Page 71 of Highway To Destiny

I addressed Spencer with a chuckle. “Well, you’re gonna be sore come finals. Will you be able to sit to take the exams?” He swatted my arm, and Evan snickered. “By the way, there are some things I’d like to chat with you about sometime this week. I need to catch you up on something,” I said as I retreated to the door.

“Sure thing. Just let me know when,” he replied. With that, Evan finally got up, gave me a big hello hug to welcome me back, and I left them to the privacy I’d so rudely interrupted.

“Uh, next time you’re both in the throes of passion…I think locking the door would be appropriate,” I chided with a snicker.

As soon as I closed the door and took a few steps, I heard the lock click behind me.

I huffed a quiet laugh on the way back to my room.

43

MASON

It was a new year. Christmas and New Year’s had come and gone. Connor had come back to Seattle to spend his holiday break with me. Sharon and Kyle even drove up from Portland to spend the holiday with all of us. Sharon was impressed with Jack and Sylvia’s home and made them regale all their Asian travels.

On Christmas Eve, Jack and Sylvia hosted our holiday dinner. Connor, Sharon, and Kyle noticed the framed photograph of Claudia on their credenza. No words were spoken as they passed the photo around, but I heard Connor’s breath hitch when he saw it. He got to see his birth mother and her emerald-green eyes that mirrored his own. Even Sharon became emotional seeing what Connor’s biological mother looked like. They had never met due to the closed adoption, but the similarities between Connor and his birth mother were evident. We all took note of that.

Jack and Sylvia played the perfect hosts and caregivers. They had taken me in once I was discharged from the hospital. They supported me and chauffeured me around to doctor and rehab appointments, and with their care, I was healing quickly. It had been a little over six weeks, and I was improving faster than the doctor had anticipated. The cranioplasty was scheduled in a few days, and then I could finally get rid of the protective helmet. I was sure I’d feel more like my old self once I didn’t have to wear it.

Since the accident, I’d had plenty of time to think about my life and a future with Connor. So much had happened since I’d met him a year and a half ago. My life had changed, not only because of that green-eyed man but also knowing the truth about where destiny had brought me. Fate was one thing, but making the right choices it offered had me living a life of new love, new friends, and hopefully new beginnings.

I had moments of uncertainty. The visitation from Claudia occasionally haunted me. Just like faith, I questioned its reality. But deep down, when I put everything in context, my gut and brain told me it had to be true. I accepted it and moved forward.

As promised, Connor and I texted or chatted every day. He’d caught up on his studies and was busy working on his thesis. I missed him terribly. He was my obsession. With his upcoming graduation in spring, we needed to figure out our future together. I hoped he still wanted that as much as I did. I still needed to decide what I wanted to do with my life. Reinventing it took time and fortitude. I felt the life of a big rig truck driver would soon be behind me, but I didn’t have the answers yet. The past couple of years seemed to have redirected my priorities.

Eli told me that once he got back to Crescent City, he contacted my broker, Jim, about Big Red. They worked out a plan to have it driven down to Eli’s lot, where it would be secure until I decided what to do with it. Eli was patient and caring, and I felt blessed to have him as a friend. The last time Connor and I had spoken on the phone, he’d told me he’d been in regular contact with Eli, and he was the one who suggested he get hold of Jim about my truck. I wasn’t surprised, considering the bond that had developed between the two of them when I was in the hospital.

It wastwo weeks after the cranioplasty, and the protective helmet, adorned with stickers and signatures from friends and family, had been put in storage. My standby baseball cap had become my new crown, at least until my hair grew back. My arm was close to full mobility, yet it was still uncomfortable to take deep breaths. The doctor told me it could take a couple more weeks for it to subside completely. I’d weaned myself off pain meds as soon as I was out of the hospital, not liking the effect they had on me. They said I’d feel discomfort not taking pain relievers, but I’d been fine with that.

The other aspect of my life I needed to decide on was back in Crescent City—my condo. I knew Connor loved watching the sunsets and listening to the surf like I did, but was it still practical for me to keep it? Even if our lives took us somewhere unknown, I thought it would still be a great vacation home, and I could always rent it out as anAirbnbif we weren’t using it. I guess there’d be plenty to discuss with my accountant.

My focus needed to be on my recovery, and my physical therapy sessions were ending. My progress motivated me to finally fly free from my stay at Jack and Sylvia’s. It was difficult to say goodbye, but I knew we’d be seeing one another more frequently than I’d allowed myself over the past years.

One morning, when Sylvia and I were alone enjoying coffee, she confided that she felt her family was now complete with Connor the missing puzzle piece. It made me smile knowing their decision to adopt Connor out had given them the chance to reunite with their grandson. That chance was fulfilled because I chose to give him a lift that late summer day many months ago.

The weeks ticked by, and we were soon in the Ides of March, but thankfully without misfortune or doom on the horizon. I had arrived back home about a week ago, and I welcomed being in my own space. My life of recuperation was finally over, and I needed to start seriously thinking about where my life was headed.

On my second day back, Eli came over for a visit. His mood seemed somber, and it concerned me. “What’s going on?” I asked after he’d retrieved a beer from my fridge and sat next to me on the sofa.

He picked at the label before answering. “Nothing’s wrong, really. I guess I’ve had something on my mind for a while and wanted to bring the subject up to you.” He looked at me when he replied but then pulled his gaze back to his beer bottle.

“Eli, you know you can ask or tell me anything.”

With a pained expression, he said, “When you had your accident, the hospital called Connor before I even knew what had happened to you. Since I have your power of attorney, I guess I was surprised I wasn’t called first as your emergency contact. I know this sounds rather petty, but it has been on my mind and I was curious as to why.”

By the look on his face, I knew it was hard for him to talk about. I moved to sit closer to him and placed a hand on his knee.

I gave him an empathetic smile. “Eli, you’re my best friend, and I trusted you to have my power of attorney and all my legal documents in case something like this happened. Youareone of my emergency contacts on my cell phone, but so is Connor.”

I held up a finger and reached for my phone. Eli remained silent. I looked up both their names and noticed Connor’s number was flagged as an emergency number, but I’d neglected to flag Eli’s name. My heart sank.

“Eli, I’m sorry, but for some reason, you’re not flagged as an emergency contact. I think what might have happened was when Connor and I worked together last summer, it made sense to flag his number since he was with me. I just assume I didn’t get around to including yours,” I said regretfully. “I’ll do that right now. Again, I’m so sorry. And for the record, it’s not petty. I’m glad you brought it to my attention.”

Eli relaxed a little.“Okay, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but Connor and I were confused when we talked. It makes sense now.” He paused for a moment, and when he looked up at me, I noticed his eyes were wet. “When Connor called me that day…” Eli looked away, and a tear hit his cheek. I scooted closer to my friend and pulled him to me. There was no hesitation on his part.

“Oh, Eli…my best bud. I had no idea how hard this was on you,” I said as I put our foreheads together. He gave a gentle sniff and leaned back.

He let out a stifled chuckle and replied, “Yeah, I had to keep it together for you guys. Dealing with decisions, your life decisions, was a lot. I mean, I was honored to do it, but keeping my emotions in check was hard.” He scrubbed his face to wipe the tears away, and it made my throat tight.

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