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It’s been eye-opening watching Alex interacting with the three mother-figures in his life. With his birth mother, Kait, he’s cautious and a little wary, more reserved than he is with the others, but equally he’s defended her a couple of times when his father has been openly hostile. With Sherry, his stepmother, he’s friendly and polite. But it’s clear to me that his favorite out of the three of them is Mae. With her he’s physically affectionate, giving her hugs and kisses on the cheek, and he laughs more when she’s around.
I understand why. Damon’s mother obviously adores him, and in their relationship I can see reflections of the past—the boy who came looking for an escape from the turbulent atmosphere at home; the young man who was traumatized by what happened to his sister and who she took under her wing; and the grown man who has been so supportive of her son. By letting him live with them for a while, Mae provided some stability in his life, and Alex, being Alex, is devoted to her because of that.
“I love the hostas,” Mae says, gesturing at the light-blue flowers, “they’re my pride and joy.”
“They’re beautiful.” I stop to admire them. “You know I was serious when I said I know nothing about flowers, right?”
She laughs. “Yeah, I know. I thought you needed an escape.”
“I appreciate that. I had the feeling they didn’t want to talk with me there.”
“It’s nothing to do with you.” She links arms with me as we continue to walk. “They don’t like talking about it in front of me, either. It’s an old family problem.”
“Alex has told me some of it.”
She gives me an appraising look. “He doesn’t normally talk about it, but I’m not surprised he told you.” She smiles. “He obviously likes you a lot.”
“I hope so,” I say, blushing. “And he’s very fond of you.”
“Ah, well, all boys want to do is play music and game. They want as little drama as possible, and he found that at our house. But they still need guidance, of course. You know all about this, though, having one yourself. It’s a shame you didn’t bring him. I’d like to have met Finn. Maybe next time?”
I nod, pleased that she thinks I’ll be coming back. “He’s a good boy,” I say as we descend the steps through the ferns that tower over our heads. “He’s had a very tough year.”
“Of course, losing his father and all.”
“Yes, and with all the physical troubles. He was never that much into sports—like you said about Alex, all he wants is his LEGO and his computer—but suddenly not being able to go outside and play when he felt like it was a real shock. Having to be a part of the Learning Enrichment Department at school, being classed as disabled, needing a wheelchair, not having control of his bodily functions—it left him feeling very angry and resentful.”
“Toward the world?”
“Mostly toward his father, unfortunately.”
“That must be very hard for you.”
I’m beginning to see why Alex likes her so much. “It has been difficult. Has… Alex said much to you about what happened with Finn’s dad?”
“He did tell me a little. I hope that was okay.”
“Of course.” So Mae is the one he confides in. I find that strangely touching. “Finn’s had to carry the burden of knowing about his father’s affair for a long time, so it’s good in one way now that it’s all out in the open.”
“And it’s also good that the first anniversary is out of the way. I know it doesn’t erase all the difficulties, but it does help a little, I’ve found.”
“Oh, definitely, if only because I’ve finally been able to date Alex. It didn’t feel right before that. Of course after finding out about Lee’s affair, I was angry that I’d waited, but deep down I know it was the right thing to do. I’m just glad Alex didn’t meet anyone else this year!”
“He’s been very patient,” she says. “It says something about his feelings for you.”
I frown at her. “Oh, I’m not the reason he hasn’t dated in a while. We’ve only been involved for a few weeks.”
She gives me an amused look. “Missie, you are absolutely one hundred percent the reason that Alex hasn’t dated this year. He told me that Finn said you thought it would be wrong to date anyone else until a year had passed. So he waited.”
I stare at her. “What?”
“He rang me the day he met you and told me he’d seen the girl he was going to marry.” She gives me a mischievous smile. “If he was prepared to wait a year, it says a lot about his feelings for you.”
“You mean nine months,” I correct faintly. “We met at the end of March.”
“Of course,” she says. “I was rounding up.” She looks at me curiously. “You really didn’t know?”
I think about his words that puzzled me on the way home from the trivia night:I’ve waited this long—I’m not going to rush things now. I want to take my time to get to know you.And then I think about how he took me and Finn on at Kia Kaha. How he’s been so kind to Finn, even getting a puppy so Finn can play with it. How he brought THOR to his school and helped Finn look so cool to all his friends. How he came to my classroom afterward. How he sat in a fur suit in the baking heat for four hours to help me out.
