CHAPTER 13
EDEN
The guest room door doesn’t look any different, but as Fletcher stops in front of it my heart starts to pound. He glances between Macklin and me before he rubs the back of his neck. When he clears his throat a few times, I almost giggle. There’s something about seeing Fletcher, who is normally so sure of himself, flustered. It does something to me.
It gives me just enough strength to push aside Brandy’s words and helps me to focus on the here and now. My gut is telling me this is important, and I won’t want to miss it.
I reach out and grab Fletcher’s hand, giving it as squeeze even though I have no idea what he’s about to show us. The relief written all over Fletcher’s face is clear to see.
He clears his throat, again, his voice a little husky and hesitant, “When you stayed here the first time, bud, I realized the guest room wasn’t the right kind of room for you.”
Macklin’s chin drops to his chest, his voice breaking, “You don’t want me to stay here anymore?”
I gasp and Fletcher drops down on his haunches in front of my son and grips his slim shoulders. “No,” his voice is firm, “that’s not what I’m saying at all, Macklin.” Mack looks at Fletcher and as much as I want to step in, I have a feeling this is something they need to work out. “I want you to be able to come here and stay here in a space that is your own. You deserve to have a room you love, not some stuffy guest room. Since then, I’ve been working on this. I needed to order some things and couldn’t show you until it was all done.”
Tears start to fall down my face because I know what he’s saying even if Macklin doesn’t understand yet. When Fletcher looks at me, his eyes soften, and I try to brush the tears away.
“Fletch,” Mack sounds exasperated, “what are you talking about?”
Fletcher chuckles softly and then reaches over to open the door, but he doesn’t push it open. “How about you go in and find out.”
As Macklin pushes the door open, Fletcher stands and tucks me into his side while kissing the top of my head, not at all deterred by the way I’ve been acting all evening. The squeal of excitement Macklin lets out is loud and forces me to take in the room beyond the now open door.
The room has been repainted and completely decked out with a ranch theme. There are pictures of all the horses at Limitless along with a few things from the barn. There’s a toy chest made out of old barnwood and a bed that looks rustic and safe at the same time which is covered in cowboy bedding. Everything is warm with natural textures.
While it’s a room for a little boy, I can also see how he’ll be able to grow into it as he gets older. It’s perfect.
Macklin races around the room, taking a quick lap and then skidding to a stop in front of Fletcher. “This is mine?” There’s so much hope in his voice, “Really?”
“Really,” Fletcher tells him seriously with a nod.
Mack reaches out and grabs both of our hands and gives a tug, bringing us over the threshold and into his new room. As I look around and take in more details, I’m even in more awe that Fletcher not only put this together but did it so quickly.
“It’s perfect,” I breathe out.
Fletcher wraps his arms around me and pulls me back against his chest. “Is this okay? I was worried you’d be mad at me, and you’ve already been in a mood.”
I let out a heavy sigh and let myself melt back against his strong chest, soaking up some of his warmth. He’s always so fucking solid and I need that right now.
“This is perfect. I’m not mad about the room at all. Macklin loves it and I love how you’ve given him a space that’s all his,” I tell him honestly, notably omitting mentioning my mood from earlier, the one I’m only keeping at bay because of my son’s happiness.
He makes a humming sound and leaves it. I know it won’t last, but I’ll take it for now. Even though it’s not easy, I focus on Mack and all the little things he finds in his new room. Later, when I’m sitting in the living room alone because Mack insisted Fletch be the one to put him to sleep tonight, I allow my shoulders to slump, and I try to tell myself to get over my own bullshit.
We weren’t together. He could have fucked the entire single female population of Wintervale, and I wouldn’t be able to say a damn thing about it. I guess I just wish he would have told me, warned me, about Brandy.
Fletcher is silent as he walks into the living room, his eyes dark and intense as he takes me in. He stalks toward me and as much as I want to shrink back against the couch, I force myself to stay still. His movements are precise, and every step closer makes me feel like his prey.
Then I’m up and cradled in his arms. I try to sound mad as I protest, “What are you doing?”
He shushes me as he strides through the house and toward his room. With a kick to the door, closing it behind us as he carries me toward the bed, it only takes a few strides until he’s sitting on the edge and I’m straddling his lap.
“Now,” he starts, the demand clear in his voice, “you’re going to tell me what has been going on with you today.”
Being asked directly, and not being able to get away from the question, has me squirming a little bit. I don’t want to answer. It’s not like I didn’t know how ridiculous I was being.
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” I try and deflect.
By the look Fletcher’s giving me, I know I won’t be able to get away with not answering him. Like I ever had the hope of it with how distracted and moody I’ve been.
“Yeah, that’s not going to work for me Shooting Star,” there’s a warning in his voice, one I know I need to heed.
I let out a heavy sigh and give him my most apologetic look. “I took Macklin to the market today. I wanted to show him the town and get him comfortable here since we’re not going anywhere. After our date, I knew I was being silly about people being mad at me and treating me like an outcast.”
Fletcher narrows his eyes at me, a growl in his voice, “Was someone rude to you? Was there a pitchfork involved?”
I give him a small smile and shake my head, appreciating how he’s trying to lighten the mood. Still, I can tell he’s pissed at the thought of someone being mean to me. If I wasn’t already in love with this man, if I hadn’t loved him most of my life, his reaction would do it.
“I saw Brandy.”
My words hang between us, but there’s no recognition on Fletcher’s face. He doesn’t flinch at her name or react in any way. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it.
“You know,” I try again, “the Brandy we went to high school with? She’s a flight attendant now?”
“Okay?” His eyebrows pull together and he tilts his head to the side slightly like he’s doing upper-level math in his head. “I’m sorry, Eden, but I don’t get it. She was always a bitch, and you never got along, but you never let her get to you.”
“She said something that got under my skin,” I whisper, “and I haven’t been able to shake it.”
“What did she say?” There’s a hard edge to his voice and I almost hate that I have to answer his question.
“She said that you two were together for a while after we broke up, but it didn’t work out because of how much traveling she did for her job,” the words start to tumble from my mouth, and I don’t look at him while they do. My throat threatens to close up as I admit, “She called your relationship torrid and romantic.” I almost throw up a little in my mouth, but I swallow it down and then shake my head. “I know I don’t have any right to be upset about it. We weren’t together, you were allowed to be with anyone, but Brandy was always trying to touch you and get with you in high school. It just rubbed me the wrong way,” I admit.
There’s a heartbeat of silence and then Fletcher starts laughing. It’s not a low chuckle, it’s a full-on belly laugh. My head snaps up and I glare at him. When I try and stand up to put some distance between us, his hands tighten on my body and hold me in place.
“She’s a liar,” he gasps out as he laughs. When he gets himself under control and all I can do is stare at him incredulously, he clarifies, “I was never with Brandy. I wouldn’t touch her even if someone paid me.”
I blink at him a few times and even though he could just be saying it to soothe my hurt feelings, I believe him. He has no reason to lie because what I said is true—he could be with anyone while we were apart. I have no right to hold it against him.
Look at me—I have a child fathered by another man. Even though we weren’t together, there is still a little bit of guilt in my heart over the whole thing. Not everything has to make sense when it comes to the heart.
“I’m not sure how I feel about you thinking this is so funny,” I pout while trying to ignore the other things Brandy said.
Fletcher’s laughter dies as he studies me and it’s like he can see right through me. “What else did she say?”
I roll my eyes and huff, “She said something about Macklin and how he probably pisses you off and you’ll be calling her again soon. That’s when I laughed in her face because I know you adore Macklin.”
The silence between us is tense and I can’t look him in the eyes as the anger pulses around him. He grits out through his teeth, “She said what?”
“You heard me,” I whisper.
He grips my chin, his touch possessive and firm, and tilts my head back so I’m looking into his dark eyes. I can see the anger and the threat of violence there, but it’s not directed at me. “What did she say about Macklin?”
Uh-oh. “It doesn’t matter. She’s a bitch and a liar.”
“You believed her,” he murmurs. When I shrug my shoulders, hating that she got to me with her bullshit, Fletcher lays me out on the bed. “Strip,” he demands.
My body moves on autopilot and moments later I’m naked and laid out for him. The moment he’s just as naked as I am, he kneels between my legs while his hand wraps around his cock and pumps slowly. My mouth waters with the thought of tasting him.
“Eden,” he rasps, “if there was anyone specific that I needed to tell you about, I would have. I didn’t mention anything because no one was important enough to mention. No one was you. You’re the only woman who has ever held my heart. You’re the only woman for me.”
“I’m sorry,” I whimper, feeling badly about doubting him even for a moment.
“It’ll take time for us to find our footing.” His eyes bore into mine, but it’s difficult for me to focus on anything beyond the way he’s stroking his length. “But there is one thing you should never doubt, Shooting Star,” he pauses until I look back up and meet his eyes, “I love you.”
My heart starts to pound in my chest because I can feel the sincerity in his words. The truth of it wraps around me and caresses me down to my soul. “I love you, Fletcher. I always have and I always will.”
As he crawls over my body, my world rights itself in a way I haven’t experienced in far too long. Maybe I did need to leave, maybe it’s not a regret I should continue to hold onto, but that doesn’t matter anymore. Only this matters.
Being with Fletcher is where I was always meant to be and I’m home now.
As he slides his length inside of me, my body arches up against him and I wrap my body around him. “Fuck,” he groans, the strain clear to see in the cords of his neck as he tips his head upward, “you always feel so fucking good, Shooting Star.”
When his eyes come down and meet mine, he starts to move. Every glide of his hips is slow and measured. This is so much more this time as we make love staring into each other’s eyes.
Every time he fills me has me writhing underneath him, my body begging and pleading for more. I circle my hips, seeking the friction I desperately need. Fletcher’s chest rubbing against the hard peaks of my nipples has me moaning and digging my nails into his back.
“I love you,” I moan, my soul lighting up as pleasure starts to overtake me and I get lost in a fog of lust and love.
Being with Fletcher is everything. Everything I missed. Everything I’ve been dreaming about.
I might have left Wintervale because I thought I was following my dreams, but I know now that this man is the only dream that matters. All I want to do is build the life we used to whisper about together.
It’s so close I can almost touch it.
And I desperately want it.
“I love you, Eden,” he groans and starts to move faster and harder.
Our moans and groans fill the room along with the way our skin is slapping together as passion takes over. When we tip over the edge, we do it together. I can feel every hot jet of his cum filling me as my walls beg for more of him.
“Move in with me,” Fletcher plants, “both of you. I want you here; I want all of it. This is our home, it always was.”
I blink up at the man above me, his weight welcome and comforting. My chest is heaving and I’m still a little fuzzy as I float in the aftershocks of our mutual orgasm.
“Yes,” I whisper, knowing there is no better place for us than right here.
Fletcher’s eyes light up and warmth spreads through me. No matter what regrets I have, one thing I’ll never regret is giving my neighbor, a boy who was my friend before anything else, my heart. He’s kept it safe for me. Time and distance were never going to be enough to keep us apart.