Page 53 of More Than a Little Spark

His lips meet mine.With one hand around my waist and the other in my hair, he makes it clear how much he wishes tonight were ending differently.All the words left unsaid are being clearly communicated with his lips.

I love you too.

Chapter23

Carson

Carson

Since it’s no secret that I only tackle hard conversations with sweets, I buy a half dozen donuts before picking up Fred from Mason’s.He’s quiet on the short drive through the ranch.

When we get to the house, I show him the box.“I want us to chat about something, so I bought these.”

He grabs his duffel bag.“Okay.I’ll throw this in my room first.Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all.”I make myself coffee and pour him a glass of milk.Milk makes me think of lactose, which has me thinking about Daphne.Again.She’s in my thoughts constantly, but with time, that’ll change.Hopefully.It’s not that I don’t want to think about her.I actually like it.The ache that accompanies it is what I don’t like.

He eyes me as he drops into a chair.“What are we going to talk about?”

“Did you have fun at Mason’s?”

“Yeah.I did.I guess I kind of missed hanging out with him.”Fred chooses a donut covered in sprinkles.“Did you have fun on your date?”

“We broke up.That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

He blinks, then sets the donut down.“Because of me?”

I don’t want to lie to him, but I also don’t want him to carry blame.He doesn’t need that.“It was complicated.You aren’t to blame.”

He tears off a chunk of donut and pops it in his mouth.“Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah.”That’s a lie.I am far from okay, but I’ll get there eventually.“And because she’s friends with Rose and Dallas, Daphne might be around the ranch at parties.When she is, be nice to her, okay?”

“Did she break up with you?”Fred pulls his shoulders back, a defensive edge in his voice.

I pick up the lemon-filled donut.“That’s not what happened.”

“But you liked her.”Fred is not letting this go.

The truth needs to be said.I meet his gaze.“You kept saying you were fine, but it seemed to me like you weren’t happy that I was dating.You are important to me.And I ended the relationship with Daphne because being your dad is more important.”

Tears brim in his eyes, but he doesn’t say a word.He finishes his donut in silence.Then when his glass is empty, he gets up and shoves his hands in his pockets.“Thanks for the donuts.”

“You’re welcome.Do you and Mason have big plans today?”

“We were going to help you with chores, and maybe go fishing after that.”

“Great.I’ll head for the barn in about five to ten minutes.”I gather the dishes and walk to the sink.

Behind me, Fred whispers, “I love you, Dad.”

I turn around to respond, but he’s gone.

Clint is assigningduties for the day as we have breakfast.And I’m watching the clock so that I can have Fred at the bus stop on time.

Clint points at me.“After the kids get off to school, I want you and Kent to ride the fences on the other side of the river.Parker will get horses ready for y’all.We’ll be moving the herd across the river in the next day or so, and I’d rather not have to chase them all over everywhere.”

“Alright.”I slug down the rest of my coffee.

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