Page 42 of What Maple Heard

Wilfred looked at me. His voice dropped slightly, away from the formal register. “I hope you’re alright, son. I’m sorry that someone you trusted for that long used that trust the way he did.”

I looked at the table for a moment.

“Thank you,” I said. “But what he did to me is the smaller part of this. What I said to the only woman I’ve ever loved — that’s on me. He set the stage. I said the words. Nobody put those words in my mouth.”

I was the asshole, and I’ll do everything to become worthy of Maple. Including wearing an orange tutu and dangling by crotch in front of the entire town.

With my parents in the front row.

***

Chapter 13

Maple

From the moment Cade showed up at my studio asking for forgiveness, I had been watching him carefully, waiting for him to slip up, which would confirm my suspicions that he couldn’t be trusted. Honestly, I was only expecting him to send me gifts or flowers, or come into my studio after his workday with an apology speech he’d clearly rehearsed. What I wasn’t expecting was Cade actually going out of his way to show me in his actions what he meant by not giving up.

I had not accounted for that.

Nancy had told me, after the first week, that Cade went straight to work after the morning studio sessions for a full day of meetings, construction sites, and the entire Sonnenberg Industries operation. And when I first saw him at the community center the other day, I thought he was there because he knew I would come to oversee River’s first day of community service. But he had been going there every evening. Without telling me he was going.

River came home every night with stories. And every story, his face was different. Lighter. More open. More like the kid he used to be. He was engaged and confident. He had found a friend and a mentor in Cade and that was very evident from the way he spoke about him.

“Cade figured out how to get the proportions right on the bridge section!”

“Cade told Brody that the tree line needed more depth!”

“Cade and I stayed an extra hour because I wanted to finish the copper leaves before the paint dried.”

This is the role model River needed.

I hated that thought every single time it popped into my head in the three weeks that followed the community project evening.

And the foster kids?

Cade had been nothing short of extraordinary with them. He had been patient in a way I had not anticipated. I could tell how much the kids loved him by the way they perked up when he was around. Cade showed no embarrassment whatsoever about being Aurelia, the Keeper of the Autumn Leaves, which was both maddening and impressive, and the kids had responded to it with wild enthusiasm.

They trusted him.

Today, the kids were beaming with excitement because Marcus would be unveiling the final version of the Oak tree that Cade helped him make. They were all in a circle, keeping a large spot in the middle open. Marcus and Cade appeared from the back room carrying the large folded tree, and the kids immediately started whispering. Lots of nudging. Lots of badly contained excitement.

They set it down in the middle of the circle. Slowly, carefully, they opened it up.

The oak tree unfolded branch by branch, rising up in sections. The branches were soft green, tipped with glitter. The leaves were every shade of fall — gold, bronze, copper, deep amber — layered and detailed and absolutely, completely beautiful. It was exactly what I had pictured.

“Cade, will you show Maple the surprise on the leaves?” Bessling was already hopping towards the centre, pointing at the tree. “Blessing!” Devon shouted. “You just ruined the whole surprise! She was supposed to find it herself!”

Blessing’s hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes went enormous. “Oops,” she said, through her fingers. “I spoke too much.”

“It’s okay, baby,” I told her, and looked at Cade.

He opened both arms wide. What can I say.

I went to the tree.

I looked at the leaves up close. Some of them had writing on them. Small, careful handwriting — some neat, some wobbly, all of it clearly done by children with great seriousness of purpose.

I read a few.