Chapter 7 Letters #2
“I probably should have asked first,” I admit, scratching the back of my neck. “Asher and Connor came over to hang out with us for a bit—”
“Ace! My best friend!” Remi cuts in.
“—and Connor brought Ace, his French bulldog, with him,” I finish. “Remi’s completely obsessed.”
Sarah sighs, rolling her eyes dramatically. “He’s been begging for a puppy ever since we went to the playground and he got to pet one. He asked for three days straight if I could buy that exact one.”
“There’s already a bit of a custody battle going on between Halle and Asher over Ace. Now they’ll have to fight this one for him too,” I tease, tickling Remi’s side until he squeals.
Remi squirms in my arms, his laughter filling the room in infectious waves.
I can’t help but grin as I grab his coloring book from the stack at the end of the kitchen table, along with a handful of his favorite crayons.
I set him up with a soft ruffle to his hair.
Sarah shuffles in behind me, pulling out a stool and falling onto it, elbows braced on the counter, watching me as I rummage through the cupboards for the Lucky Charms I know I have somewhere.
“I’m glad Remi had a fun night with you and your friends,” she says, her voice still rough with sleep.
“He and Con actually hit it off really well. They were playing pranks on Asher all night; it was hilarious.” I chuckle, pouring Lucky Charms into a bowl for Remi. “I probably should have checked with you first before the guys came over, though. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, you should have,” she says, but there’s no edge in her tone. She watches me for a beat, then adds, “But I also know you. And I know Halle. We may have lost a few years, but I still trust my gut. You wouldn’t let Remi be around anyone who’d hurt him.”
She stands, taking the bowl from me and placing it in front of Remi, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.
“I trust you with him,” she murmurs, glancing around the kitchen. Her gaze falls on the mess of crayons, the sound of Remi’s spoon clinking against the bowl. “This place…” She trails off, a soft smile pulling at her mouth. “It kind of feels like it could be home.”
“Yeah?” I grin, my chest filling with a little pride. “I’ll make sure you get to meet Asher and Connor today before we head into work. That way, if there is ever a next time, you know who Remi will be around.”
A flicker of emotion passes through her eyes, there and gone too quickly before I can make sense of it.
“Thank you,” she says softly as if she can’t quite seem to get a hold of the emotions running through her.
I clear my throat, suddenly feeling the air shift. “So… I called last night, just to let you know Remi was asleep and was okay.” I spin the cereal in my bowl. “Madi answered.”
Her eyes narrow on me as she snatches the bowl of Lucky Charms right out of my hands and points the spoon at me. “You need to fix that.”
“I know.”
“She’s your sister’s best friend,” she says firmly. “I really like her. Fix it.”
Oh shit. She’s kinda scary when she goes all momma bear.
“That’s the plan.” I yank the bowl back, scoop a spoonful, and shove it in my mouth. “I’m gonna win her back.”
“And if you can’t?” she asks, eyes boring into mine.
I swallow, and the spoon clinks against the bowl. “Then I’ll win her back as my best friend. I refuse to lose her again.” The certainty in my voice surprises me more than it does her.
Losing Madison isn’t an option. I need her in my life.
Sarah’s smirk grows. “Good. Because after last night, I’m officially Team Madison.”
I laugh, trading a look with her. “You and everyone else, Sar Bear.”
“Don’t you dare scare her off. Don’t come on too hard. Don’t rush her.”
“I won’t, I swear. We’ll both be at work tonight, but I won’t force anything. If it feels right to talk, I will. If not… I’ll be patient.”
“I’ll kick your ass, Hunter, if you do anything to hurt her any further.”
I hold my hands up in surrender just as a loud bark cuts through the air.
Remi gasps, spinning in his chair, forgetting the spoon still in his cereal.
It happens in slow motion. The bowl moves with him, toppling over, milk and Lucky Charms spilling across the table and splattering onto the floor.
Remi laughs as he scrambles off the chair, his bare feet slapping against the floor just as Ace runs toward him, snorting and barking.
The dog jumps at his legs, licking him as his little butt moves side to side in a happy dance.
“Shit, shit, shit, Ace. Down, boy.” Connor’s voice cuts through the chaos, but Ace is too busy smothering Remi in kisses to listen.
Connor lunges for Ace as Sarah rushes for Remi, the two of them bending down at the same time, heads colliding along the way. Connor falls back on his ass, groaning and clutching his forehead while Sarah straightens, rubbing hers.
“Ow,” she mutters, wincing.
Meanwhile, Remi’s on the floor, giving Ace belly rubs. There are Lucky Charms all over the place, the sweet smell filling the kitchen, and milk dripping down the table.
It’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Connor pushes himself up, a sheepish grin tugging at his mouth. “I didn’t think Ace would be that excited to see Remi again.”
“Wait until Asher finds out he’s been replaced by two people,” I say with a laugh.
“He’s gonna be so pissed.” Connor flashes me a grin.
He freezes when his gaze lands on Sarah. His smile faltering, eyes widening, words tripping out of his mouth. “Hi. Hey. Uh, hi.”
“Connor, this is Sarah, Remi’s mom. Sarah, this is Connor and Ace.” I motion between them.
Sarah’s lips curve, amusement flickering in her eyes. “So you’re the one who won my son over.” She glances down at Remi and Ace tangled on the floor, then back up at him. “You know it’s Ace, not you, right?”
Connor throws his head back, laughter booming through the kitchen. When he looks back at Sarah, strands of blond hair fall across his face. He gathers them quickly, tying them into a low knot before offering his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Sarah. Is your head as sore as Tessa and Halle’s?” he teases with a slow smirk.
She glares at him, ignores his outstretched hand, and picks up Remi instead. “Come on, Rem-Rem, let’s get you cleaned up.”
Without another glance at Connor, she turns on her heel and stalks toward the bathroom.
“You can clean this,” I say lightheartedly. “And maybe start knocking. I’m not the only one who lives here now.”
Connor throws his hands in the air. “Oh, come on, don’t take my no-knocking privileges from me.”
I spoon the last of the cereal into my mouth, tipping the bowl back to drink the milk, then throw the dishes into the sink.
I hand Connor some paper towels, and he gets to work, muttering under his breath, but clearly amused.
I lean against the counter, watching him fumble a bit with the soggy cereal, and can’t help but smirk at him.
The way he’s trying so hard. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this sort of effort from him with anyone outside of our crew.
A few minutes later, Sarah and Remi emerge from the bathroom. The place is put back together, and Ace’s excitement has finally settled down.
“How about we take Remi to the playground? There’s one at the end of our street—it backs onto Falls Creek. Two-minute walk, tops. We’ll tire him out so he’ll be ready for a nap when we get back,” I suggest.
“Remi, would you like to go to the playground with Hunter and Connor?” she asks.
“And Ace?” he pipes up, eyes wide.
“Yeah, buddy. Ace is coming too,” Connor says, clipping the leash onto the little Frenchie.
“Okay, Momma stay here?” Remi glances back at Sarah, worry passing across his tiny features.
“I’ll stay here, but only if you promise to be good for Hunter.”
“I be ood,” he grins, flashing her a toothy smile.
“Pack some snacks. I think he spilled half his breakfast. Fruit, preferably,” she says to me.
“You got it. Come on, Remi, let’s get you some fruit and your water bottle.” I say, crouching down to him.
“And sunscreen!” Sarah calls out after us.
We pack everything into Remi’s small backpack and head out to the front porch to meet Connor and Ace, the morning sun warm on our shoulders as Sarah follows us out.
“Are you sure you want to take him? You had him all night last night, and while I’m super thankful for the night off, I don’t want to take advantage,” Sarah says, her voice laced with concern.
“Stop,” I say, hoisting Remi onto my hip. “If I didn’t want to hang out with him, I wouldn’t be offering.”
She tilts her head, fighting back a smile. “Okay. Have fun then. Your couch is calling my name.”
We take off down the street, the sun high and bright, its rays warming my skin.
Summer is nearly here, and with it comes the rush of people.
Locals flocking to the parks, people passing through that get swept up in Sunlit Cove’s charm, staying longer than they planned.
The hum of the busy season stirs something in me, a mix of excitement and anticipation.
I love it—the longer days, the nights that come alive at the bar.
“So,” Connor breaks the silence, his voice low but sharp, “you ever gonna tell me why you disappeared and didn’t bother to contact me? I thought we were closer than that, man.”
The words hit me like a splash of cold water.
I crouch slightly to put Remi down, taking his hand in mine and letting him walk beside me.
My grip tightens on his backpack, knuckles whitening as I force myself to meet Connor’s gaze.
Dread laces through my chest, making each breath feel heavy, my throat tight with words I can’t quite form.
I swallow hard, forcing the knot in my stomach to loosen.
Madison isn’t the only one I let down.