Page 49 of One Night Flame

We passed a ring toss booth, and Liam practically launched himself off Cord’s shoulders to get a closer look. His eyes locked on a ridiculous blue stuffed dragon dangling from one of the prize hooks. “That one,” he declared, pointing like a general at war.

Cord raised both brows. “A dragon, huh?”

“With wings and everything.”

“Alright,” Cord said, cracking his neck like he was about to enter a championship round. “Challenge accepted.”

It took three tries, a good-natured heckle from the booth attendant, and a muttered “these rings are rigged,” but on the fourth toss, Cord landed it. Bullseye. The dragon was his.

He handed it to Liam with a flourish. “For the bravest firefighter in training.”

Liam hugged it like it was made of gold. “His name’s Blaze.”

“Solid name,” Cord said, fist-bumping him.

I didn’t say anything right away. I just watched them—watched Liam skip ahead with Blaze tucked under one arm,watched Cord trail behind, keeping pace like this was something he’d done a thousand times. Like it was natural.

Like it was easy.

And maybe that was what undid me. Because I’d spent years convincing myself that letting someone in would mean giving something up. Control. Space. Identity.

But this? This felt like breathing again. Like I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath until now.

We’d just settled on a bench with a shared funnel cake, Liam humming happily to himself while tearing pieces off and “feeding” bites to Blaze that were totally going to attract the entire pigeon population of Huckleberry Creek, when Grandma appeared, hands on her hips, eyes with that signature twinkle that meant trouble.

“Excellent. You’re both still in one piece.”

I jumped a little. “What—how long have you been here?”

“Long enough to see you win that fine specimen there,” she said, nodding at the blue dragon now cradled in Liam’s lap. Then she turned to him. “Sweetpea, how do you feel about popcorn, a movie, and a sleepover with your favorite person in the world?”

Liam blinked up at her. “You?”

“Obviously.”

He didn’t even glance at me for permission. Just stuffed the rest of the funnel cake in his mouth and hopped off the bench like someone had just handed him a golden ticket.

Grandma looked over at Cord and me, all innocence and cheer. “I’m stealing your child so you two can go do grown-up things. You’re welcome.”

I blinked. “Wait. What?”

“Popcorn’s already popped,” she said, reaching out to take Liam’s hand. “And I’ve got a fresh pillow with Blaze’s name on it.”

Liam gave us a jaunty wave as he followed her toward the parking lot. “Bye, Mommy! Bye, Cord!”

Cord watched them go with the kind of slow blink you give an unexpected flashbang. “Did we just get strong-armed by your grandmother?”

I sighed, a laugh escaping before I could stop it. “She’s a pro.”

He looked at me sideways. “Does she always do that? Railroad people?”

“Only when she has an agenda.”

“And what would that be?”

I shrugged, heat blooming in my cheeks. “Depends.”

Was this a setup? A sneak attack sanctioned by Grandma with full confidence that I’d say yes to wherever this night might lead? And if it was… did I mind?

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