Page 57 of The Life We Left Behind

Cade screeched to a stop in front of me, and I stumbled, trying not to walk straight into him. I was being ambushed by my own son! At nine years old, he’d totally out-maneuvered me, even if he had gotten a little help from a certain mischievous best friend.

“I bet she can think of something,” Cade said, reaching out for the end. “She’s the smartest mom in the whole wide world.”

Wow, they were going in for the kill with flattery.

“Is this your way of asking if we can stay?”

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it had crossed my mind a few times, too. This place was filled with so many happy memories of an amazing childhood, and I wanted that for my son, too. Why should I deprive him of that just because of a few people who happened to live here too? It’s not like everyone here always got along. There was no law that said we had to be the best of friends with everyone in town.

“Is this your way of saying that you’ll think about it?” Blake countered.

I’d expected it to come from Cade, but I was kind of surprised that she was pushing so hard for this as well.

“Maybe.” I squinted in suspicion as Blake and Cade exchanged a look that I had no idea the meaning of.

“We can accept those terms,” Cade said, holding out his hand for me to shake.

I did, more out of confusion than anything else.

“I have no idea what just happened,” I admitted.

“It’s best that you don’t.” Blake patted me on the shoulder, and I turned my back in the direction we’d been walking as Cade grabbed my hand and started to pull me along.

I had a terrible feeling that I’d just fallen into the start of some master plan. The worst part was that I might have to admit that my nine-year-old knew better than I did about what was the best future for our family.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

TRACE

Ihung up the phone and sank back into my chair. I’d known there was nothing wrong with the James’s land, and yet there was a part of me that had been hoping the surveyor would find something.

How fucked up was that?

This morning I’d been threatening to sue Delaney for reconsidering selling when, deep down, I didn’t really want her to either.

But the town needed this. I needed to set aside my selfishness and get it done.

Fuck, if that wasn’t my mother’s voice echoing through my head, I didn’t know what was.

I owed Delaney an apology. I’d been a complete dick this morning and for no reason. I didn’t even know why I was annoyed with her. Of course, she’d been living her life somewhere else all this time. That was the reason why she left. I couldn’t exactly be angry with her when I’d been doing the exact same thing.

I guess seeing the evidence of her kid, of how happy she’d been without me, was harder than I’d thought it would be.

If she’d only stayed, if she’d chosen me… No, that was the quickest way to driving myself insane.

She looked like a good mom. I bet she was amazing at it. Delaney had always had a big heart, and she saw the good in people, even when they didn’t deserve it. Maybe I wouldn’t be a terrible father. I didn’t exactly have a great example from my parents, but at least I had a pretty comprehensive what not to do guide from my own childhood.

Delaney was obviously single, despite what I’d wanted to accuse her of. She wouldn’t have spent the night with me if she wasn’t. That just wasn’t who she was.

She wasn’t like me.

It was just hard seeing her live out the life that I wanted with her.

Almost like I’d willed her into existence, I heard her sweet voice flow through to my office from the reception.

The intercom buzzed, and I set my mini meltdown aside to try to behave like a sane person for a moment. I was pretty embarrassed about my earlier behavior.

I ignored the intercom and went straight to the office door instead. “Delaney,” I called out. “Come through.”

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