I hope so. What are you guys doing today?

  Nothing much. Exchanging gifts and having dinner. Some of my parents’ friends are coming over after dinner to play cards.

  That sounds fun and relaxing. Unlike Christmas at the barn.

  Cherish these memories. The kids won’t be little for much longer.

  I know. It’s already going by so fast.

  Caden popped up from his spot on the air mattress. “It’s Christmas! Let’s get going, Dad!”

  Caden is awake, so I have to go. I’ll call you later?

  Can’t wait. Love you. Tell everyone I said Merry Christmas!

  You do the same. Love you, too.

  “Who are you texting with?” Caden asked.

  “Lexi.”

  “Oh.”

  “She said to tell you Merry Christmas, and she’s looking forward to seeing you soon.”

  “When is she coming again?”

  “I’m going there in three days to help her drive the moving truck to Vermont.”

  “How come I never met her before she came here?”

  “Remember how I told you she was sick for a long time?”

  “Oh right. Is she okay now?”

  “She’s doing great and is excited to get home to Vermont. She was living in Houston to be close to the hospital that treated her.”

  “I’m glad she’s okay. Can we open presents now?”

  Max appreciated that Caden was asking about her and took that as progress. “Yeah, buddy. Let’s do that.”

  * * *

  Christmas at the barn was the usual three-ring circus with kids and dogs—and a moose—underfoot, presents, laughter, music and food. Everyone was abuzz with the news that Charley had proposed to Tyler and Lucas and Landon had gotten into bed with the wrong wives during the night. They would never live that down.

  The Colemans came over after dinner, which brought the crowd to nearly one hundred people.

  Elmer Stillman sat amid the madness surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren, smiling from ear to ear the way he always did when his family was around.

  Landon brought the horses and sleigh from the farm and took all the kids for rides. Later, Colton had organized a massive snowball fight that helped to wear out the young ones before their parents took them home.

  As Max drove a sleepy Caden home at nine o’clock, his ears were ringing from the noise, but it had been another amazing Christmas with everyone pitching in to help so Molly could enjoy the day, too.

  Thankfully, Caden went to bed without much fuss, exhausted after the wild twenty-four hours with his cousins. Tomorrow, he was having lunch—alone—with Chloe, and Max had spent all day trying not to think about that. He had no concerns about them spending time together, but he would feel better when Caden was back home with him where he belonged.

  He cracked open a beer and went to the sofa to call Lexi.

  “Hi there,” she said, sounding sleepy. “How was your day?”

  “Extremely chaotic. In other words, typical Abbott Christmas. How about you?”

  “Much quieter, thank goodness. I’m exhausted.”

  “I told you not to wear yourself out. I’m coming to help in two more days.” Now he wished he hadn’t planned to stay in Butler for the annual family game night on the twenty-seventh. He could’ve left for Houston tomorrow instead of waiting until the twenty-eighth.

  “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  Hearing her admit to being tired put a knot of fear in his stomach. Would it always be this way? Any time she mentioned feeling off, would he go right to worst-case scenario? “I should let you get some sleep. We can talk in the morning.”

  “I think I’ll take you up on that. I can’t keep my eyes open, which is weird because I took a three-hour nap this afternoon.”

  That information had alarm bells ringing for Max. What the hell? Why was she so tired? “Call me when you wake up.”

  “Will do. Love you, Max. Merry Christmas.”

  “Love you, too. Looking forward to saying Merry Christmas in person next year.”

  “Me, too. I can’t wait.”

  “Sleep tight.” He ended the call with a sinking feeling inside. Was she sick again? And what in the world would he do if she was?

  * * *

  While Caden went to lunch with Chloe at Kingdom Pizza, Max cleaned the house and changed the sheets on both beds. The work helped to keep his mind off Caden being out with his mother and his worries about Lexi, who hadn’t called him yet or responded to any of his texts that day.

  At twelve thirty, he finally texted her grandmother to check on her.

  She’s still asleep, which is odd. Let me go check on her.

  Max’s anxiety spiked through the roof hearing she was still asleep at twelve thirty. By the time she called fifteen minutes later, he was worried about his own health as well as hers. “Hey,” he said, grabbing the phone. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, wow. I slept like a dead woman.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “Oh, sorry,” she said with a giggle. She sounded much more like herself this morning. “Didn’t mean to make you worry.”

  “I was worried. Should you check in with the doctor about the sleeping?”

  “Nah, it’s fine. I’ve just been pushing it lately, between the move and the holidays. I feel much better today than I did yesterday.”

  “That’s good,” he said, releasing a deep sigh. “What are you up to today?”

  “Just a few errands. Picking up medical records to bring with me, closing my bank account here. That kind of stuff.”

  She had sold her car and would buy a new one in Vermont. It was all coming together, and she was moving home. Finally.

  “I can’t wait for you to be here all the time.”

  “I can’t either. These last few days have been endless waiting for you to get here.”

  “I’m coming soon, honey, and then we’ll have it all.”

  “I’m so excited to have it all with you, Max Abbott. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for that.”

  “Same, sweetheart.”

  “What are you boys up to today?”

  “Caden is at lunch with his mother.”

  “Oh. Wow. How’re you holding up?”

  “It’s fine. He’s comfortable enough with her by now to do that, and he wanted to go. I suppose I need to get used to sharing him with her occasionally. Everyone tells me that’s what’s best for him.”

  “It is, for sure.”

  “I’m trying to roll with it.”

  “You’re doing all the right things for your boy.”

  “I hope so.”

  “How’s he feeling?”

  “Back to normal and wants to ski again. We’re doing that tomorrow to break the seal, as Will put it.”

  “Good idea. Don’t give them time to become afraid of it.”

  “That’s the thinking.”

  “I’d better get myself out of bed and get moving with this day. I’ve got a long to-do list.”

  “Don’t wear yourself out. You hear me?”

  “Yes, dear,” she said with a laugh. “I hear you.”

  “Hey, Lex?”

  “Yes, Max?”

  “I just really can’t wait to see you.”

  “Same.”

  * * *

  Even though he was crazy busy with Caden, skiing, vacation week playdates with cousins and Abbott game night, Max felt like the time was marching in reverse as he counted down to the morning when he would leave for Burlington with his parents.

  Game night was the usual shit show, with accusations of cheating, game pieces being thrown at siblings and kids playing Twister until they were a sweaty mess. It was awesome, but Max wanted it to be done so he could get going.

  “You’re tightly wound tonight, baby brother,” Hannah said when she sat next to him after they’d had cake to celebrate Callie’s birthday.

  “Just ready to get to Houston and be with Lexi full time.”

  “I’m happy for you.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I always wondered if that loose end was the reason why nothing else seemed to work out for you.”

  “She was the reason. I see that now. I didn’t allow myself to think about her or talk about her or even miss her, because it hurt too much. I pressed on, but I never got over her. She was a gigantic question mark in the back of my mind, always there even when she was nowhere to be found.”

  Hannah looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “That’s lovely, Max.”

  He shrugged. “It’s how I feel.”

  “You should tell her that.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  “I always liked her for you. You two reminded me of how Caleb and I were back in the day.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yeah. For sure.”

  “Wow, you guys were the gold standard of high school romance.”

  “You and Lexi were right there with us. I was always sorry it didn’t work out with you guys.”

  “I was, too.”

  “When you asked us to stop asking about her, my heart broke for you.”

  “I had to do that for self-preservation. She’d taken off somewhere and was staying away intentionally, so what could I do about that?”

  “You did the only thing you could.”

  “Can I be honest about something?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m scared shitless of her leukemia coming back.”

  “Which is totally understandable.”

  “She’s been really tired lately. Sleeping for hours and hours. I know the move is stressful and she’s still recovering, but my brain is spinning with terrible scenarios.”

  “When was the last time she had a checkup?”

  “Recently. It was all good.”

  “Then there’s probably nothing to worry about. Moving is exhausting under the best of circumstances. Add the holidays and recovering from everything she’s been through. It’s no wonder she’s exhausted.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Duh. I’m always right. Ask Nolan.”

  Max nudged her with his elbow and then rested his head on hers. “We’re so close to having it all—finally. Is it normal to be scared that something will go wrong?”

  “It’s normal to be anxious when you’re so close to having everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s not normal to wallow in awful scenarios.”

  “I’ll try not to do that.”

  “She’s fine. You’re fine. Caden is fine. It’s been a lot lately. It’s no wonder your nerves are shot.”

  “Yeah, it has been a lot. From Lexi coming back into my life, finding out what she’s been dealing with all this time, Chloe reappearing, Caden and Chase getting hurt… It’s a wonder I’m not drooling.”

  “Take the time with Lexi on the road to relax a bit and enjoy yourselves. Everything will be all right. Your big sister says so.”

  “Then that must mean it’s true.”

  “Of course it does.”

  “Love you, Han.”

  “Love you more, Maxi.”

  * * *

  The flight to Houston was delayed by two interminable hours in Burlington, but at least this flight was smoother than the last one had been. Caden had been so excited to spend a few days with Lucas’s family that he’d barely noticed when Max left. That’d been a relief. He’d been worried that his son would be upset about him going to see Lexi again, but that had never materialized.

  Maybe he was getting used to the idea of his father having a girlfriend.

  Max could only hope so as he stood in the aisle, waiting forever for people to get their crap and get off the plane. It was like they knew he was dying to see his love after weeks apart and were trying to make the final minutes as torturous for him as they could be.

  Once off the plane, he broke free of the crowd and jogged toward baggage claim, where they’d planned to meet. As he took the escalator down, he looked for her and spotted her at the same time she saw him.

  The smile that lit up her sweet face and the feeling of homecoming that came with it were all Max needed to be absolutely certain he was doing the right thing going all in with her. He held her for the longest time, breathing in the scent of her hair that brought back so many memories.

  “Thought you’d never get here,” she said as she held him as tightly as he was holding her.

  “Seemed to take forever.”

  When someone bumped into them, Max put his arm around Lexi to leave the madness of the airport. They held hands as she led the way to her mother’s car in the garage. Before they got in, he leaned her against the car and kissed her.

  “Hi,” he said.

  She smiled, but she looked pale and tired, which worried him. “Hi there. Thanks for coming.”

  “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “From today on, together forever. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like a dream come true.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “With our love, we could save the world.”

  —George Harrison

  Lexi barely made it through dinner with her family before she said she needed to go to bed. “I’m so sorry,” she said to Max, looking tearful. “I don’t know why I’m so tired lately.”

  “It’s fine,” he said, forcing a smile for her. “I’ll be up after a bit.”

  “Don’t fight over Jeopardy! in front of Max,” she told her parents and grandparents.

  “We’ll try to behave,” Jim said.

  After she went upstairs, Max looked to the others for answers. “What’s going on with her?”

  “We aren’t sure,” Angie said, brow furrowed in worry. “Her recent checkup was perfect, but she’s been asleep more than she’s been awake lately.”

  “So you’re worried, too?”

  “We are,” Larry said. “She’d been doing so well. We’re chalking it up to the move and hoping she’ll feel better once that’s behind her.”

  “You’ll make sure she doesn’t overdo it on the road, right?” Angie asked Max.

  “She won’t have to do anything but enjoy the ride.”

  “We’ll give you all our numbers just in case,” Angie said.

  Max wanted to ask in case of what, but he was afraid of what they might say. His stomach was in knots as he killed time before bed, watching TV with Lexi’s family. “I’m going to check in with my son and then head to bed,” Max said. “We’re hoping for an early start tomorrow.”

  “We’ll see you in the morning,” Angie said.

  He went into the front living room to call Lucas’s house.

  “Hey, how’s it going in Texas?” Lucas asked when he answered the phone.

  “Okay. I guess. Lexi is really run down. I’m hoping she’s okay.”

  “Moving is a drag, even when you’re not recovering from a serious illness. I’m sure she’ll bounce back in a few days.”

  “I really hope so. It’s concerning. She went to bed at seven.”

  “Hmm, that is odd, especially when you guys hadn’t seen each other in weeks.”

  “Yeah. Are the kids still up?”

  “They are. Here’s Caden.”

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hi, bud. How’s it going there?”

  “Good. We had spaghetti for dinner with really good meatballs that Aunt Dani made from scratch and brownies for dessert.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “It was! Tomorrow, we’re going to ski, but Uncle Lucas said not to worry because we’re not leaving the bunny slope.”

  “I’ll try not to worry.”

  “How long do I have to stay there? I feel fine, and I’ve learned my lesson about looking before I turn.”

  “For a little while.”

  “It’s so boring.”

  “It’s better than not skiing at all, isn’t it?”

  “I guess. When will you be home?”

  “Aiming for New Year’s Eve.”

  “Cool. Call me tomorrow?”

  “I will. Love you, pal.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Lucas took the phone from him and told the kids to go brush their teeth and to use toothpaste. “Did Mom have to tell us to use toothpaste?”

  “She probably had to tell you.”

  “Ha. Very funny. Are you okay with us going skiing?”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay. Just making sure.”

  “Go and have a good time, and if you want to let him off the bunny slope, I’m fine with that.”

  “I’ll see how it goes.”

  “Thanks again for having Caden this week.”

  “We love having him. He and Savvy have the best time together, and he’s sweet with Sierra and Sawyer, too.”

  “He loves hanging with you guys.”

  “Safe travels tomorrow.”

  “Thanks. I’ll check in tomorrow night.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “See you.”

  * * *

  Max was awake at seven the next morning, but Lexi was still sound asleep. He tried kissing her, but she never moved. “Hey, Lex,” he whispered, giving her shoulder a gentle shake.

  She moaned.

  “We need to get moving. We wanted to get an early start today.”

  The only thing left in her room was the mattress she was leaving behind. She’d bought a new one that would be delivered when she arrived in Vermont.

  “Lex.”

  Her eyes opened and then closed again. “Tired.”

  “How can you be tired when you slept for twelve hours?”

  Her shoulder lifted in a shrug.

  “You can sleep in the truck.”

  “’Kay.”

  “Lexi.” Their nineteen-hundred-mile drive would take twenty-nine hours, and Max was eager to get going.

  “I’m awake.” She forced herself to rally, to get up and shower and get dressed while he took several of her bags downstairs. Then he took a quick shower, packed his bag and grabbed her last bag on the way out.

  He found Lexi in the kitchen, sipping coffee with her parents and grandparents, and noted the deep, dark circles under her eyes and the unusual pallor. As soon as they got to Vermont, he would insist she see a doctor, because something wasn’t right.