Page 62 of The Long and Winding Road

Caden stepped into the kitchen and held out the remote controller. “You want to try it?”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“Are you okay?” Caden asked, his white-blond brows furrowed with concern.

The best thing about having a son was getting to play with him. Max always wanted to try whatever new toy Caden was excited about, and they loved playing video games together.

“Yeah, buddy, I’m good. But let’s talk some more about your mom wanting to see you. Do you want me to set something up with her?”

“How do you feel about it? I mean, you know her, and I don’t.”

He was so smart sometimes that it took Max’s breath away. “I feel conflicted.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure how to feel. She wrote me a letter and told me that she’s done a lot of work on herself and is in a much better place than she was when she left. I’m glad to hear that, for her sake, but I’m not sure what it means for us.” Max realized he was probably saying too much, but he was still struggling to explain this situation to himself, let alone a seven-year-old. “I talked to Grammy and Gramps about it, and they said I should be honest with you, tell you she’d asked to see you and let you decide what you want to do.”

“Um, well, I guess it would be cool to finally get to meet her. I mean, all the other kids have moms, so it would be nice to know mine.”

Max’s heart broke at his sweet innocence. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Only if it’s okay with you, too. I don’t want you to be upset or anything.”

“I’m not upset, buddy. I just want to do what’s right for you.”

“You always do.”

“You think so?”

“Yes! I have the coolest dad ever. All my friends think so.”

If he’d ever received a better compliment, Max couldn’t recall when. He held out his arms to his son, who came to him and surrounded him with so much love. “No matter what happens, it’ll always be you and me against the world, right?”

“Yep.” Caden pulled back to initiate the elaborate handshake they’d developed over the years.

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

“Now go take a shower.”

“Do I gotta?”

“Same question every night followed by the same answer.”

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“When will I get to see my mom?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll call her tomorrow and set up a time.”

“Okay.”

“If you take a shower and use soap, I’ll let you stay up to play for a little while longer, and there might be ice cream, too.”

“Yes!” Caden’s fist pump was the last thing Max saw as he flew out of the kitchen to shower while Max did the dishes and wiped down the counters and table.

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