And I knew what he did next surprised Lizzie, because her eyes widened a bit as she watched her son run toward Max and hug his leg.
 
 “Hi, Maxie.”
 
 “Hi, little buddy,” Max said, patting Hunter’s head.
 
 “Did you miss me?”
 
 “Oh, yeah, I did,” he said softly, and I melted a little.
 
 “I missed you, too. Did you remember to buy that Spider-Man action figure we talked about?”
 
 And all the tension evaporated then, as everyone laughed.
 
 “I did,” Max said, the softness back in his eyes. “Don’t worry. I did.”