the way you’ve stepped up for Amanda after the fire and fought for what you wanted with her, despite the rocky beginning with Lucas and all that business. For doing Luc’s share of the work at the fire department and the farm while he’s laid up. For not even blinking about the fact that you’re going to become a father figure to a teenage girl. For all of it.”
“Thanks, Dad. Means a lot to me that you’re proud.”
“I’ve always been proud of you, even when you were acting a fool and making us all howl with laughter.”
“That’s good to know. How’re Will and Cam and baby Chase?”
“Doing great and hoping to come home in the next couple of days. Cabot put them up at his home until Cameron feels ready to travel.”
“He seems like a good guy.”
“He is. We all like him very much. And that wedding was something else, wasn’t it?”
“It was for sure. What else is going on at home?”
“I didn’t want to tell you when you were off with Amanda, but baby Dexter the moose escaped from his pen while we were away.”
“What? How’d that happen?”
“Hannah thinks Fred had something to do with it.”
“Hannah would think that.”
“Apparently, Dude showed up to feed Dex, and he was gone. There’s been no sign of him—or Fred—for days.”
“Oh damn. Hannah must be beside herself.”
“She is.”
“Have people been out looking for them?”
“Hunter, Max, Nolan, Gavin and Tyler were out looking for hours yesterday, but there was no sign of them.”
“Jeez. Is it weird that I feel almost as sad about that as I would if an actual kid went missing?”
“Nope,” Linc said. “I’ve been feeling the same way since I heard he was missing.”
“It’s because Hannah’s had enough heartbreak, and none of us want her to have any more.”
“That’s exactly what your mother said. I’ve got one more piece of news for you.”
“What’s that?”
“We think Max spent the night with Caroline after the wedding.”
“Shut up! Go, Maxi-Pad!”
“Honestly, Landon. How many times do I have to tell you and your idiot twin brother not to call him that?”
“It’s our pet name for him. He loves it.”
“Sure, he does,” Linc said, chuckling. “Seventh-grade health class for you and your fellow buffoon was one of the worst things to ever happen to poor Max.”
“On behalf of my buffoon twin and myself, thank you. We were rather proud of our work when it came to him.”
“All kidding aside, your mom and I were happy to see him having a good time with Caroline. He’s had a rough few months.”
“Yeah, he has. So how’d he get a night all to himself?”
“Mom and I saw that he was having fun, so we suggested to Hannah that she offer to keep Caden with them for the night.”
“In case we’ve never told you, we hit the parent jackpot with you guys.”
“Thank you, son,” Linc said softly. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
“We all feel that way.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
—Michael Jordan
Max tried to stay focused on work at the sugaring facility, but his mind was still locked in a Boston hotel room with Caroline. What a night that had been. After he’d danced with her for hours, his sister Hannah had offered to keep Caden for the night, and Max had willingly agreed. He so rarely took any time for himself anymore that he hadn’t hesitated to jump on the offer, knowing his son would be with an aunt and uncle who adored him.
Apparently, it had been his parents’ idea, which meant they’d probably tuned in to the deep funk he’d been in lately and were hoping a night off from fatherhood would do him good.
They’d been right about that. One night with the supremely sexy Caroline Lodge Fullerton had definitely fixed what ailed him.
She was fun, funny, smart, athletic, sexy and up for anything in bed.
Fuck, he could not be thinking about that unless he wanted to sport wood in the forest. That thought made him laugh.
“What’s so funny over there?” Colton asked.
Max hadn’t realized his brother was so close by. “Just thinking about something funny that happened this weekend.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
Think of something, Max… “You know how Caden slept over with Hannah, Nolan and Callie after the wedding?”
“I heard that.”
“The kids slept between them, and they woke up to a hair-pulling fight at six a.m.”