Page 58 of All This Time (Blossom Peak #1)

Laney

Taking Responsibility and a Postcard

The past few days have been some of the most emotional of my life—not just because of Elliot’s wedding that never happened, but because I witnessed Fletcher stand up to his father in a way that I knew he could this entire time.

Fifteen-year-old me was so gratified as I listened to him tell his father exactly what he needed and deserved to hear.

And then our trip to Charlotte reminded me that all the bullshit we’ve both gone through to get here has been worth it. However, now it’s time for me to face my brother, and for Fletcher to face his friends.

I’ve been trying to call Rhonan since Saturday, but he won’t pick up the phone.

None of the boys are speaking, apparently.

Rhonan’s pissed that Henley knew about me and Fletcher, and Elliot is pissed at Rhonan for running a background check on Tori, and Fletcher for not telling him that Tori left the winery.

Not to mention, Fletcher knows that the cloud hovering over all of them is the stupid pact they made, so there’s a ton of issues to work through.

When I talked to my dad to get an update on my brother, he said that he’s calmed down finally, so I took that as a sign to stop putting off the inevitable.

Fletcher offered to go with me to see him, trying to give me the same support that I showed him. But this is different.

I need my brother to hear my side of the story before he speaks to Fletcher again because he’s not the one who crossed the line—I did.

Our entire history came down to the moment that I told Fletcher Adams I had feelings for him.

I wouldn’t take that decision back for anything, though, knowing that I would end up where I am today.

All of the hurt, the hate, the agony—it was all worth it, especially now that Fletcher and I are moving forward together.

Joanne opens the front door to the house before I make it up the driveway. “Hi, Laney.”

“Hey there.” I walk past her into the house. “Should I be scared?”

Joanne laughs. “Your brother doesn’t scare me, so I’m not sure how to answer that. But, I will say this…I have an older brother, and their innate need to protect us never goes away. Don’t be too hard on him, but at the same time, stand up for yourself too.”

“Oh, I plan on it.”

Chuckling, she says, “I didn’t doubt you for a second. But just so you know, every woman on the planet is going to hate you now for tying down Fletcher Adams.”

I blow out a breath. “That’s going to take some getting used to, but he’s worth it.”

Joanne squeezes my shoulder. “True love is always worth it.”

I make my way inside the house, heading for the living room. Rhonan and Ellis are sitting on the couch together watching a movie. But when my brother sees me, I can tell that his mind is on anything but Elsa finding out what her ice powers can do.

Ellis sees me a second later, jumping from the couch and running over, wrapping her arms around my legs. “Auntie Laney!”

“Hi, sweetie.”

“Did you come to help make Daddy smile again?” Her brown eyes are so full of hope, it slices my heart in two. “He’s been really grumpy, like a bear.”

“I’m gonna try.”

Rhonan scoffs. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

“Hey, Ellis?” Joanne asks from behind me. “Why don’t we go get some ice cream?”

Her smile is radiant. “I love ice cream!”

“Me too. Go get your shoes.” She races back to her room while Joanne turns to me. “Text me when you two are done talking, okay?”

“Thank you, Joanne.”

“Anything for you, Laney. You’re family.”

Ellis comes bounding back into the room, and Joanne scoops her into her arms. “What flavor should we get?”

“All of them!”

“That’s my girl.” Joanne winks at me over her shoulder. “We’ll be back in a bit.”

The front door closes behind them with a soft click, leaving me and my brother alone.

Slowly, I step into the living room and take a seat on the couch, leaving a bit of space between us.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Rhonan stares at the now black television.

“Are you ready to talk like adults?”

His jaw clenches. “I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“I’d just like to point out that you’re the older one here.”

Annoyance radiates off him. “Just say what you came to say, Laney.”

Taking in a deep breath, I prepare to say the words I’ve been practicing over the past few days. “First, I want you to know that Fletcher and I never meant to hurt you.”

“But you did choose to lie to me. Both of you.”

“Can you blame us? I mean, look at your reaction.”

He taps a finger to his chest. “Can you blame me? I found out one of my best friends is fucking my sister, and another friend was left at the fucking altar. I’m not exactly having the best week of my life here.”

I tilt my head at him. “Yes, it’s been a hard week for everyone. But are you ready to hear the truth, instead of being angry at Fletcher for something that he wasn’t responsible for?”

“What do you mean?”

I tuck my legs up under me and lean my arm on the back of the couch, propping my head up in my hand. “Fletcher and I have a history, Rhonan. A friendship that you know nothing about.”

His eyes narrow. “What?”

“It started my sophomore year. Do you remember that game when he made that incredible catch and came over to our house for spaghetti afterward?”

Rhonan thinks for a moment. “There were several games like that, Laney.”

“Well, this was the one that started it all. Dad took him home after dinner, but he came back that night and crawled through my window.”

Rhonan grows serious. “Did he touch you?”

I roll my eyes. “No. He thought it was your window and ended up in my room by mistake. But he came back because he was running away from his dad.”

“Why?”

I look my brother dead in the eyes. “Fletcher’s dad used to hit him, Rhonan. And it happened more than once.”

He launches himself from the couch. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

I tug on his hand, urging him to sit back down. “You haven’t been online over the past few days, have you?”

“No. You know I can’t stand that social media crap.”

“Well, after you punched Fletcher in the bridal suite, Fletcher got in a fight with his dad in the parking lot of the winery. Luke said some nasty things to him, and Fletcher gave him a taste of his own medicine.”

“Jesus Christ. How come he never said anything?”

“Because it’s not that simple. Fletcher buried it, like a lot of people do, especially when the person hurting you is supposed to love you.”

“But he told you?”

“Not by choice. But after the second time he ended up in my room with an injury, I started to put two and two together. It took a while for him to actually admit what was going on, and then he made me promise not to tell anyone.”

Rhonan’s still processing, his hands curled into fists.

“And,” I add quietly, “most of it happened after Luke had been drinking. I don’t know if you ever noticed, but that man’s never far from a bottle. The whole reason they moved here was because he got fired from his previous job because he showed up intoxicated.”

“Jesus. And you’ve known all this time?”

I nod. “I have.”

“So you two have been sneaking around since then?”

I laugh. “God, no. If you hadn’t noticed, over the past twelve years, Fletcher hasn’t exactly been my favorite person.”

“I mean, I thought he just annoyed you. He can be a cocky motherfucker sometimes.”

Yes, he can, especially in the bedroom.

“Oh, I’m aware. But I avoided him because the night Mom died, I told him how I felt about him at that party, and he didn’t have anything to say in response. In fact, he avoided me the rest of the night. And when I went looking for him, I thought I caught him with another girl.”

I shake my head. “Turns out I was wrong. But at the time? It wrecked me.”

Rhonan stands from the couch, pacing back and forth. “So, you had feelings for him, but he didn’t feel the same way?”

“Actually, he did, but he didn’t act on them because he didn’t want to betray you.” Rhonan freezes. “Yeah, that little pact you four made is another reason it’s taken twelve years for us to figure our shit out,” I say, arching a brow at my brother.

“Laney. I—”

I hold my hand up. “I don’t care anymore. I just want you to know that Fletcher honored your stupid pact rather than act on his feelings toward me because that’s how much your friendship means to him.”

Rhonan begins pacing again.

“I know this may be hard for you to hear right now, but I love him, Rhonan.” Our eyes meet.

“I always have. And he loves me too. We just want to be together, and we will, no matter how you feel about it. I’m hoping that you can be supportive, but if you can’t, I’m still going to be with him.

You’re the one that gets to decide what our relationship and your friendship with him will look like moving forward. ”

My brother drops back down onto the couch, resting his head against the cushions behind him. “This is a lot to take in.”

“I know, and trust me, the last thing we wanted was for you to find out the way you did. We had planned to tell you after the wedding, but…”

He turns his head toward me. “I can’t believe his dad used to hit him, and I never put it together. All his bruises…” He rubs his forehead. “Fuck, I’m a shitty friend. It’s just… When I saw you two together… I thought you were just a casual thing to him, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“There has never been anything casual between me and Fletcher Adams.”

Rhonan goes silent for a while. Finally, he turns to me and asks, “You really love him?”

I cover my heart with my hand. “I do. He’s the only man I’ve ever loved.

In fact, when things ended with Spencer, I wasn’t nearly as devastated as I was the night I told Fletcher how I felt about him.

But he needs his friends right now more than anything.

” I prepare to tell him the rest of what’s transpired.

“People recorded the fight between him and his dad. It’s all over the internet, like I said, but there’s more. ”

“What?”

“That night after the wedding, Luke got into a car accident. He ended up in the hospital. He’s alive, and the couple he hit are too, but in critical condition.

” Our gazes meet again. “They have two children—two kids that could have lost their parents.” A sob crawls up my throat before I can stop it.

Rhonan pulls me into his chest, rubbing my back as I cry. I’ve been holding it in, trying to be strong for Fletcher, but being able to share in this grief with my brother is exactly what I needed. “Shhh. It’s okay.”

“I miss her so much, Rho.”

“Fuck, I know. I do too, Laney.”

“I can’t help but wonder what our lives would be like if she didn’t die.”

He kisses the top of my head. “I think about that every day, especially now.” We sit there for a minute, letting everything I just admitted settle between us. “Where is Fletcher?”

“He’s in Charlotte. He had a meeting with his agent and PR team on how to tackle this thing with his dad.

” I sit up tall again, wiping my nose on my sleeve.

“When we went to see Luke in the hospital, Fletcher gave him an ultimatum. He either goes to rehab to get help and admits that he hit his son, or Fletcher doesn’t want to hear from him ever again. ”

“What did Luke say?”

“I don’t know what he’s going to do. We left before Fletcher gave him the opportunity to respond, and then Fletcher took me to Charlotte to let everything die down here until you guys could hash it all out.”

“When will Fletcher be back?”

“In a few days. I hope by then you can find a level head so you two can talk.”

“He makes you happy?” he asks as I stand. “Treats you well?”

“He makes me so ridiculously happy that I’m terrified.

But he loves me for me, Rhonan. That’s all Mom and Dad ever wanted for us.

And one day, I know you’ll find that again too.

I hate that you lost Sarah, but I hope you can remain hopeful that you’re not destined to live a life without a partner again.

I thought that was my fate for the longest time, but Fletcher has shown me that timing is everything.

We just have to be open to the opportunity. ”

***

When I pull into my driveway, I sit in my car for a few minutes before making my way inside. Fletcher has only been gone for two days, but I already hate how empty my little house and my world feel without him.

The space he takes up here isn’t nearly as much as what he occupies in my mind and my heart, but in just two short weeks, his presence became a permanent fixture in my life that I never want to live without again.

As I pop a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner, I realize I haven’t checked my mail. I head back outside to the mailbox, and when I open it, I gasp when I see what’s inside.

A pink tulip lies on top of a postcard with a picture of Cincinnati on the front. I pull them out of the mailbox and flip the card over to find Fletcher’s familiar handwriting.

My dearest Laney,

Cincinnati was the first city I traveled to for an away game in the NFL.

I was walking through the airport and I saw a display of postcards and instantly thought of you.

Since that day, I bought a postcard from every city I’ve been to, even though I never knew if I’d get the chance to send them to you. But now I finally do get that chance.

You—my angel—have given me so much more than I can ever thank you for.

Your light, your smile, your body, your love.

I am eternally grateful. This is just the first postcard of many that we can share with our grandkids when we’re old and gray.

And maybe our granddaughter will put them on her mirror in her room to use as a symbol of love to look up to—because our love is eternal, baby. Nothing can ever come between us again.

I love you. See you soon.

Fletcher AKA Lucifer

I can barely see the words on the card as I laugh through my tears.

“Are you crying?” Dilynne walks up to me. “I saw you from the window and got scared when you looked like you were staring down at the ground.”

“I’m good.” I lift my head to look at my best friend, a smile on my lips and tears still streaming down my face.

“You don’t look like it. You look like you need to invest in some waterproof mascara.

” I hand her the postcard and then lift the tulip to my nose, inhaling deeply.

“What’s this?” Dilynne grows quiet as she reads Fletcher’s words, and when she looks back up at me, she has tears in her eyes too.

“Damn it, Adams.” She swipes under her eyes.

“I know.” Sighing, I pull her into my side. “I’m going to be Laney Adams one day,” I say, staring off at the mountains in the distance.

“Yes, you are, my friend. Yes, you are.”