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“I brought hot chocolate!”
I turned at the sound of Palmer’s voice while Charlie jumped for joy.
“I love hot chocolate!” he said as Palmer carefully handed him a cup.
“It’s hot, buddy, so wait a bit for it to cool off.” Turning to me, Palmer smiled and handed me a cup. “I will never understand why we have a boat parade in the dead of winter.”
I laughed and took the cup, inhaling deeply and nearly groaning when the smell of chocolate hit me. Hot chocolate was one of my weaknesses. “Then tell me, who thought this parade was a good idea?” I asked before taking a sip.
Palmer laughed. “That would be Harlee. Once you see the boats all lit up, you’ll get it. Addie and Gannon decorated his boat this year.”
I raised a brow. “Really? She didn’t mention that. Poor thing has been spending a lot of time visiting the porcelain throne lately.”
“What’s that, Daddy?” Charlie asked.
“It means that Mrs. Addie has been getting sick a lot.”
My son’s brows pulled in tight, and I could see the instant worry on his face.
“Nothing bad,” I said. “She’s going to have a baby.”
“And that makes her sick?” he asked.
“Sometimes it does. Not always.”
Palmer let out a humorless laugh. “Put me down in the sometimes-it-doesn’t category, please.”
“Are you gonna have a baby, Ms. Palmer?”
Palmer nearly spit out the hot chocolate she’d sipped before she started to frantically shake her head. She looked around, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I don’t think anyone heard him,” I said, “so you probably won’t be featured in next week’s article.”
The look on her face was a mixture of relief and surprise. “Don’t kid yourself,” Palmer stated. “She has eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Apparently.”
A somber look appeared on her face. After a deep breath in, she slowly exhaled. “Mason, I’m so sorry you’re being dragged into the column.”
I gave her a wink. “It’s not saying anything too terrible.”
She had a worried look on her face as she glanced down at Charlie and then back up at me.
“Palmer, who cares what other people think? I don’t.”
“But…” Her voice trailed off.
“But what?”
“I don’t want it to affect you or Charlie in a negative way.”
“The only thing that would do that is if you quit.”
A soft smile played at the corners of her mouth. “I’m not going to do that. I really enjoy my time with Charlie. He’s a bright light in my world.”
“Mine too. And we’d both be lost without you, Palmer.”
Our eyes met, and I was positive she could feel the crackle of heat between us, even in this cold weather. She swallowed hard before focusing on Charlie.
“We get to vote for the boat we like the best,” she said. “So be sure and pay attention to each one.”
Charlie jumped up and down in delight. “I’m gonna vote for Mrs. Addie’s boat!”
Palmer beamed with pride. “That’s my boy!”
A strange pain hit my chest as I watched the two of them together. Charlie’s mother had wanted nothing to do with him, and that hurt my heart more than I could ever put into words. It had already been difficult to make her care enough to stay healthy while she was pregnant. She just wasn’t looking forward to being a mother and it showed in every way possible.
Even with her sleeping with my brother, a part of me believed that she always knew she wasn’t carrying my brother’s child. That she’d known Charlie was mine, and that was why she did what she did. The second she’d given birth, she’d asked the nurses to take Charlie and me out of the room.
I was more than happy to leave her presence. The hardest part had been waiting for the paternity test to come back. Once I had confirmation that Charlie was my biological son, I’d filed for divorce and full custody.
Ashley had never once even looked at our son. Whenever Charlie asked about her, I told him a few stories, but I was always honest with him. I told him she didn’t want to be a part of my life or his, and that it had nothing to do with him. The questions about her started to get fewer and fewer over the last year, until he finally stopped asking.
“Mason? Mason?”
I shook my thoughts away and looked at Palmer. “Sorry, I was thinking about something.”
She frowned slightly. “Something unpleasant, by the look on your face.”
Nodding, I replied, “Very unpleasant, but no longer important.”
She pointed to the wagon she had been pulling behind her when she walked up. “I brought some chairs for us to sit on, and a basket with some snacks and a blanket in case we get cold.”
My brows shot up. “Why, you’ve thought of everything.”
Palmer winked. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
Before I could reply, Harlee walked up to us.
“Hey! Are you guys ready for the parade?”
