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

Chapter 47

EDEN

“Mommy, I want to go on the train and then the spinning teacups and can we do the bumper cars? What about those swings?” Joey was talking a million miles a minute, pulling me from one ride to another.

“Whoa now, Joey!” I try to slow him down just a bit. “We have all weekend. We don’t have to do everything tonight and we can do other things more than once if you want.”

“Okay, okay, I’m really excited this is cooler than the pier.”

“You think?”

“Totally.” Joey stops pulling for a moment and gives me his full attention, “Mommy did you know that daddy hasn’t been to California before?”

“Oh yeah, did he tell you that?”

“Yep.” He starts to walk again, slower this time, and I take his hand as we stroll through the carnival. ‘I mean, can you imagine being as old as him and never going to Disneyland?”

“How old do you think Fletcher is, sweetheart?”

“I mean, he’s at least thirty years old, right?”

I probably shouldn’t have asked the question, but it came out before I had the chance to stop, “You think thirty is old?”

“Definitely. Oh, there is Liam, can I go see him?” Before I can even answer he runs off with his friend. I see Liam’s mom and give her a little wave. She’ll keep an eye on him while I take in the carnival. Before he ditched me, Joey had asked for popcorn so since he left I went ahead and snacked on it. Lost in a daze of my own memories, I jump out of my skin when Fletcher plops down next to me.

“Jesus Christ, Fletcher!”

He laughs and puts his arm around my shoulder, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to freak you out like that. Where was your mind?”

“Right here, but about fourteen years ago.”

“Ahh, I see. I wonder if that game is still here.”

“I didn’t see it when Joey and I were walking around.”

Fletcher looks behind us, “Where is he, by the way?”

“Liam was here and he ran off with him and his family.”

“Ahh, alright because we were going to hit the teacups together. He promised me.”

“Promised you, huh?” I pat his forearm to comfort him. “Oh, so you shocked him that there are old people like you that haven’t been to Disneyland.”

“Old people? Wow, I thought we were close.”

“I know, I didn’t care to ask what he thought about me. Plus, I’m practically ageless,” I place my free hand under my chin and grin up at Fletcher.

“I think so, not a day over twenty-five I say.”

“You don’t even know what I looked like when I was twenty-five.”

“I don’t need to, I know that you must have been damn beautiful.”

“You always know how to turn on the charm, Fletcher.”

“It isn’t charm when it comes to you, it is just what you bring out in me. Now let’s go get our boy so that we can go on the teacups.”

Hand in hand Fletcher and I walk around the carnival. We say hi to the people that we’re friends with and I see a few people that moved out of town but came back for the carnival. Eventually, we find Liam with a face full of cotton candy. Fletcher takes him to the bathroom to get him cleaned up before we head over to the teacups.