Page 145 of Fly's Path

He looks me up and down. “That explains the outfit.”

“Then you and Gabe are going to keep working out together and become friends.”

“You seem stuck on that point. I really don’t need more friends.”

“Everyone can always use another friend.”

“Woman.”

“I’ll take that as a yes. And a request for blondies with your next letter.”

“Bribery doesn’t work on me.”

“It does today.” I stand up and look down at him.

“Today it does.”

“I should stretch before we start. My morning run, which wasn’t that long, and I’ve been pushing my body a little bit more than I should the last couple of days.”

“Are you telling me you already worked out this morning?” He slowly rises, fighting not to show any of the pain he’s clearly feeling.

“Yup, but it was just a quick five miles. I’ll do another ten while you two punish your bodies.”

He chuckles. “No way. Gabe, come over here and tell this woman she’s not coasting while we do all the work. You’re going to do some weight training today.”

I groan. “What happened to us being friends?”

Deacon grins. “You don’t want to know how I would torment you if we weren’t friends.”

“Evil. For that, you’re getting plain old chocolate chip cookies from the store next letter.”

***

“You’ve been very quiet. Is everything all right?” Viola asks as we settle into the helicopter for our ride back to Urbium.

“Just fine. I had a really nice morning with your family.”

“We had a lovely time with you. You fit in so well. It was almost like you were meant to be in it.”

Those words pierce my soul. I was never meant to have a happy family, but it’s a beautiful thought.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because I would like nothing more than to be part of your family.”

“So then join it. If it doesn’t work out with Gabe or Tadhg, I have an extensive family.”

“I told you that I don’t need a matchmaker, Viola. Love isn’t for me.”

“The people who say that are usually the ones who need it the most.”

She’s not wrong. Also, she’s very wrong. “I don’t need help falling in love. I need help believing that what your family has can exist for anyone else. Because if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have called you a liar.”

“You want the truth then…you aren’t born into families like mine. They don’t just magically stay strong and loving because that’s what you’re used to. They require work. A lot of it. And the belief that the work is worth it. If I stepped back or their mother was less interested in this type of life…it would fall to pieces in a moment. So if you want this life for yourself, you need to make it happen. You need to fight for your family, be it blood relatives or the family of your heart. No excuses. No waiting for someone else to make the effort. You fight. And you never stop fighting for it. Because the next time you blink, you’ll be in your seventies, asking what happened with your life. And your choices right now will decide which future you will have. Be the woman who wakes up to a room full of family who comes to breakfast because you invited them.”

Fixing Nothing

Fly