Page 67 of The Long and Winding Road

“You’ve got your appointment tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.” One of the things she’d had to do earlier was blood work for that appointment, which always left her with a feeling of dread.

“Are you okay about that?”

“It’s always nerve-racking, but I have no reason to be concerned. Jake, the oncologist, tells me that if I was sick again, I’d know it.”

“Jake said that, did he? What’s his story?”

Smiling, Lexi realized the crush she’d had on her doctor felt like a long time ago, especially since she’d seen Max. “He’s happily married to Devon, who’s also a doctor and a friend of mine. When you spend as much time with doctors as I have, they become friends. And that’s something else I need to figure out if I’m going to leave Houston. I’ll need new doctors.”

“We can take you to Boston.”

“I’ll mention it to Jake when I see him tomorrow and see what he says.”

“Will you text me right after your appointment, so I won’t be worried?”

“Sure. Will you be able to see the text?”

“I’m working on the mountain tomorrow. Best cell service in the area, and I’ll be waiting for that text.”

“I’ll let you know if there’s reason to worry but try not to. This is part of my reality.”

“It’s going to take me a minute to get used to that reality.”

“That’s okay, we’ll get you there.”

“I’m so glad you’re back in my life, Lex. It’s like everything is right again, or something like that.”

“For me, too. I’ll text you tomorrow after the appointment.”

“I’ll be waiting and hoping everything is fine.”

“Call me tomorrow night?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

The next daywas pure hell for Max, waiting for that text she’d promised him. As he trudged up the mountain behind Colton, all he could think about was what he would do if her illness came back right after they found each other again. The universe wouldn’t be that cruel to them, would it?

The universe could be pretty fucking cruel sometimes, which reminded him that he needed to call Chloe. He’d do that when they took a lunch break.

“What’s going on, Maxi-Pad? And don’t say it’s nothing.”

“If you call me that stupid name, I’ll never speak to you again.” Lucas and Landon had come up with that hideous nickname for him after middle school health class introduced them to maxi pads.

Colton grunted out a laugh. “Got your attention, didn’t I? Now answer the question. What’s up with you?”

“Lexi. She has a big doctor’s appointment today, and she’s going to text me after. She says it’s perfectly routine, but after you have leukemia, is anything routine when it comes to doctors?”

“If she says it’s routine, then you need to believe her. I’m sure she knows the difference by now.”

“I feel like I’m coming out of my skin since she left, like I made a huge mistake letting her leave after we just found each other again.”

“It wasn’t your call whether to let her leave. Tell me you know that.”

“I do. Of course I do, but it totally sucks after the way we reconnected over the weekend.”

“So the little push your awesome big brother gave you yielded results?”

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