Page 39 of More Than a Little Spark

She laughs.“So you’re saying you don’t spend every Friday kissing women in the rain?”

“This is a first.”I kiss her again.

“Hopefully not the last.”She grins.“And for the record, I don’t care what day of the week it is.”

“Noted.I’ll keep tabs on the weather.”

“Carson Blake, you are a bundle of green flags.Good-looking.Strong.Romantic.”She pinches her lips and tilts her head.“Were you in a relationship?Did adopting Fred change that?”

I give an amused huff.“I was not in a relationship.If I had been, it wouldn’t have changed my decision.And as far as still being single, I’ve never been the kind of guy who gets the girl.I’m just the chubby guy who keeps them laughing.”

“This isn’t the first time you’ve mentioned weight, and I want you to know that I like you how you are.Not in spite of it.”

“You saying you like my spare tire?My extra fluff?”

“Yes.Having a spare tire and being good-looking are not mutually exclusive.”She squeezes my hand.“There is a lot to like about you.I like that you make me laugh.And you make my heart flutter.And when you carry me, I turn to goo inside.Complete mush.”She meets my gaze and smiles.“You’re a catch.”

I tangle my fingers in her hair and pull her to my lips.Thunder rumbles, and rain pounds the truck.

But Daphne and I are too busy to care.

Chapter16

Daphne

Daphne

After months of barely responding to my texts and completely ignoring my calls, my mom is meeting me for lunch.I’m not sure what to expect, but hopefully when I leave, I’ll have a better idea of why she hates me.That will at least satisfy my curiosity.

It’s taken me years to learn that I can’t fix every situation.Sometimes you have to live with the uncomfortable.Even when you don’t like it.

She waves from a table on the far side of the room.The café is busy, which means the hum of conversations will drown out ours.But tears will be noticed.I hate that I have to think about this kind of stuff when meeting my mom for lunch.Why can’t I have a normal loving relationship?

Mom stands as I get to the table.She steps toward me, then stops like she thought better of hugging me.“I’m sorry, Daphne.”

I blink, trying to decide if she’s sorry she came or if she’s actually apologizing.“For what?”

Her chin quivers, and she leans in to hug me.“I’ve been horrible to you, and I hope you will let me explain.But it’s in no way an excuse.”

Nodding, I give her a squeeze, relishing in the warmth of a mom’s hug.“I’ve missed you.”

We take our seats, and she sucks in a deep breath.“I’ve been a terrible mother.”

“It’s okay, Mom.”I pat her hand.Seeing people upset makes me uncomfortable, and I want to make it all better.Most of the time.

That was not true when I went to court about my accident.The guy who clipped me cried when the judge handed down the two-year sentence.And while I hated seeing the man cry, he deserved consequences for his actions.And hopefully moving forward, he’ll make different choices.

But I don’t like seeing my mom upset.Even if her actions caused me repeated pain over the years.I just want everything to be good between us.

She shakes her head.“I don’t deserve you.”

“Let’s order, then we can talk once we have our food.”I am a firm believer that food makes lots of things better.

So we order, and until our food arrives, we chat about my siblings and what’s happening in their lives.

Then, as the waitress walks away after bringing our meals, Mom touches my hand.“When you moved out, I had to face my grief and how it had changed me.And I focused that frustration on you.I blamed you for moving out, calling you selfish when in actuality, I was the selfish one.My frustration morphed into jealousy because Denise asked for you constantly.I felt replaced, and again, I blamed you.”

“Mom, you don’t have to?—”

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