The next morning, I drove out to Brock’s cabin. I knew he would be there working on the dock, given by what little was said duringdinner.
When I pulled up the private access road, I saw him over near the dock. Brock had his table saw set up on a picnic table to the right of the beach, and was cutting new pieces of wood to replace the rottenboards.
He didn’t hear me approach, and I waited until the saw was off to make my presence known. “Hey man, need a hand?” I asked, extending the proverbial olive branch tohim.
Brock looked at me over the shoulder. I could tell he was a little pissed still, but I needed to resolve this weirdness between us. “You still do manual labor?” he shot back, purposely hitting me below thebelt.
“It’s been a while but I’m sure it’s like riding a bike,” I shrugged, stepping up to the table. We worked in silence for a while, making sure we had all the pieces we’d need cut and piled by thedock.
I’d been Brock’s friend for over two decades, and I knew he was the kind of person that preferred to work through things silently. He didn’t speak again until we’d finished the task at hand and stood back to admire ourwork.
The rotten boards were all replaced, and the dock looked more stable than it probably had when it was first built forty-yearsago.
“So, you and Beckyhuh?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, my eyesserious.
“When did it start?” he asked, his browfurrowing.
“Full disclosure? Four years ago.” I inhaled deeply, shoving my hands in the pockets of myshorts.
Brock’s jaw clenched, and he nodded slowly, absorbing thatdetail.
“Look, before you punch me in the teeth…can I just say something?” I asked. His only response was to look at me expectantly. “I really care about her, Brock. She’s all I think about, she’s all Iwant.”
“What about the twins you brought to town a few weeks ago?” Brock brought up darkly, his tone as unforgiving as hiseyes.
I winced. “Yeah, that was a dick move. But I never touched either one of them, or anyone else for that matter. Becky’s the only one I’ve been with for the last fewyears.”
Brock must have seen the honesty behind my words, because he nodded, some of the tension leaving his body. “So, what now? Aren’t you leaving in a couple ofweeks?”
“Yeah, but I still want to make things work with her, and I will. Technically, we’ve been doing the long distance thing for a while,” Ishrugged.
He nodded slowly. “I still don’t know how I feel about this, man. I’m pissed you didn’t tell me sooner, and I’m not going to lie—I’m uneasy about the whole thing. Becky’s been through so much, and both of them deserve someone who’s going to be there…youknow?”
“I am here,” I frowned, not really catching hismeaning.
“You’re on the road a lot,Travis.”
“You’re gone for months at a time too,” I pointed out, my brow furrowing with aggravation. “And I’m not planning on being gone for such long periods of time. I want to come home more, and she gives me a reason to,” Ishrugged.
“What aboutAiden?”
“Him too. I know they’re a package deal, and he’s a greatkid.”
Brock sighed deeply, nodding again, this time with begrudging acceptance. He clamped a hand over my shoulder. “Just know that if you hurt either one of them, I’ll rip your pearly white teethout.”
His statement was so serious, but I barked out a laugh. “I’d expect nothing less from you,” I responded, feeling lighter than I had inyears.
I woke up early on Saturday morning, eager for the day to start. I couldn’t wait to spend it with Becky and Aiden, and I hoped they liked my idea to go to Bala, a little hamlet tucked on the southwest shores of Lake Muskoka. It was one of my favourite places to visit, and home of the best ice cream parlour I’d ever beento.
After breakfast, I headed out to the boat house to get things ready for our day trip. I’d had the Sea-Doo Sportboat for several years now, and I’d taken a serious love to exploring the Muskoka lakes and the towns offshore. The boat was perfect for touring the lakes, fishing, and water sports. It was an all-in-one kind of boat, but it hadn’t seen a lot of action as oflate.
In recent years, I hadn’t really been able to make time for boating, and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until I was back onTreble Timeshull, tucking the cover into a storage bin at the stern of theboat.
Named for both my love of music and fishing, theTreble Timeswas also a nod back to growing up inpoverty.
Catching movement in the corner of my eye, I watched as Becky and Aiden made their way down the steps toward the dock. Becky was dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top over her bikini. Her hair was in a ponytail, shoved beneath a trucker cap. She held a wicker basket in her arms and had a beach bag over hershoulder.
