“I always am.”

  “Love you, buddy.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Max waved Elmer off from the front door and then went to see how Caden was making out with the homework.

  “I think he might be my favorite person in the whole wide world,” Caden said. “After you, of course.”

  “It’s okay if he’s first. He’s first on a lot of people’s lists of favorites.”

  Max was thankful his grandfather had lived long enough that Caden would remember him, not that he wanted to think about a time when Elmer wasn’t right in the middle of everything in their lives.

  He spent more than an hour helping Caden finish his homework and then made turkey sandwiches for lunch.

  “What time is my mom coming?” Caden asked.

  “Three.”

  “What time is it now?”

  “One. How many hours until three?”

  Caden gave him a withering look. “Duh. Two. That’s baby math.”

  “Just making sure you’re staying sharp while you’re out of school.”

  “It was cool that the whole class sent me a card and those sick cookies.”

  “It was very nice of them. They miss you.”

  “I know.”

  Several of his friends had called to check on him, which had made Caden so happy. “You’ll be back there soon.”

  “Hey, Dad?”

  “What’s up?”

  “What if my mom doesn’t like me?”

  Max was flabbergasted by the question. “Caden, buddy… Of course she’ll like you. Everyone likes you.”

  “But what if she doesn’t?”

  “You don’t need to worry about that. She’s going to be so happy to see you that she’ll probably cry.”

  “You think so?”

  “I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t. I would if I hadn’t seen you since you were a baby.”

  “Tell me again where she’s been all this time.”

  “Do you remember us talking about where babies come from?” Max had given him the highest-level view he possibly could after Caden had seen two sheep humping in a neighbor’s yard.

  “Ew, yes, disgusting.”

  “Sometimes when people make babies, the babies aren’t planned.”

  “Like I wasn’t, right?” That had come up when a friend’s mother had a surprise pregnancy and he’d asked how that was possible.

  “Right. The second we knew we were having you, I was so excited to meet you. Your mom was scared. Her family wasn’t around like mine is, so she didn’t have a lot of support. She was still really young and didn’t feel ready to take care of a baby.”

  “Weren’t you really young, too?”

  “I was, but I had my wonderful parents and great big family supporting me the whole way. Your mom didn’t have that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m not sure, buddy, but they weren’t close like the Abbotts are.”

  “That’s sad.”

  “It is. We’re very lucky to have such a wonderful family.”

  “What’s she like? My mom?”

  “Well, I haven’t seen her in a long time, but when we were in college, she was sweet and funny and pretty.” That was until she became pregnant unexpectedly, and then she’d changed dramatically, not that Caden needed to know that.

  “What should I call her?”

  “Why don’t we ask what she prefers?”

  “Okay.”

  Max leaned in to hug his son. “Don’t worry about anything. She’ll be thrilled to see you, and she’ll love you like everyone else does.”

  “She’s not going to try to take me away from you, is she?”

  Shocked, Max pulled back. “What? No. Why would you think that?”

  “I heard you talking to Grammy about it in the car the other day.”

  “You were asleep.”

  “I could hear you.”

  “I’m sorry you heard that, but I talked to Grayson, and he said there’s no chance of anything happening to change our current situation.” Max was furious with himself for talking about that when Caden was nearby. "I hope you haven’t been worried about that.”

  “Not really. I knew you wouldn’t let that happen.”

  “I’d never let that happen, so don’t worry. She may want to see you occasionally, which is fine, but she can’t take you away from me. And I don’t think she’d ever try to because she knows that’s not what’s best for you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Sure.”

  “My friend Lexi…”

  “Your girlfriend, you mean?”

  Max smiled. “Yeah, my girlfriend.”

  “What about her?”

  “I want you to do something for me. Something really important.”

  “What?”

  “I want you to give her a chance before you decide you don’t like her just because you think she’s going to change things between us or something like that.” Max felt it was important to continue this conversation since she’d be living near them before much longer. “You should know by now that nothing and no one could ever change things between us. We’re always going to be best friends and buddies, no matter what.”

  Caden appeared to give that some thought. “Is she coming here?”

  “She’s moving back to Butler after Christmas. Having her in my life again makes me happy, but I can’t truly be happy if you’re not. So it would mean a lot to me if you would give her a chance.”

  “I will.”

  “Really? You promise?”

  He nodded. “You do a lot to make me happy, so I guess it’s only fair that I do the same for you.”

  “Thank you. I promise you that nothing between us will change if we see your mom once in a while or if Lexi is in our lives. You’ll just have more people who love you, which is always a good thing.” Max caressed his son’s soft hair. “No one will ever love you as much as I do.”

  Caden smiled. “I love you, too.”

  “Why don’t you go get cleaned up? Your mom will be here in a little bit.”

  “I can’t believe I’m going to meet my mom.”

  “I know. It’s exciting.” Max helped Caden up from the chair, noting that he was moving more easily than he had since the accident. “Call me if you need help.”

  “I’m fine.”

  After Caden left the room, Max sat back in his chair feeling amused, amazed and relieved after the conversation with his son. From the start, he’d been the most incredible kid, full of spunk and sass and curiosity for people, places and adventure. Max felt sorry for everything Chloe had missed with their son, but he hoped that maybe she could be part of his life going forward.

  Before he’d gotten her letter, the thought of allowing her into their lives would’ve been preposterous to him. But people grew and changed and evolved, and he hoped the new version of Chloe would be someone he’d want in his son’s life.

  * * *

  Chloe arrived right on time at three o’clock, driving a white SUV and wearing jeans, boots and a sweater with a navy blue down vest. Her hair was darker than he recalled, her blue eyes clear and her smile bright. It was almost shocking to Max to see how great she looked, because his most recent memories of her had been colored by her utter misery over the pregnancy and childbirth.

  Max went out to greet her.

  “Hi, Max,” she said, smiling. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You, too. You look great.”

  “So do you, but then again, you always did.”

  “Thanks. Caden is excited to meet you.”

  “That’s nice to hear. I wondered if he’d be angry with me.”

  “He doesn’t have that in him.”

  “I guess that makes me lucky. How’s he feeling?”

  “Much better.”

  “And you? Having him hurt must’ve been awful.”

  “Worst thing I’ve ever been through, but as long as he and Chase are okay, that’s what matters.”

  “He’s close with Chase?”

  “Very. They’re like brothers.”

  “He must have a lot of other cousins by now.”

  “There’s twenty-six grandchildren at last count, and that doesn’t count the Colemans.”

  “Wow. And he’s the oldest, right?”

  “He’s inherited a few older cousins since Landon married a woman with a daughter and Charley and Tyler took in his nieces after their parents died. The younger ones look up to Caden, though.” Max glanced back at the house. “Before we go in, I just wanted to know what you’re hoping to have happen.”

  “I’d like to see him occasionally, maybe go to one of his games or to his school for whatever goes on there. I’m not asking for anything more than to be in his life, however you and he see fit. I know it’s more than I deserve—”

  “I don’t hold it against you, Chloe. You did what was best for you and Caden, and it was a long time ago. He’s been the greatest blessing of my life. I wouldn’t change anything.”

  “Thank you for stepping up for him the way you did. I’ve always been so thankful to you and your family for doing what I couldn’t.”

  “You’re welcome. Come meet your son.” Max led the way inside, where Caden and Daisy were seated on the sofa. When Chloe followed him in, Daisy moved closer to Caden. “Caden, this is your mom, Chloe. Chloe, this is Caden.”

  “Oh,” she said on a long exhale. “Look at you. You’re so handsome, just like your daddy.”

  Max went to give Caden a hand up.

  Caden offered his hand to Chloe. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  She shook his hand as tears filled her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sorry it took so long.”

  Caden shrugged. “You’re here now.”

  “Yes, I am, and I’m so happy to see you. I want you to know that I’ve thought of you every day.” Her voice caught. “And I’ve always loved you.”

  “Thanks. This is Daisy. My dad gave her to me for my birthday.”

  Chloe bent to pet Daisy, who had followed her boy. “It’s nice to meet you, Daisy.”

  “Thank you for the truck you sent me. I love it.”

  “I’m glad you do. My nephew told me that it was the coolest truck ever, and that’s what I wanted for you.”

  “How old is your nephew?”

  “He’s nine. I also have nieces who are six and four.”

  “They’re my cousins, then?”

  “They are.”

  “Do you have other kids?”

  “No, just you, but I’m getting married next year, so I might have more.”

  “Do you want to see my room?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  As she went past Max, Chloe placed her hand on her heart and gave him a look that left no doubt in his mind how much it meant to her to be with her son.

  While Max stood in the doorway, Caden showed his mother his favorite toys and treasures, including the trophy from his first Little League season and his Student of the Month certificate from school.

  “These are all my cousins with my grandparents and my grandpa-great.” He handed her the photo Max’s cousin Izzy had taken a year ago of all the Abbott grandchildren. “My cousin Murphy hadn’t been born yet.”

  “That’s a big crowd,” Chloe said as she scanned the photo. “Who are the older girls?”

  “My aunt Charley’s nieces. Their parents died in an accident, and they came to live with Aunt Charley and Uncle Tyler.”

  “Oh, I see. That’s so sad for them.”

  “It was,” Caden said, “but they’re doing better. They’re fun to hang out with.”

  “Tell me who all the others are and who they belong to.”

  Like the Abbott family expert he was, Caden pointed to each child and told Chloe their name and who their parents were.

  “How fun for you to have so many cousins,” Chloe said.

  “I love them so much. And we have the Coleman cousins, too. Every summer, we have a big cookout at Grammy’s house with all the Abbotts and Colemans. Grammy calls it the madhouse.”

  “How many Coleman cousins are there?”

  Caden glanced at Max.

  “Fifteen so far,” Max said. “We expect there’ll be many more before all is said and done.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of kids.”

  “It is a madhouse,” Caden said, “but it’s fun. That’s my favorite day of the whole summer.”

  Max hadn’t heard him say that before.

  Chloe asked him about school and sports and who his friends were and what kind of pizza he liked.

  “Meat lovers,” Caden said. “The more meat, the better.”

  Max and Chloe shared a laugh, the first one ever as parents to the most exceptional boy who’d ever lived.

  “Just like your dad,” she said with a smile for Max.

  She stayed for two hours, until they could both see that Caden was getting tired. “I should go, but I want to thank you for such a lovely afternoon, Caden.”

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “I’d like to see you again sometime, if that’s all right with you and your dad.”

  “It’s all right with me,” Caden said. “Is it okay with you, Dad?”

  “Sure. We’ll make that happen.”

  They walked her to the door.

  “What should I call you?” Caden asked her.

  “What do you want to call me? Anything is fine with me.”

  “Um, well, you’re my mom, so I guess I should just call you that.”

  Chloe’s eyes filled with tears. “I’d love that. Could I hug you?”

  “Sure.”

  A huge lump landed in Max’s throat as he watched them hug.

  Chloe kissed Caden’s forehead. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Okay.”

  “Bye, Daisy,” Chloe said, bending to give the dog a pat on the head.

  Max walked her out. “So that’s our son.”

  “I’ll never have the words to tell you what this has meant to me, Max. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. And I mean that… You’re welcome in our lives, Chloe. All I ask is that you don’t disappoint him.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “Okay, then. I guess we’ll talk soon.”

  “Thanks again, Max. Not just for today, but for raising such a wonderful boy. He’s…” She shook her head when words failed her.

  “Believe me, I know. Raising him has been the honor of my lifetime.”

  Chloe hugged him, and he let her.

  “I’ll be in touch,” she said when he held the car door for her.

  After he waved her off, he went back inside. Caden and Daisy were on the sofa with the TV tuned to a Drake & Josh episode. That had been Max’s favorite show as a kid. He’d shared it with Caden, who also loved it.

  “How’re you feeling, pal?” Max asked.

  “Fine.”

  “Good visit with your mom, huh?”

  “Yep. She’s nice. And pretty.”

  “She really loved you, but I knew she would.”

  “That’s good. I liked her, too. What’s for dinner?”

  Max was relieved to have gotten through the momentous visit with Chloe without any apparent fallout for Caden. “What do you feel like?”

  “Duh. Spaghetti.”

  “Then spaghetti it is.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Whatever souls are made of,

  his and mine are the same.” —Emily Brontë

  Max and Caden returned to work and school the following Monday, and the next few weeks flew by in a whirl of holiday preparations and festivities. They attended parties at school, at Cub Scouts and at Hunter and Megan’s house while working long shifts at the Christmas Tree Farm, which was one of Caden’s favorite holiday traditions.

  Max was on him constantly not to overdo the activity, but Caden was almost back to normal by Christmas Eve, as was Chase, who was now allowed to eat soft foods. The excitement level was through the roof as the family gathered at the barn for Christmas Eve for their annual sleepover. That tradition had started five years ago, after Linc reconnected with his siblings on an emotional trip to Philadelphia right before his father died. The entire family had spent Christmas Eve at the barn, and it’d been so much fun, they’d done it every year since.

  The barn got more crowded as the family grew, but they found room for everyone, with air mattresses all over the place and every bedroom occupied.

  Max, Caden and Daisy were in his dad’s study, sleeping on the sofa and an air mattress.

  Long after Caden was asleep, Max was still texting with Lexi, counting down to the twenty-eighth when he would fly to Houston to drive with her to Vermont. He couldn’t wait to see her. The last few weeks had felt endless as they made plans and talked for hours every night. They were stuck texting tonight so he wouldn’t wake Caden or anyone else.

  She was spending Christmas with her family as they, too, prepared to move back to Vermont.

  I’m looking forward to next Christmas when you can join the holiday madness at the barn. Head count: forty-six people. Hunter said tonight that we need to bring in some RVs next year before we burst at the seams.

  It’s such a sweet tradition. I’m looking forward to being number forty-five.

  The volume, though… Are you sure you’re ready for this???

  Haha, quit trying to scare me away. It’s not going to happen. Did you work out a time for Chloe to see Caden?

  They’re going to lunch the day after Christmas. Their first outing without me.

  How do you feel about that?

  I’m fine with it. She’s been in regular contact with us, visited a few more times and hasn’t asked for anything unreasonable. I keep telling myself that having her in his life is what’s best for him.

  It is. You’re doing the right thing for him.

  It’s amazing how much she’s changed.

  We all grow up eventually.

  I guess so.

  You’d better get some sleep. Your boy will have you up early.

  Last year, the kids were up at four thirty.

  Stop it! No way.

  Yep. The entire house was awake by five.