Chapter Twelve Charlie
Chapter Twelve
Charlie
I pulled the cornbread from the oven and set it on the stovetop just as my daughter squealed thirty decibels louder than any human should be able to.
“Vi’s here!”
I stirred the tortilla soup and turned around as the little hellion came through the back door. My eyes bulged out of my head as I took her in, and I did what I could to act unbothered.
She was wearing a pair of fitted jeans and a red fitted shirt that slid off one of her shoulders. She wore sky-high black boots, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck.
My mouth watered at the sight of her exposed golden skin.
“Hey, Harps,” Violet said, her green gaze moving to mine, and I swear I stopped breathing for a minute.
She was too damn beautiful for her own good.
“You look so pretty. Are you ready to draw the balloons and eat some tortilla soup?” Harper asked as she jumped up and down.
“I think Violet has a date, so she’s not eating with us,” I said. I thought she’d been bullshitting me about the date when she texted earlier. She liked getting under my skin, or at least that’s what I’d assumed was happening at the time.
But now I was second-guessing myself.
Would she dress up and pretend to be going on a date, just to irritate me?
Either way, it was working.
“Well, I could eat a little bowl of soup while we sketch out the design.” Violet smirked before taking the seat at the table that had somehow become hers over the last few weeks.
“Aren’t you cooking for . . .” I said, waiting for her to fill in the last part of the sentence.
“Of course. I’m cooking for my date,” she said, eyes locking with mine.
“Who is it?” I pressed, and she held my gaze.
“His name is . . . Dav-eed. Daveed.” She dragged out the last syllable unusually long.
“Daveeeeed?” Harper mimicked her, and it took everything in me not to call bullshit and laugh.
“Yes.” Violet cleared her throat. “Daveed Beck . . . art. Daveed Beckart. That’s his name.”
I set a bowl of soup down in front of each of them; the tortilla chips and shredded cheese were already on the table. I crossed my arms over my chest. “His name is Daveed Beckart? That’s quite a name.”
This was a stretch even for her.
“Yes. He’s here on a visa. He’s an international supermodel and a professional athlete.” She had a ridiculous smile on her face.
“What sport does he play?” Harper asked as I grabbed my bowl of soup and sat down.
“He plays several. Professionally, of course.” She shrugged before crunching a bunch of tortilla chips into her soup.
“Wow. A supermodel and a professional athlete of multiple sports. I guess that explains why you’re so dressed up,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady because it was hard not to laugh. “This is a pretty big date.”
“Yep. He’ll be over later, so I just stopped by to go over this design with you, Harps. Then I’ll go make a romantic dinner for my Canadian soccer/basketball player.”
“He plays professional soccer and professional basketball. That’s quite a catch. And he’s here in Blushing, Alaska, huh?” I asked, using my napkin to cover my mouth and hide my smile.
“Yep. Just here on some fancy athlete modeling trip.” She took a bite of her cornbread and smiled.
She moved her attention to my daughter and flipped open her notebook.
“I love it. Look at all the balloons!” Harper squealed over a mouthful of soup.
“Harps, manners,” I said.
“Daddy, pink balloons.”
I had to laugh, because my little girl owned me, and she knew it.
“So, I thought we could go with three shades of pink and then some pops of gold.” Violet sketched out some sort of crown as Harper watched intently.
“I ordered a few large gold crowns that she wears in Pinkalicious. And then we can do the number seven as well and just have a massive balloon arch to take photos in front of.”
“This is going to be the best party ever. I don’t know if Caroline should come because there will be lots of kids here and the big balloon swaggy. Do you think she’s going to come, Daddy?”
My shoulders tensed. I hadn’t heard jack shit from Caroline, but she usually just showed up around Harper’s birthday. She used to check in every couple of months, but that hadn’t happened in the last few years.
I scratched the back of my neck. “I haven’t spoken to her, Harps.”
Violet’s eyes bounced between us as if she was trying to figure out why I wasn’t saying more. “Well, she’d be a real fool to miss this party because I happen to have a warehouse full of pink goodness, and I’m pulling out all the stops for you, Harps.”
“You’re pulling out all the spots!”
“‘Stops,’” Violet said, giggling. “Meaning every kid in Blushing is going to want to have a party just like Harper Huxley.”
Harper fist-pumped the sky. “Even Denise Quigley is going to wish for a party like my Pinkalicious party.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Violet said, leaning back in her chair and smiling.
“I think the balloon swag and the food and cake are plenty. You don’t need to go overboard,” I said, reaching for my beer and taking a pull.
“I’m a wedding planner, Charles. I always go overboard. And we’ve upgraded the balloon swag to an arch. Swags are lame. This is the big leagues.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table as her gaze locked with mine. “I like to go all the way.”
Fuck me.
I was a horny bastard, and she knew what she was doing to me.
“Do you mean you like to go all out?” I corrected her, and she had a wicked grin on her face but she didn’t respond.
“I’m so excited. And you’re going to stay the whole time at the party, right, Vi?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Violet said. “I just need to know if you want me to add any unicorns or glitter to the theme, because you mentioned those last week.”
“Anything pink and sparkly, right, Daddy?” My little girl smiled up at me, and it took my fucking breath away.
“Anything pink and sparkly, baby girl.” I pushed to my feet just as Violet stood and started clearing the dishes.
“Thank you, Vi. I can’t wait for everyone at school to see the Pinkalicious goodness! Are you going to bring your special friend Daveed with you to my party?”
I chuckled as I stood at the sink before glancing over my shoulder at Violet. “Yeah, maybe he can sign soccer balls and basketballs during the party?”
“Unfortunately, Daveed Beckart has to get back for some big games over the weekend. He’s leaving right after our date.” She wiped down the table, and it took me a minute to realize how comfortable the three of us had gotten with our routine.
“Well, that timing worked out nicely,” I said.
“It sure did. I better get going. He’ll be here anytime now.” Violet leaned down and hugged Harper as I dried my hands with the dish towel.
“Good night, Vi. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’m going to go look at my Pinkalicious books and see what else we can do.” Harper ran down the hall.
“Thanks for doing this for her party.” I held her gaze, because it meant a lot that she was stepping up for Harper.
“Of course. Harper’s my favorite. We’re going to knock it out of the park with the decor.” She walked backward toward the door.
“So, you’re going to go meet Daveed, huh?” I chuckled.
“Yep. Unless you don’t want me to go for some reason? Last chance to tell me if it bothers you.”
“Not going to happen, Firefly. I have far more restraint than you think I do.” I moved closer to her. “But you could just tell me you want to stay.”
“Please. I’m not even tempted.” She swiped her tongue along her bottom lip slowly. “Just concede. You know you want to.”
“Shit. I must have spilled some soup on my shirt,” I said, the lie slipping so easily from my lips. I reached over my head and tugged my hoodie off. My jeans were hanging low on my hips, and I tossed the sweatshirt on the table. “I’ll have to get some stain remover on that as soon as you leave.”
Her eyes widened as she took in my chest and my abdomen, raking me over like it was her day job. I didn’t miss the way her gaze scanned the tattoo across my chest.
Harper.
My little girl was my heart, my soul, and my reason.
This was my reminder.
“You play dirty, Charlie Huxley.” Violet’s voice was gruff.
“Maybe I like it dirty,” I said, leaning down and grazing my lips against the lobe of her ear. “Tell me you want me.”
“You say it first,” she whispered.
“Not going to happen.” I smirked. This game we were playing wasn’t smart. We both knew this couldn’t go anywhere. But that didn’t seem to stop either of us from having fun.
“Then I guess you and your blue balls can enjoy a cold shower, while I go enjoy some big balls on my hot soccer/basketball star.” She pulled back, a wicked grin on her face.
Loud laughter rumbled from deep in my chest. I couldn’t deny that I was laughing more since Violet moved into my guesthouse than I had in years. “You sure about that?”
“I’m sure, Charles,” she purred before stepping back. “Daveed is probably waiting for me now.”
“Have a good night, Firefly.”
She turned and walked toward the door before pausing and glancing over at me. “Do you think Harper’s mom is going to show up to her party?” she whispered, and the question caught me off guard because it was laced with concern.
I shrugged. “Not sure. We haven’t spoken. She usually just shows up on her birthday.”
Violet’s gaze narrowed as her hands landed on her hips. “She gets to just show up for a party and that’s it?”
“It’s complicated.” I cleared my throat, the topic making me uncomfortable.
“It’s selfish.” She shook her head. “She deserves better. Hell, you deserve better.”
And then she turned and walked out the door.
“Time for my bath.” Harper came around the corner, and she gaped at me. “Daddy, why are you naked on the top? Where’s your shirt?”
I chuckled. “I spilled some soup on my sweatshirt. I’m going to throw it in the wash.”
She followed me to the laundry room, and I tossed it in the washer, even though there was no stain on it.
“And I’m not naked, baby girl. I’ve got my pants on.” I reached for her hand and led her down the hallway before stopping in her bathroom and turning the water on in the tub.
Once the water was deep enough, I turned off the faucet, and she stepped into the bathtub. I dropped to sit on the toilet as she told me all about her day. But I couldn’t get Violet’s question about Caroline out of my head, even though I tried to shake it off.
“I can’t believe Violet’s going to make me the prettiest party I ever had.” She chuckled. Her cheeks were pink, and she had some bubbles on the tip of her nose.
“That’s nice of her, huh?” I pushed to move closer to the tub before tipping her head back and using the spray hose to wash her hair. We had our routine, and she didn’t fight me on it. I handed her a washcloth to hold over her face to keep the suds away.
“Yes. I wish she didn’t have to move back to her house,” Harper said. “I like having her here.”
“We do just fine on our own, Harps.” I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees. I hated the thought that I was failing her in some way. She only had me. A grumpy asshole who didn’t have a clue what he was doing half the time. “And you’ll still see her. She only lives a few blocks away.”
“But she won’t come make eggs in the morning. And she won’t come over for dinner.” She frowned.
“Maybe we can invite her over sometime,” I groaned. “Now let’s talk about your party. Are you excited?”
“I’m so excited. I can’t wait to put on my new pink dress you got me. Do you think you can paint my nails before the party?”
“I’m sure I can figure it out,” I said, pushing to my feet and grabbing a towel for her, because she was ready to get out. I didn’t have a fucking clue how to paint tiny fingernails.
Harper stepped out of the tub, and I wrapped her up in the towel before lifting her and setting her to sit on the sink and drying her long hair with another towel. I brushed through the tangles in her hair until it was all free of any knots.
“Do you think Caroline will come to my party this year?” she asked, meeting my gaze in the mirror.
“Do you want Caroline to come to your party?”
“I’d like everyone to come to my party. But I don’t really remember Caroline anymore. But I do remember she had pretty fingernails.”
My ex was always pampering herself. We had nothing in common, even back before Harper came into the world. She was rich and spoiled and selfish.
But she was also the mother of my baby girl, and because of that, she’d always get a pass.
Even if this arrangement of ours wasn’t making a whole lot of sense anymore.
I’d do whatever I could to keep the peace.
As long as I had Harper, nothing else really mattered.