Carson
Carson
F red climbs into the back seat. “I’ll sit back here, and Daphne can ride shotgun.”
I start the engine, then turn to look at him. “I appreciate the trouble you went to setting this up, but please don’t ever scare me like that again. When Mason said you weren’t going to tell him where you were headed, I thought you’d run away.”
He starts bouncing his leg. “Living with you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’d never run away.” He drags a sleeve across his eyes. “Sorry I scared you. I just needed to talk to Daphne alone. To know if she was only being nice to me when you were around.”
“I’m sorry life was hard for you. It’s not fair. You didn’t deserve that.” I watch as Daphne pulls out of the lot. “Why didn’t you talk to me instead of saying everything was fine?”
“I didn’t want you to be mad at me. Or wish I’d never come to live with you.”
“First of all, I’d never wish that. I’m glad you live with me. Plus, you living with me is the reason I came to the ranch, which is pretty great. And I never would’ve met Daphne back where I lived before. So, don’t ever think I’m quietly regretting the choice to adopt you. It’ll never happen.”
“Okay.” He tips his head, motioning across the street. “She’s going to wonder what’s taking us so long.”
“We’ll just tell her we were talking about our feelings. And before we stop talking about the mushy stuff, I want to say that I love you, Fred.”
He glances out the window, then meets my gaze and swallows.
He’s never told me to my face that he loves me, only whispered to my back. So, instead of waiting and making him uncomfortable, I shift the conversation. “Should we go?”
“Yeah.” Fred sighs. “Talking about feelings is exhausting. Hopefully Mason wants to play video games. You don’t care if we hang out in the game room for a while, do you?”
“Nope. Stay out of trouble and make sure at least one parent knows where y’all are.” I cross the street and stop next to Daphne’s car. “But you should make sure it’s still okay for you to go over to Mason’s.”
“Yeah. Either way, I need to apologize to Miss Poppy. I think I scared her too.”
“You did.” I jump out and open the door for Daphne.
Her eyes are full of twinkles as she looks at me before getting into her seat. After buckling in, she turns to face Fred. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”
There’s a spark of admiration in the smile he gives her. “It was pretty cool when you held the snake. And Bailey thinks you’re super awesome. She’ll be happy that you’re dating my dad again. Because she kept asking about you. And every time she did, Mason would just look at me.”
I stifle a laugh, imagining the expression on Mason’s face when he offered his silent judgment. It’s funny that his friends had a hand in this all working out. “It’s kind of awesome having such good friends living so close, isn’t it?”
He bounces his head in agreement. “Mason is awesome, and even Bailey is kind of cool. For a girl.”
Daphne laughs. “She is pretty cool. That day, she was telling me all about her cactus collection.”
Fred rolls his eyes. “She loves cactus so much.”
When we stop at Mason’s, Fred asks, “Will you go to the door with me?”
“Of course.” I give Daphne’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll be right back.”
“No hurry.” She picks up her phone. “I’ll update Rose a bit more.”
Fred and I are halfway to the porch when he tugs on my arm.
“What’s up?”
Staring at the ground, he kicks at a rock, then looks up at me. “I love you too.”
I wrap the kid in a bear hug, trying my best not to embarrass him with my tears.
He pulls back and wipes his eyes. “You can go. I’ll tell them what happened.”
“Why don’t I just wait here? I’ll leave once y’all go inside.”
“Okay.” He walks to the door and knocks.
Poppy opens it not even a second later, which makes me think she’s been standing near the door and probably watched our little scene. “Fred Blake, do not ever do that again. Do you know how scared your dad was? All of us were worried about you.”
He hangs his head. “Sorry. I was just trying to fix things with Daphne since I messed everything up.”
Poppy embraces him. “You’re a good kid. Come on in. Mason is gathering snacks to take to the game room.”
I give Poppy a wave, then climb back into the truck and head to the house. Daphne holds my hand as we drive.
“You okay?” Daphne asks, her voice low. “I only ask because you have tears in your eyes.”
“More than okay. He told me he loves me. And that’s not a common occurrence. It’s only the second time I’ve heard those words. The first time he’s said it to my face.” I park and slide out.
She waits, knowing I’m going to open her door.
Now that we’re finally alone without a teen to embarrass, as soon as I open her door, I lean in and kiss her.
She grips my shirt and presses closer.
I’m the only thing keeping her from toppling out of my truck. When I break the kiss, I rest my forehead on hers. I’m sure she can feel my breath as I speak. “About the question Fred asked?—”
“He asked me the same question before you arrived, and I wasn’t going to lie to him, but I’m sorry I told him before telling you.”
“I knew. That’s what made breaking up so hard.”
She leans back and cups my cheek. “But it was absolutely the right decision. Fred needed to know that you’d do anything for him. He needed to feel chosen and loved. And he does. And because he feels safe, he’s open to change.”
Carson nods. “Kent told me how Mason would crawl in Poppy’s lap for story time. But Fred is a teenager in every way, so I’m not sure how warm he’ll be. I can’t even picture story time.”
“We’ll figure it out. I know Fred kept talking about us getting married, and while I would love for that to happen someday, I don’t think this is the right time.”
“I agree.” I scoop her out of the seat. “Let’s go inside. There is no reason to have this conversation out here.”
Laughing, she grabs her purse, then hugs my neck. “You know how to sweep me off my feet.”
“You were sitting, not standing. So I guess I swept you off your butt.” I wink.
She grabs the knob and opens the front door. “I have something for you in my purse.”
I set her on the couch. “For me?”
She pulls out a Matchbox car. A red Ferrari, then taps the package.
“I saw this one day and bought it because of your costume the night you saved me. It was in my purse the day we broke up. And it’s just been sitting in there.
I couldn’t make myself get rid of it. Or even take it out of my purse. Hope springs eternal, I suppose.”
“I love you, Daphne. For so many reasons. You’re amazing. You love me. You gave me grace and space when I was trying to figure this out as a single dad. And you never gave up hope. For us.”
“When you pulled me out of that car and I felt a little spark, I was so excited because it had never happened to me before. I’d never felt that way. Then I got to know you more, and it became so much more than a little spark. I love you, Carson Blake.”