The day after the wedding . . .
Max set the log upright, placed the axe in the middle to line things up, and took a giant swing to split it down the middle with a single stroke. He’d been at this for over an hour now, and the muscles in his back and arms were screaming at him to stop. His father had only mentioned in passing that he needed to hire someone to bring some wood in so they were ready for the colder weather to come, and Max had raced outside.
Despite the challenges that he and his dad had in the past, this visit had been surprisingly low-key. They’d had their morning coffees together, talked a bit about the bar, and Max got his parents caught up on Zack’s new relationship. Neither of his parents had said anything about his engagement to Grady—not that they knew his name or anything about him.
Max picked up the two pieces of split wood and tossed them into a pile. While his parents’ house wasn’t exactly in the middle of nowhere, they were on the outskirts of Calgary. They’d been through enough power outages over the years that his dad had insisted on a wood stove as a backup heat source. Max figured it had less to do with that, and more with the strength of the heat that came from the stove.
“That’s a good pile.” His dad had come out at some point and was standing on the back porch watching. He’d left his new walker in the house, which wasn’t at all surprising. His father hated being reliant on anything. “I’ll have enough to get me through to next June.”
“I still need to cut some kindling for you.”
“It’s fine. You have to leave something for me to do in November.”
Max drove the axe into the log and made his way to the porch. “Mom will want you out of the house again.”
“Your mother won’t admit it, but she likes when I’m out. She can spend her time in the sewing room without feeling guilty.” He opened the back door, reached in, and grabbed Max’s coffee mug from the counter. “I need to make a fresh pot. But here.”
“Thanks.” The coffee was hot, but not as strong as he normally liked. “It’s good.”
“It’s shit, not that you’d ever say. Your mother made it.”
He loved his mother to death, but she couldn’t make proper coffee to save her life. “What’s she doing?”
“Went to get groceries. I think she was giving us some space so we could talk.”
Max took too big a sip, and the hot coffee burned his mouth. “Talk about what?”
“Whatever it is that’s put a bee up your ass.” He pulled one of the plastic deck chairs off the stack, set it in place, and sat down. “I’m here. So talk.”
Max loved his parents, and after having spent time in the company of Grady’s family, he couldn’t help but appreciate the relationship he had with them. It wasn’t perfect, but they loved one another. Knowing this conversation had been a long time coming, Max grab a chair of his own, placed it beside his dad’s, and sat. Together they looked out over the wood pile, to the trees that were starting to change color.
“I met a guy.” Max took another sip of coffee, and tried to figure out where to go from there.
“Yup. We figured.”
He closed his eyes and couldn’t help but bring Grady’s face to mind. “He’s the complete opposite of me. Rich, not close to his family, jobless. He’s drifting through life and doesn’t have a clue what he wants. When I first saw him, he was throwing up in the alley behind the bar.”
His dad snorted. “That’s how all the best relationships start.”
“I had to drag his drunk ass back to his hotel and put him in bed. I wouldn’t have thought about him again if it hadn’t been for the fact that he tracked me down the next day to thank me.”
The rest of the story tumbled out of him—the flirting, Justin, the fake engagement, going to Vancouver. His father said nothing and drank his coffee while he listened.
“The worst part, Dad, was Grady’s father. He didn’t care about him, not a bit. The whole thing came down to some sort of business deal. Who does that?”
“Different worlds, son.”
“Not really.” Max shifted in his seat so he could better look at his dad. “I mean, you’d never do that to me.”
The words weren’t exactly true. They’d had problems over the years, things they’d never said to one another, especially regarding the split. Max had blamed his dad for so long, and his father had been so angry for a long time, that they’d never really worked things out. Max was as guilty of not talking to his father as he’d accused Grady of being.
His dad didn’t meet his gaze. “I know you’ve talked to your mom about my arthritis and how bad it’s getting.”
“She’s worried about you. So am I.”
“It’s been bad for years. Even when you were little. I couldn’t do the things with you that I wanted. I couldn’t play catch with you, or run around. I wanted to, but it hurt. I was frustrated and angry.”
“I know. I never minded that you couldn’t do those things.”
“I did.” His dad drained his coffee and set the mug on the floor by his feet. “I hated myself for a long time. I was somehow less of a man for not being able to be a proper father. I had to let your mom do most of the heavy lifting, and I guess I resented her for that.”
Max knew his father had been angry, but had always assumed that anger had been directed outward. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“What kind of father was I? What kind of husband? We drifted apart. I ended up having a one-night stand with some woman I met at a bar. Thought it made me some kind of man, still attractive, someone who was wanted by others.”
The revelation made Max want to vomit. “You what?”
“I know. The next morning after I’d done it, I came home and confessed everything. Your mother is a saint. She forgave me, even understood why I’d done it. The problem was, I couldn’t forgive myself. How could I have done that to her when she’d given me the world? I was so ashamed. Every time you’d look at me like I was some sort of hero, knowing what I’d done—I couldn’t stand it. I told your mother I wanted a divorce. She wouldn’t agree to one, but did take you and move to Toronto.”
All those years that they’d been apart, Max hadn’t understood what had happened between his parents. The thought of his father cheating made him ill. “I thought you hated me. That was why you’d stayed behind. Even when you came to Toronto to visit, I always felt like you didn’t want me.”
“Not want you? God, no. You were always trying to take care of me. You were doing so much, and I had foolishly almost ruined my marriage because I thought physical strength is what made me a man. You showed me through your actions what being a man was. Is.”
Tears were flowing down both their cheeks as they looked at one another. His dad reached out and brushed the tears from Max’s cheeks. “Your mom would call me every few days when you were away. She told me about you going to that gym to learn how to protect yourself. You grew into a man who puts others first. You made me so proud, showed me that true men aren’t selfish. You’re a better man than me, Max. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Max pulled him into an awkward, seated hug. “So why the hell won’t you talk to me? You and Mom are okay, right?”
“Of course.” He shook his head. “I’m trying . . . but it’s hard for me. I know up here,” he tapped the side of his head, “that not being able to physically care for your mother doesn’t make me less of a husband. But here,” he tapped his heart, “I still find it difficult.”
Max looked really hard at him. Despite thinking they were different in their outlooks on life, he realized that they were so much alike. “Me too. I want to take care of everyone. Be the peacekeeper, the perfect boss and friend. It’s too much for one person, isn’t it?”
“See, I knew you were smarter than me. I’ve just come to that realization recently.” He patted Max’s thigh. “You need to be a little selfish, let people in who are willing to care for you as much as you do for them. It’s what makes life good.”
Clearing his throat and wiping the remnants of his tears away, his dad crossed his arms. “So, what happened with that fake fiancé of yours?”
Max groaned and let his head fall back against the chair. “I called him a coward and left to come here. Unless he got his head out of his ass, he’s probably engaged for real to some kid he had nothing in common with.”
“Well, the way you broke up with him, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did just that.”
Max rolled his head to look at his dad. “What?”
“Your mother and I hated seeing you like that, but you were right in what you told him.”
“Wait a second, back up. What do you mean, what I said? How could you possibly know?”
“It was on that stupid entertainment show that your mother likes to watch after the news. They didn’t have your name, but I know my son when I see him. You should have seen the look on his face after you walked away. The boy was upset.”
Shit, shit, shit. If his parents had seen this, then everyone would know. He’d never hear the end of it when he went back to work.
You were engaged?
Why didn’t you tell us?
How could you have done that to him?
You broke Grady Barnes’s heart!
Wonderful.
“When was this on?”
“The day after you got here. You were sulking in your room and your mother and I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Seeing as how we found out about the relationship from that investigator fella, we figured you’d tell us the whole story when you were ready.”
“I never expected anyone to know. When Justin told me that he’d sent someone here to question you, I was ready to hit someone.”
“I nearly did myself. Man was a pompous asshole. Some arrogant private detective who was as subtle as a sledgehammer.”
Max had no problem imagining his dad taking a swing at someone, even if it resulted in his hand being crippled. “I’m glad you didn’t. No sense in both of us getting charged with assault.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t think I have to do anything. Justin said that there wouldn’t be any charges pressed against me—”
“I meant about Grady.”
“There’s nothing to do. I’ll be heading back to Toronto in a day or two, and he’s probably wrapped up with his brother’s wedding.” He hated that he hadn’t been there to wish Lincoln and Serena well. But he was equally glad that nothing would happen to ruin their big day. “I’m surprised no one has tried to call me since I’ve been here. Especially since that thing was on TV.” When his dad made a bit of a face and looked away, Max knew something was wrong. “What did you do?”
“What makes you think I did anything? I’m not the meddler in this family.”
“Fine. What did Mom do?”
His dad shifted in his seat. “You know what she’s like. Always wanting to keep you safe and sound.”
“Dad.”
“I think she took the card thingy out of the back of your cell phone.”
“She what?” He didn’t wait for his dad to explain further. Max got up and went inside to grab his phone. Sure enough, the SIM card was gone. “Where is it?”
“Up in the cupboard. By the cereal bowls. She didn’t want anything to happen to it.”
Max fumbled for a few minutes to get the damn thing back into place and restarted his phone. The second it came back on, it began to ring and vibrate with notifications. “Jesus.”
“Language.”
“Sorry. But Dad, this is nuts.” Thirty voice mail messages and over a hundred unanswered emails. “Why would she do this?”
“She knew you needed time to heal. We both saw how upset you were when you got here, and then saw the story on the show. You didn’t need that in your face. Not when you were dealing with a broken heart already.”
There were five emails from Zack, and those were the ones he opened first. What the hell is going on with you? Do you need us to come out there? Dude, we’re worried about you. Let us know. Pretty much what he’d expected. There were a few emails from Cameron, but no issues with Frantic.
Everything else was asking about the breakup.
Max tossed his phone on the counter. “Remind me to thank Mom.”
“You can do it now. Looks like the car just pulled in.”
His mom jumped out of the driver’s side, but she looked to be talking to someone. “She go with a friend?”
His dad joined him to look out the window. “Nope.”
One moment she was standing there alone, and the next Grady slipped out of the passenger side to join her at the trunk.
Max blinked. Then blinked again. The man standing there morphed from Grady to one of his dad’s friends. Jesus, what the hell was wrong with him if he saw Grady everywhere he went?
“She always seems to find the best things at the store. I’ll go help with the bags.”
“No, you won’t. You’re not supposed to be lifting anything. And use your walker or else she’s going to be livid.” Max sighed, the knowledge that his life had become more complicated and it wasn’t going to get better anytime soon pressing down on him. “Go talk to Steve and I’ll help her.”
The moment he stepped outside, the cool fall breeze washed over him and chased away some of his bad mood. “Let me take those, Mom.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. Steve, just set them in the kitchen.”
“Will do. Where’s the old bastard?”
Max took an armful of bags. “Probably pouring you a coffee as we speak.” With a look at his mom, he waited for Steve to go in before he narrowed his gaze. “You.”
He didn’t need to say anything else. It only took her a moment to realize what had happened. “You found out about the phone.”
“I wanted to be angry, but then I put the SIM card back in.”
“How many messages?”
“More than I would have wanted to deal with.” He placed a kiss to the middle of her forehead. “Thank you.”
“I couldn’t believe that they’d air something like that on TV. I mean, that’s someone’s private life that they’re sticking their nose into.”
“You watch those gossip shows every night.”
She rolled her eyes. “Those are celebrities. They don’t count.”
“Grady is a celebrity.”
A blush bloomed across her cheeks. “Well, he’s a fool for letting you get away from him. Why anyone would say no to my baby is beyond me.”
“I’m so far past being a baby—”
“Don’t get smart. You know what I mean.” She bumped past him and marched up the stairs. “There’s kitty litter in the backseat.”
“You don’t have a cat.”
“For the snow.”
“It’s October.”
He didn’t need to see her face to picture her exasperation. “It was on sale.”
Max trailed along behind her, making note that he’d have to go back for the kitty litter. His dad and Steve had disappeared into the basement, no doubt so they could add some whiskey to the coffee without upsetting his mom. He put the bags down, handing her the occasional thing as she put the items away.
“So when do you think you’re going to head home?” She kept her head half stuck in the fridge. “Not that I don’t love having you here, but it’s cheaper to feed a small army than filling you up.”
“I told you’d I’d help out with that.”
She waved him away. “That bar of yours must be missing you.”
As competent as Cameron was, Max knew there were things only he could see to. He really did need to get back to Frantic sooner than later. And yet, the thought of walking back into the place where he’d first seen Grady, first got to know him—those feelings were still too raw.
“Maybe next week. I think they’ll live without me.” Max had seen his mom in many different moods, but when she sighed and shut the fridge door a bit too hard, he wasn’t ready for it. “What?”
“You’re every bit the coward that you accused that boy of being.”
“Mom—”
“No, you listen. You had a fight. I hate to tell you: all couples do. Yes, you come from different backgrounds. Well, so what? Do you think your father and I had it easy just because we were both from the same place and our parents made the same money? Hell no. Any relationship worth a damn is work.”
“I know that.” Now more than ever before. “But there was a whole lot more to it than that.”
“Not really. Look,” she crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. “Max, hon. Do you love him?”
“I’ve only known him a week. Well, two if you want to count the few days I’ve been here. You can’t love anyone that quickly.”
“You’re right. Okay, let me rephrase. Do you think you could love him? When you look at this man does your heart beat that little bit faster, and do you get that funny tingle in your feet that makes you want to get up and move? Preferably closer to him. Do you find yourself wondering at weird times what he might be doing and wondering if he’s happy?”
With every word she said, Max’s chest tightened. “Yes.”
“Then while you might not be in love yet, you’re damn well on your way toward it. So you can do one of two things. You can come up with a plan on how you’re going to win him back, or you can do your best to forget him and move on. Either way, you need to do that back in Toronto where your life is.”
There were too many emotions rolling through him just then to sort everything out. Instead, he hugged his mom. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m going to make shepherd’s pie for supper. While I do that, you’re going to sit at the table and buy a ticket home. Okay?”
“Okay.” Max went to the table and flipped the lid of his laptop open. “Mom?”
“Yup?”
“It’s too soon for me to love him. Right?”
She grinned. “Nope.”
“Damn.” He sat down and started looking at flights home.
He’d have to figure the rest out later.