Chapter 36
Fact or Fiction?
I’m officially a lady of Fletcher Mountain.
Addison
“Hey, Old Man River.” I answer a call on my car’s Bluetooth as I drive straight from the lumberyard to Max and Cozy’s house
where I’m already late for a ladies’ night Cozy is hosting. The female bonding thing is intense in this family, but I think
I’m adapting well to the girl squad vibes, all things considered.
“Hello, my darling daughter,” Dad says gruffly. “I was calling to make sure this wedding shindig is still happening this weekend.”
My brows furrow. “Obviously, yes.”
“Thank goodness for that.” He coughs loudly into the phone. “Edith made me buy a new suit and I just wanted to make sure it
wasn’t for nothing.”
I sigh, really not knowing what to say to that. “You wanted a wedding, Dad. We’re giving you a wedding.”
“Well, I hope you wanted a wedding too,” he replies and waits for me to say something back.
“I mean . . . I was fine with the courthouse thing we did but . . . as a matter of fact . . . I’m kind of getting excited
for this weekend.”
“Really?” I can practically see my dad’s bushy eyebrows lift. “My little yard girl is excited to put on a fancy dress?”
“Yes, I am,” I reply firmly, happy to put him in his place.
“And Luke’s family has been really great with all the planning and prep work.
And not that you’ve asked, but I actually love living on the mountain.
It’s beautiful and serene and quiets my mind.
The wedding is going to be stunning up there.
Things are going well, Dad, even though I know you had your doubts. ”
He pauses for a moment before saying, “I guess if that’s all true then I’m happy for you, Addie May.”
A knot forms in my throat at the surprising tenderness in his voice. It’s felt like this game of chicken between me and my
dad has distanced us since this whole will stipulation came up, and I guess I’ve missed just feeling like a daughter and not
a problem he needs to manage.
And even though I told Luke I needed more time to figure out my feelings with him, things between us are getting realer and
realer by the day. I think I might be falling for him.
Which is scary and overwhelming, and I don’t know what it means for our future and that one-year mark when we hit it. But
I like our situation, and I don’t want to let it go.
“I appreciate you saying that, Dad,” I reply, sniffing softly and then ask, “How did you know Mom was the one before you married
her?”
The silence is deafening, and I slap my hand to my face when I realize what I so carelessly just asked my father. We don’t
talk about Mom. We never talk about Mom. Or Aaron, for that matter. I used to try to get Dad to come with me to the cemetery
and he never would, always said he didn’t have the heart for it. Dad and I exist in a monolith of just the two of us like
that’s all we ever were.
His voice is solemn and curt when he finally answers, “I don’t think you should be taking any notes from me on marriage. I’ll
see you at the rehearsal dinner at your place tomorrow.”
We hang up and tears fill my eyes at the overwhelming sadness that is my childhood. Even my own father has marriage issues, it’s no wonder I’ve been so resistant. I have the greatest guy in the world, and I still feel myself inching away from him. I’m broken just like my old man.
I scrub my hand over my face, annoyed at myself for trying to open up to him of all people. The last thing I need to do is
be poking the bear that is my father days before my wedding when he’s still dangling the possibility of selling the lumberyard
out from under me.
I just need to shut my mouth and not cause any waves until I get through this wedding. Then he can go back to Florida, and
I can get back to running the yard without him just fine.
Which I can do with or without a husband.
Though I’m starting to understand why the trust wants the owner of the yard to have a spouse. It’s been nice having someone
to come home to at the end of a long day at work. Especially when that someone is Luke Fletcher.
I pull into Max and Cozy’s driveway and try to shake the dark thoughts out of my head, mentally pep talking myself to keep
my eye on the prize. Luckily, I know that if anyone can help lighten my mood, it’s these Fletcher ladies.
I smile as I glance up at the giant house in front of me. I’m not surprised at how nice it is. I knew Max and Cozy were pretty
well off since I was lucky enough to ride on that private jet to Mexico with the rest of the family last year. But I’ve yet
to actually see their home, and I’m worried I should have maybe dressed a little nicer for whatever this ladies’ night is
going to look like inside.
Everly greets me at the door with a big hug. “Come in, come in! We’re all in the garage.”
“The garage?” I ask with a frown.
“Yeah, it’s where Cozy set up the activity.”
“What is the activity?” I glance down at my leggings and sweater that I changed in to at the yard before I came over. Maybe I would have been better off staying in my work gear.
“Come on through the house and I’ll show you!”
Everly drags me through their beautiful home to the door that leads out to their attached garage off the kitchen. It’s there
I find Johanna, Cozy, Dakota, and Trista stationed around a long table staining some sort of wood pieces.
“Welcome, Addison! We’re making charcuterie boards,” Cozy says excitedly.
“Oh, that’s so cool.” I narrow my eyes at the lumber on the table. “Where did you get the wood?”
Cozy stops what she’s doing and looks up at me as I move to stand closer to her. “Oh my gosh, I bet we could have scored some
great pieces from you!”
Cozy shakes her fists in frustration, and I laugh and wave her off. “I’m just kidding. This looks so great.” I move over to
Johanna across the table, whose gloved hands are currently wiping excess stain off her board with a rag.
“Hello, bride-to-be.” She shoots me a wink and it warms my insides.
“Hi, Jo,” I reply, realizing I feel a lot more comfortable around her than I did several weeks ago. In fact, I didn’t even
flinch that much when she hugged me goodbye after our dance lesson. It was nice. Comforting. Like Luke’s hugs.
“Your board is down at the far end.” Cozy gestures with her head while her hands are already engaged.
“Just be glad it’s not shaped like a penis,” Dakota mutters under her breath.
“Excuse me?” I stop in my tracks.
Cozy cuts Dakota a look. “I made phallic-shaped charcuterie boards for a romance novelist who lives in town. Mercedes Lee Loveletter. It was for a book box thing she was doing, and when she found out about my charcuterie board making hobby, it turned into a whole business thing between us. If you haven’t read her, we will change that before the end of the year. ”
My brows lift. “Sounds interesting.”
“Cozy is a superfan,” Trista whispers loudly.
Everly giggles and drags me down to my spot, fitting me with an apron and gloves so I’m fully prepped to stain my board. It
isn’t until I get to my spot that I see that mine has a special personalization on it that no one else’s does.
“What is this?” I ask, as I pick up the board to get a closer look.
“Call it a wedding present,” Cozy replies with a smirk. “Yours is a cutting board, not a charcuterie board. They’re different,
trust me. I thought you’d like a cutting board better with all your bread making.”
“We said no gifts,” I state, glancing up at her in confusion.
Cozy buzzes her lips. “It’s nothing.”
I gaze down at the beautiful board in front of me and my fingers tremble as I trace over the engraving that says Mr. & Mrs. Fletcher with our upcoming wedding date carved below it. It’s sweet and thoughtful and so personal. I can already see it sitting on
the counter in Luke’s cabin.
My cabin.
Our home.
It’s crazy how easy that is for me to consider. That Luke’s home is now my home. But somehow, my stuff just fits there so
well. Even my damn KitchenAid mixer has its own cabinet. His shower already has all my toiletries in it. My wedding dress
is hanging in his walk-in closet.
I’ve forgotten about all the things I left at my Boulder apartment, because somewhere along the way without even realizing
it, I left my old life behind.
A droplet hits the raw wood, and I jerk my head, not even realizing tears are falling down my cheeks.
“Oh shit, I never even asked if you took Luke’s name,” Cozy says, dropping her paintbrush and looking horrified, like my tears are because of the engraving.
“She probably didn’t take his name because of the lumber business,” Dakota offers, nudging Cozy with her elbow.
“That would make total sense,” Everly chirps, putting her hand on my arm.
“I was all too happy to get rid of my last name,” Trista adds with a harrumph.
“But we can fix this, I’m sure.” Everly look to Cozy with urgency.
“Yes, I will totally make you a new board. It’s what I do. I can do hyphenated or just keep it your name straight-up. I could
do Addison and Luke with the date. But he always calls you ‘Roe’ so I wasn’t sure. I’m so sorry, but don’t worry about it. I do these engravings
myself. I have a tool—”
“This is perfect,” I reply, cutting her off as I hold the board to my chest. “I don’t want anything changed.”
All the women stare at me like I’m a time bomb waiting to go off, and I guess maybe I am. I’ve been so stuck in my ways, certain
I knew exactly how my life was going to turn out and now . . . now everything has changed.
And I fucking love every bit of it.
“It’s just hard to get used to because my whole life I only saw myself as a Monroe. I’ve been proud to be a Monroe,” I say,
staring at the table. “My family is messy, and my dad is tough, but I love him, you know? He did the best he could, and he
taught me our family business and I’m proud of what we provide for the community, you know? I liked passing out those awards
at the lumberjack competition and signing a check to our charity. It means a lot to share the last name of my brother too.
Carrying on his legacy.”
The ladies all nod, their eyes fixed on me as I work through something big in my head.
I look up and lock eyes with Johanna, my chest swelling with emotion. “But I guess I’m realizing that two things can be true at once because I would be equally as proud to be a Fletcher.”
Johanna brings her hand up, covering a soft sob that escapes her lips. I feel guilty for hitting her with the feels out of
nowhere but they’re hitting me too and suddenly I’m a dam that’s finally broken free, gushing all my feelings out all over
the table.
“I’m really grateful to you, Jo,” I croak, eyeing her with a pained smile. “I don’t know most of the details of this wedding
and I already know it’s going to be one of the best days of my life.”
“Oh, sweetie,” she blubbers and pulls her gloves off before rushing around the table to pull me into a hug. “It was my pleasure.
I would do anything for you. Anything.”
I feel myself fight back a sob into her shoulder as her words repeat in my head. I would do anything for you. Anything.
It’s a deep pain to know that my own mother couldn’t, but this mother could. Some mothers do good. I could do good.
I swallow down the painful knot in my throat and when Jo releases me, she doesn’t fully let go. She keeps rubbing my back
and holding on to my arm, gazing at the engraved board with me. And I realize for once I’m not pulling away from her one bit.
I’m leaning in and accepting it with everything I have in me.
Through watery eyes, I look at the ladies all standing around the table and offering me silent looks of support. “I’m glad
you gals are going to be standing up there with me on Saturday because I’m going to be a mess, I fear,” I say with a garbled
laugh. “But girlfriends sure do make it all a lot less scary.”
“We got you,” Trista says, reaching out to hold my hand.
“The ladies of Fletcher Mountain are always here for you,” Dakota adds with a smile.
Cozy lets out an angry growl. “Okay, we’re seriously building a cabin up there. I can’t take this shit anymore. Jo, we’ll add a mother-in-law suite on our house.”
“No Fletcher woman left behind,” Everly adds with twinkling eyes.
Jo laughs and hugs me one more time and I grin over the fact that I too am in the Fletcher women club, and I don’t think I
ever want to leave.
Addison Monroe Fletcher.
Has a pretty good ring to it, I think.