Page 46 of The Great Maple Mistake

“That’s not exactly farming, but it is a reason to spend time on one.”

Alex shrugs. “He’ll get a chance to see how the farm operates from an adult perspective. There’s a good chance he’ll decide it’s nothing like the rosy picture he has in his head from when we were little.”

“What about his current job?” Fall isn’t peak construction time, so maybe that won’t be an issue.

“His boss isn’t thrilled, but it’s only for a few weeks, and things slow down in the fall, so he agreed to give Luke time off.” Alex gets quiet and chews at his lower lip. “I hope he doesn’t decide to stay out there.” He turns his soft, sad eyes to me. “I’d miss him.”

“Aww, baby.” I let go of his hand and wrap my arm around his shoulders, pulling him against me. “If that’s where Luke’s meant to be, we can’t hold him back. I mean, I never saw myself moving to Maplewood, but here I am.”

Alex briefly leans his head on my shoulder. “I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really sorry about your parents.”

I kiss his head. “Thank you. You know, I miss them. Of course I do. And some days it’s worse than others.” I squeeze him again. “I wish you could have met them. They’d have loved you. And you’d have loved them.” Alex gives me a gentle smile, but there’sreally not much to say to something like that. God, way to bring down the mood, Cody. “Anyway, hopefully you’ll get to meet my best friend, Josh at some point.”

“Oh, I’d like that.” Alex leans into me. “You must miss him.”

I nod. “Yeah, but we were already drifting apart before I moved here. He’s married and has a baby. His priorities are different now. Not that I think they shouldn’t be. If I had a partner and a baby, I’d be spending all my time with them too. So I’m not blaming him. But yeah. We were headed in different directions. Plus, he’s moved closer to his in-laws, which put actual distance between us.” I shrug. “And I certainly can’t blame him for that. It’s why I moved to Maplewood. To be near Aunt Viv.”

Alex glances at me, worry clear in the way his brows are drawn. “Do you think you’ll stay?”

The question shocks me. “What? Here in Maplewood?” Alex nods. “Definitely.” He doesn’t look like he believes me. “Alex, I moved here with every intention of making Maplewood my home. I have a job I love, with a great group of people. Everyone in the community has welcomed me with open arms, and this small-town living is really growing on me. I like knowing my neighbors and getting involved in community activities. It’s pretty wonderful. Plus, I have Aunt Viv. She’s my last living relative, and family is important.” I lean in and kiss him. “I love it here, and I can see myself falling more in love as time goes on.” My stomach swoops, and I hope he gets that I’m not just talking about Maplewood. Because more than falling in love with this town, I’m falling in love with him. “I’m not going anywhere, babe.” Then my stomach sinks. Maybe he’s asking because he plans to leave Maplewood and is trying to see if I’m up for possibly relocating. “What about you? Are you thinking about leaving Maplewood?”

Alex shakes his head so fast I’m worried he’s going to throw his neck out. “Never.”

He says it with complete conviction. “Really? You’re that sure?”

“Absolutely. There’s no doubt in my mind that I will live here my entire life.”

“Not that I don’t understand the appeal—I just told you why I’m staying—but it sounds like there’s a story there.”

Alex nods and takes my hand again. “When I was little—I mean really little, like maybe six years old—I knew I was different. I hated dresses. I never wanted to play with baby dolls or Barbies. I wanted to dig in the dirt and play Matchbox cars and help Dad fix things around the house. At the time, I hadn’t realized that boys weren’t supposed to play with baby dolls or Barbies, and girls shouldn’t use tools and play with cars. Thankfully, my parents didn’t care about any of that. They bought Luke and me all kinds of toys, regardless of gender. But I gravitated to the typical boy stuff. I felt more comfortable in jeans or shorts and T-shirts. I guess I knew on some level what was supposed to be ‘girl’stuff.” He puts an emphasis on girl, and makes air quotes. “I just felt moremewhen I dressed more like a boy and did typical boy things. When teachers or other kids’ parents would ask me things like if I wanted to be a mommy when I grew up, I knew that wasn’t right. I was supposed to be the daddy, not the mommy. It’s like I never saw myself as anything but a boy. Ever. And being only six, I told them that, not knowing it might cause problems.”

Just thinking about people causing issues for Alex makes me angry. But it was a long time ago, and it’s not happening now, so I need to calm down. “Shit. What did your parents do?”

“They were amazing. They never forced me to wear anything I wasn’t comfortable in. They bought Luke and me the sorts of toys we wanted to play with, regardless of the marketing. Theynever focused on gender in any circumstance. At least that’s how it felt to me. But I think they were actually paying a lot of attention to it, if only so they could be there for me as I figured things out. But they let me lead and went at my pace.”

I squeeze his hand. “That sounds amazing.”

“It was.” Alex sighs. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for them. Or Luke. But none of them ever made me feel bad for being who I am. I was seven when I told them I was a boy, and they never contradicted me. Not once. They never slipped or misgendered me, and they corrected everyone else immediately. They let the school know, the pediatrician, everyone. I was already going by Alex, so that never changed. And you know what?”

“Tell me.” I lift his hand and place a kiss against his knuckles.

He turns to me and stops, so I do too. “This town.” His eyes get a little glassy, and his lip trembles, but he smiles. “This wonderful, beautiful town full of so many amazing people, accepted it all and just went with it. I never felt othered. I never felt like a freak or all the other things so many young trans kids face. I never felt random hatred from people who didn’t even know me. No one tried to convince me I wasn’t a boy or that it was a phase I’d grow out of. They believed that I knew myself and thatIknew best. This freaking beautiful town supported me every damned step of the way.”

A tear slips down his cheek, and I reach out and wipe it away. He smiles up at me, and I can see the conviction in his gaze. “I will never find this kind of support anywhere else. In fact, if I leave Maplewood, I’ll have to deal with hatred from strangers, and worry every day what will happen if someone clocks that I’m trans. Will they attack me? Will it be verbal or physical? Should I come out to a prospective employer so they know what to expect if someone outs me at work? Will they let me use the men’s room? Will I be fired for being trans, if I don’t tell them and they find out? Will I be able to rent an apartment, or will the landlordsay no? Or will they rent to me, but charge me more because I could be trouble? Absolutelyno thank you. I am beyond happy to stay in Maplewood, where people know who I am and accept me for exactly who that is.”

“Oh, baby.” I wrap my arms around him and hold him so damned tight. “How could I ever leave a town that treats my boyfriend with so much respect?” I kiss his head and rest my cheek against his temple. “Guess Maplewood’s stuck with the both of us.”

Chapter 18

Alex

August - Weekend of the cook-off

Friday morning

Why did I think I could pull off a festival with this many moving parts? What was I even thinking?

“Alex, where do you want the judges’ table?”

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