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“That’s good to hear. You’d know if something was off with her, being the keen observer of people that you are.”
Cameron put down her wineglass and snuggled up to him. “I love our kiddos more than anything, but this is my favorite part of every day.”
Will put his arm around her. “Same goes, love. I count the minutes until I get Mommy all to myself.”
“You want to go to bed?” she asked.
He raised his brows. “Do you have to ask?”
Cameron laughed as she tugged on his hand to bring him with her.
Will released her to close the doors on the woodstove and shut off the lights before he followed her to bed.
The next day,Max could think of little else other than the conversation he needed to have with Caden later and that Lexi hadn’t responded to his text the night before. That could mean she didn’t get it or that the Wi-Fi at her rental wasn’t working or any number of things. Her silence worried him. After the way they’d reconnected, he’d be seriously bummed if he didn’t hear from her again.
“What’s with you today, man?” Colton asked toward the end of their workday as they trekked down the mountain after tending to hundreds of sap-producing trees that day. “You’ve barely said a word all day.”
“Just got a lot on my mind.”
“Including Lexi?”
“Among other things.”
“What other things?”
“I could tell you to mind your own business, you know.”
“I do know, but you won’t, so tell me what’s eating you.”
“Chloe sent a gift for Caden along with a note saying she’s cleaned up her life and would like to see him.”
“The fuck you say?” Colton’s expression was one of total shock.
“Yeah, so I gotta deal with that. I talked to Mom and Dad, and they said it should be up to Caden. I’m going to talk to him tonight.”
“No, wait, don’t talk to him about it. Just tell her to fuck off.”
“As much as I’d love to do that, I can’t. Mom made a good point. What if he reconnects with her when he’s an adult and finds out she wanted to see him a long time ago? I don’t want him to hate me for keeping her from him.”
“Even if you think that’s what’s best for him?”
“He’s old enough to know the truth, Colton, and to decide for himself. He’s not a baby anymore.”
They landed back in the yard just behind Colton’s dogs, Sarah and Elmer, who’d spent the day with them on the mountain.
A shriek of excitement preceded Colton’s three boys running to greet them, as they did every day that Colton and Max worked away from home base.
Colton grabbed the three little ones and spun them around as they screamed with delight. “How are my little redheaded monkeys this afternoon?”
“Coop got in trouble at Miss Jessie’s,” Christian reported. “She called Mom.”
Colton put the boys down. “What’d you do this time?”
“Nothin’.”
He looked to Cooper’s twin, Camden. “What’d he do?”
“He brought slime to school and put it on Molly’s head.”
