31. Maddie
31
MADDIE
I stepped back into my dad’s room after eating my late lunch in the waiting room with Ian, deciding not to bring up the engagement stuff unless he did. He was already recovering from major surgery—the last thing he needed was more stress.
He looked better than before, though still pale and tired as he rested against the pillows. His eyes lit up when he saw me, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said, his voice scratchy. “You doing okay?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I said softly, stepping closer to his bedside. I slid into the chair beside him, taking in the lines on his face, more pronounced than they’d been the last time I’d seen him.
“I’m fine,” he replied, though the way his hand trembled slightly when he lifted it to adjust his blanket said otherwise. “They patched me up good as new.”
I let out a shaky laugh, but it didn’t feel right. My chest ached, and I couldn’t hold back the guilt bubbling to the surface. “I should’ve been there this morning, Dad. I’m so sorry. I should’ve been the one to help you, not Juliette’s mom. What if she hadn’t seen you? What if?—”
“Maddie,” he interrupted gently, his voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t do that to yourself.”
“I can’t help it.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “I shouldn’t have moved to Eden Falls. None of us are in Ridgewater anymore. You’re all alone now. Who’s going to take care of you if something like this happens again? Who’s going to be there to help you recover?”
He let out a soft sigh, his fingers weakly reaching for mine. His touch was so frail, it only made my chest tighten more.
Because my dad was getting older.
The strong man who had raised my siblings and me all on his own wasn’t actually a superhero. He was in fact…human.
“Maddie, listen to me. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “I’m okay. And you know what? Ever since you applied for that first job at your company and Lexi told me she and Noah were expecting their baby, I’ve actually been thinking it might be time for a big change myself.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, searching his face.
“I’ve been thinking about moving,” he said, his words slow but steady. “Lexi and Noah are in New Haven. Easton and Juliette are only an hour from there. And you… I’d love to be closer to you and Grant in Eden Falls. I miss that boy so much. It makes sense for me to come to all of you. I want to be around my grandkids while I still can.”
“You’d leave Ridgewater?” I blinked, his words sinking in. “Sell the house?”
“That house is just walls, Maddie. Family is what matters.” He nodded, the movement subtle but resolute. “And besides,” he added, his lips curving into the faintest smile, “I can’t ask you to leave your fiancé now, can I?”
My heart stuttered. “Oh…uh…”
He arched an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement in his tired eyes. “Were you afraid to tell me? Think I’d react badly? PTSD from when you told me you were pregnant?”
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. “I—I didn’t…”
“Sweetheart,” he interrupted softly, his gaze warm and steady. “This is different. I trust your judgement. You’re an adult, and if you’re in love with him, I’m happy for you. I’ve been so worried about you and Grant being on your own, it’s nice to know you’ve got someone good by your side. You deserve that. You deserve to be loved.”
The lump in my throat swelled, making it almost impossible to speak. “Thanks, Dad,” I managed, the words barely audible. And in that moment, I knew I couldn’t tell him the truth now.
Not after seeing the relief in his eyes, the hope on his face. Not after the scare he’d just had.
He’d been worried about me moving away on my own, and even though I hated to let him believe a lie, it almost seemed wrong to take away the hope he suddenly had of having his daughter finally taken care of after so many years of worrying about me.
So, even though it was probably wrong and twisted to let him believe it, I’d let him.
I’d pretend. Just for now.
And later, when he was stronger, if he asked me about my plans with Ian, I could tell him we had gone our separate ways.
It would be fine.
“Okay,” he said after a long pause, his eyelids fluttering. “You should go get some rest, Maddie. You’ve been worrying too much.”
I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I’ll check on you soon, okay? Get some rest.”
He nodded, and as his eyes closed, I lingered a moment longer, watching his chest rise and fall, each breath a reminder of how close I’d come to losing him.
When I stepped back into the waiting room after my conversation with my dad, my eyes immediately landed on Grant, who was perched on a chair next to Jaxon. His blond hair was slightly disheveled, his legs swinging as he grinned up at me.
“Mom!” he called, and before I could respond, he jumped up, running toward me, his little legs pumping with all the energy I loved about him. I crouched down just in time to scoop him up, hugging him tightly. His arms wrapped around my neck, and the familiar weight of him against me was like a balm to my frayed nerves. A few Band-Aids adorned his scraped knees, telling me he’d been his usual rambunctious self while I’d been in Boston. But he was well and happy, which was all I ever hoped for when he was with his dad.
“I missed you so much, buddy,” I murmured, squeezing him tighter.
“I missed you too, Mom,” he said, his voice muffled against my shoulder.
Jaxon had followed Grant over, standing a few feet away now with his hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts. His blond hair caught the fluorescent light, and his brown eyes held a touch of tentativeness.
There had been a time when I couldn’t look at him without feeling that magnetic pull—his looks had been so striking to my sixteen-year-old self, his charm intoxicating. But now? Now, he was just Jaxon, the father of my child. That spark, the one that had once burned so brightly, was gone.
“Hey, Mads,” he said carefully, his voice low. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m okay.” I smoothed Grant’s hair and stood, tucking him against my side. “My dad’s doing a lot better now, and the doctors think he’ll be fine.”
“That’s good news.” Jaxon nodded, his expression softening slightly. “I was worried when you called.”
“Yeah, it’s been an intense day,” I admitted. “Thanks for bringing Grant, though. My dad is going to be so happy to see him.”
“It’s no problem.” His gaze flicked around the waiting room briefly before settling back on me. “Glad I could do it.”
For a moment, we both seemed unsure of what to say. The weight of our shared history hung between us, a presence that was always there.
I cleared my throat. “Do you want to see my dad? He’s just resting now, but I’m sure he’d be okay with a quick hello.”
But Jaxon shook his head. “If he’s resting, I don’t want to bother him. Just tell him I stopped by.”
“Okay.” I nodded, knowing it was probably for the best. My dad wasn’t exactly Jaxon’s biggest fan after everything he’d put me through. “He’ll appreciate it.”
“Okay.” He hesitated for a beat, then stepped forward, his movements slower than usual, as if he were unsure. Wrapping his arms around me, he murmured, “You’re doing a great job, Maddie. With Grant, with everything. I hope you know that.”
His words caught me off guard—they were soft and unexpected, carrying a weight that felt like a glimpse of regret for what we’d lost, for what he’d walked away from.
But as his arms tightened briefly around me, I realized something I hadn’t before. His embrace felt different now—foreign, distant. When he let go, I was struck by the stark truth: I didn’t feel anything anymore for the man I’d once thought might be the love of my life.
That chapter of my life, the one where Jaxon had been everything, was truly closed. And for the first time, I was okay with that.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay?” Jaxon stepped back, his expression somber but kind. “I can take Grant tonight if you need more time here.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, glancing down at Grant who was now playing with the zipper on my purse. “I think having him with me will be good. He’s kind of my home now.”
“Yeah.” Jaxon’s lips twitched into a faint, sad smile. “He’s the best.”
He reached out to ruffle Grant’s hair, earning a laugh from him, before saying goodbye.
As I watched him leave, I felt a bittersweet mix of emotions. Gratitude that he’d stepped up for Grant, sadness for what we’d lost, and relief at the realization that I really was no longer tethered to the complicated feelings I once had for him.
Some people come into your life for a season, a chapter , I thought. And while Jaxon had been a huge part of my life once, now he was simply the man I shared a son with.
But that was okay. Life was like that sometimes. You lived, you learned, and if you were lucky, you came out stronger on the other side.