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“You did this. You and your big brain found my mother. All I can say is thank you.”
“Of course,” I responded not knowing what else to say.
“It’s not “of course.” My entire life I’ve wondered what she looked like and what it would be like to hear her voice. You gave me that. And, I don’t think anyone else in the world could have.”
I responded with a tight-lipped smile. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say.
Cage’s eyes left mine as he measured what he would say next.
“I want to spend some more time with her… with the both of them. But, I don’t want you to feel like you have to sit out here. Do you mind if I drop you off at the bed and breakfast? It would probably be more comfortable than sitting in this cold truck. Maybe you could call Titus. I’m sure he’d want to hang out.”
I didn’t know what I was expecting Cage to say, but it wasn’t this. Maybe I thought he would encourage me to come inside. Maybe I thought he would want to bring me into his moment. But, thinking about it, that was probably just a fantasy.
Cage had just met his mother for the first time. He had so many questions for her. What would I do except sit there? He was right, it was better that I go somewhere else instead of being the awkward guy sitting in the car during the most important moments of his life.
“I wouldn’t want you to have to drop me.”
“This is Snow Tip Falls. You can’t exactly call an Uber,” he said with a smile. “I’ll drop you and come back.”
“Okay,” I agreed feeling Cage slowly pull away.
Cage headed back to the front door and Nero came out to talk to him. Nero looked back at me as Cage spoke. I hated being the asshole breaking up this amazing moment. I felt awful.
Both Cage and he walked back to the truck. As Cage got in, Nero circled to my door. Withdrawing his hand from his pocket he knocked and stepped back. I took that as a sign that he wanted me to come out. When I did, he threw his arms around me.
“Cage said that you were the one to bring us together,” he whispered into my ear. “Thank you. Thank you!” he said before slapping my back and pulling away.
“You’re welcome,” was the only thing I could reply.
I couldn’t truly understand what this moment meant to them. How could I? I had grown up with more love and family than I knew what to do with. But the moment wasn’t completely lost on me. Would I ever in my life accomplish anything greater than what I had done for them? I didn’t know.
Cage and I didn’t speak much on the drive back to town. He was deep in thought. The selfish part of me wished that a few of those thoughts were of me. It was probably too much to ask for, though.
Pulling up to Dr. Sonya’s bed and breakfast, Cali quickly came outside to greet us. Standing in front of the door on the porch, he looked at us with a light in his eyes. Before I got out, Dr. Sonya joined him.
“It looks like I’m leaving you in good hands,” Cage said staring at the two.
“Don’t worry about me. Go. Spend time with your family. You deserve this. I’ll be fine,” I told him.
“I love you,” Cage said leaning over and kissing me.
“I love you, too,” I told him before grabbing my bag and leaving the truck.
Walking to the veranda, Cage didn’t wait for me to get there before driving away. I turned to watch him go. I got the sense that he didn’t look back. I couldn’t know that for sure, but it certainly felt like it.
“Welcome back!” Dr. Sonya said enthusiastically. “It’s good to see you,” she said putting her arm around me and leading me in. “Will Cage be coming back?”
“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “We found his mother.”
She gasped in delight. “Really? That’s amazing!”
“It is. It’s quite wonderful.”
“Well, we’ll have to do something to celebrate,” she concluded making me feel at home.
I dropped my bag in my room and lied in bed thinking about everything. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. I wasn’t sure why.
Maybe it had to do with him not texting me for a week. That had really hurt me. And the worst part was that I still didn’t know what had triggered it. If I didn’t know what caused it, how did I know that I wasn’t triggering it again right now?
