10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Paul
“Are you sure you have everything?” Amelia asks, the anxiety in her voice evident.
“Yes, Mom,” Maddox whines, trying to evade her as she tries to wipe a smudge off his cheek.
“Okay, because—”
“I know, I know. You won’t be here,” he groans.
Amelia called me last night and asked if I’d be able to take Maddox for the week because Sean won a seven-day cruise to the fucking Bahamas and asked her to go with him.
I’m not jealous. Okay, maybe I am a little jealous.
The only “vacation” we ever went on was to go see my parents after they retired to Florida when Maddox was four and we didn’t even get to visit the beach because she and Maddox both came down with a stomach bug and spent most of the trip quarantined in the guest bedroom to not get the rest of us sick.
Which didn’t work, because does it ever?
The damn bug ran through the whole house and our vacation was shot. Fun times.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling my attention. I grab it, and for some reason my chest gets all weird and tight when I see who’s texted me.
Dre.
Dre: Hey
Me: Hey
Me: What’s up?
Dre: Do you and Maddox have plans today?
I watch carefully as Amelia hugs Maddox.
Me: Not sure yet. At Amelia’s right now picking him up.
Me: Amelia asked me last night if I could take him for the week so she can go on a cruise with her boyfriend.
“It’s just a week. I’ll be back before you know it,” she says before kissing Maddox’s cheek. Maddox squirms and frowns.
“Uh huh,” he says as he slips away, tugging his backpack and turning to head to the car. “Whatever.”
I’m sure he’s bummed that he wasn’t invited on his mother’s impromptu vacation with her new boyfriend.
Can’t say that I blame him. I know a lot of teachers vacation over the summer, but I don’t.
For starters, I’m not going to go on a trip by myself, and going somewhere with Maddox, just the two of us?
As nice as that sounds, my options are limited because flights are expensive, and there’s nothing remotely fun within driving distance of Marietta, Ohio, unless you consider the KOA or Hocking Hills.
I slide my phone back into my pocket as Amelia lets out a long sigh.
“He’ll be alright; don’t worry about him. All you need to do is have a good time, okay?” I narrow my gaze at her.
I don’t miss the look of uncertainty on her face, nor do I miss the way her lip quivers because she’s worried.
Maddox does the same thing when he’s upset.
“I know… I just hate it when he’s mad at me,” she says softly. “Makes me feel like the worst mom ever.”
I let out a heavy breath. “I hate it, too. But you’re not, and he’ll get over it. I’m sure by tomorrow, he’ll be on to something else.”
She relaxes, a soft sigh escaping her.
“Thanks, Paul.”
I nod and say my goodbye as I head for the Jeep, pulling my phone back out to text Dre as I get into the driver’s seat.
Dre: You guys can come over here if you want. Pool’s open. Can order pizza.
My stomach does that weird flippy thing again.
Me: That sounds great, actually.
Dre: Cool. Just come around back whenever. I’ll be out here with the little mermaid until the sun goes down and she turns back into a human.
I chuckle, a smirk forming on my lips. I send Dre the thumbs up and turn to look at Maddox.
“So, how do you feel about going swimming today?”
He looks up at me with a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
“Really?”
I nod, and the grin that splits his face makes me smile, too.
It’s quarter till two by the time Maddox and I finally get over to Dre’s, because we had to stop at the apartment to grab our suits—well, Maddox just changed into his out of excitement, but I packed some clean clothes for him and myself, and also Dre’s sweatpants and hoodie, which I need to return.
Then we stopped by the store to grab stuff for s’mores.
I’m barely out of the car before Maddox is tearing off around the house to the back.
I grab my duffel and find my way around back leisurely, and can’t help but smile when I see Andre blowing up yet another raft.
“Is that a—”
“Llama!” Maddox yelps as Rylee spins around in her donut raft. I can’t see her eyes through her heart-shaped sunglasses, but judging by the sudden squeal, I’d say she’s happy to see us.
“Her name is Lulu!” Rylee shouts.
Of course it is.
I don’t miss the genuine smile on his face. That weird flippy stomach thing starts again, and I watch as Maddox heads over to Andre in the shallow end, not bothering to take his tank off.
He splashes water everywhere, but Andre doesn’t seem to care, and neither does Rylee as she tries her hardest to paddle her feet in the right direction, but instead, she ends up spinning in circles.
Andre finishes his last breath and closes off Lulu’s plastic valve, then nods to my son.
“You think you can handle the Llama Drama?”
Maddox laughs and nods as Andre gestures for him to back up and holds the raft still, so he can climb on. And of course, he does perfectly now that he no longer has a cast.
I make my way over to the porch and drop off my duffel, watching as Andre carefully pushes the raft off and Maddox starts making weird “llama” noises. Rylee giggles, and there’s this weird sort of flutter in my chest.
I shake it off, and that’s when I notice Andre’s gaze on me.
“You good while I—”
“Yeah, of course,” he says. “Take your time. They’re good.”
I grab my trunks, feeling strangely on the spot, but manage my way into the house to change. When I return, I put my clothes in my duffel and take a moment to just appreciate the sight of Rylee trying to keep up with Maddox and the llama, all the while splashing her dad who can’t stop laughing.
The whole afternoon is like that. Full of laughter and sun. True to his word, Andre orders pizza—which I refuse to let him pay for, since he was nice enough to have us over in the first place.
Dusk settles in, and the fireflies can be seen glinting around the yard, and all that can be heard is the faint sound of Poison’s “Nothin’ but a Good Time” carrying from Dre’s phone.
I plop down in the seat closest to Dre as I open my bag with my secret stash of S’mores supplies—including four basic roasting sticks.
“What’s this?” Andre asks, surprised.
“Dessert.”
Andre’s lips pull up in the corners, the hint of a smile on his face glowing from the golden light of the small fire in front of us.
“You said nothing about s’mores.” His eyes light up with excitement. I grin.
“I know.”
“What’s a s’more, Daddy?”
“Don’t tell me she’s never had a s’more,” I deadpan.
Andre’s cheeks tint with blush, but it could be the light of the fire.
Though something tells me it isn’t.
“Uh… no.”
Maddox gasps. “What?”
Rylee seems confused as she looks between her dad and Maddox, then she looks at me.
“They are like marshmallow sandwiches,” Maddox says.
Her eyes get as big as saucers.
I open the bag of marshmallows.
“Come here, Rylee.”
She looks back at her dad, blinking for a moment as if she is unsure what to do. He nods.
“Go ahead.”
She skips towards me with peaked interest.
I offer her a marshmallow to eat first, then show her how to place the puffy piece of deliciousness on the stick carefully. She settles in the space between my knees as I guide her to hold the stick.
“You have to rotate it so it gets toasty on all sides. That’s how it gets all gooey and sticky.”
She giggles, and I hear Andre laugh, too.
“Maddox, you’re up!” I say.
He gets the graham crackers and the chocolate down, and I take the stick from Rylee’s hand and smoosh the perfectly toasted marshmallow between the graham crackers, and then I break it in half.
The strings of marshmallow fluff glint from the light of the fire as I hand her half and then tap her half with mine.
“Cheers.”
I all but inhale mine, but Rylee takes the smallest bite, as if she’s afraid it’ll bite her, but I know when she tastes the chocolaty-marshmallowy goodness, it’s all over.
Because her half disappears just as quickly.
“We need to make one for Daddy!” she says excitedly, and before I can answer her, she’s already fishing out another marshmallow, and I catch one in my hand from her abruptness.
I snicker. “Daddy likes his marshmallows burnt to a crisp. Isn’t that right?”
Dre smirks, shaking his head, silently mouthing fuck you to me.
I can’t help but smile.
It’s nearly ten when the fire has started to diminish and Rylee’s fallen asleep, curled against Andre’s sun-kissed chest.
Maddox yawns, and I know we need to go.
“Guess it’s about that time,” I say as I get up and make my way to grab my duffel. Andre nods as he gets up, shifting Rylee in his arms. She’s out like a light, but that’s to be expected. Both of them exerted themselves today, that’s for sure.
“Yeah, guess so.”
There’s a strange sort of silence between us, but it isn’t tense or weird. If anything, it’s the opposite. Comfortable. Warm. Maybe even a little sad because the fun is over and it’s back to reality now.
“This was… great,” I say, my voice strangely thick. “I think you really helped shift Maddox’s mood today, and that is no small feat.” I scratch the back of my neck. “He was upset about not being invited on the cruise, so this was just what he needed.”
Andre shifts his daughter in his arms, her head falling on his shoulder, and in the low porchlight, I can see him in her sleepy expression.
“Anytime,” he says, his voice low and smooth. Warm like the embers of the fire that refuses to go out completely. “Glad I could help.”
Maddox and I move to head around to the driveway, and I half expect Dre to go inside, but he doesn’t. Instead, he follows me and Maddox out front, until we get to the car.
“Thanks,” I say as Maddox crawls into the backseat.
There’s a strange tension between us that feels like he wants to say something, but thinks better of it. Rylee shifts in his arms, and he nonchalantly adjusts to her movement. His gaze holds mine for a moment, and he nods as I get into the driver’s seat.
The streetlights pass over us, a dance of shadow and light as Maddox sleeps in the back seat. I’m pretty sure the moment his head hit the backseat, he was out. The humidity is thick, especially this time of year, but the warmth feels different. It’s like it’s inside me, not just all around me.
Today was perfect.
Maddox had fun playing with Rylee, and Dre, too, which is great, but…
I had fun, too. Hanging out with my best friend and our kids.
For the first time in a long time, I could just be.
I could relax and enjoy the moment without having to worry about shit or pay attention to Maddox to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.
The last thing I need is a trip to the ER while Amelia’s out of the damn country.
One week should be fine, but Maddox plays hard and doesn’t do anything half-assed, so it would be just like him to send my blood pressure—and his mother’s—through the roof.
I smirk to myself as I think about him on that stupid llama raft, making all sorts of dumb noises and goofing off.
I think about Rylee’s laughter and how she kept begging him to keep doing the Lulu voice, which made us all laugh.
Seeing him with Rylee makes my chest tight.
Amelia and I never talked about having another kid.
Those first two years with Maddox were rough because neither of us knew what the hell we were doing, and it was pretty stressful, and that didn’t help our relationship.
I don’t regret what happened between us, I wouldn’t give up Maddox for anything, but I grew up an only child so I know how lonely it is.
I also know how hard it’s been for him, especially since the divorce, to make friends.
Maybe… maybe we could do this again. Make it a thing. Something tells me Maddox would like that, and I can’t deny the thought of seeing Dre again makes me smile because I think I’d like it, too.
But all thoughts of warm summer pool days and laughter die when I pull up to the apartment complex to see a crowd of people gathered outside.
Then I hear the sharp sound of sirens, blue and red lights shining like an ominous beacon, and I throw the car into park quickly, my gaze settling on my apartment.
And the acrid smell of burning and smoke…
Firefighters run towards the bank of apartments with the hose, shouting orders, and the world stops as I realize they are headed straight for my apartment.
My apartment…
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath, and then I hear Maddox’s voice; groggy and tinged with worry.
“Dad, what’s going on?”
I can’t move. I can’t breathe. All I can do is say, “Stay in the car, Maddox.”
My chest is tight and panic floods me as I watch the firefighters help the tenants evacuate their apartments.
Smoke billows out the front window, the curtains overtaken by flames, and beneath it, I see Maddox’s bike.
That’s what hits me; what makes it real.
No matter how many times I tell him to pick it up and secure it properly, he always drops it right underneath the window.
I watch as the firefighters step on it, kick it out of the way, to do their job, and I don’t think, I just get in the car.
“Close your eyes,” I tell him.
“Dad…”
“Close your eyes, Maddox!” I say, sharper than I mean to. He doesn’t argue, though.
I turn the car on, take a deep breath. The scent of fire and fear fill my lungs.
How could this happen?
How the fuck does the most perfect day turn into the worst?
My hands shake as I grip the steering wheel with one hand and turn the ignition with the other. But I can’t find it in me to move.
I swallow hard; the panic rising within me as I realize what’s happening, and reach for my phone.
I don’t know what to do, but I know there’s one person who will.