman?”
He thought about that for a second. “He never has.”
“There you have it. It’s going to take some time for him to come around to you and me being together, if that’s what we’re going to do.”
“That’s what I want.”
“Then we need to ease in slowly, for all our sakes, but especially his. I don’t want him to think I’m taking you away from him or something.”
“He won’t think that.”
“Yes, he will, and you’re going to have enough to manage when you talk to him about Chloe.”
“I was almost able to forget that,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll talk to him about that tomorrow after dinner.”
“And then you’ll call me to tell me how it went?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” He withdrew his phone from his back pocket. “Give me your number.”
Lexi recited the phone number that started with the 346-area code. “Send me a text so I’ll have yours.”
Max sent the text. “You’ll get that when you log back onto Wi-Fi or leave Butler.” He gave her a madly vulnerable look. “Promise you won’t disappear on me again.”
“I promise. I’m sorry again I did that the first time.”
“It’s okay.” He hugged her again and then pulled back to kiss her. “Best weekend in a very long time.”
“For me, too.”
“I want more of this, as much as I can get as soon as I can get it.”
“I want that, too. Give me a little time to figure things out.”
“I can do that as long as you promise to come back soon.”
“I will.”
He held on tighter to her. “I don’t want to let you go. I’m so afraid I won’t see you again for another long time.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“Can you promise me one more thing?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“If, God forbid, you get bad news at that appointment this week, I want to know. No matter what happens going forward, I want to know.”
“Okay.” Lexi looked up at him. “Thank you for an incredible weekend.”
Max kissed her again. “Thank you.”
He grabbed his coat to walk her out and kissed her more intently as they stood next to her car. “Please come back.”
“I will. As soon as I can.”
“I’ll be here waiting for you.”
Lexi took another long look at his ridiculously handsome face before she got into her car and drove off, leaving a huge piece of her heart with him.