Page 41 of The Uncomplicated Café
She sat up straighter when Sam and Max strolled into the sitting room.
“When’s your bedtime around here?” Sam asked Max. “And don’t try to pull a fast one.” He ruffled Max’s hair in a surprisingly playful manner.
In such a short amount of time, Mystery Man had come alive, transforming into a completely different person—a happier, more vibrant one. He still didn’t remember everything about his past, but he clung to his connection with Max like a lifeline, as if memories of his son were all he needed to feel whole again.
She couldn’t imagine what he’d been through, how much he’d lost, how much he still needed to regain. She deeply regretted that she’d let her own sadness cloud her compassion for a man who deserved every ounce she had to give.
“It’s already past our normal bedtime, but tonight seemed like a worthy exception,” she told Sam with a smile. “Ready, Max?” She stood, eager to start their evening routine. While she and Logan usually took turns at bedtime, she’d asked for the honors tonight. She couldn’t wait to pick up where they’d left off inThe Chronicles of Narnia, tuck Max in, and savor her most coveted time together, nightly prayers.
Max looked up at Sam. “Can you read with me tonight?”
“Of course. What are we reading?”
“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. You’ll like it, Dad. Prince Caspian is a sailor, like you.”
“Great. Lead the way.”
Max gave his dad more backstory on the characters as he led him down the hallway toward his room.
Abby watched them go, fighting back tears, determined not to give in to her disappointment.
“Are you okay?” Logan asked gently.
“Yes,” she lied, willing the words to be true. “It’s important they have this time together.” Itwasimportant. Sam was Max’s father. Bedtime stories, nightly prayers, kissing Max’s forehead before turning off the light—all parental privileges that belonged to Sam, not her. Why was it so hard for her to remember that?
“Want to watch a movie?” She tried to sound chipper as she collapsed back onto the couch beside Logan.
“Abs,” Logan said softly, pulling her close again. “It’s okay to not be okay. This is hard.”
“So hard,” she admitted in a hoarse whisper. “And I wish it weren’t. I want to be happy. This is what’s best for Max. It’s a miracle. And I’m grateful for what God has done for both Sam and Max. But also—” Her voice cracked. She gathered a shallow breath, her lungs struggling to expand against the heavy pressure building in her chest. “I thought God brought Max to me—tous. I was so sure, Logan. All the signs. The way He orchestrated events, bringing us all together. I thought He wanted us to be a family.” Tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to release. She blinked up at the ceiling.
“I believed that, too. I still do. Just maybe the family portrait is supposed to look a little different than we thought.”
“What do you mean?” She shifted slightly so she could see his face in the glow of the floor lamp.
“Things are going to change. We can’t deny that. But we’re still Max’s family. Maybe not in the way we’d planned, but we can still be a part of his life. What if—” He hesitated, his browfurrowing as he measured his words. “What if we asked them to stay here?”
“Here? At the inn?” They only had three rooms to rent to guests. The inn was their livelihood. She didn’t see how they could make that work.
“In the bungalow. I assume I’ll be moving into your room with you after the wedding,” he teased.
She blushed, recalling the countless times she’d daydreamed about sharing her intimate space with him.
“I know the bungalow is small,” he continued. “But it’s not much smaller than where they lived before. We could help Sam find a job here, if he doesn’t want to go back to fishing. And Max wouldn’t have to move.”
For the first time all day, the burden around her heart lifted. She beamed up at him. “You know, you can be quite brilliant sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” he cried in mock offense.
“Well, you’re a very intelligent man, in general. But in some cases, like this one, and when you picked me to be your wife, you’re extra brilliant.”
“I’m having another genius idea right now.” His eyes twinkled as they fell to her lips.
“That’s funny. Me, too.” She tilted her chin. “Great minds think alike.”
A throat cleared. “Sorry to interrupt.” Sam hovered awkwardly in the hallway. “Abby, Max asked if you’d go in to pray with him.”
“O-of course!” she stammered, simultaneously stunned and overjoyed.Max wanted her to do bedtime prayers!
