Chapter 11
Eleven
“Who so loves believes the impossible.”
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Max felt like total crap the minute Lexi’s taillights disappeared from view.
He had the worst feeling that he’d made a huge mistake letting her leave again, but what choice did he have?
They led separate lives in cities thousands of miles apart.
Yes, she’d mentioned the possibility of coming back to Butler to live, but her life was in flux as she figured out her next steps now that her treatment was hopefully over for good.
And what if it wasn’t over? What if she went to the doctor on Wednesday and learned that it had come back? What then?
“Ugh,” he said out loud as he carried in Caden’s gifts and made a stack in the corner of the living room, next to the box Chloe had sent.
With Lexi in town and the party to contend with, it’d been easy to push the bomb Chloe had dropped into their lives into the background for a couple of days. But now that, too, had to be dealt with, and he dreaded broaching that subject with Caden.
His parents were right, though. Caden had a right to know she’d sent him something and was interested in seeing him.
He went to check on Caden, who was in bed with Daisy stretched out next to him.
“Did you have a nice birthday, pal?”
“It was awesome. Thank you for the best gift ever and the new skis and everything else.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re happy about Daisy. Dude said she was the perfect dog for you.”
“I’ll tell her thanks the next time I see her.”
“I’m glad you got to meet my friend Lexi.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you like her?”
He shrugged. “She’s okay.”
“She was my girlfriend in high school.”
“Oh. Really?”
“Yep. I really liked her then, and I really like her now.”
“Is she going to be your girlfriend again?”
“I don’t know yet, but I sort of hope so. Would that be okay with you?”
“I guess.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“I don’t know. Why do you need a girlfriend? We’re fine the way we are.”
“We’re great, but you know how Uncle Will has Aunt Cameron and Uncle Colton has Aunt Lucy and all the others have someone?”
He nodded.
“Sometimes Daddy would like to have someone like that, too. It wouldn’t change anything between you and me. It would just make everything better.”
“I’m tired. Can I go to sleep now?”
“Sure thing, bud.” Max leaned over to kiss him. “Happy seventh birthday.”
“Thanks. It was fun.”
“Love you best of all.”
“Love you, too, and Daisy.”
“I’m going to let her out to pee one more time.”
“Can she come back in here after?”
“Sure.” He called for Daisy to come with him.
She trotted along to the door, already in tune with what was expected of her.
Max was thankful to Dude for the work she’d done to house-train Daisy. He stood outside in the cold to wait for her, looking up at the stars that filled the sky. He withdrew the phone from his back pocket and dashed off a text to Lexi.
You just left, and I already miss you.
He was determined to do whatever it took to have a second chance with her.
After Will and Cameron got their kids in bed, they met back in the living room for their nightly glass of wine and debrief, as they called it.
A few years ago, they’d renovated the cabin, adding three more bedrooms, two bathrooms and a vastly expanded living room and kitchen.
Will put some logs on the fire, scratched the ears of Tucker and Tanner, who were settled on their beds for the night, and plopped down next to Cam. “Another weekend in the books.”
“I’m not sure which is busier—weekdays or weekends.”
“They’re equally crazy, but it’s a good crazy, right?”
“The best kind of crazy. I got a text from my dad. They’re in Bali.”
“I’m so jealous of them. They’re having all the fun.”
“So are we. I’ve never had as much fun as I am raising kids with you.”
Will smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. “Agreed, but the minute Murph goes to college, we’re borrowing your dad’s plane to go to Bali.”
“You’ve got yourself a date, my friend, seventeen and a half years from now.”
He groaned. “Why you gotta put a number on it?”
Cameron laughed. “You’re the one who knocked me up with a third one. It’s all your fault.”
“He was worth it. He’s the cutest.”
“He really is. They all are. Chase and Molly had the best time today, and Mom said the sleepover went well, too.”
“I love seeing all the cousins together and how much fun they have.”
“That’s like a dream come true for me after growing up alone,” Cameron said.
“I’m so glad you have that now. I love seeing you in the thick of things with my family, always in the know about what’s going on.”
“I’m like a weirdo stalker. I know.”
“They love you.” Will stretched his legs out on the ottoman. “What’d you find out about Max and Lexi?”
“That they had a really nice time together this weekend and they’re going to keep in touch. Wouldn’t that be something if they ended up back together after all this time?”
“It would. If you ask me, she’s the reason he’s never really made it work with anyone else. He was really crushed when she disappeared without a word to him.”
“It was because she was sick.”
“We know that now, but at the time… It was rough on him. I was relieved when I heard he was seeing Chloe. She was the first girlfriend he’d had after Lex, and that was years later.”
“I was surprised to hear Lexi was so important to him, and I’d never heard about her.”
“He asked us to stop asking about her. He didn’t know where she was, and he felt that was intentional on her part. It was too hard for him to have to answer questions about her. So we stopped asking.”
“The poor guy,” Cameron said. “That had to be so rough.”
“It was. He’s had a tough go of it with women in general. He seemed so happy to have her there today. I just hope she doesn’t disappoint him again.”
“I liked her a lot. She seemed very genuine.”
“That’s good to hear. You’d know if something was off with her, being the keen observer of people that you are.”
Cameron put down her wineglass and snuggled up to him. “I love our kiddos more than anything, but this is my favorite part of every day.”
Will put his arm around her. “Same goes, love. I count the minutes until I get Mommy all to myself.”
“You want to go to bed?” she asked.
He raised his brows. “Do you have to ask?”
Cameron laughed as she tugged on his hand to bring him with her.
Will released her to close the doors on the woodstove and shut off the lights before he followed her to bed.
The next day, Max could think of little else other than the conversation he needed to have with Caden later and that Lexi hadn’t responded to his text the night before.
That could mean she didn’t get it or that the Wi-Fi at her rental wasn’t working or any number of things.
Her silence worried him. After the way they’d reconnected, he’d be seriously bummed if he didn’t hear from her again.
“What’s with you today, man?” Colton asked toward the end of their workday as they trekked down the mountain after tending to hundreds of sap-producing trees that day. “You’ve barely said a word all day.”
“Just got a lot on my mind.”
“Including Lexi?”
“Among other things.”
“What other things?”
“I could tell you to mind your own business, you know.”
“I do know, but you won’t, so tell me what’s eating you.”
“Chloe sent a gift for Caden along with a note saying she’s cleaned up her life and would like to see him.”
“The fuck you say?” Colton’s expression was one of total shock.
“Yeah, so I gotta deal with that. I talked to Mom and Dad, and they said it should be up to Caden. I’m going to talk to him tonight.”
“No, wait, don’t talk to him about it. Just tell her to fuck off.”
“As much as I’d love to do that, I can’t. Mom made a good point. What if he reconnects with her when he’s an adult and finds out she wanted to see him a long time ago? I don’t want him to hate me for keeping her from him.”
“Even if you think that’s what’s best for him?”
“He’s old enough to know the truth, Colton, and to decide for himself. He’s not a baby anymore.”
They landed back in the yard just behind Colton’s dogs, Sarah and Elmer, who’d spent the day with them on the mountain.
A shriek of excitement preceded Colton’s three boys running to greet them, as they did every day that Colton and Max worked away from home base.
Colton grabbed the three little ones and spun them around as they screamed with delight. “How are my little redheaded monkeys this afternoon?”
“Coop got in trouble at Miss Jessie’s,” Christian reported. “She called Mom.”
Colton put the boys down. “What’d you do this time?”
“Nothin’.”
He looked to Cooper’s twin, Camden. “What’d he do?”
“He brought slime to school and put it on Molly’s head.”
“Which means we have to call Molly and apologize,” Colton said.
“Don’t wanna,” Cooper said.
“I don’t care. You’re going to call her to apologize, and that’s the end of it.”
“Fine,” Cooper said. “Let’s go, you guys.”
After the boys ran off to play, Colton glanced at Max. “Quit your grinning.”
“Can’t help it. He’s you all over again.”
“Don’t I know it?” Colton said with a laugh. “Lucy is going to ship us both off to live together somewhere so I can deal with him.”
“I think that’d only make him worse, if you’re asking my opinion.”
“I wasn’t but thank you anyway. About Caden… You know what’s best for him, and I’m sorry about Chloe reappearing after all this time. I’m here if you need anything.”
“Thanks. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I knew I’d have to deal with it eventually. I’m surprised he hasn’t insisted on knowing more about her already.”
“Keep me posted on how it goes?”
“I will. Thanks for listening.”
“I gotta go make a boy call his cousin to apologize and then smooth things over with Will and Cam. Good times.”
“The best of times.”
“Yeah,” Colton said with a grin. “They may be feral, but they’re awesome.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Max said.
“See you then. Call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Colton watched Max hug his nephews before he drove off down the mountain to deal with the past. As he whistled for the boys to come, Colton felt anxious for Max and Caden after hearing that Chloe had resurfaced. He ushered the boys into the house and sent them to wash up.
The smell of something cooking had his mouth watering, and the feeling he got any time he walked in the door to see her there was one that never got old. He still couldn’t believe he’d been lucky enough to win the heart of Lucy Mulvaney.
“What’s this I hear about slime and a cousin?” Colton asked Lucy, who was still at her computer. He leaned over to kiss her neck, making her jolt.
“Your lips are freezing.”
“Your neck is nice and warm.” He kissed her again, breathing in the scent of his love. “Missed you today.”
“Missed you, too, especially when I got the call from Jessie.”
“I heard about the slime and the cousin, and Coop is going to call to apologize.”
“I already texted Cam to tell her how sorry we are. She said Molly said it was no big deal. She’s used to it.”
“I guess this means we need to do backpack inspections before they leave the house going forward.”
“Yep, and again I’ll mention that no one ever had to inspect my backpack before I left the house, so this must come from you.”
“What smells so good? I’m starving.”
“Nice diversion. I’ll find out from your mother what you snuck to school.”
“There’s really no need for that.”
Lucy’s laughter was one of his favorite things, even when it was directed at him. “I knew you’d say that, and I knew I should’ve been more worried about procreating with you.”
“You love our babies.”
“I do. I love them very much, especially when they’re sleeping.”
Colton chuckled as he helped her up and out of her chair so he could hug her properly. “Thank you for putting up with me and our devils.”
“It’s a good thing I love you so much.”
He held her tightly. “It’s a very good thing. The best thing to ever happen to me.”
The moment between them ended at the sound of six little feet coming toward them. Colton gave Lucy a quick kiss. “To be continued,” he said. “Coop, let’s call your cousin.”