Page 72 of Guarding My Love

“And at the heart of it,” she said, “neither am I.”

“Not from what I can see,” he said. “But I did look for pictures of you too. I like you better this way.”

She laughed. “Me too!”

24

SNIFFED THAT OUT

It had to be done.

The last thing he wanted was to be put in the doghouse like he’d been enough in his life.

“Foster,” his mother said when she answered the phone. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” he said, sighing. “Why?”

“Because of all my children, you never call. Ever. I can barely get you to talk to me when I see you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not true,” he said.

“It kind of is. What’s going on? I’d ask if it was one of your siblings, but you’d be the last to know if there was something going on and I text with Abby, Lily, and Laken enough, so they are fine.”

“I just wanted you to hear this from me and no one else,” he said.

“Did you get in trouble?” his mother asked. “I’m going to kill Braylon if he’s keeping it from me.”

He growled low in his throat. “No,” he said. “I didn’t get in trouble.”

“Then what?” his mother asked.

“I’m dating someone.” There was silence on the other end. “Mom?”

“I’m sorry. I was cleaning my ears out. Can you repeat that? I think you said you’ve got a girlfriend. My son, Foster, hasn’t had a girlfriend that I’ve known about in years. Maybe decades.”

“I said dating,” he said. “Not girlfriend.”

“Come on, Foster. Don’t play word games. You wouldn’t tell me if it was only someone you were sleeping with. You’ve got a girlfriend.”

She wasn’t wrong. He wouldn’t have told his siblings either.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ve got a girlfriend.”

His mother laughed on the other end. “Am I the last to know about it?”

“No,” he said. “Rowan and Talia don’t know.”

“I can’t believe Nelson has kept it a secret.”

“He might not realize it. When he first found out about Charlotte we weren’t dating at that time.”

“What a pretty old fashioned name. Tell me about her. First, how did you meet?”

“She bought the little cottage at the top of my driveway,” he said.

“Oh. So she’s your neighbor when you hate neighbors. I made a bet you’d buy the place and tear it down.”

“I wouldn’t have torn it down,” he said.

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