Maybe Pops is right, and I need to work on myself and figure out how to be in Maddie’s life instead of watching her from a distance, aching for what I once had?
The next morning, I call my boss in Nashville to let him know my wife is sick and I might have to stay in Songbird Ridge a little longer.
After a long pause, Pops lets me have it.
“Kid, you don’t need to come back.”
I’m so taken aback that I almost forget how to use my tongue. “Are you firing me?”
“No, I’m not firing you. I’m offering you early retirement.”
“What do you mean?”
Pops laughs, as if I should already know the answer.
“Listen, you’re vested in the company. That’s never going away. You’ve spent seven years putting the maximum amount of contributions into your retirement savings and every single type of savings the company offers. You’ve got over a million saved, kid.”
I know he’s fucking lying.
“What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t know how it happened, but I’m looking at it now, and that’s it. Kid, don’t question it. Just cash it out when you need it — if you need it — and I’ll take care of the early withdrawal penalties.”
“Pops.”
“Go take care of your woman, you hear me?”
With that, he hangs up.
This new reality washes over me.
The old man forced me into retirement. Can I even call it retirement in my early 30s? No way I’m cashing out. That would be nuts, wouldn’t it? But I do have enough to live on for several months until I get a job.
But the bottom line is, I don’t have to be stressed about it. And if the stress of affording to live goes away, I won’t ever have to leave Songbird Ridge again.
I won’t ever have to leave Maddie again.
If she doesn’t want to take me back, I can at least live the rest of my life making sure she’s taken care of.
Even that crumb of satisfaction is enough. Even that is better than going back to a studio apartment in another state.
Maddie’s here and I’m here to stay.
And I’m not leaving, ever again.
But first, I have to find a way to make it up to her and address the hurt I caused. I have to let her know I’m safe for her. And that I regret how things ended.
You can’t force these things, though. She has to walk into a new chapter of her life with me, of her own free will. It’s my job to make sure that chapter is a place she’ll want to go to.
Chapter
Four
Maddie
Dr. Taylor isn’t saying “I told you so” in so many words, but he’s saying it with his eyes. “How long did you rest before going back to work after you collapsed last month?”
“Four days.”
