Page 81 of The Life We Left Behind

“I’d love to,” I answered without even thinking about it. “I’m heading into the office for the rest of the afternoon, so shoot me a text with what you want, and I’ll pick it up on my way.”

Delaney and Cade both smiled happily.

“I’ve got some stuff to do around the ranch,” Booker said. “But next time?”

Cade was happily chatting away to his mom about what he wanted on his pizza as they both headed down the front porch steps before he called out over his shoulder. “Bye, Trace. Bye, Uncle Booker.”

It hit me right in the chest, but I smiled through it, anyway. Damn. I hadn’t realized that would hurt so much.

“Give him time,” Booker said quietly. “It’s easier to say ‘Uncle’ than it is to say ‘Dad.’”

I nodded sadly because, even though I knew it was the truth, it was still a stark reminder of exactly where I stood in his life.

But then, as Delaney and Cade reached the car, he stopped like he’d remembered something. Quickly spinning on the spot, he darted back up the stairs and threw his arms around me as he collided with me and squeezed.

“Thank you,” Cade whispered as he hugged me tight.

As soon as he loosened his hold, I dropped to my knees and pulled my son back into a hug. “Any time, buddy.”

And then he darted back down the steps to the car, not even realizing that he’d just torn out my heart and taken it with him.

I climbed to my feet as Booker clasped my shoulder in support, and I cleared my throat to stop the happy tears that were threatening to well in my eyes.

Cade waved through the car window as Delaney started up the engine and then pulled away, and I stepped forward onto the steps so he’d see me wave back. I never wanted there to be any doubt in his mind that I cared. I didn’t want him to look back at his childhood with the same regrets that I had about mine.Not when it came to family. Not when it came to me. That kid deserved to grow up with all the love in the world, and I was going to make sure that he had it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

DELANEY

“You’ve got that dreamy look on your face again,” Blake told me as she came into the living room and sat beside me on the sofa.

Cade was lying on the rug, watching Pokémon on the television, but I’d zoned out from that at least two episodes ago. Instead, I was thinking about lunch, and that had inevitably led to what we were going to do next.

Cade had school, but there was no reason why he couldn’t move to the school here. We had the farm. We could stay here until we decided if we wanted to stay in Willowbrook indefinitely.

I glanced at Cade and then back at Blake before I nodded toward the kitchen. She nodded in acknowledgment, knowing what I was silently trying to tell her.

As we stood from the couch, Cade said, “You can talk in front of me, and I’ll just pretend not to listen.”

Blake laughed, and I shook my head in exasperation.

“Maybe we want to talk about you,” Blake told him cheekily.

He quickly rolled toward us with a look of outrage on his face.

“She’s joking,” I said, rolling my eyes as I pushed Blake toward the kitchen. “Trace should be coming soon. You still want pepperoni on your pizza?” I asked him to change the subject.

“Extrapepperoni!” Cade added quickly, turning back to his show, completely forgetting what we’d been talking about before.

“Pepperoni with extra pepperoni coming right up,” I told him as I followed Blake.

She was already at the coffee pot, pouring another cup, when I made it inside. I swear the woman had coffee running through her veins instead of blood.

Blake lifted another mug, and I shook my head. There was no way I’d sleep tonight if I had one now.

“What do you want on your pizza?” I asked her as I pulled my phone out of my pocket so I could get Trace to add to our order.

“I’m heading out, so don’t worry about me. I’ll grab some leftovers when I get back.”

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