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Her grandfather’s house.
When I make it to the front porch, I don’t knock like a frantic madman this time. I press the doorbell and hold my breath. A moment later, the light flickers on. Once the door opens, Mr. Patterson stands there, framed by the warm light of the hallway.
Her grandpa takes one look at my anxious, disheveled appearance, and his expression shifts from surprise to concern. “Sam? What happened, son?”
I step onto the threshold and lay my heart right at her grandfather’s feet.
“Hi, Mr. Patterson,” I greet cautiously. “I…” I run a palm down my face. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years. There were a lot of contributing factors.” I shift nervously from foot to foot. “I’m taking full responsibility for all of it. I know Alexis deserves better than how I’ve treated her. But I’m working hard to prove I can be a man worthy of her.”
He stares at me for a long moment. The look in his eyes is as loving and supportive as I remember it being my whole life. So much like my own Pop used to look at me. A familiar lump forms in my throat. Could that story Sebastian told honestly be true? Had the two of them colluded to make this marriage between Lexi and me happen?
He nods slowly, stepping forward to clap a firm, reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I know you are, Sam.”
“Please,” I beg, my voice cracking as I look him in the eye. “I need to talk to her. But I don’t want to accost her at her work or a friend’s home.”
Mr. Patterson offers a knowing, compassionate grin. He pulls his phone from his pocket, taps out a quick text message, and hits send. “I just asked her to come by the house. Told her I need to talk to her about something. If I know my granddaughter, she’ll be here within the hour.”
“Thank you.”
The sound of Lexi’s SUV pulling into the driveway has my pulse roaring in my ears. Her grandpa slips into the kitchen, leaving me standing in the center of the living room as the front door unlocks. Alexis steps inside, shaking the rain from her umbrella.
The moment her gaze lands on me, she freezes. She stares at me wordlessly. Her expression unreadable. For a split second, I worry I’ll have to block the door to keep her from leaving.
“Alexis.” I carefully come closer, placing myself between her and the door. My hands are raised in surrender. “Please. I just need you to listen to me.”
Her eyes are brimming with tears. But she doesn’t walk out.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
Her head falls. She must think my apologies are hollow, for as many times as I’ve said them to her.
“First, I’m still seeing a counselor each week,” I confess, the words spilling out of me in a rush before I can lose my nerve. “And I’ll continue to see them for as long as necessary until I am able to be the man you deserve.”
The slight gasp that falls from her lips gives me reassurance to push forward.
“All the things my mother poured into my head over the years… all the toxic garbage I let poison me. I’m fixing it, Lex.”
She swallows hard, watching me, her posture guarded. “I’m proud of you for working hard on yourself. I think I need to go back myself. I didn’t realize what the past had done to me until now.”
I nod, unsure how to respond, hating how I’ve contributed to this.
“The ripples of your mother’s heartless behavior have impacted too many innocent lives. Not just you and me. Sebastian, Gavin, and your sweet grandpa.”
She’s right.
I decide to continue, taking a small step closer. “When I went to New York to meet with my attorney, it wasn’t about securing additional trust money for myself.” I reach out, hoping she’ll let me take her hand in mine, letting out a relieved exhale when she does. “It was to set up a charity honoring your parents.”
“What?” Alexis blinks back tears, her jaw slackening.
“Any additional funds from the trust will be used to construct a bereavement camp for kids on the land between our two properties. I spoke with your grandfather first and got his permission. I’d asked him to stay quiet about it until I was a hundred percent certain I could work out all the logistics.” I cough, attempting to clear my throat of the emotions I’d bottled up over the last forty-eight hours. “Plus, I didn’t want anything getting back to my mother. The last thing I needed was her getting enraged that I was choosing to use money she felt she was entitled for a camp for kids.” I drop my tone and lean in slightly. “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but she doesn’t appear to be a fan. Of her children or anyone else’s.”
Pride seizes my chest as I catch the small upturn of the corner of her mouth. Her eyes still glisten with unshed tears. “I’d like to talk to you about that, actually. I still primarily want this to be for the use of children who need a safe place to grieve the loss of someone they love. But I’m hoping we can pick a few days from the calendar each year and open it up to serve kids who have been either physically or emotionally abused or neglected as well.” I push down the boulder lodged in my windpipe. This feels like part of my healing journey. To do this for others.
Reaching inside my wet leather jacket, I pull out a folded packet of paper. It’s slightly damp at the edges, but whatever. I hand it to her. It’s the official proposal, drafted and stamped by Mr. Sterling himself.
She takes it with trembling hands, unfolding the pages. As her eyes scan the legal documents, a look of awe washes over her face.
“I promised you I’d never profit from any of those funds,” I say, stepping right in front of her so she can see the raw sincerity in my eyes. “And I meant every word, Lex. I owed it to Pop to restore Sutter Creek to where it was before he died. I only needed to infuse that initial distribution of money to get things turned around. I made a commitment to myself, that the rest was on my shoulders. I’d lean on nothing but wise financial planning and sweat equity from here on out.” I let out a shaky exhale. I need to get all of this out there.
