Page 31 of Winter Memories

She narrowed her eyes, and the cruel glint was back. “Have you seen Fletcher?” As much as I wanted to slap her and tell her to never say his name, I only gave a noncommittal shrug in response; it wasn’t easy to keep myself in check. “He was never quite the same after you broke his heart,” she pouted and gave me sad eyes as if she actually believed the words coming out of her mouth. “It did give him the opportunity to finally act on his attraction for me, though, since he was no longer being burdened by you. It was quite romantic and torrid. The only problem was the amount of traveling I did. We decided being best friends was better for us.”

I stilled, my heart pounding in my chest. It was impossible to keep a neutral expression on my face even though I should have seen her words coming from a mile away. The way she grinned at me told me that she saw she hit her mark.

“And now,” she leaned into me and lowered her voice, “you come back with some bastard kid?” She made a tsking sound and my hand itched with the need to slap her. “I’m sure he finally sees you for what you are. I’m sure he’ll be calling me any day now.”

Something snapped inside of me. Her words about him calling her were eclipsed by the love I knew Fletcher has forMack and the way he’s treated me since the first day we saw each other again. I’m sure she thought I was going to tell her off or do something overly dramatic. But I didn’t.

I threw my head back and laughed.

The more I laughed, the redder she got. When Macklin started giggling right along with me, she stomped her foot like a toddler.

“Come on, Macklin,” I held my hand out for my son, “I think it’s time to get home. We have plans tonight.”

“Oh,” he squealed, “I can’t wait to see Fletcher and my uncles.”

I shot Brandy a smile filled with condescension and victory. She looked like she was about to faint or explode, but I wasn’t going to wait around and find out which.

While I know she was off base about how Fletcher feels about Macklin, I wasn’t sure if there was some truth to her words. The thought of Fletcher ever seeking comfort with Brandy, of all fucking people, has been a thorn in my side all day.

The knock on the door tells me Fletcher is here, and I don’t make it halfway to the door before Mack is throwing it open and launching himself at the man. Fletcher catches him easily, already anticipating my son’s actions. My feelings soften as I watch them together, but I’m unable to push aside Brandy’s words entirely.

As Macklin runs toward his room to grab his backpack, since I packed one special for him because it was always the plan to spend the night at Limitless, Fletcher pulls me into his arms. For the first time since we found each other again and got on thesame page, I feel stiff and awkward. Part of me wants to push him away, but I know I don’t really have the right to be angry.

Fletcher kisses my forehead and when I don’t melt into him, like I normally would, he studies me with narrowed eyes. “What’s wrong, Shooting Star?”

“Nothing,” I try and keep my voice soft and even, but I can hear the edge in it.

He hums in response and then the next thing I know it feels like I’m floating as he bends me back over his arm and kisses me. My brain short circuits and I forget all about being angry and hurt. I kiss him back with everything in me. It’s only when fast, little steps are coming back toward us that Fletcher rights me and pulls back.

“Keep your secrets, for now, Eden, but you’ll be telling me later.”

I blink at him a few times as I shake my head and try to clear the lust fog that he’s trapped me in. How the hell does this man do this to me all the time? It’s disarming and I’m not sure I like it. Or maybe I love it?

I’m in a daze the rest of the night, but I try to be as present as possible, especially when it comes to Mack. I love the way my son shines under Fletcher’s attention. It’s beautiful to watch and it feels so fucking right.

I try and keep up with the conversation, but my mood is complete shit. No matter how many times I try and tell myself to get over it and not ruin the night, the memory of Brandy’s smug as fuck face has my mood in the fucking toilet. She was never a nice person.

The fact that Fletcher would ever be with someone like her hurts me. It’s not like I’m not aware he tried to move on, he was upfront about it, and I have a son by someone who isn’t him. I hate feeling like a hypocrite. Anyone else I could handle, probably. But Brandy?

It makes my stomach clench, and I almost excuse myself to go vomit more than once. How I manage to choke down dinner, I’ll never know. It’s delicious, as it always is.

The care, time, and effort Fletcher put in has my heart singing. But then Brandy’s little confession runs through my mind.

I’m a fucking mess.

After dinner, Fletcher leans back in his chair with a nervous look on his face. He clears his throat and shoots me a questioning look. I plaster a smile on my face because I’m the one who needs to get over it. He doesn’t owe me an explanation or an apology or anything.

“I have a little surprise,” his voice wavers and I can hear the nerves in it.

It’s kind of fucking adorable.

“A surprise?” Macklin starts bouncing in his chair for a moment before his face falls and he grumbles, “It’s probably a surprise for Mama. You’re always doing nice things for her.”

Fletcher grins from ear to ear, his nervousness evaporating. He shoots me a look I can’t quite read. “Actually, bud,” his voice is gentle, and I can see the excitement grow on Macklin’s face, “this surprise is for you.”

He gasps, “For me?”

“Mm-hmm,” Fletcher confirms and stands up from the table.

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