Chapter 18
Eighteen
“Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman giving all your love to just one man.” —Tammy Wynette
Lexi drove home from the airport feeling lost, set adrift and uncertain of what would happen next.
They’d been so happy just a few short hours ago, and now she wondered if or when she’d ever see him again.
Her heart was with him, Caden and Chase as well as their entire family, and she wouldn’t relax until she knew the boys were on the road to recovery. That was the most important thing.
But… The way he’d cast her aside and taken off without looking back had hurt her.
She didn’t want to be hurt by it, because she knew he was panicked over his son, but she was hurt, nonetheless.
After pulling into the driveway at home, Lexi sat for a minute, trying to find her game face so she wouldn’t upset her family.
The game face wasn’t happening, she realized after ten minutes.
She got out of the car, retrieved her bag from the trunk and went inside, surprising her mother when she appeared in the kitchen two days earlier than planned.
“What are you doing here?” her mom asked, coming to greet her with a hug and kiss.
“Max’s son was hurt in a skiing accident in Vermont. He’s on his way home.”
“Oh no! Not serious, I hope?”
“We don’t know anything other than he and his cousin were airlifted to Burlington after colliding on the slope.”
“Dear Lord. The poor guy must be beside himself.”
“He was.”
“You didn’t want to go with him?”
“I did, but he thought this wasn’t the right time. Caden, his son, has been a bit uncertain about me. Max hasn’t had a girlfriend since Caden was born.”
“Ah, I see, so he’s a little pushed out of joint at the idea of sharing his dad with someone.”
“I guess.”
“Your feelings are hurt because he didn’t want you to go with him.”
“Sort of, although all I care about is that his son and nephew are okay.”
“Which is very noble of you, but you also care about him and want to be part of his life.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then you must be patient. His son is his top priority always, but especially when he’s hurt. And you may have to accept that you’ll never come first with him. The child he’s been raising on his own for seven years will probably always be first. Can you live with that?”
“Yes, of course I can. It was just kind of jarring to go from being blissfully happy with him to being cast aside.”
“You weren’t cast aside. He’d never want you to feel that way. It’s hard to put into words what happens to a parent when their child is in any kind of danger. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”
“You don’t have enemies,” Lexi said, smiling for the first time since Max got the call from his mother.
“Still… You know what I mean. It’s a terrible, awful feeling unlike any other I’ve ever had. When you got sick, I was quite certain I wouldn’t survive it.”
“You were a trouper.”
“Eventually, but not at first. Have patience with him, Lex. He’s a wonderful guy who clearly cares for you a great deal. We all saw that when he was here. Give him some time to deal with the accident and whatever his son needs. He’ll be back for you. I’m sure of it.”
Lexi wished she was as certain of that as her mother was, but for now, all she could do was wait and hope that she’d hear from him soon.
And while she waited, she would pray for his son and nephew—and for Max and his family.
The next few hours would go down as the most stressful of Max’s life.
Nothing could compare to the hell of having to deal with people and mass transit when he was coming out of his skin with worry about Caden and Chase.
He wondered for a second if he could give himself a heart attack or stroke or something equally unpleasant by stressing at this level.
Before he boarded the flight, he’d tried to call the hospital directly, but a nurse had said there was no news yet as the doctors were still working on the boys.
It didn’t help that the flight from Houston to New York was one of the roughest he’d ever been on, with the flight attendants ordered to stay seated for most of the trip.
The woman sitting next to him wept quietly as the plane bumped through the sky. She had long brown hair and hazel eyes.
“This sucks, huh?” Max asked her.
“So bad. I hate flying on a perfect day.”
“The plane is designed for this, and we’re perfectly safe.”
“Intellectually, I know that. Tell it to my shaking hands.”
“We’re almost there.”
“Not soon enough for me.” She glanced over at him. “I couldn’t help but notice that you seem really stressed. Is it the turbulence?”
“No, my son and nephew were hurt in a skiing accident, and I’m on my way home to Vermont.”
“Wow, you must be frantic.”
“I am, and the long, bumpy flight isn’t helping anything.”
“Have you heard anything about how they are?”
“The latest is they’re both conscious and being evaluated in the Emergency Department.
My nephew has a broken jaw, and my son has a couple of broken ribs and a collapsed lung along with some cuts in his mouth that caused some bleeding.
” He’d been relieved to hear that was where the blood had come from.
“Jeez. That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks, but all we care about is that they’re alive. My mom said it could’ve been much worse when she texted me. And thank God for onboard Wi-Fi.”
“No kidding, right? How did it happen?”
“They turned at the same second and crashed into each other. My brother was right behind them and said it happened so fast, he couldn’t do a thing.”
“A freak accident.”
Max nodded, grateful for the conversation that had calmed his nerves somewhat. “They’re both great skiers. We’ve hammered safety into them since they were first on the bunny slope.” He wondered how he’d ever stand to let Caden strap on skis again after this.
“Do you have a connecting flight to Vermont from New York?”
“Sort of. My brother’s father-in-law is Patrick Murphy, the famous businessman. He’s sending his chopper to pick me up at LaGuardia.”
“That’s great.”
“It is. He’s saving me six or seven hours on the road. My nephew Chase is his grandson.”
“Ah, I see.”
“He’s a good dude. He would’ve done it for me even if Chase wasn’t hurt, too.”
“That’s what family does.”
“I haven’t even asked what’s bringing you to New York?” The conversation was helping to keep him calm as the flight stretched on interminably.
“I live there. I was in Houston for a college friend’s wedding.”
“Ah, I see. Two of my sisters-in-law are from New York. They moved to Vermont to marry my brothers, and then one of their sisters married my cousin.”
“Wow, what a family affair.”
“It gets better. Lucy, who married my brother Colton, and Emma, who married my cousin Grayson—their dad is also married to my aunt Hannah, Grayson’s mom.”
“Wait… I might need you to draw me a picture of that.”
Max laughed, which he wouldn’t have thought possible an hour ago. “Two sisters married my brother and cousin, and their dad married my aunt. Emma’s mother-in-law is also her stepmother.”
“My mind is blown.”
“It’s cool, though. They’re all so happy together, and they deserve it.”
“What brought you to Houston?”
“My high school girlfriend. We recently reconnected at our tenth reunion.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It’s been great so far. I’ve been a single dad to Caden since he was born, and he just turned seven.”
“Has it been rough? Single parenthood, that is.”
“Not as hard as it would’ve been without a lot of help from my parents, grandfather and siblings. I’m the youngest of ten and was the first to have a child, so my family rallied around us.”
“Ten? Holy moly.”
“Everyone says that.”
“I’ve never met anyone who was one of ten.”
“Well, now you have. My aunt Hannah has eight. Eighteen of us between her and my mom.”
“That must’ve been fun growing up.”
“It was. What about you? Big family?”
“I have two older brothers.”
“Are you close to them?”
“We talk almost every day by text, so I suppose that counts as close these days. One lives in Phoenix and the other in Sacramento.”
“Did you grow up in New York?”
“We did, on the Upper East Side.”
“I haven’t spent much time in the city, but my brothers get there once in a while.”
The pilot came on the address system to announce their final approach into LaGuardia. “Sorry for the bouncy ride, folks. We do appreciate your business and hope to see you again soon.”
“I hope they don’t see me again soon,” she said.
Max laughed. “I’m Max, by the way.”
“I’m Toni. Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Thanks for talking to me. It helped.”
She flashed him a warm smile. “Same.”
As they were standing in the aisle waiting for others to deplane, Toni handed him a business card. “If you get back to New York, give me a call.”
“Oh, thanks,” he said.
“And all the best to your son and nephew.”
“Thank you.” Max sent his mom a text to let her know he’d landed in New York. Be there soon.
He’s asking for you. We told him you’re on the way.
Tell him I love him, and I’m coming.
Will do.
How’s Chase?
Awake and alert. The broken jaw is the biggest concern. Will and Cam are with him.
Max was greatly relieved to know that both boys would recover—eventually.
He realized he needed to give Lexi an update.
Landed in NY and on the way to Patrick’s chopper.
Both boys are conscious. Caden has broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Chase has a broken jaw. Both are awake and alert, which is a huge relief.
The minute he was off the plane, Max ran through the terminal, following signs to the place Patrick had told him to meet the chopper. It was waiting for him in a section of the airport reserved for private aircraft. Max had to show ID to an agent at the doorway and was buzzed through to the tarmac.
He saw the distinctive black chopper with the PME initials on the side and jogged over to it.
“Max Abbott?” a man in uniform asked.
“That’s me.”
“Welcome aboard. We’ll have you to Burlington in about ninety minutes.”