Free

Chapter 42

FORTY-TWO

Nick

It’s been a week since the night at the pier, but it feels like yesterday and forever all at once. The days have been a blur of laughter and stolen kisses, moments that feel too perfect to belong to me. And the nights? Has there ever been anything more perfect than Charlie and me together? And yet, that shadow I can’t quite name has been trailing behind every golden memory, a nagging whisper I can’t shake.

I unclip Sunshine’s leash, and she bolts toward the waves, barking joyfully at the surf. Her tail wags furiously as she bounds through the foam, completely in her element. The rhythmic crash of the ocean fills the air, a backdrop to her playful yelps. A salty breeze tugs at my shirt, and the sand shifts beneath my feet as I walk beside Charlie, her hand in mine.

I bring it to my lips, kissing each knuckle one by one as we walk. Her hand is warm and soft, her touch a comfort I’ve come to depend on. The thought of asking her to move in has been tumbling through my mind for days, a pebble in my mental shoe. Garrett would say it’s too soon. He’d want us to be more healed, more sure of ourselves as individuals before we came together as a couple. Dr. Eddington would probably say it’s reckless to move this fast, but my heart argues that I’ve already waited too long. She’s been a part of my life for four years, and I’ve loved her from the start. If anything, I’m overdue.

The word temporary looms in my mind like a shadow. Charlie’s job here is temporary because her living situation is temporary, which makes the time we’ve had together feel borrowed. A clock ticking ominously in the background. She can’t stay with Angela and Garrett forever, and when the end of their generosity arrives, she’ll have to choose: return to Wildrose Landing or carve out a life here. That choice feels like a wall rushing toward us, and I’m not ready for the collision.

I can’t go back to long-distance. We’ve done that before, waiting months just for a stolen weekend, the ache of her absence a constant, dull throb in my chest. It’s not enough. I can’t do it again. The thought of saying goodbye is another stone in my mental shoe. If she leaves again, after all we’ve been through, there’s a finality in that. The timing between us wrong forever.

One obstacle to us is gone; my job no longer exists. The other obstacle? Her living thousands of miles away? It’s crumbling before my very eyes. All I have to do is ask her to move in with me and we can finally surrender to the call we’ve felt since the beginning.

Maybe, maybe , the timing is finally right.

“You’re quiet tonight,” Charlie says, an edge of curiosity lilting through her gentle voice. She tilts her head to look at me, those autumn-brown eyes catching the fading sunlight. Her curls spill over her shoulders, wild and untamed, framing her face in a way that makes her look like some goddess from a Renaissance painting. The breeze toys with the thin straps of her white sundress, the hem rippling around her ankles like water.

“Am I?” I say, stalling. “Guess I’m just lost in thought.”

Her gaze lingers, her brows knitting slightly as though she wants to press further but doesn’t. Before I can say more, Sunshine bounds back toward us, her tail wagging furiously, a giant piece of driftwood clamped in her jaws.

I stoop to take it, the rough bark scratching my palm. Sunshine’s amber eyes gleam with excitement as I hurl the stick down the beach. She tears after it, kicking up sprays of sand, her joy so infectious I can’t help but laugh. It’s one of those evenings that feels like a gift—where the temperature is just right, the sky painted in swirls of pink and orange, and the sun dapples everything in golden light. Even the air smells perfect, a mix of salt, sun-warmed wood, and the faint sweetness of Charlie’s lotion.

Sunshine returns with the stick, dropping it at our feet. Charlie crouches, scratching behind her ears with both hands. “Who’s the best good girl? You are! Yes, you are!” she coos, her voice high and silly, the way people talk to dogs when they forget anyone else is listening. Sunshine wriggles with delight, her entire body vibrating as Charlie sends the stick flying again.

Watching them together makes something settle in my chest, a quiet kind of peace that I’m scared to let myself feel. It’s so easy to imagine this scene playing out day after day, year after year—a life with her, the three of us chasing sunsets and driftwood. A life I’ve never let myself think about until now.

Do it, whispers a voice in the back of my head. Ask her to move in. Why wait longer than you already have?

“Good thoughts or bad thoughts?” Charlie asks, breaking into my reverie.

“Hmm?”

“Are you lost in good thoughts or bad thoughts?”

“Oh. Good thoughts.”

Her lips twitch and her eyes sparkle with curiosity. “Feel like sharing? It’s okay if you don’t…”

I hesitate, then decide there’s no point in holding back. Too soon, reckless, I don’t care. I want to build a life with Charlie.

“I was just thinking about how much I like seeing you with Sunshine. How quickly she took to you. How good you are for her. And for me.”

Do it, whispers the voice as Charlie’s smile softens, her cheeks coloring slightly. “Ohhh… I like those thoughts. Keep going.”

I grin, emboldened. “I was also thinking about your eyes. How pretty they are. The little flecks of gold remind me of the sunset. And when you look at me like that…” I pause, pretending to think. “Well, stuff happens. Let’s leave it at that. For now.”

Move in with me, whispers the voice and Charlie laughs, a soft, musical sound that makes my heart stutter. “Don’t feel like you have to stop.”

“Your wish, my command.” I step closer, my voice dropping. “I was also thinking how easy it would be to flick that strap off your shoulder and watch that dress fall to your feet. I do like to see you naked.”

She gasps, feigning outrage. “Nicholas Hutton! In public?”

I glance up and down the beach. There’s no one in sight except a couple of seagulls squabbling over a crab. “You’re right,” I say, my tone teasing. “I definitely don’t want to share you.”

Charlie tilts her head, her lips quirking in a sly smile. “Careful, or I might start thinking you’re sweet.”

“First cheesy, now sweet?” I ask, mock-indignant. “I’ll have you know I’m very intimidating.”

“Oh, yes, clearly,” she deadpans, gesturing at Sunshine, who’s rolling in the sand like a complete goofball. “Nothing says ‘scary’ like a man holding a stick for his dog.”

“Hey, that’s tactical. It’s important to have backup.”

Charlie steps closer, her fingers brushing my wrist, sending a little jolt of warmth through me. “Well, as long as I’m not the scary one. I wouldn’t want to intimidate you.”

“Too late for that.” I catch her gaze, my voice quieting. “You terrify me, Charlie Cooper.”

She blinks, her playful expression shifting to something softer. “Why’s that?”

I cup her face, my thumb brushing her cheekbone. “Because I screwed this up once before. I never should have pushed you away. Never. But I somehow managed to convince myself I was right to do it. I mean, I was so sure I was right. I never want to fool myself into making a mistake like that again.”

The words hang in the air between us, the sound of the waves filling the silence. For a moment, Charlie just looks at me, her eyes unreadable, before she steps into my arms and leans her head against my chest.

“You’re not even close to screwing this up,” she murmurs, her voice barely audible. “You’re pretty freaking special and every day I spend with you only makes me want more. One more day. One more hour. One more second…”

Her reassurance is like a balm, soothing the anxiety that’s been knotting in my stomach. I wrap my arms around her, resting my chin on top of her head as Sunshine prances back with the stick, oblivious to the weight of the moment.

The sunset deepens, the colors shifting to fiery reds and purples, and I hold her close, silently promising myself that I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work—to keep her here, with me.

Including asking her to move in with me, even though the rest of the world will scream, “Too soon, you reckless idiot!”