Strong Enough

“This one.” He pointed to a box with a big Lego helicopter on it.

“We did like that one,” his father agreed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Perfect. Sold.” I took the box off the shelf and tucked it under my arm.

“There you are.” Another man holding a shopping bag and the hand of a little girl maybe two or three years old walked toward us. “We thought we lost you. We’re all set.”

“Mason wanted to look at the Legos,” explained the man in the glasses.

“Dad, can I get one please?” the kid asked the guy holding the hand of the girl.

“No,” the men answered together.

“Let’s go.” The guy with the glasses smiled at me. “Have a good one.”

I nodded and watched in awe as the perfect little family walked away from me.

Ellen would have called it fate. Maxim might have called it a sign from the universe. A month ago, I’d have rolled my eyes and called it a coincidence. Today, I saw it as something more—proof.

With love, anything was possible.

Thirty-Seven

MAXIM

I spent the entire week after rejecting Derek’s offer to talk outside at The Blind Pig wondering if I’d made the wrong decision. But every time I thought it through, I came to the same conclusion—I couldn’t give in just because I missed him or because he looked as miserable as I felt or because it would feel so good to be in his arms again. I might not have had much in the way of material wealth, but I had pride.

So when he called me the following Saturday afternoon, I almost didn’t pick up. But something in my gut told me to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me. How are you?”

“Good. You?”

“Good. Hey, I’ve got something to show you. C

an I give you a ride to work?”

I stiffened. “I don’t know.”

“Please, Maxim. Give me one hour, as a favor. That’s all I need.”

The thought of saying no to a favor for Derek was unthinkable. He’d done way more than one favor for me. Maybe he needed help with something. “But I have to be at work by five-thirty.”

“No problem. I’ll pick you up at three, okay?”

“Okay. See you then.”

I was nervous, waiting for Derek to arrive. I’d gone down to the parking lot so he wouldn’t have to get out of his car and come get me, and I was sort of pacing back and forth on the sidewalk when he pulled up. At the sight of him behind the wheel, my stomach muscles clenched. I got in the passenger side and shut the door, my heart beating erratically.

“Hey,” he said, smiling sideways at me. A little apprehensive, maybe, but much more relaxed than he’d been the last few times I’d seen him.

“Hey,” I echoed warily.

“You look a little scared.” He wore sunglasses, so I couldn’t read his eyes, but his tone was light, teasing.

“Not scared. Just curious, I guess. Wondering what this is about.”