Chapter Twenty-Six Charlie
Chapter Twenty-Six
Charlie
This woman knew how to piss me off.
But it only drew me to her more.
Because I understood her. I understood her passion. Her fear. Her need to protect herself.
And goddamn, I loved how quickly she could adapt and realize she’d misread a situation.
“Tell me why you overreacted.” I moved around her desk and bent down in front of her, reaching for her hands.
She looked away before turning back to meet my gaze. “I just saw you in there with her, and I freaked out. I assumed you wanted her. I’m so conditioned to think something good is going to go bad.”
“And why would it matter if we’re nothing serious, like you keep insisting? Why would you be that worked up? You can’t stand me most of the time, right?” I pressed.
This shit needed to stop. I was all in. I knew she was all in.
The last few days had been great. Harper knew we were dating. But Violet was still holding back.
“I can stand you, Charles.” Her eyes watered. “I can more than stand you.”
“Yeah? Because I’m done holding back. I don’t want anyone else. I want you and only you. Even if you just made a scene and knocked a gallon of paint over. I still want you.”
She nodded and slowly released a breath. “Charlie.”
“Yes?” I chuckled because she was being serious, which was out of character for her.
“I love you, Charlie Huxley. And I’ve never said that to a man. But I love you.” A tear ran down her cheek. “I really do.”
“I love you too, Firefly. I have for a while now.” I used the pad of my thumb to swipe the tears away.
“Then why didn’t you say it first?” She gripped my shirt in her hands.
“Because I thought you would run.”
“Why would you think that?” she chuckled, not hiding her sarcasm. “I saw you with Logan, and I just thought the worst. And then a sharp pain hit my chest. I was afraid I’d lost you. I just found you, you know?”
I scooped her up off her chair and sat down, then pulled her onto my lap. “I’m not going anywhere. I waited a long time for you, Violet Delphinium Beaumont.”
“I’m going to torture Montana for telling you my middle name,” I said over my laughter.
“I looked at your driver’s license. That’s quite a mouthful.”
“So are you,” she said with a grin.
“Such a filthy little flower.”
“A filthy little flower that you happen to love.”
“I do. And I don’t use those words lightly. They mean something to me,” I said.
“Hashtag ‘love you, mean it.’” She smiled.
Her words hit me right in the chest. Words I never thought I’d hear her say. Words she’d insisted she didn’t believe in. And here she was, putting herself out there.
For me.
With me.
“We’re officially a hashtag, Firefly,” I said, wrapping my arms around her tighter.
“Wait. Why was Logan there, and why were you bringing me flowers? And why were there two bouquets?”
“You’re a very observant woman.” He chuckled.
“Caroline reached out to me. She was upset about her visit to Blushing, so she told her fiancé about it when she returned home. He agreed that it wasn’t fair to Harper to have her showing up once a year.
She also doesn’t want to risk me coming after her for any back child support, which I’d never do, but her fiancé is apparently concerned about it. ”
“Of course they are.” Violet rolled her eyes. “The nerve of these people.”
“Anyway, her parents got involved because they don’t want to be responsible for college tuition for a child they don’t know.” I shook my head. “As if I’d ever let my girl go to them for anything. Not fucking happening. I don’t care how much money they have.”
“Agreed. I’d walk around naked and sell everything I own before I’d let her go to them for anything,” she said.
“I could get on board with that.” I nipped at her earlobe.
“So what did she say. What’s the solution?”
“She wants to relinquish her parental rights. It’s got to be done legally and aboveboard, but seeing as all parties agree, there’s no issue.
I called Logan, who then talked to Caroline and her family attorney.
She stopped by my office to fill me in. Caroline’s father has a judge friend, and he’s going to oversee this next week.
We’ll get it all finalized shortly after, and they’ll send over the paperwork. ”
Violet wrapped her hands around my neck. “That’s amazing. I’m so sorry I ruined the moment.”
“Nah. I’d already gone to grab the flowers for you and Harps, when Logan called and said that she was on her way over to talk to me, so I hurried back to the hotel. But this might be the best day of my life.” I shrugged as I tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Yeah. You got sole custody of Harps. It doesn’t get any better.” Her smile spread across her face, which made my chest hurt.
“I got sole custody of my baby girl, and you told me you loved me. I’d call today a win.”
“And you told me you love me.”
“I did.”
“Wait till you meet the in-laws this weekend. You might regret those words,” she said with a chuckle.
“I don’t scare easily. I stick. So get fucking used to it already.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
There was a knock on the open door, which I hadn’t closed behind me. “I’m so sorry to interrupt,” Blakely said. “But DJ Daddy O called because it’s time for your Zoom, and he’s going to happy hour in a little while, so he needs to start your meeting as soon as possible.”
Violet groaned. “Shit. I forgot about him. I need to get on a Zoom.”
I pushed to my feet and set her down on the chair. “I’ll see you after work.”
She stood and lunged at me, kissing me hard. “I love you, Charles.”
Damn. I liked the sound of that.
“I love you too.”
“Oh my gosh. All the swoons,” Blakely said as she stood in the doorway watching us.
I made my way to the door and winked at her. “Hashtag ‘all the swoons.’”
Blakely chuckled and fanned her face as I made my way back to work.
“So Caroline won’t be coming on my birthday anymore?” Harper asked over a mouthful of noodles. I could see the relief on her face, and I was grateful that her mother had chosen to do the right thing.
You can’t be halfway there as a parent.
It was an all-or-nothing gig, and her mother had never been all in.
But I would always be grateful that she’d come to me and given me the choice to be a dad.
“Right. She’s going to get married and start her own life. Because we have a good thing going on our own over here,” I said.
Violet was just smiling at my daughter as she twirled her noodles around her fork.
“And I’m happy that even though Violet moved back to her house, I still get to see her every day,” my daughter said.
“I told your daddy something today. But he doesn’t know that I actually said it to you first,” Violet said.
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him that I love him. But I told you I loved you first.” My girlfriend chuckled.
“But I knew you loved Daddy when you told me you loved me. And he loved you then too.” Harper pushed out of her chair and climbed onto Violet’s lap. “You’re not just my best friend, Vi. You’re my family. We’re a real family.”
I’d worried so much about doing this right. About being careful with how we involved Harper.
But she’d been involved from the minute Violet moved into our backyard.
From breakfasts and long talks and balloon arches.
She’d been a part of this family before she and I were smart enough to figure out how we felt.
My daughter didn’t need protecting from anyone.
She saw the best in people.
She was open to love.
I just turned and watched my two girls hugging in the chair beside me.
This was what it felt like to be happy.
Everything I needed was right here in this kitchen.
And I was going to do everything I could to hold on to them.