Page 112 of Small Town Sizzle

“You’re coming home with us,” Mrs. Greene says as she rubs Maya’s back. “We’ll get the rooms made up. You can stay with us as long as you need to.”

An hour later, I stand in the doorway of her parents’ house, watching as she gets Jazlyn and Alex settled inside. Her mom hovers, fretting over them like she’s been waiting for this moment to wrap them in a bubble of safety. Her dad comes up beside me, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes soft but knowing.

“You’re not happy about this,” he says quietly.

I shake my head, glancing back at the car.

“No, I’m not. I want them to stay with me. I can protect them. I can keep them safe.”

He nods, his lips pressing into a thin line. “I can see that. I can see how badly you want to keep her safe, keep all of them safe. Protect her, keep her in your line of sight at all times.” Hepauses, his hand resting heavily on my shoulder. “And man, do I appreciate that. More than you know. But I also know Maya. She’s going to need time to process everything that’s happened. Time to sort it out in her head and her heart. You can’t rush her.”

“I’m not rushing her,” I say, my jaw tightening. “I just… I don’t like not being there. What if something happens?”

He squeezes my shoulder, a quiet strength in his grip. “Nothing’s going to happen here, Garrett. Not while she’s with us. Give her the space she needs, but don’t quit on her, okay? She’ll come back around when she’s ready.”

I swallow hard, my chest tight. “I’ll never quit on her or my son,” I say firmly. “Because I love her. I love her, Mr. Greene.”

He looks at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable, and then he nods, patting me on the back. “Good. That’s all I needed to hear. Give Maya the space she needs, but you can be there for Alex. That kid needs his dad right now.”

Maya comes back outside, and I can see the hesitation in her eyes as she looks at me. She starts to say something, but her dad steps forward, pulling her into a hug and murmuring something I can’t hear. Then they’re all heading inside, and the door closes behind them.

I stand there for a minute, staring at the closed door, fighting the urge to knock and tell her I can’t just leave her here. But I know her dad is right. Maya needs time. So, I force myself to get back in my car and drive away, even though everything in me is screaming to stay.

The weeks that follow are some of the longest of my life. I reach out to Maya almost every day—calls, texts, anything to let her know I’m thinking about her and that I’m here when she’s ready.But the silence is deafening, and the ache in my chest grows heavier with each unanswered message.

I throw myself into work, trying to keep my mind busy, but it’s not enough to drown out the worry. Jazlyn and Alex are back to their normal activities, and George is home from the vet, running around like a puppy again.

But Maya… she’s on a leave of absence from her job, staying hidden away at her parents’ house. Laura tells me she’s okay, that she’s healing in her own way, but it doesn’t feel okay. Not when I can’t see her, can’t talk to her.

I stand near the fence line one night after a football game. Mason and Alex are down there, greeting their family and friends like they always do.

“You have to show up for him, regardless of how he reacts. You have to keep showing up,”Ethan had said to me.

He’s right. I don’t expect Alex to welcome me with open arms, but I do have to prove to him that I’m for real, much like I’ve had to do for his aunt.

When I walk up to the two of them, they both pause. Mason’s eyes dart to Alex’s, and Alex nods at me.

“Hey, Alex,” I greet him. “Can we grab dinner?”

“No thanks, I need to get home to Aunt Maya and Jaz.”

“How are they?”

“They’re good, I guess.” He shrugs and starts to turn away. Instead, he stops and looks me directly in the eye. “I see how you take care of her. I’m grateful for that.”

“I love her.”

He nods once. “I know.”

“How are you?”

“I’m good. Aunt Maya has always been the constant in my life. She’s always taken care of me, even before Mom died, she…she stepped up for me in ways I can’t even begin to show gratitude for. I…I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“I’ll never intentionally hurt her. You’re a good kid, Alex. I’m proud of you for taking care of them the way that you do. If…if you need anything or…just know that I’m a phone call away.”

He nods again, claps me on the back before he walks away. Mason waves at me, and then the two of them disappear toward the parking lot.

I’ll show up at every football game, at every school function, and whatever else Alex is a part of until I can prove that I’m here to stay for him. I will show up in every way possible, since I couldn’t before. I don’t expect this to be easy, but I’m not giving up.

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