Page 20 of Just One Kiss

“Might as well all go together.”

“Josh, this isn’t a family outing,” she said, more harshly than she’d intended.

“I just thought maybe it would be good for the three of us to be together right now.”

It would’ve been good for the three of us to be together at Jaden’s first birthday, at his baptism, his first ski competition.

She drew in a deep breath. She was letting him come to the appointment, that was plenty of give on her end. “We can meet you there.”

A look of defeat washed across his face, but he nodded anyway.

A few seconds of silence held the tension between them.

“Will you stay at your parents’ house?”

He shifted. “I don’t know yet.”

She wanted to ask how things were with his parents. His family dynamic had always been stressful, but not many people knew that. Josh wasn’t forthcoming with information about his family life, but Carly knew how bad it was. Carly knew more about Josh than anyone else, or she had at one time.

Did she still? Who did he confide in now that they were apart?

He stood there, looking innocent and kind. Like a person who’d done nothing wrong. Or maybe like a person who was sorry?

But no. Josh wasn’t sorry. He’d made his choice long ago, and she wasn’t going to get swept back in by her pity for him.

“How did he seem?” she asked quietly, hugging her arms around herself.

Josh drew in a breath. “Okay.”

“Really?”

Josh shook his head. “I think he’s scared, but he’s not saying so. Played it off like no big deal.”

“He has to take this seriously. The monitor, the diary—all of it.”

“I am taking it seriously, Mom,” Jaden said from the stairs. He made his way to the entry, skis in hand. “Dad already gave me that lecture.”

“Really?” That was a first. She glanced at Josh, who seemed to be purposefully avoiding her eyes.

“Yeah, Ma,” Jaden said. “Document everything—every flutter, every symptom. Dizziness, tingling fingers or toes, shortness of breath and what I was doing at the time. I got it.”

Carly looked at Josh. He’d clearly been listening to the doctor, and he found a way to tell Jaden so she didn’t have to. She should be thankful. Shewasthankful. And yet, skeptical. With Josh, she was always skeptical.

She half listened as Jaden explained why the skis he’d bought with his Christmas money were “beyond cool,” but she noticed Josh seemed genuinely interested in what their son was saying.

Not like one of those dads who secretly wanted their kid to stop talking so they could answer a text or get on a work call.

She knew those dads. She’d interacted with them at the hospital lots of times. Did they think their kids were old enough to handle the medical information on their own?

It both surprised and confused her that Josh was not like these dads. Was this what their weekends in Chicago were like? Were they becoming friends?

Jaden finished his spiel, and Josh stood upright with a nod. “Can’t wait to see you using these beauties.”

Carly’s heart sank and a prayer raced through her mind—please let him be able to use those skis.

God knew how much skiing meant to her son. Surely He wouldn’t take away his ability to do it, would he?

Jaden had become so devout in his faith. Unlike with many teenagers, God wasn’t some far-off idea and religion wasn’t something his parents were forcing down his throat.

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