Page 127 of When We Were Young

It’s easy to get lost watching these kids. They remind me of my brothers and me and the days Dad brought us fishing on this lake when we camped out at the cabin. Some of the best days of my life. The memories I have of Dad with his fisherman’s hat and wading boots on never fail to make me smile.

“Holden! Holden!”

Simon calling my name pulls me out of my daydream. When I come out of my daze, Frankie is fighting to hold on to his fishing rod, and Simon is behind him, tugging on Frankie’s shirt to help his friend.

“Oh, boy!”

I put my rod on the ground and place one hand on Frankie’s shoulder, using the other to grip his fishing pole to give him support.

“Should I let go now?” Frankie asks excitedly.

“Nope. You got this. I’m just here to help you, buddy.”

Simon has moved to his friend’s side and cheers him on.

I glance at him intermittently, and I notice him watching me on and off.

“This might be one big fish,” I tell them.

Within a few seconds, Ethan and Hayden are standing near us.

“Ethan! I’m catching a fish!” Frankie says, glancing at his older brother.

“You sure are. Looks like he’s gonna be as big as you.” Ethan’s eyes hold a tenderness as he watches Frankie. It’s the first time I’ve seen it today.

It takes a few more minutes for Frankie to reel in—with a little help—a yellow perch.

We don’t pull him fully out of the water. He’s big for a kid Frankie’s size, but overall on the small side.

“Looks like he’s gonna need to go back into the lake and grow a little,” Lester says.

“Huh?” Frankie asks.

“C’mon with me, and we’ll get our hands cleaned up and get lunch ready. I’ll explain it to you while we do that,” Hayden says.

The boys follow Hayden while I release the perch.

A few minutes later, I sit on the ground and watch the young boys chatter away over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and some delicious cookies Lizette left for us.

The kids seem to be having fun, and I even catch hints of a smile on Ethan’s face a few times.

What surprises me most, though, is how many times Hayden seems like the previous version of himself—the happier one. The one before his heart got broken. Maybe my brother’s heart is finally starting to heal.

Chapter Forty-Three

Lizzie

Who knew a man in an apron with flour on his forehead could be so damn sexy? Then again, I’m pretty sure Holden Aron looks delicious all the time, so it shouldn’t surprise me.

Since I can’t watch him from the doorway like a creeper forever, I’m extra quiet as I lift my phone, frame him in the camera, and snap a picture.

When the sound of the photo being taken clicks, Holden looks up and immediately smiles. He drops the cake spatula he was holding and walks toward me, reaching behind him to untie the apron.

“No, leave it on,” I tease. “I like it.”

He listens and covers the last few feet in seconds, then sweeps me into his arms and holds me tight against his body. He kisses the top of my head, then pulls back and looks at me.

“God, I know it’s only been two days, but at the risk of sounding like a wuss, I missed you so damn much.”