Page 144 of Protecting Love

“When he was around?” her mother asked.

“Yes. So West coming in and offering him this job was perfect timing.”

“There is no way West could have known what was going on in Fletcher’s life? Could he have?”

Paris laughed. This time there was some humor there. “I never asked and I don’t think Fletcher did. Doesn’t really matter either. Lorraine is in town this week. She wanted to see Ian, and Fletcher had to push him to go to dinner last night.”

“It didn’t go well?”

“We didn’t really get into details other than I know Ian came home moody. He slammed into his room and didn’t want to talk. Fletcher was going to give him a day.”

“Don’t judge,” her mother said. “I can hear it in your voice. All my children are different. Some needed more time than others.”

“Time seems to be the word of the day,” she said drily, then wiped a runaway tear off her cheek.

“Oh dear. Keep going.”

“Fletcher met with Lorraine earlier today. Whatever happened, he left feeling as if he’s doing something wrong. That maybe he’s moving too fast and putting too much on Ian. He’s worked so hard to get closer to his son and needs a bit of time to figure out what is going on.”

“How much time?”

“That’s all you’ve got to say?”

“I just told you, every kid is different. Paris.” Her mother sighed. “You haven’t known him long enough to know all his parenting choices. You’ve met his son once. Don’t judge until you know the facts.”

“That’s another thing. He hasn’t even talked to Ian. He doesn’t know how much time he needs, only that he has to figure things out with his son.”

“So it could just be him saying he might not be around for a few days?” her mother asked.

She pursed her lips. “I don’t know. He didn’t know. I even told him he should have talked to Ian first before coming to me. Let’s be real. For the past month everything he does is with other people before me. He lines it all up before I find out.”

Her mother’s laughter wasn’t appreciated. “Do you even hear yourself? Sounds like you complained when he did that before and this time he came to you first and you’re still not happy.”

Her jaw hit the floor. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Nope. But if London acted that way, which by the way, sounds like your sister.”

“She’d be siding with me right now.”

“That’s right. She would be. Because she’s your shield. But you said you didn’t want London to trash Fletcher. Do you love him?”

“Does it really matter? Who knows when I’ll talk to him again? Why lose more of myself without knowing?”

“Paris,” her mother said in that voice that warned a monster lecture was on the horizon. “Life isn’t about knowing it all right when you want it. And even if you have all the facts, there is no guarantee you’re going to make the right decision.”

“True.”

“You’ve made a career out of lining up all the possibilities, all the ways if things were true, this might happen. Turn left, the other results. But no one really knows for sure if that would happen. Correct?”

“Yes,” she said. She pulled the blanket down from the couch and covered herself, hoping she could hide away from everything right now.

The words she’d said to Fletcher hours ago. The tears she’d let loose.

The frustration over not knowing the next step. Of losing her heart to a man she couldn’t figure out.

And at the bottom of it, that was the problem.

She wanted everything neatly lined up, and as her mother said, life didn’t operate that way.