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Eternal Flames—Chapter 3
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“Then we’ll deal with it. But Bette, what if it does work? What if we’re brave enough this time to see what we could be?”
Before Bette could answer, Carson appeared in the doorway. “Lunch is ready,” he announced. “Grammy made grilled cheese and tomato soup.”
“We’ll be right there, sweetheart,” Tina said.
Carson looked between them, his perceptive eyes noting the tension. “Are you guys fighting?”
“No, baby. We’re just talking about grown-up stuff.”
“Good. Because I don’t want you to fight. I want you to be friends again.”
As he disappeared back toward the kitchen, Tina looked at Bette. “He’s right, you know. We should start with being friends again. Everything else… we can figure out later.”
Bette studied her face, seeing the hope there, but also the fear. “Friends,” she said finally. “We can try to be friends again.”
“Thank you,” Tina said, relief flooding her features. “That’s more than I deserve.”
“Maybe. But it’s what Carson deserves. And right now, that’s what matters most.”
As they walked toward the kitchen, Bette found herself wondering if friendship would be enough. If she could be around Tina, see her every day, help raise Carson, and not want more. If she could protect her heart while still being present for the two people who needed her most.
But as they sat down to lunch, watching Carson chatter about his dinosaurs while Tina smiled for the first time in days, Bette realized that maybe the question wasn’t whether she could protect her heart.
Maybe the question was whether she was brave enough to risk it.
Again.
—–
**Later that afternoon**
“Helena? It’s Bette Porter… Yes, I know it’s been a while… I need a favor. Actually, I need you to take on a client… It’s complicated.”
Bette stood on the back porch, her phone pressed to her ear while she watched Carson and Tina play catch in the yard and explaining to Helena the situation with Tina. The sight was both heartwarming and heartbreaking – Tina was trying so hard to be present for her son, but Bette could see the exhaustion in every movement.
“Bigamy?” Helena’s sharp voice cut through her thoughts. “Jesus, Bette. What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?”
“It’s not my mess. It’s… someone I care about. Someone who needs the best lawyer in California.”
“And you think that’s me?”
“I know that’s you.”
Helena was quiet for a moment. “This wouldn’t happen to be the someone you’ve been carrying a torch for since I met you in law school, would it?”
Bette closed her eyes. Helena had always been too perceptive for her own good. “That’s not relevant to the case.”
“Everything is relevant to the case, darling. Especially when my lawyer friends start calling in favors for mystery clients.” Helena paused. “I’ll take the case. But I want to meet with both of you tomorrow. And Bette? Be careful. I’ve seen your heart broken before.”
“I’m not…”
“You’re not what? Not getting involved? Not falling back into old patterns? Please. I can hear it in your voice.”
After hanging up, Bette remained on the porch, watching the simple scene in front of her. Carson was laughing as Tina pretended to miss his throws, his joy infectious even in the midst of everything.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Edwin’s voice came from behind her.
“Someone has to.”
Edwin joined her at the railing. “Tina seems better today. More like herself.”
“She’s trying. For Carson.”
“And for you.”
Bette looked at him. “Edwin…”
“I know it’s complicated. I know there’s history there that Lauren and I don’t fully understand. But I also know that Tina has been holding her breath for ten years, waiting for something she couldn’t name. And now you’re here, and she’s breathing again.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“The best things never are.” Edwin smiled. “But sometimes they’re worth the complexity.”
In the yard, Carson had convinced Tina to try to catch a higher throw. She missed spectacularly, tumbling backward onto the grass, and Carson dissolved into giggles. For a moment, watching them, Bette could almost imagine what a life here might look like.
Almost.
But imagination and reality were two very different things. And Bette had learned the hard way that sometimes the safest choice was the one that protected everyone’s heart – even if it broke her own in the process.
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I love Carson and i hate Darren.
Bette is afraid, hurt and fearful, i hope she will lower the walls around her heart sometime in the future. Tina has to prove she is serieus in both heart and words but the most important thing for now is to get things resolved and i think Helena will be the best to help her.