Page 78 of Ransom

"Max is at school right now. Won't be out for hours." I check my watch. "Speaking of time, shouldn't you be heading back to Chicago? Your family must be missing you."

Ransom's eyes search my face, and I force myself to meet his gaze steadily.

"Last night," he says, his voice rough. "When you said you forgave me. Was that real? Or were you just trying to get rid of me?"

My throat tightens. "It was real. Twenty-five years is too long to carry that kind of anger."

"Just like that, you've let it go?"

It wasn't just anything. It was the hardest thing I've had to do. But it was the right thing to do. Because despite all the other shit pressing down on me, I feel just a little bit lighter. "Mostly. I'm trying anyway. It was more than half our lives ago. We're totally different people."

He nods, looking thoughtful, his dark eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that makes my stomach clench. "Good. That's good. So you won't mind me having dinner with you guys. I'll be there at six. Is there anything I should bring?"

"Wait. What?" The words come out sharper than I intended, my carefully maintained composure slipping.

"Maggie invited me to dinner. To meet Max." He says it so casually, like it's the most natural thing in the world, like he hasn't been gone for a quarter century.

"You're staying longer?" I hate how my voice catches. And the way his gaze sharpens, like he's spotted a crack.

"I really want to meet Maggie's son. I'd like to spend a little time with them both. And with you." He takes a step closer, and I resist the urge to back away. "I appreciate your forgiveness. More than you can know. But I'd like to get to know you again, Blair."

"Why?" The question comes out barely above a whisper, but it echoes in the space between us like a shout. The rest of the world has disappeared, my ears all static-y. I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for him.

"Because there hasn't been a day in twenty-five years that I haven't thought about you. And now that I'm here, I can't just walk away again. I need..." His voice trails off, heavy with unspoken words.

"Closure," I finish for him, my tone flat. "You want to put a pretty bow on the past." I cross my arms over my chest, wishing my heart would stop pounding so erratically.

"I wouldn't say it like that. But I guess you're not wrong."

"And then you'll go?"

Does the man never blink? He just watches, and watches. Finally, the corner of his lips tilt. "I'll leave when it's time." He backs up, eyes still on me. "See you at six, Blair." Then he waves and jogs away.

I'll leave when it's time. "What the fuck does that mean?" I yell after him. He doesn't answer.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Guess I'm having dinner with the man who broke my heart.

26

RANSOM

Ishift from foot to foot on Maggie's front porch, my heart doing that weird skip-thump thing it's been doing since I got back to Badger Falls. The doorbell echoes inside, followed by the thunder of small feet. How do the littlest people have the loudest footsteps?

The door swings open to reveal a kid in what looks like a superhero costume crossed with pajamas crossed with... is that a tutu? His face and hands are smeared with something brown.

"Who the hell are you?" He plants his hands on his hips, blocking the doorway like a tiny bouncer.

"Max!" Maggie's voice carries from somewhere inside.

"I'm Ransom. I'm a friend of your mom's."

He narrows his eyes. "Are you the guy from Chicago that Aunt Blair's all mad about?"

"Max Jones!" Maggie appears behind him, but she's grinning.

"What? That's what you said." He turns back to me. "Do you really have bajillions of dollars?"

"I... well, I'm not really sure how much a bajillion is. But yeah, I have a lot. How'd you know about that?"

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