Page 97

Twenty-Eight

Jax was quiet, which wasn’t unusual, but he was also gripping the steering wheel like it was a life raft, which tipped her off.

“Are you okay?” Avery asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“You just seem a little nervous.”

“What gave you that idea?”

She reached over and placed her hand on his arm. “We can hold off on this if you want to.”

“No way. I told you I wanted to meet your dad, and I do.”

“Okay.”

He was quiet for a few minutes, and then he said, “Fine. I’m a little nervous.”

She’d learned this about him—that he expressed his emotions in his own time. All she had to do was be patient, and eventually he’d tell her what was on his mind.

“I haven’t done this in a really long time,” he added.

She put her hand on his arm again and gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be fine. I promise.” She didn’t admit that she was nervous too, but not for the same reasons. She had no doubt her dad would approve of Jax since he was the kind of man Carl had always wanted for her and everything her past boyfriends hadn’t been.

What she was concerned about had nothing to do with Jax and everything to do with her dad’s disease. In the past few weeks, he’d started exhibiting some new symptoms that were worrying. He’d been restless and was easily agitated, especially when he couldn’t remember something.

She’d called and spoken to his doctor about it, but she was told the symptoms were a natural progression of the disease. The doctor promised to keep a close eye on the situation and adjust Carl’s medications if necessary. Otherwise, there wasn’t much more that could be done. Avery had also spoken to Carolyn about it, and she’d noticed the same behavior.

“I’ll stop by and check on him more often,” Carolyn had assured her.

Avery had increased her visits too, but if Carl had noticed, he hadn’t commented on it.

As Jax pulled into her dad’s driveway, she wondered what state he’d be in today. She hoped it would be a “good” day and the meeting would go smoothly.

She and Jax walked up to the front door, hand in hand. She loved how natural the gesture had become, and now she found his touch especially comforting. He squeezed her hand and gave her a smile, so maybe he’d found some comfort in it too.

She knocked twice and then opened the door. “Dad?”

She’d expected to find him sitting in his favorite chair, watching TV, or in the kitchen, doing his latest puzzle, but the house was eerily quiet. She called his name again, louder this time, but there was no answer.

She tried not to panic, but she was doing a horrible job of it. “Where could he be? His truck is here, and he knew we were coming today.”

“Why don’t we spread out and look for him? You take the bedrooms, and I’ll check the basement and garage.”

Jax was a man of action, which she appreciated, especially right then.

“Dad,” she called as she went down the hallway toward his bedroom. The doors to the bedrooms and bathroom were open, but there was no sign of him.

“Avery, come out here,” Jax called.

She hurried down the hall and into the kitchen, expecting to see Jax and Carl standing there. Instead, Jax pointed out the window, into the backyard. Her dad was outside, filling a bird feeder with birdseed. However, he wasn’t wearing a coat or shoes, and the temperature was barely above freezing.

“Oh no!” Avery said. She was about to open the door and call out to him, but Carl looked up, spotted them, and started walking toward the house.

“He looks like he’s okay. Try not to embarrass him about it,” Jax said.

“But he could have frozen to death.”