Chapter 18
Dax
A fter Kandace leaves the house, I sit on the back porch with the box of pictures. For hours, I stare at my daughter, as more and more questions come to mind.
How was Kandace’s pregnancy?
Was she sick?
Did her delivery go well?
Did she find out if she was having a boy or girl before Molly was born?
What was Molly like as a baby?
What was her first word?
How old was she when she rolled over, crawled, and walked?
The more questions that come to me, the more overwhelming five years becomes.
Five years.
It’s after ten o’clock when my phone rings. Dad is on the screen.
“Hi,” I answer.
“Have you learned any more about the Sheers girl?”
My eyes close and my jaw tightens. “Her name is Kandace, Dad. I mentioned her every damn year when I came back to Oakmont.”
“And she had your kid.”
That isn’t an actual question, but I reply, “Kandace has a daughter. Her name is Molly, and yes, she’s mine.”
“You need a blood test. You can’t be sure.”
The blood in my veins grows hot. “I am sure.”
“Hmm.”
Taking a deep breath, my chest expands. “What are you worried about?”
“Son, you have a good job. You’ve worked hard, and your mother’s heard from some of the partners that they’re looking to make you one. At your age, that’s phenomenal. Your work in London has stood out. There’s nowhere to go but up. Fine, if this kid?—”
“Molly,” I say, interrupting him.
“If Molly is yours, you can work out child support.”
“Kandace doesn’t want that. I offered.”
“But she wants Mom’s store.”
I don’t like where this is going. “Grandma left the store to Kandace.”
“My mother knew nothing about the way things work. I’m surprised Jeffrey Murphy let her put the girl in the will. It’s a travesty. Devaluing Quintessential Treasures is bad for all the property in Riverbend.”
“And you give a shit about Riverbend, right, Dad?”
“I care about you, Dax. Don’t give up your life and dreams because of one mistake. Take responsibility and move on.”
I see the pictures I chose not to return to the box and smile.
“The only mistakes I made were not knowing about Molly and not coming back to Riverbend as I promised. Now that I do know, I plan on rectifying both.”
“Don’t be rash, son. It sounds like the girl is handling the situation. That’s her choice.”
“The girl is Kandace, and she is a woman. From now on, use her name. And you know what?” I ask rhetorically.
“She has handled our daughter and the store too. She’s pretty fucking strong and amazing.
” I grin. “I can’t predict the future, but I know a few things: I will be part of Molly’s life, and if she’ll let me, a part of Kandace’s too. ”
“What about Quintessential Treasures?” he asks.
“I already told Kandace that I’ll sign the papers.”
“Think like an attorney, not a heartsick teenager.”
“Thanks for the advice, Dad. I’m not a teenager, and as for my heart, I think Kandace has owned it for as long as I can recall. I’m hanging up now. Enjoy sunny Florida. Bye.”
Staring up at the ceiling in the bedroom, I contemplate my father’s concerns.
As per usual, his approach and delivery sucks, but what he said makes me think.
It’s a four- to five-hour drive from my place in Chicago to here, depending on traffic.
As I drift to sleep, I wonder about buying a house so I can have a place to stay when I’m here.
I’m almost asleep when the realization hits.
I’ll buy this house.
My alarm goes off before sunrise. As I move, every muscle in my body aches. Splashing cool water on my face, I stare into the mirror above the vanity. From only one day of working in the fields, my cheeks are red. Turning my hands over, I stretch out my fingers and see the blisters.
My father would think I’m crazy, but I’m more energized to spend the day walking behind a trailer and throwing bales of hay than I am to make multi-million-dollar deals.
I can’t describe it, but there is something real in Riverbend that doesn’t exist in Chicago.
Or maybe I haven’t found it there because since I was young, I knew it was here.
Roots.
Stopping at the convenience store, I grab a cup of hot coffee and head toward Ricky’s place as the sun begins to rise. The horizon glows with reds and purples above the green trees as the sun turns the sky to a pale blue—the color of Kandace’s eyes.
“You came back,” Ricky says as I get out of my car. The Porsche looks out of place, parked beside a line of trucks near his barn.
I look down at my hands. “I did. Do you have some gloves?”
Ricky grins. “Getting soft, Richards.”
We turn to the sound of voices coming from the barn. Mick and Justin Sheers are talking until Justin’s eyes land on me.
“The fuck?” he mumbles.
I knew this confrontation would happen. That doesn’t mean I was expecting it today before the sun is fully up. I walk toward Kandace’s brother. “I know why you’re upset. I didn’t know until the other day.”
I shuffle backward as Justin’s fist contacts my jaw. Before he can throw another punch, Mick and Ricky are on him.
With his arms restrained, he growls, “Stay the fuck away from them. Kandace doesn’t want you, and Molly doesn’t need you.”
Rubbing my jaw, I lift my hands. “I’m not fighting you, Sheers. Kandace can make her own decisions. She doesn’t need you to do that for her.”
“What are you going to do? Ride in here in your expensive car, declare that you’re Father of the Year, and leave? Great plan. This time you can leave Kandace and Molly both in tears. Don’t worry about it. They have all of us here to help them pick up the pieces—again.”
“Justin, man,” Mick says as he pats Sheers’s shoulder, “let Dax and Kandace work this out.”
Sheers glares at me and at Mick.
“Who’s ready to work?” Ricky asks.
With my jaw still aching, I nod along with everyone else.
Ricky disappears into the barn, and the silence between the three of us is deafening. Finally, I speak to Sheers. “I want to be a part of Molly’s life. Can we get along for her?”
Sheers grunts. “Don’t you dare fucking hurt her.”
“It’s the last thing I want to do.”
Ricky appears and tosses me a pair of heavy leather gloves. “Do you two think we can have a truce and get some work done?”
We both nod.
Surprisingly, the truce continues throughout the day.
By the time we have two fields cleared and the hay stacked in Ricky’s barn, we’re all talking and laughing like we did when we were teenagers.
We’ve talked about everything from college hoops to professional baseball to craft beer and the best whiskey.
We’re also hot, sweaty, and yeah, we stink.
I wipe my brow with the dirty glove before saying my so-longs.
“Hey,” Mick says, “if you’re still in town…next weekend, we’re working at Mr. Gordon’s farm.”
If I’m still in Riverbend.
A grin comes to my lips as I lift my hands. “If I can walk.”
They laugh as I take off the gloves and give them back to Ricky. “Thanks, they helped.”
“I knew you went soft,” Sheers says.
I don’t care what he says. I’m about to go on a date with two of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever known.