“I don’t know, but we’ll find him, baby. Don’t worry.” Chase knew it was crazy to tell her not to worry while inside he was terrified. “Maybe Brady or my mom have heard from him.” Both gave Nick their contact information at brunch, so while Chase knew it was a long-shot, it was the only shot he had.
Shay closed the front door as she watched him dial his brother’s number.
It took only a few words to eliminate that option and Chase could tell the fear was getting the best of Shay.
“He hasn’t heard from him?” she asked, running a hand through her hair as her eyes filled with tears.
“No, but I’ll try my mom. Maybe she has.” They had hit it off, so Chase was still holding out hope that she would be the person he turned to, since he didn’t know another soul in town.
Shay paced back and forth in the living room while Chase’s mother told him that she hadn’t seen or heard from Nick either, but promised to let them know if she did.
“I can’t believe this,” Shay said, sinking down on the couch. “How did this even happen?”
“He asked if he could spend the summer here, with us, and—”
“Wait. What?” Shay raised her hand. “And what did you tell him?”
“I…” Chase replayed the conversation in his head, realizing how bad the truth would sound if he relayed the conversation to Shay verbatim. “I asked him why he didn’t want to go to the cabin with his mom and step-dad. I told him it could be fun.”
She narrowed her eyes, as though she suspected he wasn’t telling her everything. “And?”
“And he blew up. He said no one wanted him, that no one had ever wanted him. And when I told him I had to make a call, he accused me of walking away, like I always do.”
“I don’t believe this,” Shay said, dropping her head in her hands. “Why didn’t you just tell him that you’d talk to me about it? If you didn’t want him, he could have come to stay with me! Now he’s out there somewhere by himself, thinking we’ve abandoned him all over again! What is wrong with you?”
Chase reminded himself that Shay was just upset, that she didn’t really blame him for Nick running away. Did she? Maybe she was right. Maybe this whole thing was his fault.
He sat down next to her, feeling like someone gut-punched him when he tried to reach for her hand and she pulled back. “Look, there’s no sense fighting about this now. We have to concentrate on finding Nick.”
“If you weren’t ready to be a father, why reach out to him at all?”
“What?” Chase couldn’t believe she would even think that. Of course he would want to be a father to Nick, given the chance.
“You knew he’d lost his dad. You had to know he’d be feeling lost and vulnerable. I thought when you reached out to him it was because you were finally ready to be the father he deserved.”
“I am.”
“Then why did you reject him like that again?” She sniffled, brushing away the tears slipping down her cheeks. “How could you do that? Do you know how hard it must have been for him to ask whether he could stay with us this summer, and for you to react like he was wrong to ask—”
“I didn’t imply he was wrong to ask!” Chase knew this wasn’t getting them anywhere, but he had to defend himself when he felt he was being attacked by the woman who claimed to love him. “But you forget one thing, Shay. We’re not his parents. Not legally. We have no right to make any decisions where he’s concerned, without checking with his mom first.”
“His mom,” she said, jumping up. “Have you called her?”
“No, I wanted to check in with everyone I could think of here first.” He raked a hand through his hair, setting his cell phone down on the coffee table. “What’s she going to think? Our first weekend visit with us and he runs away.”
“I don’t care what she thinks right now, I only care about making sure he’s safe. Maybe he called her and asked her to pick him up.” Shay was pacing the room when she pointed to the phone. “Call her!”
Chase’s hand was shaking as he dialed the number. She picked up after the third ring and he forced himself to take a deep breath before he said, “Mrs. Martin, this is Chase Wright.”
“Is everything okay?” she asked, sounding alarmed. “Nick isn’t giving you a hard time, is he?”
Oh no, then she hasn’t heard from him either. “Um, no. Everything’s fine.” Chase held up a hand when Shay frowned at him, asking her to give him a minute. He had a tough decision to make. Worry another woman half to death or try to fix this mess himself?
“Nick mentioned something about you guys going away this summer, to your husband’s cabin?”
“Yes.” She sighed. “I’m afraid Nick’s not too happy about it.”
“I know, he asked if it would be okay if he stayed here with us this summer.”
“He did? Oh my. I didn’t expect him to do that. What did you say?”
“I kind of put him off. I wanted to talk to you first, find out whether you’d consider letting him do that.”
“I know you’re his parents and all, but…”
Chase knew he should argue that so far he’d been little more than a sperm donor, but he wanted a chance to rectify that. “I wouldn’t ask unless I was sure it could be a good experience for him. He could stay with either me or Shay and I could give him a job working for me. It would give us all a chance to get to know each other better.”
“Well, I was considering the possibility of leaving him with my parents while we were gone, since he was so opposed to coming with us. I suppose leaving him with you wouldn’t be that different.”
“We could plan to check in with you once a week, or as often as you want, to give you an update on how he’s doing. And of course we’d encourage him to call you. I could even bring him up to the cabin to spend a few days with you mid-summer, if that would make you feel better about it?”
She laughed. “That’s not necessary. I know he doesn’t want to be here. He’s made that clear.”
Chase wasn’t looking forward to broaching this delicate subject and he questioned whether he should over the phone, but he had to put this matter to rest once and for all. “Mrs. Martin, I hope you won’t be offended that I brought this up, but Nick mentioned the fact that he’s been feeling…” He searched for the right words, not wanting to put her on the defensive. “Like maybe he’s been in the way since you re-married.”
“I know.” She sighed. “He’s said that to me before. We argue more than we ever did when his dad was alive. My husband really likes Nick and they seem to get along well enough. I mean, there’s no animosity between them or anything like that. I guess it’s just hard. After all, he’s not the man who raised him, so they don’t have that bond.”
“Of course.” Chase wanted to make their intentions clear without making Nick’s mom feel like they were trying to take him away from her. “I just want you to know that we think you’ve done an amazing job with him. He’s a great kid. But anything we can do to help, we want to.” Chase thought of his argument with Nick that day. “I haven’t had much to do with teens, but I’m guessing they can be a bit of a challenge.”
She sounded slightly weary when she said, “You have no idea. You know, I’m turning fifty this year, which isn’t old, I know. But sometimes I feel like I’m eighty, especially when Nick and I get into it.”
“I can imagine. And I just want you to know that we’re here, if you ever need us. If you feel like you just need a little break, or some time for both of you to gain some perspective, or maybe even just a second-opinion, we’re only a phone call away.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Um, there’s one other thing. Would you be okay with me setting up a college fund for Nick?”
She released a long slow breath. “You’d be willing to do that?”
“I’d be honoured. I know how hard it can be to finance college, especially if kids aren’t eligible for scholarships. The last thing I’d want is for him, or you, to amass d
ebt. Especially when it’s not necessary.”
“That’s very generous of you. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do.” The very least. “And if there’s anything else I can do, anything he might need, please let me know.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So, if you’re okay with him spending the summer with us, I’ll give him the good news?” Just as soon as I can find him.
“I’m sure that would make him very happy.” She paused. “And that’s all I want for him, to be happy. If developing a relationship with you and Shay would fill a void in his life, I’m all for it.”
“Thank you.” Chase knew how lucky he was that the woman who’d adopted their son was kind and generous enough to share him with them all these years later, when they were finally fit to be the kind of role models he needed. “I’ll have him home late tomorrow afternoon, if that’s okay?”
Chase didn’t even want to think about the possibility that they may not be able to find him by then.
“That sounds great. Thanks for calling.”
“My pleasure. Thank you for giving us a chance to spend more time with him this summer.”
Shay’s jaw dropped when he disconnected the call. “Chase, how could you not have told her that Nick’s missing? She deserves to know that.”
“I still don’t think he’s missing. You know how many times I wandered off at his age, after getting into it with my folks? You did the same. I’m sure he just needed some time by himself. In the meantime, I’ll start scouring the streets. If I can’t find him, I’ll pass by the police station. You should stay here, in case he shows up.”
“Okay.”
She walked him to the door, but didn’t try to hug or kiss him, so Chase wasn’t sure if she was still angry with him, and he knew it wasn’t the time to ask.
“Good luck.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find him.”
Nick was sitting on the dock at Brady’s inn when his uncle made his way down to meet him. Brady seemed like a cool guy, and since he had no money and nowhere else to go, he came back to the only place he knew in town, hoping Brady would help him get back home.
“Hey.” Brady sat down beside him on the end of the dock, their feet hanging just above the surface of the water.
“I hear you and your old man got into it.”
“He’s not my father. He’s just…” A deadbeat loser. But he couldn’t insult Chase’s brother if he expected to borrow some coin or hitch a ride from him. “Some guy.”
“Hmmm.” Brady slipped his sunglasses in place. “He’s a pretty good guy, you know. For the record.”
“Maybe to you, you’re his brother.”
“And you’re his son.” Brady raised a hand before Nick could argue. “I know it doesn’t feel that way, nor should it. You barely know him. But I know that’s the kind of relationship he wants with you, a real father-son connection.”
Nick bit his lip, trying to keep a lid on his emotions All he’d ever wanted was for the almighty Chase Wright, business icon, to deem him worthy of his time and attention. “He should have thought of that before he sent me away again.”
“You want to tell me what happened?”
“You already know, don’t you?” Chase had obviously called his brother whenever he figured out that Nick took off.
“He didn’t go into specifics with me. Why don’t you tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”
It sure couldn’t hurt any more than it already did. “You know what it feels like to lose someone you love?”
“Yeah,” Brady said, clearing his throat. “My dad was my idol. I still think about him every day.”
Nick nodded. “My dad and I probably weren’t as close as you were with your dad, but it still hurt to lose him.”
“I bet it did.”
“And then everything started changing all at once. We moved back to Brockville. I had to start a new school, make new friends. All in the same year I lost my dad. It was brutal.”
“I’m sure it was. But you had to know your mom was only doing what she thought was best for both of you. I’m sure she was hurting too.”
“Yeah, I know she was.” She tried not to cry in front of Nick, but in the tiny house they shared, it wasn’t hard to hear her crying through the paper-thin bedroom walls at night. “I thought things were finally going good for us. But then she met my step-dad and—”
“Everything changed again.”
“Yeah.” Nick smoothed his thumb over a protruding screw in the dock. “I know it sounds selfish, but if she wanted to get re-married why couldn’t she wait ‘til I went off to college?”
Brady chuckled. “You can’t always decide when you’ll fall in love, buddy. Sometimes it just happens when you least expect it. Maybe that’s what happened with your mom. She wasn’t looking for it, but it found her.”
“Maybe.” Nick shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. He’s in our lives and he’s not going anywhere.”
“Would you want him to?”
Nick considered whether he would want it to be just the two of them again. “No,” he said, finally. “He makes her happy and she deserves that.”
“From everything I’ve heard about her, your mom is a great lady.”
Nick nodded. “Yeah, she is.”
“But?”
“I don’t know.” He felt guilty for even thinking it, much less saying it out loud. “It might be kind of cool to live here with Shay and Chase. Not that it’d ever happen. They don’t want me around.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I asked Chase if I could spend the summer with them and I could tell he wasn’t into it.”
“He told you that?” Brady asked, sounding surprised.
“Not exactly, but he didn’t have to. I could tell he wasn’t exactly stoked about the idea.”
“Chase is one of those guys who keeps his feelings under wraps, kid. It’s not easy to read his mind, even when you know him as well as I do. It could be you read him wrong. Maybe if you give him a chance to explain…”
Nick turned around at the sound of gravel crunching beneath tires. “I can’t believe you ratted me out, man. I thought you were cool.”
“I am cool.” Brady put Nick in a head-lock, making him laugh as he gave him a noogie. “That’s why I’m forcing you two to hash this out, because I care about both of you.”
Chase walked slowly towards the dock, his keys fisted in his hand. He nodded at Brady as they passed each other. “Hey.”
Nick looked away, pretending to watch two fisherman in a small aluminum boat wrangle a smallmouth fifty feet away.
“I’m glad I finally found you. I was worried.” Chase claimed his brother’s spot, hanging his head. “You gonna go on giving me the silent treatment or you think we can talk about this?”
Nick had already stated his feelings. He didn’t think there was anything left to say.
“I’m sorry I didn’t react the way you wanted me to when you asked if you could spend the summer with us.” Chase threaded his hands, looking down. “It’s not that I didn’t want you to. I did. But I had to talk to your mom and Shay about it before I told you it was okay.”
Nick glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or just trying to cover his butt because he’d ticked off his girlfriend. Assuming she knew or cared that Nick had bailed.
“You talked to my mom?”
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with her before Brady texted to let me know you were here.”
“Did you tell her that we got into it?”
“No, I wanted to talk to you first, see if we could work this out.”
Nick didn’t know what to expect, so he held his breath waiting for Chase to say something. When he couldn’t stand the sound of the birds chirping any longer, he said, “And…?”
“Your mom’s okay with you spending the summer with us.”
“She is?” Nick didn’t kno
w whether to be hurt or relieved. It confirmed his suspicion that she didn’t want him around, but he wasn’t sure Chase and Shay did either. So where did that leave him?
“Yeah, but I don’t think it was easy for her. She’s gonna miss you, you know.”
“Maybe,” he said, shrugging. “But I doubt it.”
Chase pushed his glasses back on his head, glaring at Nick. “Let’s get something straight, Nick. We may not have been mature enough to raise you, and I’m sorry about that. Believe me, you’ll never know how sorry. But your mom was there for you when we couldn’t be, and we all owe her a debt of gratitude for that.”
“I know, but—”
“I’m not done.”
Nick swallowed, wondering what it would be like to be the guy who’d crossed Chase Wright. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“From everything I’ve seen, she’s a good woman. Can you tell me I’m wrong?”
“No, but—”
“She was there for you when you were growing up, when your dad died. And I’m sure she was going through her own personal issues, but that didn’t prevent her from supporting you, did it?”
“No, sir.” Nick suddenly felt like he was talking to his school principal, not the guy who gave him up for adoption.
“And when she met your step-dad, she asked you how you felt about her dating again, I’m guessing?”
“Yeah, she did.”
“And? What did you say?” Chase waved his hand when one of the two fisherman Nick had been watching called his name, holding up the fish they’d caught for him to see.
“I told her I was cool with it. I didn’t want her to be sad anymore.”
“Is she happy now, with your step-dad?”
“Yeah.”
“So, when did her happiness stop being important to you?”
“It is important to me.” Nick knew what he was getting at and his questions were hitting their mark. “But sometimes I feel like she doesn’t care whether or not I’m happy.”
“Are you happy?”
Nick rubbed his eyes when they became blurry with unshed tears. He wouldn’t cry in front of Chase, no matter how much he might want to. He was too old for that. “Most of the time, I guess.”
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