Page 72 of Rhett Redeemed

There is shit going on here, so maybe it’s best if Con is away from it all.

For now, anyway.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Con

“Hey,” Cara says with a warm smile. “I’ve got Clover, Fire and a giant basket of food in the car. Surprise! We are kidnapping you to go on a picnic.”

I smile widely. “That sounds amazing. Let me text my friend Olivia to see if she can meet us. Do you mind? She and I were supposed to meet up.”

“Sure, the more the merrier.”

I send a text to Olivia, excited she’ll finally get to meet everyone, and pile into Clover’s car, sitting in the back next to Fire.

“Hi, Con!” she says happily.

“Hello, Fire. Don’t you look cute today?” I reply, admiring her beige dress and little black leather boots.

“I do,” she responds, making me laugh.

“She has her mother’s ego,” Cara teases from the front.

“A little bit of confidence isn’t a bad thing,” Clover responds with amusement in her tone.

“How are you, Clover?” I ask.

She turns back to look at me. “Not so bad, and yourself?” Clover has slowly started warming up to me, but I can tell she still has her guard up. Clover is loyal to a fault, and it’s not a bad trait to have. I just hope one day she will trust me, too.

We arrive at a beautiful park I’ve never been to before, with big trees, and a playground for Fire.

I help unclip Fire from her car seat, and Clover picks her up while Cara grabs the picnic basket and blanket. I can tell by their little setup that this is something they must do a lot, and it’s a pretty cute idea. I help Cara put down the picnic blanket and set up the food, including a little platter on a wooden serving board.

“You are well prepared,” I say, feeling bad that I didn’t bring anything.

“Yep. Cheese, crackers and good company is my happy place, and I’m not going to let anyone ruin that,” she replies with a grin. “I’m glad you’re here with us.”

“Me too.”

We all sit down and Fire takes my hand, wanting me to take her to the playground. I check with Clover if it’s okay first, and when she agrees I put Fire on the swing and push her gently back and forth. Clover and Cara join us, and we all play with Fire for a little while before settling in on the grass for a snack.

My phone buzzes with a text.

Rhett: Where are you? I’m at your house.

Con: I’m at the park with Clover, Cara and Fire.

Rhett: I’m coming.

I place my phone down on the tartan blanket. “Rhett just asked where we were, and said he was coming here. Does he know where this place is?”

Cara nods. “Yeah, we come here often.”

“I’m still getting used to you two being openly together. It’s still a little weird,” Clover admits.

“Clo,” Cara inserts, giving Clover a look that says to let it go. “This is a picnic for Con, and this is our new norm. We need to get used to it.”

“You are a saint,” I hear Clover mutter under her breath.

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