When We Go Back Again (Mason Brothers Book #1)

Chapter 17

EDEN

“Mommy! I can’t find my other shoe!”

“Did you check by the back door?”

“Yes, it wasn’t with its pair.”

“Okay, just give me a second and I’ll help you look for it.”

Fletcher is going to be here any minute now and Joseph and I are still scrambling to get ready. I thought we started getting ready in plenty of time until I realized that he didn’t have any clean pants to wear and I had to do a load of laundry. Now he’s running around trying to find a shoe and I’ve just started doing my hair and make-up.

“Mom!” I have no choice but to call in reinforcements. My mom sticks her head into my bathroom and gives me a pity smile.

“Busy morning?”

“God you have no idea. Can you help Joseph find his other shoe? Please.”

“Of course. Are you going to be ready in time or will I need to entertain Fletcher for a few minutes? I can have Carl read him the riot act for not bringing you home until Sunday morning last week.”

I point the make-up brush in her direction, “Wait a minute, you’re the one that told me not to come home until morning!”

“That was just a test to see if you two would do the right thing and I hate to say that you both failed.”

“Oh, hush. The only thing you didn’t do was supply us the condoms.”

“Did you need me to do that too?”

“MOM!”

She leans in and kisses on the cheek before hollering at Joseph to come to find her. I quickly finish my makeup and then say screw it with my hair and pull it back into a ponytail. He said a million times this week that it was just casual and I shouldn’t stress. Of course, I’m stressing so much my stress has stress.

I grab my denim jacket and thankfully when I get to the living room, Joseph is standing there with two matching shoes and his jacket on already. “Thank you, Mom.”

“No problem sweetheart. I just heard the gate alarm so he’ll be here soon. You three have fun today.”

“We will, Mom. Do you need anything while I’m in town?”

“Nope, we’ll be out running our errands later today. Just tell Lydia that I said hi.”

“Will do.”

We both hug and kiss my mom before heading out of the door where Fletcher is walking towards us from his truck. Joseph runs to him and they do their little fist bump thing that they have perfected this last week and then Fletcher lifts him up into the truck and gets him buckled in. Once he is safe in his seat, Fletcher turns back around to face me with a grin spreading across his face.

“Hey, beautiful. You look great.”

“I didn’t have the chance to do my hair nicer so if they say anything...

“Shh…” He puts his finger on my lips and I shut up. “Don’t overthink this, Eden. You know they love you. They loved you thirteen years ago and none of that has changed.”

“But they’re meeting my son too.”

“And Joey’s going to charm their pants off.”

Fletcher leans down and kisses my cheek and then playfully swats at my butt to get me moving to my side of the truck. Ten minutes later we’re pulling in front of the Mason residence and it looks exactly the same except it must have been painted recently. Joseph drops to the ground and takes Fletcher’s hand and when I make my way around the truck, Joseph reaches out and holds my hand too. We walk to the house like a little family. A thought that makes me happy, but also freaks me the hell out.