Mom’s expression softens. “Aw, is that my baby?”
“Yes. Hey, Mama. Hand him your phone.”
She pulls it out of her purse and offers it over the desk. I type in her passcode, and the screen immediately reveals the image.It’s a grainy shot, taken in the bar last night, but there’s enough detail to make out that it’s clearly me, with Fable in my lap and my fingers on her chin.
My mind transports me right back there, where I can see every freckle across the pink apples of her cheeks. That sparkle of the gold hoop decorating her nose. Those honey-blond strands framing her face. The way her hazel eyes snared mine. The feel of her in my lap, her jean-covered hip against my palm. That tiny glimpse of the flowers tattooed on her wrist.
We look... fuck, we look like we’re together. It must be the lighting.
“I should’ve FaceTimed,” Mia grumbles. “Mom, what is he doing?”
“Smiling at the picture,” she replies, and I immediately clear my throat and hand the phone back.
I don’t know what’s going on here, but I need to rein in this situation before it goes any further. “I haven’t been keeping any secrets.”
Well, that’s a slight lie. The crush I had on Fable managed to stay a secret. For the last eighteen years, that information has stayed locked inside a cage in my chest. More like in a cage, in a vault, hidden behind a brick wall. Or two. Ifigure if I don’t give it any attention, it won’t come back to life.
Arthur’s voice trails in from the hallway. “Theo, I was hoping—” He stops in the doorway. “Oh, hello, Eva. How are you?”
Mom grins proudly. “I’m great. It’s a wonderful day, isn’t it?”
As I study her expression, I’m suddenly—terrifyingly—aware of what she’s about to say. It’s like I’m watching in slow motion as a wildfire jumps the firebreak and spreads.
“I just found out my son is dating Fable Oaks.” She clasps her hands under her chin. “We’ve been waiting so long for this day.”
Yep, there it is. Fuck.
I look to Arthur in time to see a flicker of movement in his brows. It’s subtle, but I’ve spent enough time with him to know he’s processing something. He looks to me. “I had no idea. You and Fable, huh?” There’s that flicker of his brows again. At first, I don’t know what to make of it, but then he says, “Well, I saw Dave last night at our birding club. How dare he not tell me? That’s great, Theo.”
And the puzzle pieces seem to slip into place.The Oaks family.
You’d have to work pretty hard to find a more beloved family around here. Dave and Mary Oaks are pillars of this town. They’re involved in every community event, are first to volunteer anytime someone needs a hand, and according to my mother, they’re a part of countless group activities. Idon’t know how they have time to run their farm in between.
Their oldest daughter, Tessa, is the outgoing organizer. She ran the entire holiday festival at the age of fifteen—when the original committee leader came down with the flu—and has been doing it ever since, even though she lives in Chicago. Millie, the middle daughter, started a pollinator garden in every park in town and makes a point of checking on all of them when she comes to visit. And Fable, the youngest, the town sweetheart. Could usually be found with her nose in a book or a soccer ball at her feet. Sometimes both. She’s the only Oaks sister who lives here now, and everyone knows her. Everyone loves her, exactly as they have since we were little.
They’re an integral part of the community.
The community that Garrett has put roots into.
The same community that matters so much to Arthur.
I only have half a heartbeat to decide how to respond. It’s not enough time to fully process what I’m even saying before the words are already coming out of my mouth. But when Arthursteps farther into the room and offers me a “Congratulations,” I don’t correct him or set the record straight.
Instead, I say something that immediately makes me wonder if I’m losing my mind. Something Fable will probably kill me for.
I reply, “Thank you.”
The clinic is a mad rush for the next few hours. Garrett and I see patients back-to-back, then we work together on an emergency surgery through lunch. And all the while, I’m scouring for a few spare minutes to try to get a hold of Fable. I don’t even know if she’ll answer my calls, but I need to get to her before Arthur runs into her somewhere. Or my mother does. Or her mother does. This has probably already spread further than I meant it to.
I’m jogging back to my office to finally grab my phone when Arthur calls my name, and I skid to a stop.
He’s sitting at his desk, the papers I printed spread out in front of him. “Come on in.” He pulls off his glasses and points them toward the empty chair.
The seat creaks as I drop into it, nerves prickling beneath my skin. “Everything okay?”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning. Looking over all of this.” He sweeps the papers into a neat stack. “And you’re right. Things have improved since you started working here again. The office is running more smoothly thanks to your work with Jenna on the schedule, and I’m seeing the evidence of it in the financials.”
“Thank you,” I reply, unsure what else to say.
