Chapter Thirty Charlie
Chapter Thirty
Charlie
I laughed as Harper filled Violet in on some school gossip that I had zero interest in, but damn, I loved the way these two just got one another.
Violet had been staying over at our house most nights, and now when she didn’t sleep here, I had a hard time sleeping without her.
I never thought I’d be dependent on another human, but here I was.
Violet Beaumont had brought me back to life in a way.
I’d been living for my little girl, and that would never change, but I looked at the future differently now. I wanted things that I never thought I’d want.
“Davey definitely has a crush on you if he’s giving you half his cookie every day at lunch,” Violet said as she reached for her orange juice.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa . . . She’s seven years old. Davey needs to take a hike,” I said, and they both laughed.
“Denise Quigley has a boyfriend,” Harper said.
“Well, good for her. You’re not dating until college.”
“Oh boy.” Violet shook her head and used her hand to cover her laughter. “Good luck with that.”
“Daddy.” Harper looked at me like she was seven going on thirty.
“Harps.” I mimicked her tone.
“I don’t want a boyfriend. The boys in my class are annoying.”
“Attagirl. Boys are bad news.”
Violet rolled her eyes. “You were a boy once.”
“Correct. And I was bad news.”
More laughter.
This was our new normal, and I fucking loved it.
“Daddy has so many rules,” Harper grumped.
“‘Stay away from boys. Don’t talk to strangers. Listen to your father.’ What else you got, Harps?” I asked.
“‘No demon.’” She cocked her head at me like I should have known what she was going to say.
The fucking demon.
I’d been hearing about this slide for the last six months.
“You keep talking about the demon. I don’t understand what the big deal is. It’s a slide?” Violet asked as she looked between us.
“The coolest slide in Blushing. And Denise Quigley’s mom let her do it.”
I was getting really tired of hearing about Denise Quigley. Her mother gave into her every whim, and I wasn’t going to let a seven-year-old decide if something was age-appropriate.
“Is there an age or weight requirement?” my girlfriend asked.
“No. No one monitors it,” I said. “But it’s been around forever. It’s just too steep for a kid, and I’ve seen kids get real wild on that slide. I’ll reconsider when she’s ten years old. She’s too young.”
It was my job to keep her safe.
“So it’s just a slide?” Violet chuckled.
“A big slide. A slide for older kids.” I looked at each of them.
“He finally let me start riding a two-wheeler,” Harper huffed. “Lily has been riding a two-wheeler since she was five years old. And she’s asking her mom if she can go on the demon.”
“Lose the attitude, Harps. We don’t do things just because other people do them,” I said.
“I don’t want to do it because other people do it, Daddy. I think it’s cool, and I know I could do it. You did it when you were a lot younger than me. Mrs. McAffrey even told me so.”
I’ll be giving Jeanne a piece of my mind next time I see her.
“I didn’t have parents looking out for me when I was your age. So yeah, I did things that weren’t smart. I got hurt doing dumb things, when it could have been avoided. My job is to keep you safe. End of story.”
She frowned, and Violet looked between us before turning her attention to my daughter.
“Hey, you’re pretty lucky having a daddy who looks out for you.
I didn’t have anyone watching out for me when I was a kid, and I used to be very jealous of the kids who had parents who cared. ” Violet took her hand and squeezed it.
Harper sighed. “I know. But I’m not a baby.”
“I don’t think you’re a baby,” I said, stopping myself from calling her “baby girl.” I added, “I think you’re very strong and capable. And you are killing it on your two-wheeler. Come on. We have a deal that we never stay mad at one another. Give me a hug.”
So maybe I’m a little irrational sometimes when it comes to safety.
A wide grin spread across my daughter’s face, and she moved to her feet and climbed on my lap. “I love you more than all the blueberry pancakes.”
“I love you more than all the birds in the sky,” I said.
Violet moved to her feet and wrapped her arms around us. “I love you more than all the pink balloons.”
Harper laughed hysterically, and I winked at Violet as I set my daughter down on her feet.
“All right, I’ve got to drop you at school early, Harps. I need to meet the landscaper over at the hotel.” I stood up and reached for their breakfast plates.
“Oh man, I don’t want to go early today because Lily has a dentist appointment, so she won’t be there to play before school.”
“I can take you. I don’t have to be at work for an hour,” Violet said. She’d gone with me to drop off and pick up Harper from school a couple of times before. But she’d never done it solo.
“Yay!” Harper held her hand up to high-five my girlfriend.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes, of course. It’s on the way. And that way I can scope out Davey,” she said, and I rolled my eyes.
“Sounds good. I’ll see you both later.” I kissed Harper on the cheek, and then I dipped Violet back and kissed her.
She smacked me on the ass after I grabbed my keys and my sunglasses and made my way out the door.
Once I was in my truck, I adjusted my rearview mirror, catching my reflection.
I had a goofy smile on my face.
This new normal was definitely working for me.
“Well, look who it is? I didn’t think you’d show,” Myles said as Benji laughed loudly.
I’d met him for a drink at the Moose Brew, and I knew he was going to give me shit because it had been a while.
“Hey, you don’t always show up either.”
“I’m just giving you a hard time. I’m happy for you, brother.” He clapped me on the shoulder.
“Well, fuck you both for being ridiculously happy.” Benji set a beer down in front of me with a wicked grin on his face before walking off when a customer waved him over.
“So, how’s it going? I hear Violet practically lives at your place.” He took a sip of his whiskey.
“Yeah, she’s over a lot. She likes us to come to her place, too, but it’s easier at my place with all Harper’s things there. So we stay at her place on the weekends, when Harper doesn’t have school.”
“I’m glad it’s working out. I was worried you two would kill each other when she first moved into your guesthouse.” He smirked.
“Yeah. There were some close calls. And she loves to challenge me and give me shit, but it works, you know?”
“Yeah. I know. I get it,” he said. “So will you make it official and ask her to move in?”
“Hell, I’d make it official today,” I said. “But Violet needs to do things on her time. She’s pretty guarded and cautious, so I don’t want to scare her off.”
“I don’t know about that. She’s different with you. Montana notices it too. You’re different with her as well. Sometimes it’s just right, and you have to stop questioning it.”
“How are we different?” I asked.
“Well, for one, I thought you didn’t know how to smile before, but it turns out you were just a miserable fucker.
” He chuckled. “And Violet is always looking all goofy around you and Harper, which is rare for her. It’s a good thing.
I’m happy for both of you. You’re not going to scare her off. She’s in just as deep as you are.”
“It’s not something I ever expected, you know?
I didn’t ever expect to find someone I’d want to be in a relationship with.
” I shrugged. “I mean, she and Harper practically booted me out of the house tonight. They’re doing some sort of face-mask, skin-care bullshit together, and it’s fucking adorable.
Violet just fits—like she was always meant to be here. ”
Myles smiled. “I’m happy for you, man. It’s scary as shit when it first happens, but once you let yourself enjoy it, it’s not scary at all.”
“So you’ve got the wedding to look forward to. I take it she’s doing all the planning?”
“Yeah, that’s her thing. You know me, I’d marry her today at the courthouse and just make it official. But she wants to have our friends and family there, and I’m fine with it. I don’t give a shit who’s there as long as she’s happy.”
“You are one pussy-whipped motherfucker.” My head tipped back in laughter.
“I’m not denying it. But she’s talking about kids, and I know I want that, I’m just—”
“You’re worried you won’t be good at it?” I asked, knowing exactly what Myles was feeling.
“Yeah. I mean, any kid is going to be lucky to have Montana for a mother. I know that. But I had a pretty fucked-up father, and I don’t want to fuck up anyone, you know?”
I chuckled. “Dude, your dad is an asshole.”
“I can be an asshole too.”
“You’re a different kind of asshole.” I held up a hand to stop him from blasting me before I continued.
“You can be an overbearing, overprotective asshole. That’s different.
You love deeply. You aren’t a selfish prick like your father.
Hell, I struggled with all of this when Harper was born.
I doubted myself every single day those first few months.
But let me tell you the secret I’ve learned so far that has served me well.
As long as you show up and you love that child, you’re going to be fine.
The only way you fuck it up is by not being there.
If you show up every damn day, and you love them the best way you can, you’re going to be fine. ”
“I can handle that. I just don’t like to suck at anything. I like to win. I want to be a rock star dad,” he said, holding up his glass for another one when Benji looked over.
I laughed. “Of course you want to be a rock star dad. You don’t even have a kid yet, and you’re already competing to be the best.”
“You’re pretty damn impressive, especially when you wear those little pigtails.” He used his hand to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. “And that was blue glitter, right?”
“Damn straight, asshole. And you’ll do the same thing. In fact, I’m going to wish three daughters on you now.”
He chuckled before he straightened his face. “If I had a little girl like Harper, I’d let her do whatever she wanted to do to me. You’re the standard, Charlie. If I’m half the dad that you are, I’ll be winning.”
My eyes widened just as Benji set our drinks down. “What’s going on here? It looks serious.”
“I think this broody bastard just complimented me, and I’m processing it.” I smirked.
“I don’t think anyone in town would argue with the fact that Charlie’s a damn good dad,” Myles said.
“I have to agree with that one. And now he’s practically married, and he’s living the dream,” Benji said.
I rolled my eyes and acted annoyed, but I couldn’t hide the smile spreading across my face.
Because I was living the dream. I’d become a big sappy bastard, and I wasn’t even denying it.
And I couldn’t wait to get home to my girls.