Max had spent years wondering what it would be like to hold his whole world in his arms again, but no dream had ever come close to preparing him for the joy that overcame him that day. From the moment he’d heard his son’s voice and looked in his eyes, the pain that had torn wounds so deep in his heart he’d been sure they would never heal began to disappear.

Gavin was everything Max had always hoped he would become, with or without him. He was smart, well-mannered, clever and far more charming than either of his biological parents. Unlike Chris, there was a softness in his eyes whenever he spoke and while Max could tell the boy was wary of him at first, he’d started to open up in the six hours they’d spent talking that night.

At some point or another, Dean had left to go back to his own home and Max felt guilty for not getting the chance to say goodbye. He told himself he’d be seeing Dean again soon. After all, the Alpha had yet to tell him what this mysterious “plan” of his was. Dean had already done so much for him and as Gavin spoke, it became clear that the boy thought just as highly of the Alpha as Max did.

That morning, Claudia had announced that she was going to the store and Max knew she was giving them time to talk. He’d gotten up early to make a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and eggs, and found himself wondering if Gavin liked them over-easy like he did or scrambled like his grandparents. When the boy appeared at the door, yawning and looking only half-awake, he decided he probably wouldn’t notice either way.

“Morning,” Max said brightly, hoping his nervousness wasn’t as obvious as it felt. He set a plate in front of Gavin along with a fresh glass of orange juice. “Hope you’re hungry.”

“Wow,” Gavin said, blinking at the array of food. “Thanks.”

The way he paused after he said the word, as if he wasn’t quite sure whether he should tack on “dad” or not, was an awkward reminder to Max of just how much ground they had to cover. He took a seat across from his son and smiled. “So, you’re going back to school today, right?”

“Yeah. I would’ve asked to stay home, but today’s the day we turn in our dioramas for history.”

“That sounds exciting,” Max said earnestly. “What did you make?”

“A historically accurate replica of a real gladiator arena,” he said, growing animated as he drowned his pancakes with syrup. “Real fake blood and everything.”

“That sounds exciting,” Max laughed. “You like history?”

“Yeah. I dunno, I guess one day maybe I’d like to be an archaeologist or something. Mr. Newport says it doesn’t pay well and it’s kind of competitive, though, so…”

Max frowned. He struggled to remind himself that just because he was Gavin’s father didn’t mean he could just pick up where he’d left off. “Well, he’s right that it’s important to find a career you can earn a living at, but it’s also important to follow your passions. I’m sure if you work hard, you can be an amazing archaeologist.”

“That’d be cool.” Gavin hesitated. “What do you do?”

Max gulped. “Nothing as interesting as archaeology,” he said with a nervous laugh. “I help manage a department store. Making sure things are stocked, scheduling shifts, dealing with customer complaints, that kind of thing.”

“That’s pretty cool. Do you get to use the cash register?”

“Sometimes,” Max chuckled. “When we’re short-staffed.”

“That’s awesome. I have a game on my phone that lets you run a cash register.”

“You do?” Max blinked. Gavin pulled his phone out and pulled the game up as proof. “Wow. And here I thought computer solitaire was exciting.”

Gavin had already finished his pancakes, but Max noticed him staring down at his plate, as if he was deep in thought. “Is something wrong?”

“I was just wondering… I mean, I know we just met, and it’s kind of short notice, but there’s this thing at school in January,” he said carefully. “The kids who get the highest scores on their dioramas get asked to present them at the history fair, and I just thought maybe it’d be cool if you came. It’s kind of stupid though, so I don’t know if you’d want to.”

“Of course I want to,” Max said eagerly. “I can’t think of anyplace I’d rather be.”

Gavin’s face lit up. “Yeah? Okay. Maybe Dean will come, too.”

Max hesitated. “I’m sure he’s going to be busy with work now that he’s back, but we can definitely ask him.”

“He’s pretty cool. I can’t believe he actually kept his promise to help me find you.”

Max smiled. “He is pretty cool, isn’t he?”

Gavin looked up as the sound of the bus pulling up at the stop across the street drew his attention. He gulped down the rest of his orange juice and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Gotta go. Thanks for breakfast.”

“Anytime,” Max said, offering Gavin his coat. “Have fun at school,” he called, following him over to the door. As he stood there watching Gavin get onto the bus, he knew he was probably inflicting middle school social suicide on him, but he’d waited so many years for the privilege of seeing his son off, he hoped Gavin would forgive him just this once. As the bus pulled away, his heart started aching in that bittersweet way that had become the custom whenever he thought of his son.

Max didn’t even realize he was crying until he heard Claudia come in through the kitchen door. He rushed over to the sink, starting to put away the dishes. “Sorry, I’ll have these taken care of in just a second.”

“Don’t you worry about it, dear,” she said warmly, eyeing the extra stack of pancakes on the counter. “Ooh, are those chocolate chips?”

“Help yourself,” he said, offering her a fork and knife.

She hesitated, staring down at the plate as she ran a hand down her stomach. “I really shouldn’t, I’m trying to get a head start on my New Year’s resolution… oh, what’s one little pancake going to hurt?” she scoffed, sitting down at the counter.

Max pursed his lips so he wouldn’t laugh. He’d never seen someone convince themselves of something quite that fast.

“Are you alright?” she asked worriedly, watching Max as he rinsed the plate in his hands.

“Oh, I’m fine,” he insisted. When he glanced up, she was giving him a look that said she clearly didn’t buy the lie and he couldn’t blame her. It didn’t even sound convincing to him. “Okay, I’m a little overwhelmed,” he admitted. “I mean, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’ve been waiting for this for twelve years and I never imagined this day would actually come, but now that it has, I just…” He trailed off, letting the plate float to the bottom of the sink. “I just keep thinking about how much I missed, you know?”

Max wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and forced himself to hold back the tears before they became a flood. “I guess some part of me was convinced that just because I’ve been frozen ever since he was taken from me, he’d still be the baby I held in my arms that day.”

“And instead, he’s grown up right in front of your eyes,” Claudia said softly, getting up from her stool to walk over to him. “It’s something every parent dreads, and you’ve lived the worst version, sweetheart. That’s bound to hurt.”

“He’s so perfect,” Max choked out, covering his quivering lips since he’d given up on stopping the tears. “He’s this amazing little person with all these dreams and interests, and I missed all of it.”

“Oh, Max,” Claudia breathed, wrapping her arms around him. “You missed the first years, but you’ve got the rest of your life to fill with all that’s left to come. And take it from someone who raised three children—some of the best parts are ahead of you. School dances, first dates, sports, college applications, watching him grow up and start a family of his own.” She pulled away, holding Max by the shoulders. “You can’t change the past, but you’re going to make plenty of your own memories. Together.”

“You think so?” he sniffed.

“I know so. Now, you let me take care of the rest of these dishes and go on upstairs to get dressed. Dean just texted and asked me to let you know he’s coming over.”

“Dean texts?” Max asked, wondering why that surprised him. The Alpha seemed like the type of person who just went around from one place to the next, saving the day before he moved on to the next town, like an old-school Western hero. The idea of him having a family plan and sending emojis was absurdly amusing.

Claudia grinned. “I know my son can be a bit intense when you first get to know him, but stick around and he might surprise you.”

He already has, thought Max. He climbed the stairs and got ready to meet Dean, but he had no idea just what the Alpha had in store for him.