Page 48 of Love in Riverbend
“I care about you, Dax. Don’t give up your life and dreams because of one mistake. Take responsibility and move on.”
I see the pictures I chose not to return to the box and smile.
“The only mistakes I made were not knowing about Molly and not coming back to Riverbend as I promised. Now that I do know, I plan on rectifying both.”
“Don’t be rash, son. It sounds like the girl is handling the situation. That’s her choice.”
“The girl is Kandace, and she is a woman. From now on, use her name. And you know what?” I ask rhetorically. “She has handled our daughter and the store too. She’s pretty fucking strong and amazing.” I grin. “I can’t predict the future, but I know a few things: I will be part of Molly’s life, and if she’ll let me, a part of Kandace’s too.”
“What about Quintessential Treasures?” he asks.
“I already told Kandace that I’ll sign the papers.”
“Think like an attorney, not a heartsick teenager.”
“Thanks for the advice, Dad. I’m not a teenager, and as for my heart, I think Kandace has owned it for as long as I can recall. I’m hanging up now. Enjoy sunny Florida. Bye.”
Staring up at the ceiling in the bedroom, I contemplate my father’s concerns. As per usual, his approach and delivery sucks, but what he said makes me think. It’s a four- to five-hour drive from my place in Chicago to here, depending on traffic. As I drift to sleep, I wonder about buying a house so I can have a place to stay when I’m here.
I’m almost asleep when the realization hits.
I’ll buy this house.
My alarm goes off before sunrise. As I move, every muscle in my body aches. Splashing cool water on my face, I stare into the mirror above the vanity. From only one day of working in the fields, my cheeks are red. Turning my hands over, I stretch out my fingers and see the blisters.
My father would think I’m crazy, but I’m more energized to spend the day walking behind a trailer and throwing bales of hay than I am to make multi-million-dollar deals. I can’t describe it, but there is something real in Riverbend that doesn’t exist in Chicago. Or maybe I haven’t found it there because since I was young, I knew it was here.
Roots.
Stopping at the convenience store, I grab a cup of hot coffee and head toward Ricky’s place as the sun begins to rise. The horizon glows with reds and purples above the green trees as the sun turns the sky to a pale blue—the color of Kandace’s eyes.
“You came back,” Ricky says as I get out of my car. The Porsche looks out of place, parked beside a line of trucks near his barn.
I look down at my hands. “I did. Do you have some gloves?”
Ricky grins. “Getting soft, Richards.”
We turn to the sound of voices coming from the barn. Mick and Justin Sheers are talking until Justin’s eyes land on me.
“The fuck?” he mumbles.
I knew this confrontation would happen. That doesn’t mean I was expecting it today before the sun is fully up. I walk toward Kandace’s brother. “I know why you’re upset. I didn’t know until the other day.”
I shuffle backward as Justin’s fist contacts my jaw. Before he can throw another punch, Mick and Ricky are on him.
With his arms restrained, he growls, “Stay the fuck away from them. Kandace doesn’t want you, and Molly doesn’t need you.”
Rubbing my jaw, I lift my hands. “I’m not fighting you, Sheers. Kandace can make her own decisions. She doesn’t need you to do that for her.”
“What are you going to do? Ride in here in your expensive car, declare that you’re Father of the Year, and leave? Great plan. This time you can leave Kandace and Molly both in tears. Don’t worry about it. They have all of us here to help them pick up the pieces—again.”
“Justin, man,” Mick says as he pats Sheers’s shoulder, “let Dax and Kandace work this out.”
Sheers glares at me and at Mick.
“Who’s ready to work?” Ricky asks.
With my jaw still aching, I nod along with everyone else.
