Page 59 of Love Me Fierce

Basketball is Linden’s way of showing affection. The only person Linden hugs is Greta, and for a time, Kelly, until she blew his heart to shreds by sleeping around.

“So I can kick your ass like I always do?” I tease.

He gives me a raucous grin. “We’ll see about that.”

Through the big glass windows that overlook his deck, a flash of movement from the house next door catches my eye. It’s the woman I saw driving the coupe, carrying a glass of what looks like wine and a thick paperback novel to an Adirondack chair that faces the lake. Her hair is gathered in a messy bun on top of her head, and she’s changed her clothes from the crisp suit to a loose floral dress.

“New neighbor?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow.

His lips tense. “Recently divorced flight attendant.”

“Why are you scowling? Have you managed to piss her off already?”

“Affirmative.”

I cross my arms. “What did you do?”

“I guess I was running power tools past her bedtime.”

I don’t remember a complaint coming in about power tools, but I’m not on nights right now. “Did you work it out?”

“I tried. She’s cranky as hell.”

“Getting divorced tends to make people cranky.”

He sighs. “Don’t I know it.”

Dinner isthe usual rowdy but in the best way, and I catch myself wishing Vivian was part of it. The thought catches me off-guard, but the more I turn it over in my mind, the more it feels true.

She needs to trust someone.

And that someone is you, huh?

Why couldn’t it be me? Yes, I have good reason to be cautious of her, if not downright wary. I thought I’d learned my lesson with Teresa, who hid her addiction from me during those weeks we were hooking up, then went right back to it the minute Logan was born, and then I failed to heed the warning signs with Shawna, who lied about her ex being abusive in order to manipulate me into her version of a love triangle.

I don’t think Vivian is anything like either women, but I’ve been epically wrong before.

Am I destined to fall for women I have a deep desire to fix but who wreck me instead?

On the way home, I work up the nerve to talk about Teresa with Logan, but the minute we’re out of the driveway, he asks, “What would you say if I wanted to change my name?”

I glance in the rearview. “I’d want to know why.”

He shrugs and looks out the window, but it’s dark, so I know it’s not to admire the view. “I mean, it’s so similar to Linden’s. Wouldn’t it be easier if mine was different?”

I didn’t get the opportunity to help choose my kid’s name or I would have voted for something different for this same reason. “We’re all pretty used to it by now. You wanna tell me the other reason driving this?”

“Greta’s best friend is changing hers to Cedar.”

Linden’s shared this with me already because Cedar isn’t the only thing her friend is changing, and it rattled Greta pretty hard. As if being a teenager isn’t challenging enough these days, they have to navigate so many choices.

“Would it be harder for Mom to find me?” Logan’s softened tone makes me wince.

“Is that what’s behind this?”

He nods. “She emailed me.”

Heat flares up my chest. “She probably got a hold of someone at the school.” Fuck. Is this why Shawna was so chipper the other day? She’s been enabling my ex and thinks it evens some score between us? “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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