Page 28 of Shattered Dreams

I snicker. “Daddy likes his marshmallows burnt to a crisp. Isn’t that right?”

Dre smirks, shaking his head, silently mouthing fuck you to me.

I can’t help but smile.

It’s nearly ten when the fire has started to diminish and Rylee’s fallen asleep, curled against Andre’s sun-kissed chest.

Maddox yawns, and I know we need to go.

“Guess it’s about that time,” I say as I get up and make my way to grab my duffel. Andre nods as he gets up, shifting Rylee in his arms. She’s out like a light, but that’s to be expected. Both of them exerted themselves today, that’s for sure.

“Yeah, guess so.”

There’s a strange sort of silence between us, but it isn’t tense or weird. If anything, it’s the opposite. Comfortable. Warm. Maybe even a little sad because the fun is over and it’s back to reality now.

“This was… great,” I say, my voice strangely thick. “I think you really helped shift Maddox’s mood today, and that is no small feat.” I scratch the back of my neck. “He was upset about not being invited on the cruise, so this was just what he needed.”

Andre shifts his daughter in his arms, her head falling on his shoulder, and in the low porchlight, I can see him in her sleepy expression.

“Anytime,” he says, his voice low and smooth. Warm like the embers of the fire that refuses to go out completely. “Glad I could help.”

Maddox and I move to head around to the driveway, and I half expect Dre to go inside, but he doesn’t. Instead, he follows me and Maddox out front, until we get to the car.

“Thanks,” I say as Maddox crawls into the backseat.

There’s a strange tension between us that feels like he wants to say something, but thinks better of it. Rylee shifts in his arms, and he nonchalantly adjusts to her movement. His gaze holds mine for a moment, and he nods as I get into the driver’s seat.

The streetlights pass over us, a dance of shadow and light as Maddox sleeps in the back seat. I’m pretty sure the moment his head hit the backseat, he was out. The humidity is thick, especially this time of year, but the warmth feels different. It’s like it’s inside me, not just all around me.

Today was perfect.

Maddox had fun playing with Rylee, and Dre, too, which is great, but…

I had fun, too. Hanging out with my best friend and our kids.

For the first time in a long time, I could just be. I could relax and enjoy the moment without having to worry about shit or pay attention to Maddox to make sure he doesn’t get hurt. The last thing I need is a trip to the ER while Amelia’s out of the damn country. One week should be fine, but Maddox plays hard and doesn’t do anything half-assed, so it would be just like him to send my blood pressure—and his mother’s—through the roof.

I smirk to myself as I think about him on that stupid llama raft, making all sorts of dumb noises and goofing off. I think about Rylee’s laughter and how she kept begging him to keep doing the Lulu voice, which made us all laugh. Seeing him with Rylee makes my chest tight. Amelia and I never talked about having another kid. Those first two years with Maddox were rough because neither of us knew what the hell we were doing, and it was pretty stressful, and that didn’t help our relationship. I don’t regret what happened between us, I wouldn’t give up Maddox for anything, but I grew up an only child so I know how lonely it is. I also know how hard it’s been for him, especially since the divorce, to make friends.

Maybe… maybe we could do this again. Make it a thing. Something tells me Maddox would like that, and I can’t deny the thought of seeing Dre again makes me smile because I think I’d like it, too.

But all thoughts of warm summer pool days and laughter die when I pull up to the apartment complex to see a crowd of people gathered outside. Then I hear the sharp sound of sirens, blue and red lights shining like an ominous beacon, and I throw the car into park quickly, my gaze settling on my apartment.

And the acrid smell of burning and smoke…

Firefighters run towards the bank of apartments with the hose, shouting orders, and the world stops as I realize they are headed straight for my apartment.

My apartment…

“Fuck,” I curse under my breath, and then I hear Maddox’s voice; groggy and tinged with worry.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

I can’t move. I can’t breathe. All I can do is say, “Stay in the car, Maddox.”

My chest is tight and panic floods me as I watch the firefighters help the tenants evacuate their apartments.

Smoke billows out the front window, the curtains overtaken by flames, and beneath it, I see Maddox’s bike. That’s what hits me; what makes it real. No matter how many times I tell him to pick it up and secure it properly, he always drops it right underneath the window. I watch as the firefighters step on it, kick it out of the way, to do their job, and I don’t think, I just get in the car.