“I don’t know if Daisy would be okay with my telling you this, but it’s my story too, I suppose.” He bit his lip. “Daisy had a miscarriage.”
“Mom was pregnant after Landon? Why didn’t we know that?” he asked, flabbergasted.
“We were planning to tell you boys at the three-month mark, but she lost the baby a few days before we reached that milestone.” He shrugged. “Perhaps it was too painful for herto ever tell you and your brothers about the loss, even when you became older.”
“So… how did that lead to the end of your marriage?” Caleb asked, frowning. “It’s tragic, but not insurmountable.”
“I couldn’t handle seeing her in such emotional pain, so I left her in the lurch. I did what I’d always done. I took off.” He put his head in his hands. “There was no coming back from that, although Lord knows I tried.”
“I-I can’t imagine leaving her like that if you loved her.” Caleb’s mind was racing. He knew his father had dealt with childhood trauma after witnessing his father’s tragic death while mountain climbing. But that didn’t excuse Red for abandoning his wife during a health crisis.
“I’ll always be ashamed of that, Caleb. Do you remember me showing up in Arizona?” Red asked, his features creased with anxiety.
“Vaguely.” He had a fuzzy memory of Red standing in the doorway of their house with presents in his hands.
“Your grandpa wasn’t too happy to see me,” Red said, quirking his mouth.
Caleb could imagine! His grandpa had been a feisty but loving man who was overly protective of his only daughter. From what Caleb had gleaned, Grandpa Joe had objected to Daisy marrying Red in the first place. He’d never fully trusted him due to his wealth and position, fearing that he would hurt Daisy. He had been more than happy to open his home in Arizona up to them when they’d left Moose Falls.
“Come to think of it, neither was your mother.” He visibly winced. “Trying to fix things after they’re irretrievably broken is almost always impossible.”
“I imagine so,” Caleb murmured. Relationships were hard in general. Fixing a damaged one would be like tryingto glue back together something that had shattered into a hundred little pieces.
“Caleb, if you’re ever lucky enough to find the one, hold on to her. Treat her right. Listen to her worries and fears so she doesn’t have to shoulder them all by herself. Don’t ever take love for granted.”
Caleb was blown away by Red’s honesty and vulnerability. One never knew what lurked inside the human heart. He was finding out things about his father that he had never known before this moment. They had never talked like this up to this point, and now Red was speaking from the heart and revealing so much about himself.
“You still love her, don’t you?” Caleb asked. He was pretty sure that he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Red’s lips.
“Always,” Red answered. “That will never change. But I’m not harboring any illusions that we’ll get back together. That was once in a lifetime.”
As he headed back to Hattie’s place, Caleb tried to process everything he’d learned today from Red. He felt closer to his father than he had ever felt in his life. Red’s experiences deeply moved him. He’d lost it all due to fear and neglect and being blind to the needs of his partner. Caleb hated what it had done to his mother, but he also felt a huge amount of compassion for Red. He had realized all his wrongs, but it had been too late to salvage his marriage. While he, his brothers, and Daisy had been together, his father had been alone. He wasn’t letting Red off the hook either. He was simply giving him grace.
Above all he was realizing that love, true love, endured. And if a person was lucky enough to find love, it was worth holding on to with all one’s might.
On his way home, he made an impromptu stop forflowers. Something was telling him that he needed to heed Red’s advice. His feelings for Sophia were increasing by leaps and bounds. He was falling in love with her. The idea of building something lasting with her and telling her how he felt was a terrifying thought, but the idea had crept into his brain more than once. And even though the concept of forever scared him, the idea of losing this incredible woman frightened him even more.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
When the doorbell buzzed, heralding Caleb’s arrival, Sophia beat a fast path to answer the door. She’d been eagerly looking forward to having a date night with Caleb. As soon as she pulled open the door, a sandalwood aroma drifted under her nose.
“Come on in from the cold.” She invited him in with a hand gesture.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Caleb said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m still getting used to this unpredictable weather.”
Caleb was right. Alaskan weather, even with spring approaching, was a bit on the temperamental side.
“The flowers you sent are gorgeous,” Sophia gushed the moment she saw Caleb at her front door. The floral delivery had arrived at her house earlier, giving her a boost. “Thank you again for being so thoughtful.” She had immediately texted him a picture of the bouquet so he would know they’d arrived.
“I’m glad you like them,” he said, dipping his head down and placing his lips over hers.
They had plans tonight to head to Northern Exposure for a little dinner and dancing.
Lily was with her dad tonight. When Donny had come to pick up Lily, there had been zero attitude and no bravado. He’d been quiet, as if he had something on his mind. That was the best-case scenario as far as Sophia was concerned. The less he said, the better, especially with Lily around. Their daughter had big ears and a habit of listening in on grown folks’ conversations.
Not a snowflake was in sight as Caleb drove them over to the tavern. The night sky was stunning with a smattering of twinkling stars and a sliver of a moon. She let out a sigh. Nights didn’t get more perfect than this, especially with Caleb at her side. He entertained her with Stone brother stories during the ride, causing her to clutch her stomach with laughter.
“You can’t be serious,” Sophia said after hearing one of his tales about a plot to make a skunk the family pet.
