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My best friend and business partner certainly thought I was … To move from North Carolina to Cherry Springs, giving up my place in our business, leaving the life I’d established for Chris and myself after years of struggling. All to follow my sister and her fiancé, Chris’s father, so that Christopher could enjoy this new facet of his life.
Moving my son to Cherry Springs meant that he got to have an extended family unlike anything he’d ever known. He’d also get to experience life in a small town, and have his father close by.
Gabe had moved to North Carolina after he’d learned Chris was his son, giving up everything to get a chance to get to know him, but when Zoey had started a new book series about zombies in Cherry Springs, they’d decided to move back while she immersed herself in the community.
Of course, now that she was pregnant and they were getting married, they realized how much they wanted to stay in Cherry Springs and raise their family. Gabe had a great support system there, and all Zoey had in North Carolina was me.
Our parents, although they loved us in their way, weren’t really the nurturing type. They’d moved to Florida and enjoyed living the retired life, coming by for the occasional visit, but never really investing in our lives.
I didn’t want to be the one to hold Zoey back, and I didn’t want her to worry about me being left behind. I also didn’t want Chris to lose the relationship that he and Gabe had developed so quickly.
It was easiest for me to leave what I’d established behind and start over.
I had money to go back to school and get my MBA, could get a sweet house in their affordable community, and eventually find a job.
Would it be weird to constantly be surrounded by Gabe and his family, knowing that the man I’d had a random hookup with when I was young and stupid, which resulted in my beautiful son, was marrying my sister and starting a family of his own? Absolutely.
But I’d learn to live with it. I was resilient, if nothing else, and I actually enjoyed Cherry Springs, and the people in it. Gabe’s mother, Annabeth, hadn’t exactly warmed up to me yet, harboring anger over me keeping Christopher from them for so long, but everyone else was really nice.
Well, almost everyone, I thought, as I pictured the way Reardon had reacted on the sidewalk earlier.
I vaguely remembered meeting Reardon the night of the Super Bowl party. I’d seen him and Gabe across the bar, and the girls I’d been with had been going nuts over being in the same place as the newly championed football players.
It was rare that I ever went out and left my studies, so I’d been enjoying a night out with the girls, having no idea the way things would turn out that night. I’d had a few shots, and with the encouragement of my friends, had decided to do something out of character and approach the very young and good-looking Gabe. I’d barely spared Reardon a glance before Gabe had taken my hand and we’d gone into a back room. I doubt Gabe and I even said four words to each other before going at it.
It was hot, empowering, and over within minutes. We’d even thanked each other before going our separate ways, and that was it … my one wild night. I hadn’t regretted it; in fact, every time I thought about what I’d done, it brought a smile to my face. Then I found out I was pregnant and my entire life changed.
The next time I saw Reardon, he was glaring at me at Gabe’s football camp after I’d told them Christopher was Gabe’s son. I didn’t blame him, and when I found out he was a lawyer, I understood his unwillingness to accept my claims without proof. Still, his attitude toward me had rattled.
Since then, Reardon’s demeanor toward me has thawed a little. He didn’t look at me with disdain, and he was always polite at the family functions I attended. Still, I could tell he didn’t like me, especially after moments like today, when he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. I didn’t know if I could change the way he viewed me, since he’d been there the night that started at all, but every time he acted like I was beneath him, it pissed me off.
Where did he get off? It wasn’t like I’d ever done anything to him. If Gabe could forgive me, why can’t he?
“You almost ready, Mom?” Christopher asked from the other side of my bedroom door. We were staying in a hotel until I found a place for us to live. Gabe and Zoey had asked us to stay with them again, but it was just too weird for me, and I was more comfortable having my own space.
“Yes, just one more minute.”
I heard Chris’s exaggerated sigh and smiled.
At thirteen, he was a bundle of conflicting emotions. One foot in childhood and the other in manhood, he was growing into the man he would become. He was beginning to shy away from physical contact with me, which broke my heart, and made me treasure any sign of affection he threw my way.
He’d been very angry with me when he found out that I knew Gabe was his father and lied about it
, but after a few months, he’d finally forgiven me.
Now, even his show of frustration of my taking too long to get ready warmed my heart.
At least he wasn’t still ignoring me.
I buttoned up the final button on the flowing blouse with light-blue flowers adorning the bottom, and smoothed down my pencil skirt. My hair was down and straight, and I’d kept my makeup soft. I’d tried to talk Zoey out of having this welcome home party for me, but she was so excited and grateful that I’d decided to move that, in the end, I couldn’t talk her out of something that was making her so happy.
I opened my door and walked into the living space of our suite to find Christopher standing in the middle of the room looking at his phone.
“Ready,” I called.
He looked up and said, “Finally,” then gave me his sweet, little boy smile to show me he was only joking.
“Let’s go, Christopher Robin.”
