Chapter 33
Maddox
My dad has invited me over for dinner, which I take as code for inviting me over to cook dinner.
Obviously, I don’t mind. I love wearing my mom Verona’s old apron and puttering around in the kitchen she adored.
It’s been updated since then with new surfaces and state-of-the-art appliances, but I always feel like she’s here with me.
Looking on as I cook, saying, “Just a little more cilantro, mi principito…a touch of chili…muy bien.”
My Dad and I spend a relaxed night together, sitting at the big dining table, chatting about the day-to-day of our lives as we eat.
I do this as often as I can because nobody knows as well as I do how precious it is.
I lost my mom too soon, and I lost myself for too long.
Life can be uncertain. You have to grab the good times while you can.
He finishes his meal, wipes his face with a napkin, and leans back in his chair. “That was delicious, son. Thank you.”
I nod. “You’re welcome, Pop.”
“How are things going with Ellie?” he asks, out of the blue.
I raise my eyebrows. “Good.”
He sips some of his soda—he’s had to cut down on the Scotch for his health. “She’s a good woman, Maddox. You two seem like a great fit for each other. When are you planning on asking her to marry you?”
“Dad,” I splutter. “It’s been like three months since we got together. It’s way too early to be even thinking about marriage.”
Maybe my old man has a point though. Ellie and I might only have been officially a couple for a matter of months, but I feel like I’ve known her forever. More importantly, I can’t imagine my life without her in it.
“Okay, okay,” he says, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I don’t like to interfere. You know that.”
“Yeah? From what I heard, you interfered the hell out of things with Nathan and Mel.” He actually gave Nathan an ultimatum and presented Melanie to him as his wife-to-be.
Dad smirks. “Well. That didn’t turn out so bad, did it? They’re deliriously happy. I’ve got two gorgeous grandkids. Maybe I should interfere more often.”
I flash him a warning look that lets him know he absolutely shouldn’t.
“Seriously though, son, I think the world of Ellie. We all do. I’d love to see you make an honest woman of her someday.”
Where the hell is this coming from? My dad’s in his seventies but he’s not especially old-fashioned when it comes to family and marriage.
I raise my eyebrows, suspicious of his motives. “What gives, Dad? What’s on your mind?” I keep my voice gentle, because I can tell something’s bugging him.
“Ah, nothing, really. I suppose I’ve been thinking about that advice I gave you boys all those years ago, when your mom died.”
“You told us to never fall in love,” I remind him. Thankfully, none of us took his advice. All of my older brothers are totally loved up and deliriously happy, and I’ve joined that elite club now, too.
Dad grimaces and pushes his empty plate away. “I did, and it was wrong of me.”
I place my hand over his, and I can’t help noticing how gnarled his knuckles are. My dad has always been a force to be reckoned with, but there is no arguing with age. “It’s okay, Dad. You were talking from a place of grief. I know that. We all knew that.”
“I was. I was broken without her, son. Couldn’t figure out how to carry on alone. I still have days like that, in truth. Still miss her. But she’d have hated what I told you. Your mom was all about love, you remember that don’t you?”
Of course I do.
“Well, she would have wanted you all to find your people. The ones you call home. And I think Ellie is that for you, Maddox. I guess all I’m saying is don’t hang around waiting for the perfect time, because it never arrives. Make the most of life while you can.”
I’m sure it’s natural for people to become more philosophical as they get older, especially when you’ve had health scares like his.
My father has dealt with a lot of pain, and we’ve had more than our fair share of ups and downs.
“You’re right, Dad. Ellie does feel like home, but it’s still a little too soon to be talking marriage and kids. ”
His eyes light up with excitement, and I wince. Shouldn’t have said that last part out loud. “You’ll make a great father one day.”
I wink at him. “Well, I have a good role model, Pop.”
His entire face lights up with pure pride.
“While we’re having a heart to heart, I also want to apologize again for the way I behaved about Yasmin.
It’s long overdue and I should have said something much sooner.
” He rarely speaks her name out loud, and it jolts me.
“Not just for being an ass about her, but also for the way I handled your, uh, problems afterward.”
“My addictions, Dad. It’s okay to call them that. And there’s no need to apologize. You did the best you could, and it was a lot to handle.”
Truthfully, we both made mistakes, but there’s no point dredging it all up again. We cannot change what was—just what is, and what might be.
He stands up and clears the plates. I think he’s feeling emotional, and as ever with Dalton James, that somehow is something he needs to hide. “Thank you, Maddox. That’s very gracious of you. Stay right there and I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”
While he’s gone, I think about what he’s said.
Should I ask Ellie to marry me? The more I consider it, the more the real question seems to be: why wouldn’t I?
She’s perfect for me. We make each other so goddamn happy.
If I do this, I have to figure out what ring to get her.
She’s not a straightforward diamond solitaire kind of girl.
Maybe something unique, something I could get commissioned from an artisan in Morocco.
I’m still turning this over in my mind when my dad returns. “Maddox,” he says, his voice serious.
I stand up to face him, because his tone demands it. He passes me a box. One that I recognize.
The memories hurt. How he told me I was a disgrace to the James name all those years ago. How I walked out of this house and swore I’d never come back. It brings a lump to my throat.
“Son, I just want to tell you how proud I am of you. Of your new business venture. Of your relationship with Ellie. Of the way you’ve worked so hard on yourself. I love you, Maddox, and I want you to have this back.”
Tears fill my eyes as I accept the package. “Are you sure?” I ask, opening it. Great-grandad’s old Navy watch, the one my mom treasured and I pawned all those years ago.
“I’m sure, son. It’s always been yours. I was just hanging onto it for you.”
He holds open his arms, and I go in for a hug. “I love you, Dad,” I murmur against his shoulder.
Even the mighty Dalton James sheds a tear. “Don’t tell anybody you saw me cry, all right?” he says, swiping at his cheeks. “Anyhow, I think I just have something in my eye…”
“Sure, Pop.”
I run my finger over the gold, the parts worn smooth from my great grandfather’s touch, then his son’s, and then my mom’s.
Selling this watch was the lowest point of my life, and to have him give it back to me again means everything.