Page 90 of Say You Remember Me
“I missed you too, Mom,” he said, his voice muffled against my shoulder.
Jaxon had followed Grant over, standing a few feet away now with his hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts. His blond hair caught the fluorescent light, and his brown eyes held a touch of tentativeness.
There had been a time when I couldn’t look at him without feeling that magnetic pull—his looks had been so striking to my sixteen-year-old self, his charm intoxicating. But now? Now, he was just Jaxon, the father of my child. That spark, the one that had once burned so brightly, was gone.
“Hey, Mads,” he said carefully, his voice low. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m okay.” I smoothed Grant’s hair and stood, tucking him against my side. “My dad’s doing a lot better now, and the doctors think he’ll be fine.”
“That’s good news.” Jaxon nodded, his expression softening slightly. “I was worried when you called.”
“Yeah, it’s been an intense day,” I admitted. “Thanks for bringing Grant, though. My dad is going to be so happy to see him.”
“It’s no problem.” His gaze flicked around the waiting room briefly before settling back on me. “Glad I could do it.”
For a moment, we both seemed unsure of what to say. The weight of our shared history hung between us, a presence that was always there.
I cleared my throat. “Do you want to see my dad? He’s just resting now, but I’m sure he’d be okay with a quick hello.”
But Jaxon shook his head. “If he’s resting, I don’t want to bother him. Just tell him I stopped by.”
“Okay.” I nodded, knowing it was probably for the best. My dad wasn’t exactly Jaxon’s biggest fan after everything he’d put me through. “He’ll appreciate it.”
“Okay.” He hesitated for a beat, then stepped forward, his movements slower than usual, as if he were unsure. Wrapping his arms around me, he murmured, “You’re doing a great job, Maddie. With Grant, with everything. I hope you know that.”
His words caught me off guard—they were soft and unexpected, carrying a weight that felt like a glimpse of regret for what we’d lost, for what he’d walked away from.
But as his arms tightened briefly around me, I realized something I hadn’t before. His embrace felt different now—foreign, distant. When he let go, I was struck by the stark truth: Ididn’t feel anything anymore for the man I’d once thought might be the love of my life.
That chapter of my life, the one where Jaxon had been everything, was truly closed. And for the first time, I was okay with that.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay?” Jaxon stepped back, his expression somber but kind. “I can take Grant tonight if you need more time here.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, glancing down at Grant who was now playing with the zipper on my purse. “I think having him with me will be good. He’s kind of my home now.”
“Yeah.” Jaxon’s lips twitched into a faint, sad smile. “He’s the best.”
He reached out to ruffle Grant’s hair, earning a laugh from him, before saying goodbye.
As I watched him leave, I felt a bittersweet mix of emotions. Gratitude that he’d stepped up for Grant, sadness for what we’d lost, and relief at the realization that I really was no longer tethered to the complicated feelings I once had for him.
Some people come into your life for a season, a chapter, I thought. And while Jaxon had been a huge part of my life once, now he was simply the man I shared a son with.
But that was okay. Life was like that sometimes. You lived, you learned, and if you were lucky, you came out stronger on the other side.
32
IAN
“Let’s try ‘party’next,” Grant’s voice said from across the room where he was perched next to Maddie’s brother, Easton, deeply invested in the game of Wordle they were playing together.
“You think that’s it?” Easton asked, smiling at Maddie’s son, his adoration for his nephew apparent in his eyes. “Because we try it every time and it’s never right.”
“It might work this time, though…” Grant looked up at his uncle. “Just do it.”
“Okay…” Easton shrugged before making a big show of typing in the letters. And he must have pressed theenterbutton because a moment later, Grant’s shoulders fell and he said, “Dang it.”
Maddie’s smile lit her face at her son’s investment in the game, and I liked seeing it. She needed this moment—this reprieve with her family—after the emotional rollercoaster she’d been through.
