Chapter 11 VINCE #2
“Oh, hey, Dad! Vince is teaching me some notes. Check this out.” She focuses hard on the chords, trying to get them just right as she plays the riff. It’s a little slow, but her transitions are smooth.
I smile at her. “Hey! Look at you. Already a pro.”
She grins and keeps playing.
Fletcher shows no sign of recognizing the beat. He stops behind me, dead silent. His throat works like he’s struggling to swallow.
Shit, I should’ve left.
I look up at him, worried I fucked everything up. Slowly, his hand comes down on my shoulder, much softer than I expected. The touch is warm and grounding. I feel it everywhere.
He turns back to Georgie, listening as she plays it again. “That’s amazing, hon. I love hearing you play.”
He continues on into the kitchen, where he sets a lunchbox on the counter. He looks around for the source of the smell, and eventually opens the oven.
I hand my guitar to Avalon. “Want to try?”
“Really?”
“Have at it.”
While the girls play the guitars, I go to Fletcher.
“I’m so sorry,” I say quietly.
He frowns. “Why?”
“I didn’t even think about her coming home when I sat down. It was your one rule.”
He relaxes. “Oh. No, you’re fine, Vince. Honestly. I trust you. I’m just… I’m so used to people dismissing her because she’s a teen, you know? It’s refreshing is all, to see you with her.” He points to the oven. “Did you make dinner?”
My cheeks heat. “I—yeah. I wanted to give back, you know. Do something for you like you’ve done for me.”
A slow smile touches his lips. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“I know.”
His gaze drops to my mouth as if he’s thinking of kissing me, but he quickly steps away. “Well, thank you. It smells amazing.”
He tips his chin toward his daughter in the other room and lowers his voice. “I really loved seeing you with her.”
I hide my smile. “It was nothing.”
“To you, maybe. But not to me.”
I pull some plates down and dish up the food.
Dinner is quiet, but in a good way. Fletcher complains about the heat, which makes the girls giggle, but he loves the food, regardless.
He goes in for seconds, and the girls devour the rest of it.
Afterward, we play cards at the table with Georgie and Avalon.
I show Georgie a couple of simple card tricks, and she laughs like I’ve just revealed actual magic.
I’ll save my real card tricks for later.
Fletcher keeps looking at me as if he’s trying to memorize something—like this moment matters more than he knows how to say. His smile hasn’t left him, and his shoulders relax all evening.
It’s all I wanted. To give him a break, just as he’s given me. For the first time, I don’t feel like a burden to him.
“Dad, can Avalon stay over?”
Fletcher snaps his attention back to her. “Not tonight, hon.”
“Why not?”
“Because her mother already texted me, saying she needs to be home by nine.”
They both sigh.
When they finally head to her room, Fletcher quickly moves in. He doesn’t even try to hide it, kissing me square on the lips. “You’re an incredible man, Vince. I hope you know that.”
I’m not sure how to reply, so I just kiss him again, holding his face. My fingers tickle his beard, earning a soft moan.
When footsteps echo in the hallway, we jerk apart, wiping our mouths. Fletcher turns back to the sink, pretending to rinse glasses.
Georgie and Avalon talk loudly amongst themselves as they grab a couple of sodas from the fridge, then rush back to her room.
Fletcher and I stifle our laughs.
“That was close,” he mutters.
“Sorry.”
He shakes his head. “What are you sorry for? I kissed you, remember?”
He reaches for me, squeezing my hand. After looking toward the hall, he says, “I don’t hide things from her usually, but I just don’t want her to get the wrong idea either.”
My heart sinks. “What would that be?”
He pulls away, chewing his lip. “Well, it would probably be the right idea, as far as I’m concerned,” he says softly. “But I just mean, we haven’t talked about anything, so until we do, I don’t want her reading into this too much.”
I swallow hard. Fletcher’s right. We need to talk about where this is heading, and soon. The more we play around, the more we kiss or take our clothes off, the more we’ll risk getting hurt in the end.
But is a relationship even possible?
If we’d met before my body started failing me, it would’ve been an easy decision. Our connection is that deep. But now, everything is so uncertain. It’s heavy. And it’s downright scary.
If this is multiple sclerosis like my doctor thinks, then that means there’s no cure. Sure, medication might slow the progression down, but my body will continue to fail. How can I be a fair partner to him like this?
Fletcher steps into my space, cupping my face with one hand. His blue eyes dart between mine before he kisses me. It’s a different kiss than before. Deeper and full of meaning. Like he knows exactly where my mind is.
I lean into him, afraid this will be ripped away from me too soon. Fletcher is the first good thing I’ve had in… god, I don’t even know how long. I’ve stopped counting the years.
I think about Ace, about what our stupid fling was in the desert.
Those nights don’t even compare to that one time with Fletcher—to all the times I’ve spent with him.
Ace and I had fun, sure, and he’s still a good friend now.
But this? No, the connection I feel with Fletcher is something else entirely.
He’s broken through my barriers without even trying; he’s seeing me at my lowest, and he’s still here.
Fletcher hasn’t just been a friend—he’s been a support, just as he promised. But a part of me knows he could be something more too. If I wanted him to be.
I just don’t know if I can.
I dish up the cake, which Fletcher hadn’t even seen above the fridge. Georgie is thrilled and takes a ginormous piece back to her room. Fletcher and I eat our pieces at the table.
“Will you stay for a movie?” he asks quietly.
I scrape a little more frosting off the plate before licking my fork. “Sure.”
We settle on the couch, far enough apart that it won’t look suspicious if the girls come out, yet Fletcher reaches for my hand, threading our fingers together. When Avalon comes out to grab a glass of water, we break apart, then slide right back together.
Finally, at nine, Fletcher drives Avalon home. I take it as my cue to go and walk to my room, feet dragging along the stone path. Every limb feels exceedingly heavy after all that work today.
When Fletcher returns, he knocks on my door.
He doesn’t come in, but shifts nervously on his feet. “So, um. Georgie is at her mom’s this weekend,” he says plainly, raising a brow.
My heart stutters. “Yeah?”
He nods. “I’m thinking you cash in that raincheck and share a bed with me?”
I reach for his hand, wishing I could kiss him. “I’d like that.”
Fletcher smiles. “Great.”
I’m grinning when I close the door.
For the first time in a long time, I can’t wait to go back to work—if only so the week goes faster.