Page 96 of One Little Mistake

Max is sitting on the bench outside, cradling Tim in his arms, bottle-feeding him with practiced ease. He’s softly telling him something—words I can’t hear, but I feel their warmth. Ollie, our dog, circles them excitedly, tail wagging, nudging for attention too.

Tim looks so tiny in his arms. Fragile. Precious.

I never thought something so simple could hit me this deep.

“See?” my grandma says, appearing beside me. “Didn’t I tell you? That’s not just kindness, sweetheart. He loves you. And that child.”

I nod slowly, tears still spilling down my cheeks.

“I really hope so,” I whisper.

“He’s been with the baby since early morning,” Grandma says with a smile. “Told me not to wake you. Good man, that one. Just what you need.”

“Yeah...” I murmur, still completely captivated by Max, unable to tear my eyes away from him.

“Go on, join him. I baked some pastries and made soup—we’ll say you cooked it. Oh, and I opened a jar of jam—let’s say you made that too.”

“Grandma!” I shake my head, trying not to laugh.

“What? You’re a great little homemaker!”

“You might as well bring out that scarf I knitted like seven years ago and tell him I made it yesterday.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea! I think it’s still in the closet. I’ll go look for it.”

“I was joking, Grandma,” I laugh after her as she shuffles off—and yet, despite the chaos in my chest, I finally make up my mind to step outside. To face him. To meet Max’s eyes for the first time since last night.

CHAPTER 35

Erin

It feels like I’ve stepped into a parallel universe—or maybe I’m just dreaming the most beautiful dream in the world. Max and I fall asleep and wake up together. I move around the kitchen while he works in the yard—fixing the fence, hauling stones to the backyard, trimming trees. Sometimes he just lies in the hammock with Tim napping on his chest. We’ve gone out to the river a few times for small picnics, kissed, laughed, and simply enjoyed each other. I feel happy. Truly happy, for the first time in years. And Max doesn’t even need to do anything to make it happen. He just has to be here, like he is now.

But I’m scared. Scared that one morning, I’ll open my eyes and he’ll be gone. I’m falling for him—hard—and it terrifies me. We haven’t known each other that long. I’ve been hurt before. And love, in its rawest form, is dependence. And breaking free from that? Nearly impossible. Max hasn’t given me a single reason to doubt him, and yet... Life has taught me that nothing this good lasts. Let your guard down for one second—and it all crumbles.

And, of course, I was right.

A week later, I wake up to find his truck no longer parked in the yard but out on the driveway near the gate. Max is dressed and on the phone, pacing.

I rush outside in my slippers, trying to catch a few words of his conversation—but I can’t make anything out. He sees me and quickly wraps up the call.

“You’re up?” he says, stepping toward me and pulling me into his arms. He kisses me—but all I want to do is scream. To grab onto him and not let go.

“You’re leaving?” I ask in a hoarse whisper, avoiding his eyes.

“Got a call from the company. They need a few documents I left back at my place.”

“What? You’re going back out to sea?” My eyes widen in shock as I stare at him.

“Calm down, Erin. It’s just an interview. They might not even have an opening.” He cups my face gently, forcing me to meet his gaze. His thumb brushes across my cheek, but it doesn’t comfort me this time. Not at all.

“Do you want me to bring you anything from the city?” he asks, like this is just a quick errand.

“No, just come back soon, okay? Or... maybe I’ll go with you? Let me just change and grab Tim,” I blurt out and instinctively turn toward the house, but Max stops me before I take a single step.

“I promise, I’ll be back by tonight,” he says, kissing me one last time before hurrying toward his truck—leaving me in the middle of the yard, wrapped in a shawl and shivering from the early morning chill. I watch his back with growing unease. Please, let nothing happen to him.

All day, a strange feeling won’t let me go. But what am I even worrying about? Max texts me regularly, lets me know he made it to the city, and eventually messages that he’ll be off the grid for a bit while at the crewing company.

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