Page 43

Chapter

Thirteen

“Fletcher can be kind of…” Florence trailed off.

“Don’t worry, babe, your brother will love me,” he assured her.

She was nervous this morning, but he was sure they would have a great time meeting her brother.

Fletcher Harris had been going to drive up to the city to spend the day with her, but Florence had decided last night that she was ready to go back to the town she’d grown up in.

He was so proud of her, but he wished she could relax.

“Really, babe, everyone loves me,” he teased, knowing he’d get a smile out of her.

She acquiesced as he’d known she would. “You and that cocky attitude of yours. But, really, Eli, Fletcher can be kind of grumpy until you get to know him. And he’s pretty protective of me because it was just the two of us when we were kids.

So don’t be surprised if he doesn’t fall for that charm of yours. ”

“You worry too much.” He reached over and took her hand, kissing it then setting it on his thigh as he drove.

Today it was just the two of them, he hadn't wanted his driver to take them because he wanted to be alone with Florence.

After they spent the morning with her brother and had lunch, they were driving back to the city to have dinner with Elliot and Susannah. Kind of a meet the families day.

“You're just realizing that?” she muttered. “Take the next left here, then it’s only another mile until we get to River’s End.”

“You haven't been back here at all since you left?”

“Not once. The day I graduated high school, I packed my things and left. Fletcher had already been gone for two years because he joined the military straight out of high school. There was nothing for me there, and by the time Fletcher was out of the military and moved back there I just couldn’t face the place, too many bad memories.

Usually, he comes to see me or we meet halfway.

I thought I'd never go back there, but I don’t know, I just feel ready. ”

“It’s because you're finally able to move on,” he said, squeezing her hand.

He wanted to tell her how proud of her he was for conquering her demons, but he didn't want it to sound like he was patronizing her, because that wasn't how he meant it.

He was proud of her, he knew how hard it was to let go and let the past be the past, it had taken her so many years to get to this point, and now that she was, he was glad he was here to celebrate the milestone with her.

“I can't believe we’re here,” she said shakily a few minutes later when they entered a quaint, pretty little town. “Fletcher’s house is in the middle of town, drive halfway down Main Street, turn right, and then left, then right again and his house is number eighteen.”

Eli followed her instructions and spotted the house that belonged to her brother before they reached it because a huge blonde man was standing at the end of the driveway. He was looking toward them, arms crossed, a scowl on his face.

“That’s Fletcher,” Florence said with a sigh.

“He looks like a cheerful chap,” he joked, parking the car out the front of the house.

“Real cheerful.” Florence chuckled as she climbed out. “Hey, big brother,” she said as Fletcher wrapped his arms around her and lifted her feet off the ground.

“I missed you,” Fletcher told his little sister.

“I missed you too. This is Eli,” she introduced him as he came up beside her and took her hand when Fletcher set her back on her feet. “Eli, my brother Fletcher.”

“Nice to meet you.” He held out his free hand, and the other man eyed it before grabbing it in a crushing grip.

“You two good now, Florrie?” he asked his sister.

“Yes,” Florence replied firmly. “He had some issues to work through same as I did, but we sorted everything out, and we’re both happy.”

Just like that Fletcher relaxed. “Then nice to meet you too. I'm sure it goes without saying that you hurt my baby sister, and I hurt you.”

“Message received and understood,” he assured the other man. “And you don’t have anything to worry about, I love your sister, and I would never do anything to hurt her.”

“Good, because Florrie has been through enough.”

“You know I hate it when you call me that,” Florence said with a scowl as she swatted at her brother’s shoulder.

“I know,” Fletcher agreed with a straight face.

The siblings had the same blonde hair and the same eyes, but otherwise their features were different, and he guessed Fletcher took after their father while Florence favored their mother.

Despite the differences in their appearance, their mannerisms were the same, they had the same smile, and their eyes sparkled the same way.

“I have to go to the bathroom, you two going to be okay?” Florence asked, eyeing her brother warily.

“Relax, I won't beat him up.”

Florence rolled her eyes but hurried off inside the house, and Eli took advantage of this moment alone with Fletcher.

“As the man in Florence’s life I'd like to ask you for her hand in marriage. I know it’s old fashioned, but I think it would mean a lot to her to know you approve since it was basically just the two of you growing up. ”

“Marriage? You two are already talking marriage?” Fletcher looked surprised but not displeased at the notion.

“I already have the ring.”

“Haven't you only known each other two weeks?”

“Twelve days to be exact. And that’s kind of how I work, I see something I want I go after it. It’s not in my nature to sit back and wait.”

“Does Florence know you want to ask her to marry you?”

“She does. And she’s already said yes to moving in with me.

The proposal is just a formality, it’s not a matter of if just of when.

Florence looks up to you, you’re her big brother, and she’d like to know you're on board, but full disclosure I'd marry her with or without your approval. I just hope it isn’t without.”

Fletcher broke out into a grin. “I like you. You tell it like it is. You and Florence have my approval and my blessing, I'm really happy for you guys. Florence has been through a lot, she deserves all the happiness in the world.”

“And she’ll get it,” he promised.

“Everything okay out here?” Florence asked as she joined them.

“Would you stop worrying, we’re fine, I like him,” Fletcher told her, ruffling her hair and making her swat at him again.

“Told you he’d like me,” he said.

“You and your cockiness.” She rolled her eyes at him, then rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Can we go inside now? It’s freezing out here. How are you wearing just a shirt, aren’t you cold?” she asked Fletcher.

“Nope, not cold at all,” Fletcher replied as he led them up the path and inside.

The house was simple but nicely furnished, but it was a definite bachelor pad. Big screen TV on the wall, multiple gaming consoles, a pool table, pinball machine, and two big black leather couches.

“So I hope you don’t mind, but when I mentioned you were coming for lunch the Blacks wanted to come and see you,” Fletcher said, a hint of apprehension in his tone like he wasn't sure how Florence would react to the news.

Florence froze for a moment, reached out to take his hand, and then smiled. “Yeah, okay, that’s fine. It will be nice to see them. Who’s coming?”

“Everyone. Theo, Abe and Levi, Tatiana and Patrick, Will and Julian, Kevin, the whole gang.”

“Theo was Fletcher’s best friend when they were kids, well they still are,” Florence explained. “Are you barbecuing?” she asked when Fletcher went into the kitchen and picked up a plate piled high with steaks and burgers.

“Of course.”

“But it’s the middle of winter.”

“Doesn’t mean that barbecues don’t taste good,” Fletcher said with a wink. “Let everyone in when they get here.”

Alone in the room, Eli pulled her into his arms. “You good with all the extra guests?”

“Yeah, I guess. I'm glad that Fletcher has them, they’re like his family, the Blacks took him under their wing, looked out for him.”

“But not you?” He couldn’t help but feel a burst of anger that there had been people to look out for Fletcher but no one to be there for Florence.

“It’s okay,” she soothed, running her hands down his arms. “I don’t care anymore.

I have you now, and that makes everything better.

It’s like it washes away all the bad things that ever happened to me, I know they’re still there, but I can hardly see them anymore because anytime I feel bad about what I went through or I feel sad or unworthy, I just have to remind myself that you want me.

Of all the women you could have chosen, you chose me. ”

“You make it sound like you’re the one who lucked out in this thing we have, but really, I'm the lucky one,” he told her, framing her face between his hands and kissing her forehead.

“See, you say such sweet things, make me feel so special, I love you so much.”

“Not as much as I love you.” He kissed her again, on the lips this time, and she melted into him. His hand slid up under the back of her sweater, and they probably would have done more than they should have, considering they were in her brother’s house when the doorbell rang.

“Raincheck?”

“Oh yeah.”

7:07 P.M.

“I don’t think you’ve stopped smiling since we got to your brother’s house,” Eli said.

Florence hadn't thought about it, but he was right.

Everything had fallen into place, and she was happy. Completely and utterly happy.

It was nice.

She felt like she had been transported from her old life and put down in the middle of a whole new world.

Everything looked brighter, prettier, lovelier, just better.

She felt lighter, like the weight she had been carrying around was gone now.

She knew it wasn't really gone, it was just that now she wasn't carrying it alone.

Eli was there.