Page 46 of More Than a Little Spark

His arm slides around my waist.“Are you okay?I know this wasn’t the easiest.”

“I am.Maybe Mason will put in a good word for me.”

“We can hope.Fred thinks the world of Mason.And he’s a great kid.”Carson grazes his thumb along my lips.“I’m glad our secret is out.”

“Me too.”

He dips down, and our lips meet.For a moment, all my worries and concerns are forgotten.

“Dad!”Footsteps draw closer.“How many minutes do I set the microwave for popcorn?I thought it was ten minutes, but Mason said that was too much.”

“I’ll be right there.”Carson kisses my forehead, then opens my driver’s side door.“Call me when you get home, please.”

“I will.Fred, it was good to see you again.”I wave.

He waves back, then points to the house.“Hurry, Dad.We want to start the movie so that we can watch a lot of them tonight.”

I get in and put my window down.“Have fun.”

“Go start the movie.I’ll take care of the popcorn.”Carson stands with his hands in his pockets, watching as I back out of the driveway.

That squishy wall of a man has my heart, and today solidified that for me.But I’m worried.

Taking care of my siblings for so many years did a number on our relationships.Only now are they getting better.But the last two years I was at home were the hardest.At that time, two of my sisters were not too much older than Fred, and they told me many times that I was their sister, not their mom.And they didn’t have to listen to me.

It was hard, but we figured it out.Mostly.Sort of.It wasn’t great.Keeping them fed and showing up for school were my greatest accomplishments.And that's why I eventually moved out.

Fred’s coldness feels like rejection, but maybe that’s all in my head.My experiences shape my thoughts.And right now, I’m thinking this isn’t going well.

Chapter19

Carson

Carson

Fred’s been pretty much the same moody preteen he was before I let him know that Daphne and I were dating.And she’s come over several times.We’ve all gone out to dinner.But he barely speaks to her.And he’s obvious about walking between me and Daphne, arranging it so that we don’t sit together.He’s dropping some big hints.

And since I’m the parent, it’s up to me to start this conversation.If I don’t teach him communication, where will he learn?

“Fred, come on out here, I want to talk to you.”I pull out the extra dessert that Ava sent home with me.Conversations always go better over sweets.

Fred trudges in as only twelve-year-old boys can do.“Yeah?”

“Have a seat.We can chat while we have dessert.”I set the plates on the table.“Why so glum?”

“There’s only one week left of summer.And I don’t want to go back to school.”

“Sorry about that.Summers always seemed short when I was in school.I tell you what.See if Mason is free one day next week.I’ll get some of the other guys to cover for me, and we can go do something fun.”

“Awesome!I’ll ask him when we finish.”He shifts in his chair as he takes a bite of the decadent Oreo dessert.“Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re welcome.And if it’s okay, I’ll ask Daphne to come along.”

Fred looks up from his plate.“That’s fine.I was hoping we could go to the Snake Farm.Do you think she’ll want to go there?”

Why do I feel like the choice of where to go was made entirely with Daphne in mind?“I’ll ask her, but only if you don’t mind.”

He shrugs.“I don’t mind.”

---