Page 51 of All This Time (Blossom Peak #1)

Fletcher

Hiding the Truth

“You’re getting married in two days. You have the rest of your life to spend Thursday nights at home with Tori, so turn that frown of yours upside down and deal some fucking cards.”

Henley smacks the table gently in front of Elliot, whose mouth quirks up into the closest thing to a smile he’s had since we kidnapped him earlier and took him to Henley’s house for one last boy’s night before the big day.

“You’re right. I’m just spent. I can’t wait to be on a beach next week with my wife.”

Fuck. Elliot’s words strike a chord with me because I’d love nothing more than to do the same thing with Laney, not that I can tell my friends that.

Her in a pink bikini, her long brown hair cascading down her back, her tan skin shining in the sun. Me on a lounger watching her walk toward me, growing harder by the second. The two of us alone with no one else to worry about…

Fuck. I hate keeping yet another thing from them, but I have to until this wedding is over and I know that Laney and I are on the same page.

“Fletcher? You in there?” Elliot knocks on my forehead.

I swat him away. “Jesus. What?”

“Rhonan just asked if you want to hit or stay.”

I stare down at the cards in front of me, realizing that my friends have all been playing the game while I’ve been daydreaming about Laney.

I feel like someone who’s only ever seen in black and white finally seeing the world light up with color.

My chest feels lighter, my body alive, my mind finally fucking clear.

And it’s all because of the woman I’m head over heels in love with.

I fucking love her. Pretty sure I always have.

Flipping my cards over, I smile when I see the ten and the ace I’ve been dealt, tossing them on the green felt. “No need to hit me, my friends. I think luck is on my side this evening.”

Henley snorts beside me. “Beginner’s luck.” He turns to Rhonan and says, “Hit me.” When Rhonan flips over Henley’s card, he busts. “Shit.”

“You’re playing like a beginner, not Fletcher.” Elliot laughs from across the table.

“Well, my luck in blackjack seems about as good as my luck in work lately,” Henley says as Rhonan tosses a few chips to me and Elliot since we beat his hand as the dealer. Elliot takes the cards for his turn to deal now as we all toss a chip in the center of the table.

Even though my time with my friends is coming to an end, I’m grateful that I feel like I’m part of their lives again. These past few weeks have revived our friendship in ways I think we all needed.

Hopefully, that’s yet another thing that will change after this wedding is over.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Henley lifts his beer to his lips. “I’ve got to hire a few new people at the resort. Business isn’t slowing down, especially as we head into winter, and one of my ski instructors isn’t coming back this year.”

“Have you put out an ad yet?” Rhonan lifts his cards from the table to see what he was dealt.

Henley blows out a frustrated breath. “Not yet. I was going to wait until the wedding is over and I can give it all my focus. Besides—” His voice is cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. “Jesus, this girl just can’t take a hint.”

“Is that the same woman who’s been calling you?” I ask.

Elliot slides his eyes between me and Henley. “What woman?”

“One of my hookups from last year,” Henley says as he silences the call and puts his phone away. “She won’t stop blowing up my phone. I think I might block her.”

“I told him to just answer it and see what she wants.”

“I know what she wants,” Henley replies. “My dick, and I’m not about repetition, remember?”

Elliot chuckles before taking a sip of his beer. “Don’t deny repetition, motherfucker. I used to feel the same way and now? The idea of one woman is all I want.”

An awkward silence rests between us.

Rhonan had a wife and lost her. Elliot found someone he wants for the rest of his life.

And I have seen the other side too now.

Henley arches a brow at me as if he can tell what I’m thinking about.

Finally, he breaks his stare and sighs as he calls for another card. “Hit me.” Elliot turns over a five, making Henley bust again. “Fuck!”

“Come on. You know better than to hit on eighteen. What the hell were you thinking?” Rhonan asks.

“I’m not. My mind is a mess right now.”

“All of you seem a little tense,” I observe.

Elliot eyes me from the side. “You’re right, but you don’t.” He snaps his fingers. “You got laid, didn’t you?”

“What?” I say through a laugh, even though when I dart my eyes to Henley, he arches a brow at me again. “No, I didn’t.”

“Now he’s denying it,” Elliot continues, shaking his head. “Which means it’s true.”

“I can’t just be in a good mood?”

“You can, but your mood is beyond good. You’re calm,” Rhonan explains, growing more suspicious. And after his question to Laney the other night, my nerves grow stronger. “That kind of calm comes from good sex.”

Not good sex. Incredible sex. The kind that makes you wonder if your dick knows the meaning of life now.

Henley chokes on his beer, glaring at me before I reply, “I didn’t get laid, all right?”

“Fuck, if I got laid, I’d admit it,” Rhonan adds. “I’m going through a bit of a dry spell, if I’m being honest.”

“Well, you’re a single parent and work insane hours. That’s to be expected.”

“Was she a fan? Did she offer to suck you off in a storage closet at Blossom Brews or something?” Elliot prods even further.

Henley coughs violently now. He confronted me about what happened between me and Laney in the storage closet at the winery. Turns out, we weren’t that quiet. “Shit.”

“Did you forget how to drink tonight?” Rhonan asks as Henley stands up and moves to the corner of the room to gather himself, glaring at me from over his shoulder.

“Anyway,” Elliot says. “Am I right?”

“No. You’re not because nothing happened. And contrary to what you might think, most fans aren’t offering to suck my dick the second they meet me.”

Elliot snickers. “Such a shame. What the hell is the point of being famous then?”

Rhonan laughs at our slightly candid friend just as Henley makes his way back to his seat. “You okay?” he asks Henley once he’s seated.

“Yeah. Beer just went down the wrong pipe.”

“Okay. Now that everyone is done talking shit, can we get back to the game?” Rhonan asks, darting his eyes around to the three of us.

“I don’t know that I’ll ever be done talking shit,” Elliot says as he slides the deck to me for my turn to deal.

“We know,” the three of us say in unison before sharing a laugh and falling back into the game.

After a few more rounds, I get up to use the bathroom, but Henley follows me. “Fletcher…”

“What’s up?”

“Do you know what you’re going to do yet?” he whispers, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Rhonan and Elliot aren’t in earshot.

“About…”

He shoves my shoulder. “Don’t play fucking stupid. You were sitting in that room just now. You have to tell Rhonan what’s going on with Laney before he finds out from someone else.”

I lower my voice. “I will. After the wedding.”

“Fuck. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Something in my gut, man. I can’t shake it, and usually when I get this feeling, I’m right.”

“What do you want me to do, Henley? You can at least agree with me that this isn’t the time, right? Not with everything going on…”

Henley nods. “Okay, but when you do it, just make sure I’m there in case I have to pull him off of you.”

I huff out a laugh. “Thanks for the support.”

“You sure this is what you want? Laney, I mean?”

I look him dead in the eyes. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

***

“Fletcher? What are you doing here?” Laney opens the front door to Blossom Beauty Friday afternoon, shocked to see me. The salon is closed for the day so the girls can get pampered before the wedding tomorrow.

I hold up the bags in my arms. “I wanted to make sure that you ladies had everything that you needed for today.”

Ellis peeks her head out around Laney’s long legs. “Uncle Fletcher?”

“Hey, princess. I brought cupcakes.”

Her eyes light up. “I love cupcakes!”

“I know you do. Now tell Auntie Laney to let me inside.” I lift my eyes back to Laney’s, only to find her licking her lips.

“This was awfully sweet of you,” she says, holding the door open wider so I can walk through.

I catch the sight of her in her pink silk robe and instantly want to pull it open with my teeth. Instead, I set the bags on the receptionist counter and turn to face her. “I can be a sweet guy sometimes.” Leaning down, I line my lips up to her ear. “But you like it when I’m a dirty guy more.”

Her skin pebbles right before my eyes. “I do.”

“Aw, what did Lucifer bring for us?” Yvonne asks as she walks up to the counter, Glenn trailing behind her.

“Food and booze.”

Yvonne turns to Laney. “Can he be our boss instead of you? He seems way more fun.”

“I’d definitely let him boss me around,” Glenn adds. His eyes drop down my body and back up.

Laney glares at them. “I can be fun.”

Yvonne snorts. “Yeah, okay. When’s the last time you did anything like this for us?” Yvonne asks Laney as she lifts the bottle from the bag. “And do you also bring us champagne?”

“No…”

“Then I’ve made my point.” She glances over at Glenn. “Let’s go get some glasses from the break room so we can pop this cork.”

Glenn snaps his fingers. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

“Fletcher?” Tori walks up to us now, her robe sliding open far enough to almost reveal her breasts. I keep my eyes firmly on hers.

“What are you doing here?” she asks.

I start pulling items from the bags. “I brought you girls some snacks and drinks for your spa day. You can’t have a girls’ day without good food.”

“I ordered food from Blossom Brews for later,” Laney interjects.

“I know. I stopped by there first and canceled it.”

Her mouth drops open. “Why?”