Maxwells Smile

dated almost a year, but we’d already split up by the time I learned I was pregnant. And when I told him, he said it wasn’t his spiritual path to be a father.”
    “Is that so?”
    “Yes, and I was, and still am, cool with that. He was a fine man and I respect him. We just had different outlooks on life and family. Maxwell and I have done well on our own. Better, I suspect, than if I’d married the guy just because, you know?” She was rambling. But best to have it all out there now that she’d started. “Anyway, the last I heard about him he was living in an ashram in India.”
    “Wow. Must be tough sometimes, doing it all on your own and being so independent.”
    “You say independent like it’s a dirty word.”
    “No. I, uh… Hell. I just can’t seem to say the right thing around you.”
    She let him off the hook with a chuckle. “Maxwell does get everything I can give him, but I’ve never forgotten about myself. I’ve learned to be selfish. If I don’t make time to take care of me, then who will care for Maxwell?”
    “You’re a strong woman, Rachel. I like that. It’s kinda sexy.”
    She ducked her head and picked up another plate to hide the blush she felt heating her cheeks. At the same time she hoped Sam did not get the vibe that she was husband hunting. She most definitely was not.
    Maybe?
    Sam hung up the towel and then smoothed a hand over her shoulder. His wide grip seemed to encompass so much of her that she felt…safe. “Thanks, Rachel. This has been a great day.”
    It seemed as though he might lean in to kiss her, but instead he delivered another devastating wink and went in search of Maxwell.
    Rachel sighed at the missed opportunity. But of course he wouldn’t kiss her again. He’d thought she was upset over the first time?
    And too independent? Perhaps. But only because she had to be. Such a trait didn’t ever go well with handsome single men, though.
    Hmm… Was she the one, more than her son, who was keeping men away? When she gave it some thought… Who was Sam with right now?
    “It is me,” she whispered.
    * * *
    Why hadn’t he kissed her again? Something about the mention of Maxwell’s father, and the message that she was doing just fine on her own, had kept him from intruding on her seemingly idyllic life. And the fact that he just couldn’t seem to say the right thing around Rachel.
    Or hell, maybe he was getting cold feet.
    Did he want to step into a cute little family with a precocious kid and career-dedicated mother? Did he believe he’d fit into the picture—tossing a baseball to the kid while the mom tended the backyard flowers in her pretty scarf, with blushing cheeks? Could he see himself as an instant father? Sam had been responsible for Jeff for the last six years. Taking care of someone was a hard job, let alone taking care of two someones. Responsibility was a big word for a reason. Sam liked to kick back with his buddies and have a few beers. And not answering to anyone rocked. For the most part.
    But what did he want, first and foremost? Of course he wanted passion and all-night makeout sessions—sex was necessary to a man’s very survival. But he didn’t need that right away. The slow getting-to-know-each-other suited him just fine.
    But he was thinking way ahead of the game.
    “No official dates yet,” he muttered as he slid into the rust bucket and started the engine. Backing out of the driveway, he turned to wave to Maxwell, who always stood behind the screen door to watch him drive away.
    “I do like that kid, though.”
    * * *
    Rachel looked over the posters Maxwell had created with Sam to announce the upcoming DVD drive. Her son had stacked them neatly by the door in preparation for their run around town before his checkup. She was proud of him for taking on this project. She’d never thought something so simple as a movie could provide comfort to a sick child.
    She was thankful Maxwell’s visit to the hospital had gone well and had been a routine procedure. And her heart broke for those mothers who had to sit by their children’s bedsides and watch them suffer. It wasn’t right. But she liked to think all things happened for a reason, and that Maxwell’s surgery had been a lesson in strength for her.
    A warm hand slid into hers and she squeezed. “I’m proud of you, Maxwell. This event is going to be a success, I know it.”
    “Why are you crying, Mom?”
    She sniffed at the rogue tear that had escaped. “I’m just