Page 59 of More Than a Little Spark

“Miss Poppy is like that.She lets Mason do lots of stuff, but sometimes she worries when we climb trees or play in the river.”He stares at me as I drive across the road.

“Would you rather talk in the car?”

“No.Let’s go inside.I’m just thinking about what I want to say.”He jumps out and runs around to the driver’s side and pulls open the door.“I do have a question.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you going to marry him?”

“Your dad and I aren’t dating anymore, Fred.Really.I’ve only texted him once just to see how y’all were.”

He yanks open the door and stands aside for me to enter.“But you love him.”It’s more of a statement and less of a question.

I give a slight nod.My love for Carson hasn’t faded in the weeks since our goodbye, but it feels very strange admitting it to Fred before saying the words to Carson.

“I think he loves you too.”Fred picks up three banana pudding cups.“Want one or two?It’s my treat.I have some birthday money.”

“One is plenty for me.”

“Cool.I’m definitely going to need two.”He pushes the tray up to the register and pays for our treat.

Then we take a seat in the far corner of the restaurant.Taking tiny bites of my pudding, I wait for Fred to speak his mind.

He’s bouncing his leg, which is making the entire table shudder.“I didn’t have a good mom.I mean, she loved me, I think.In her own way.And I never really had a dad until…” He stares into his pudding, then shoves a bite in his mouth.

“Until Carson?”

Fred gives a small nod.“I should’ve been nicer to you, but I was scared that everything would change.I wasn’t sure if you’d try to send me away.”

“I’d never do that, Fred.Carson loves you.I never wanted to come between you.”

“Like I said, I was scared.And when you held the snake that day, I knew I’d lost.I mean how was he not going to fall in love after you held a snake for him?”

I slap a hand over my mouth to hold back my laugh or sob.At this point, I’m not sure what’s about to bubble out of me.“I held the snake, hoping that it would make you like me.That you’d think I was cool.”I roll my eyes at how stupid that sounds out loud.“And it wasn’t a competition.It wasn’t about winning or losing.”

“I know that now.But I was pretty upset about it, so I tried to be a really good kid so that I wouldn’t bother him.Then Mason gave me a hard time for moping, so I stopped hanging out with him.Mason kept telling me to give you a chance.”

I pinch my lips, trying not to cry.

“Uh-oh.Here comes my dad, and he looks upset.”

Carson rushes across the restaurant and stops beside us, his chest heaving.“I went to Mason’s, and you weren’t there.Why did you lie to me?”

Fred points at me.“I wanted to talk to Daphne without you knowing, so I texted her from your phone and planned all this.I only told you I was at Mason’s so that you wouldn’t worry about me.”

Carson shakes his head and pulls Fred into a hug.“Please don’t ever do that again.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you.I promise.”Fred hands his unopened pudding to Carson.“You can have this.But you should sit next to Daphne.”

Carson slides onto the bench, then leans in and hugs me.“Thank you for texting me.I was out of my mind with worry.”

“I figured that might be the case.”I allow myself to melt into his arms for a second before pulling away.“Fred was telling me why he’s been upset.”

Fred sighs, then tips his head back.“I was mad because Daphne won when she held the snake.But then I kind of won when you broke up with her.Except I didn’t win.You always loved me.And you tried to tell me that.”

“Like I said, you are a priority for me, Fred.Not because I promised to take care of you.Not because you’re my nephew.”Carson taps the spot over his heart.“In here, you’re mine.And I’m here for you.”

It’s a good thing they have rolls of paper towels on the table because I can only hold back the blubbering for so long.

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