Page 52 of All This Time (Blossom Peak #1)
Taking out the containers of the meal I had delivered from a Michelin star restaurant a buddy of mine owns in Charlotte, I open them one by one to reveal the mouthwatering dishes. “Because you ladies deserved something special today.”
I grab one of the boxes and pop it open to reveal an assortment of sushi. “This one is for you,” I say to Tori, handing her the box. “Elliot said it’s your favorite.”
“Oh, Fletcher. If you’re not careful, I might just make you the groom.” With a wink, she takes the container and walks off, but I catch the glare Laney is giving her.
Jealousy sure does look good on her.
Ellis comes up to me now and pulls on my shorts. “Where are the cupcakes?”
I grab that container and bend down to open it in front of her, revealing two dozen miniature cupcakes in a variety of flavors.
Her eyes nearly pop out of her head. “You have to try every flavor and tell me which one is your favorite, okay?”Ellis nods, transfixed by the display of sweets. “I’m gonna eat all the cavities!”
Laney grabs the box from my hands. “Why don’t we start with a few and see how your tummy handles it first, okay?”
“My tummy loves cupcakes,” Ellis declares confidently while rubbing her tiny stomach.
Laney takes four of the small cupcakes and places them on a plate, handing it to Ellis. “Here you go.”
The little girl carries the plate over to a chair and instantly shoves one of the cupcakes in her mouth, kicking her feet.
Laney glares at me. “You know, we’re the ones who are going to have to deal with her when she’s cracked out on sugar.”
“When that happens, you call me and I’ll take care of her.”
“Why did you do this, Fletcher?” she asks, her voice low.
“Because I can,” I answer. “And because I didn’t want to go a day without seeing you.”
Ever since last weekend, Laney and I have spent every night together, either at her place or my cabin.
But since Elliot insisted on tradition, Tori is staying at Laney’s house tonight, which means no sleepover for us.
I do have some important plans to keep me busy this afternoon, though.
But besides that, I’m not sure what to do with myself.
Every part of me craves every part of her. She makes me feel less broken, like the scars on the inside have started to fade. Even after cards with the boys last night, I knew she’d be waiting for me at her house afterward, and that’s what I want for the rest of our lives.
I’m so fucking in love with this woman. There’s no denying it.
And I can’t wait until the whole world knows.
I take her by the hand and lead her outside so we can speak candidly.
“How did last night go?” she asks once the door shuts behind us. We didn’t exactly do much talking when I got to her house last night, and Laney kicked me out early this morning before anyone could see me leaving.
“It was fine. Elliot is convinced that my good mood is because I got laid, though.”
Laney snorts, crossing her arms over her chest, although it does nothing to conceal her pebbled nipples beneath the silk. “Well, he’s not wrong. You definitely have a pep in your step that wasn’t there when you arrived.”
“That’s because your pussy is magical.”
“Dear lord. Please don’t ever say that again.”
I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear.
“It’s true though.” My eyes scour her face, memorizing every line, freckle, and curve as if I’m seeing them for the first time, when the reality is I’ve looked at this woman’s face for countless hours over my lifetime and yet, I don’t think it will ever be long enough. “God, you’re beautiful.”
“I look like a troll,” she argues as I press my finger to her lips, silencing her.
“You look gorgeous. No makeup, hair a little messy, glowing skin.”
Her smile is soft. “Thank you.”
“I love seeing you like this, almost as much as I love seeing you freshly fucked.”
Rolling her eyes, she plants her hands on her hips. “You had to go there, huh?”
“Come on. You can admit my dick’s a little magical too. It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.”
Laughing, she shoves at my chest playfully, but I hold her hand there before she can steal it away. “Fletcher.”
“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I’m going to miss you tonight.”
“Me too.”
“After tomorrow, there will be no more hiding, okay? I promise.”
“Okay.”
My eyes dip down to her lips. “Fuck, I wish I could kiss you right now.”
She takes her hand back. “Soon.”
“Enjoy the rest of your day,” I tell her, shoving my hands in my pockets so I’m not tempted to reach out and smash my lips to hers.
“I will. Thank you again, Fletcher. You sure know how to make a girl feel special.”
“You are special, Laney,” I say as I reach for the door to hold it open for her. “You have no fucking clue.”
She blows me a kiss as I let the door close behind her.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself, adjusting my hat on my head before turning to head back to my truck. I don’t get very far before I hear a voice that stops me in my tracks.
“You’re an idiot.”
Turning to face him, I prepare myself for the impending argument I know is coming, widening my stance while crossing my arms over my chest. “Nice to see you too, Dad.”
“I saw the way you looked at the Hart girl. Do you think she actually wants you?”
“Her name is Laney, and that’s none of your concern.
” My pulse picks up as I take him in. He must be recovering from a bender.
Anyone else would look at him and think he’s fine, but I know the signs—bags under his eyes, an unshaven jaw, and wrinkled clothes.
These are all things that he’s good at covering up when he hasn’t been drinking for almost twenty-four hours straight.
“All women see when they look at us are dollar signs, Fletcher. That’s all your mom saw, and then she trapped me by getting pregnant.”
“First of all, Laney isn’t Mom. And second of all, what dollar signs are you referring to? Because the last time I checked, you’re broke and asking your son for money.”
“It’s the least you can do given everything I’ve done for you.
” I laugh humorlessly as his eyes narrow.
“And she may not seem like your mom now, but once she gets a taste of that life, she’ll hang around just long enough to get what she feels she’s owed.
” He scoffs. “Your mom had nothing to do with my success. I did that all on my own.”
“You developed your drinking problem all on your own too, huh?”
He doesn’t even acknowledge what I just said, continuing his rant instead.
“They say they can handle the demands of the game, but they will never understand what it’s like to dedicate your life, your body, every waking and breathing moment, to football.
No one will ever fucking understand unless they’ve lived it. ”
“You lost the game twenty-two years ago. When are you just going to accept it?”
He takes a step closer to me as alcohol wafts from his breath. Yep, whiskey. That’s his truth serum. “You can stand here and judge me all you want, but one day, you’ll realize that I was right.”
“One day when you’ve drank yourself to death, I won’t have to hear this shit from you anymore.
” I see the flash of anger in his eyes, the one that used to appear seconds before he’d swing on me.
“You want to hit me now, don’t you?” He doesn’t respond.
“Too bad we’re out in broad daylight and not behind closed doors. ”
“So ungrateful,” he mutters before clenching his fists at his sides.
I scoff and turn my back to him. “Have a good fucking day…Dad.” Walking away, I can hear my pulse pounding. My shoulders are up by my ears, and my chest is wound so fucking tight that it takes me a good ten minutes to cool down and relax as I sit in my truck.
My only concern now is that my Dad suspects something is going on between me and Laney, and if he says something to someone else in one of his drunken rants, it could get back to Rhonan before I get a chance to tell him myself.
“Fuck.” I slam my palm into the steering wheel of my truck, leaning my head back against the seat as adrenaline races through me.
It’s only when I open my eyes and see the time on the dash that I snap out of the sour fucking mood my father always puts me in and crank the engine, headed to an appointment that will help seal my future—because that’s what I need to focus on, no matter how much my past keeps trying to drag me back under.