Chapter 23
Dax
I have been more nervous since returning to Riverbend than I have been in years. Officially meeting Molly at the Tastee Freeze was nerve-racking. Coming face-to-face with Kandace’s parents, who have spent the last five years helping raise my daughter, is right up there on the nerves scale.
As I pull into the driveway near the garages, I look over at the Sheers home.
Seeing the big farmhouse, wraparound porch, and beyond, the green lawns and fields ready for harvest, I recall the view from my Chicago apartment.
I pay a lot of money to see above rooftops and out onto Lake Michigan.
And still, that isn’t a place I want to raise my daughter.
I see the beauty of the life Kandace has always loved.
Maybe part of Kandace’s affection is for the people I’m about to face. The Sheerses have made this a home, a place where given roots, you realize that flight isn’t the number-one goal. Taking a deep breath, I reach for the bouquet of flowers I purchased from the florist in town.
It’s probably silly, but after the day at Quintessential Treasures, I went back to the house, showered, and changed into khaki pants and a button-down shirt. I drove to Washington last night to purchase some clothes to leave at the house. These items are hardly Tom Ford, but they’re clean.
My parents decided Grandma’s old appliances were out of date. The kitchen has all been updated, but not the laundry. Purchasing a new washer and dryer is on my to-do list.
Walking up the steps to the porch, I’m met with the delicious aroma of a homecooked meal.
Before I reach the door, Kandace is there on the other side of the screen door.
A smile comes to life as I see that she also changed her clothes.
The light blue dress makes her eyes glow, and her hair is down in waves over her back.
“Hi,” she says with a grin as she opens the door.
I hesitate as I long to kiss her cheek. As she takes a step back, I simply enter. “Hi.”
“For me?” she asks, looking down at the flowers.
“Um, no,” I stammer.
“They’re not?”
Mrs. Sheers turns our way and smiles. “Dax, we’re happy you could make it.”
I offer her the flowers. “These are for you, Mrs. Sheers.”
She waves at me. “Thank you. They’re lovely, and call me Bridget.”
That was the name I called her years ago, but until she says it, I’m not sure where I stand.
“Dax.”
As Bridget takes the flowers, I turn to the deep voice and step forward, offering my hand. “Mr. Sheers.”
“Name’s Randy, you know that.”
Nodding, I see Molly coming down the stairs in the front room, calling my name.
Soon, I have her lifted in my arms.
“You came. You really came.” Her smile is from ear to ear.
“I did.” My gaze catches Kandace’s, who is grinning our direction.
After I put Molly back on her feet, she asks, “Do you want to see my room?”
Again, I look to Kandace.
“Is it clean?” she asks.
“He’s my dad. It doesn’t have to be clean. You see it messy.”
We all smile.
“I’d love to see your room.”
With that, Molly reaches for my hand and leads me through the living room and up the staircase. It’s been a long time since I was in this house, but if memory serves me, Molly’s room used to be Kandace’s.
“Wow,” I say as I walk in. The walls are bright yellow with colorful pictures. I look at one painting that is a swirl of colors. “This is amazing art. Who painted it?”
Molly beams as she stands straight. “I did.”
“You did? You didn’t tell me that you’re an artist.”
Her little shoulders shrug as she grins.
Molly’s bed is filled with stuffed animals, so much so, I wonder how she can even sleep in it. Along the walls are bookcases with lots of books, and in one corner is a plastic kitchen and a workbench. “You have a kitchen.”
Molly’s lips come together before she says, “I like the workbench better. It’s like Granddad’s, only smaller.”
That makes me grin and I remember her saying she wasn’t going to cook when she got older.
When I turn, I see Kandace leaning against the doorjamb.
“Do your stuffed animals have names?” I ask as I take a step back toward Kandace and whisper, “Can I see your room?”
Pink fills her cheeks as her lips curl upward.
“Maybe I should send you a text about it?” When she doesn’t answer, I add, “If you have your phone handy, I’ll be happy to help you out.”
I look down at Molly; she’s standing at our legs, holding two big stuffed animals.
“Oh,” I say, “I know that one. He’s Baby Yoda.”
She nods. “And this is Bluey. He’s a dog.”
“A blue dog.”
I make a mental note to do some research on children’s current popular culture.
As Molly walks her stuffed friends back to her bed, I reach for Kandace’s hand. “I’m in awe. You’ve done so much for so long.”
“Dreams change,” she says softly, lifting her chin toward Molly. “She’s my dream. I’m happy about the store, but her being happy and loved is the most important goal.”
Unable to stop myself, I lean closer until our lips touch. It’s not the passion of the kiss above the store, but that doesn’t make it less meaningful. “I wanted to do that at the door.”
“You two just kissed,” Molly says with her nose scrunched. “Eww.”
Kandace and I smile.
“Chopped liver is eww,” I say. “Your mom’s kisses aren’t.”
“I don’t ever want chopped liver,” Molly declares. “Come on, dinner’s ready and Grandma made lasagna.” She pronounces lasagna with an extra syllable, but I get the idea. As Molly runs ahead and down the stairs, Kandace and I linger at the doorway.
“Please don’t hurt her,” Kandace says, stress showing in her expression.
It’s as if there’s a knife in my chest. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I get that. But now that she knows…”
My hand goes to Kandace’s cheek as I stare into her blue gaze. “Now that I know, things are different.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I get you didn’t want to come back for me. She really likes you. Please don’t let her down.”
Her words catch me off guard. “I never said I didn’t want to come back here for you.”
“But you didn’t. Actions speak louder than words.”
I want to argue, to tell Kandace that this isn’t all about Molly, but before I can, another door opens, and Justin enters the hallway.
Despite Kandace’s claim that Molly calmed the rough waters, I stand tall.
We’re close to the same height, but after working two days baling hay, I know where the strength in his punch comes from.
Justin’s gaze goes to where Kandace’s hand is in mine and back to us. “Time to eat.”
Once he’s past, I let out my breath.
Kandace grins. “Molly has your back.”
In only a few minutes, we’re all seated around the dining room table. With Randy at one end and Justin at the other, Bridget and Molly are seated across from Kandace and me. I try to remember the last time I sat at a dinner with my parents that wasn’t in a restaurant.
“Dive in,” Bridget announces.
To say the lasagna is good would be an understatement. “This is delicious.”
Despite offering myself as a sacrificial lamb for the evening, the conversation stays benign as we discuss the delicious food, fresh vegetables, harvest season, and the Cardinals’ chances at a pennant.
Molly chimes in on topics I never thought a five-year-old would understand.
Then again, she’s lived her life with these adults and adult conversations.
Throughout the meal, I find myself obsessed with the beautiful woman at my side. There is an ease and realness about Kandace that is addicting. Her smile and laugh had me googly-eyed as a teenager, and each minute I spend with her, I realize that feeling isn’t gone.
“I made peach pie for dessert,” Bridget announces.
I’m not sure I can eat more, but I won’t turn down homemade peach pie. The last one I had was made by Grandma Ruth.
“I can help,” Kandace says as she stands, picking up plates and leaving Randy, Justin, Molly, and me alone in the dining room.
Justin sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. “Tell us about Chicago.”
Molly’s eyes are on me. “Do you see the dinosaurs?”
“The dinosaurs?” It hits me. “The museum. Have you been there?”
She nods quickly.
I’m transfixed by the way her hair looks down, so much like her mother’s.
Molly is talking a mile a minute. “…and we went to the lake. Its name is Michigan, but it’s in Illinois.”
I scoff. “Only parts of Lake Michigan are in Illinois.”
“Is it someplace else too?”
“Maybe you and I,” Randy says, “can look at a map later and figure this out.”
“Okay. I’m going to go tell Mom.” She gets down from her chair and goes toward the kitchen.
Watching her disappear through the archway, I say, “I’m blown away at how much she knows and wants to learn.”
“Yeah, she’s five,” Justin says.
My smile disappears. “I wish I’d known.”
“You know now,” Randy says.
Dessert and coffee stay friendly. When Kandace announces that it’s time for Molly to get ready for bed, I’m torn between one of the reasons I came here tonight and offering to help. My first choice is the latter. “Do you need help?”
Kandace shakes her head. “Not yet. Molly, tell Dax good night. Remember, he’s going to Chicago for a while.”
“But you’re coming back?”
“I am.”
“Good night,” she says as she waves her fingers.
Taking a deep breath, I look at Mr. Sheers. “Randy, could you and I take a walk?”
He nods as his gaze meets Bridget’s.
“I can join you,” Justin volunteers.
“No,” his mother interjects. “You’re on dishes duty with me.”
The sky is a kaleidoscope of colors as the sun settles toward the horizon, and Randy and I step out to the porch. He stuffs his hands deep into his jeans pockets as he rocks back on his heels. “I don’t expect you’re wanting a tour of the barns.”
“I wouldn’t mind a tour.”
Walking down the steps, I walk beside him. It’s not until we near the first pole barn that I get the courage to speak. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for Kandace and Molly.”
“Water under the bridge.”
“I want you to know Kandace is the only woman I’ve ever loved.
” I could go into details on how my personal life has been basically nonexistent since joining the law firm, but instead, I keep talking about her and the beautiful girl I just met and love.
“I made a choice to concentrate on my career, and now I know it was wrong.”
“You’re saying you love her.”
“I am. I think I forgot or became distracted, but seeing her, talking to her, working with her at the store, I feel like I did as a kid. Kandace is real. This town is real. It’s not like this in Chicago. I want it all back, all that I walked away from.”
“Have you told Kandace?”
“Yes and no. She’s leery. I see it. She’s afraid that I’ll leave and not come back.”
“Will you?”
“No, sir. I know Kandace isn’t ready for this, but I’d like to know I have your blessing. One day, I want to ask her to marry me.”
Randy stops walking and turns toward me. “Don’t marry her because of Molly. That’s not a real marriage. And Molly shouldn’t be glue.”
I can’t stop my smile. “She isn’t glue. Molly is the cherry on top. I’ll do my best to be her father no matter what happens between Kandace and me. But, sir, without a doubt, it’s your daughter I love.”
Randy nods. “Good answer.”
“Your blessing?” I ask.
“All Bridget and I want is our children and grandchildren happy. If that’s your mission, then yes, you have our blessing.”
“Thank you.”