Chapter 27
twenty-seven
Cash
I sprinted up the hill, watching as Charlie escaped through the sliding glass door off the kitchen. My mind was spinning out of control like a two-wheel drive on black ice—words, thoughts, emotions, playing over and over on a loop.
Half of Charlie’s stomach looked like someone had dumped raw hamburger and tilapia skin into a blender and hit the pulse button. Was it purely an accident or had someone done this to her purposely? If Lorne was responsible, there wasn’t a force on earth that could stop me from going after that sorry excuse for a man.
But the one thought that drowned out all the others? The one that shocked me most? She thought this was going to make me stop loving her? Like, she actually thought I was that shallow.
I marched across the deck, barefoot, dropping her waterlogged shoes with a th-thunk . I’d used my T-shirt to stuff the drain hole but it was now at the bottom of the lake along with the boat and my flip-flops. Through the sliding glass door, I could see my parents in the kitchen, backs to me, facing Charlie’s room.
I ripped the sliding glass door open and they spun around, speechless and stunned. Charlie’s wet footprints left a trail across the floor, like a repeat of Hawaii.
“It didn’t go well?” Dad asked as I strode through the kitchen.
“Dad, we sunk your dinghy,” I breathed. “I’m sorry and I’ll pay you back.” Then I jetted past, taking Charlie’s stairs three at a time.
“Ha!” I heard Mom cackle. “That’s what you get for giving him that terrible idea in the first place.”
“Charlie!” I jiggled the handle but she’d locked it. I pounded on the door. “Open up!”
I could hear her crying.
I pounded again. “Charlie, let me in!”
“Go away! Just go live your life and be happy!”
I released a bitter chuckle. She thought I could be happy without her? I ran my hand across the top of the door jamb until I found the lock-popper we kept there. Then I shoved it into the hole and—wallah—I was in.
She shrieked. She was still in her bra, but she’d pulled on a pair of shorts. My eyes ran over her, and I’m not gonna lie, I said a quick prayer of gratitude that the acid hadn’t touched those breasts. Because that would’ve been a tragedy I’d never get over.
I charged across the room until I stopped right in front of her. “Who did this to you?”
“No,” she whispered. “I’m not doing that right now.” She gestured at the open door. “They’re probably at the bottom of the stairs listening.”
I strode back across the room—she was right, they were—shut the door, and stormed back over.
“Please,” she said, her face twisted like she was in pain. “Just go.”
I needed to chill. Needed to focus on her. Not go after the snake that bit her while she stood here slowly dying. At least for right now.
“Is that what you want?” I asked in the calmest tone I could muster. “You really want me to go? To have a life without you?”
She stared at me for a moment, trying to be stalwart. But then her face twisted up in what my mom called The Ugly Cry. But even that was beautiful on Charlie. “No. I want you.” She wiped her cheeks. “So much.”
I closed my eyes, savoring that confession. “That’s what I thought.”
I looked down at her stomach, my chest quaking with overwhelming emotion. Then my legs gave out and I was on my knees in front of her, cheek pressed against her stomach, tears running down my face.
“Does it hurt?” I asked.
“No.” Her fingers scraped lightly over my scalp. “Not anymore.”
I pressed a reverent kiss to the center of her scar. Then another. Then three more. It was part of her now, a map of her survival—and it only made me love her more. But the pain it must’ve caused her… “You never should’ve gone with him. You should’ve stayed with me.”
“I know.” She whimpered. “I’m so sorry. I regretted it every day.” Her fingers swirled through my hair. “I love you, Cash. I think I always have. Even before I knew what I was feeling. It’s why I picked on you so much. I just wanted your attention. Like…all the time. I craved it.”
“Me too.” I stared up at her. “Like a drug.”
She was shivering. And her legs were shaking from exhaustion or nerves, I wasn’t sure.
I shot to my feet, scooped her up in my arms, and carried her to the bed. “Where are your sheets?” The mattress was bare. Her comforter was folded neatly at the bottom.
“In the wash.”
I laid her down and lowered myself on top of her. You know, for warmth.
Then I looked into her eyes, my fingertips trailing over her forehead. “I love you too.” I skimmed my nose up her right cheekbone, which made goosebumps spring up across her shoulders and chest.
“I know.” She sniffed. “But don’t do this just because you think you have to.”
“What?” My face twisted up at the thought.
“I just…I don’t want you to start something you can’t finish. We have this big awesome family and I don’t want us to fall apart and cause some kind of split down the middle. And…” She pushed me back, stopping my nose caresses. “I don’t know if I can give you babies. My skin might not be able to handle all the stretching.” Her expression was fearful, like this might be the scale-tipper. Silly woman.
“Then we won’t have kids.” I nuzzled her left cheek, in awe that she was finally letting me love her. “Can we fix it? Your scar?”
“I can get more skin grafts but it’s never going to look normal.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I’ve already had three. But Cash?” Her eyes welled. “I want kids. With you.”
I rested my forehead against hers, letting our breaths sync. “And I want kids with you. We’ll do whatever we can to make it happen. But if not, it won’t cause a problem between us. It won’t make me love you less.”
“But what if I can’t?”
“Then you can’t. We’ll adopt. Or we’ll be those weirdos who get a bunch of dogs and dress them in pajamas every night, tuck them into their doggie bunk beds, and talk to them like they’re our actual kids.”
She chortled, eyes shining.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said.
“Yeah.” She sniffed. “Sometimes I have stomach problems and food doesn’t digest right.”
“Shhh,” I whispered. “There’s nothing you can throw at me that will make me change my mind. Ever. I’m in this. For good. It’s you and me, the way it always should’ve been, starting right now. If that’s okay with you.”
She laughed—exuberant and relieved—exactly how I felt. It was the best sound I’d ever heard. “That’s okay with me. Way more than okay.” She rubbed my earlobe between her fingers. “You’re sure?”
“Charlie,” I said softly. “I’ve always been sure about you.”
Even lying under me, the air conditioning was making her shiver. But the control panel was downstairs.
“Hold on.” I reached for the comforter at the foot of the bed and heaved it up to our shoulders, making a warm air bubble around us. “That better?”
“Yeah.” She smoothed a finger over my eyebrow as if testing if I was real. “You know all those songs you posted on TikTok?”
“You mean, all the songs I posted for you?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes turned so serious. “You got me through. You sang to me until I believed you meant it.” Her fingers traced over my cheek. “You sang me home.”
“Of course I did. What else did you expect me to do? I was out of my mind, not knowing where you were or if you were even alive.” My nose brushed against hers. “I love you,” I said again.
She gave it right back. “I love you too.”
“I’m probably going to tell you so much it’ll annoy you.”
Her fingers breezed over my back. “Not possible.”
“I’m going to kiss you now, if that’s okay.”
She nodded, her eyes brighter than I’d seen them since we were kids.
I cradled her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing slow circles against her skin as I leaned in. She was already breathless, lips parting slightly, waiting. I took my time, letting the moment stretch. Then, when I couldn’t hold back another second, my lips glided over hers, just getting a taste. Even that tiny touch had me shaking.
I kissed her softly at first, easing into the warmth of her lips, feeling the way she let out a little hum against me. But I needed more . This woman owned every piece of me, and I needed her to know it.
When my tongue stroked against hers, her fingers dug into my shoulders as if to steady herself—like she was three seconds from evaporating too. I smiled against her mouth, relishing the way she melted into the mattress, completely relaxed, bringing me right along with her. Then I kissed her harder, our tongues twining, slow and reverent. Like we both wanted to savor this moment we’d both waited for, for so long.
I traced along the shape of her mouth, memorizing her, cherishing every soft, shuddering breath she let out.
“Cash.” My name slipped from her mouth, tangled with a sigh and…
I felt it everywhere.
I kissed her for all the times I’d wished I could. For all the days I’d watched her across a room. For all the nights I went to bed wishing she was next to me. I kissed her and kissed her and kissed her.
And I would’ve kept on kissing her but the door flew open and a stampede of eight-year-old girls rushed in. We turned our heads, mid-kiss, to find a half-dozen pairs of stunned eyes locked on us. Then, all at once, they screamed.
“Moooooom!” Addie shrieked, head back like she was howling at the moon. “Cash and Charlie are doing the hippityyyy dippityyyyyyyyy!”
“Hey!” I yelled. “No, we’re?—”
But they’d already shot back down the stairs, bellowing over and over, “They’re doing the hippity dippity! They’re doing the hippity dippity!” Pretty sure none of them even knew what that meant besides Addie. Hippity dippity was the Dupree family term for baby-making.
Charlie shook under me and I looked down to see her laughing.
I laughed too. But then I groaned. “Great. My dad will be here any second. No doubt.”
Yup. Footsteps pounded up the stairs. “Cash!” Dad shouted.
“Crap!” Charlie hissed. “I’m in my bra.”
“Ah snap.” I’d kind of forgotten about that. I mean, trust me, I’d thought about it when we were kissing, but the minute the girls burst through the door…
I peeled the covers back just enough to escape, grabbed the T-shirt she’d dropped on the floor, and launched it at her.
“I saw that!” Dad yelled as he came crashing through the doorway. “What is wrong with you two?” He was saying the right words but his tone was off. A touch too light, a touch too pleased. And his lips were twitching uncontrollably like he was wrestling a smile into submission.
Charlie sat up, her shirt already on, cheeks bright red. She pulled her knees to her chest like she was trying to hide.
“Dad.” I held my hands up. “I mean, yes, we were kissing but there was no touching in the underwear zones.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, feeling like a teenager. I’d graduated from college for crying out loud. I shouldn’t have to explain myself to my parents. But…I was living under their roof.
Mom burst into the room out of breath. “What in the world?” Her eyes were daggers. Now, this was the parent who might kill me. “You were raised better than that.”
“Mom.” I exhaled slowly. “We weren’t. We were just kissing.”
“On the bed. With Charlie only wearing a bra and shorts,” Dad said unhelpfully. He was trying to get me in trouble.
Mom snapped her fingers at me. “All those children think you were having sex.”
“They don’t even know what sex is yet,” I said.
“Yes, they do.” She snapped again. “We already had the birds and the bees talk with your sister. Oh, heaven help us.” She rubbed her temples. “I can only imagine what they’ll tell their families.”
I tipped my head back and let myself breathe for a second. “Well, you knew we were up here. Why’d you let them head up the stairs?”
Dad chuckled. “They’re little escape artists.” But his voice hitched. And Mom’s cheeks were as pink as Charlie’s.
I guffawed, slapping my leg. “ You were having sex. While you were supposed to be supervising Addie and her friends.”
Mom’s mortified expression was a dead giveaway.
“We didn’t make it that far. Unfortunately.” Dad shrugged like What did you expect ? If Mom was home, he was trying to get her into the bedroom one way or another.
Mom’s lips pursed into a tight line. “They were watching a movie. We thought we had a minute.”
Charlie snickered behind me.
I shook my head and laughed. “Yeah. I’m not taking the blame for this.”
Mom’s expression softened. “It looks like you’ve worked things out?” It was a question she seemed concerned about.
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to Charlie, who was resting her chin on her knees, face still aflame. We shared a look, each of us fighting back a smile.
She laid her head on my shoulder.
I snaked an arm around her waist. “You could say that.”
“That’s…” Mom smiled. “Awesome. Congrats, guys.”
My fingertips trailed over Charlie’s hip—even that tiny contact set me on fire. “I hear a but in your voice.”
“But…” Mom’s forehead furrowed. “If you’re dating, I don’t know if it’s such a great idea for you to be living under the same roof.”
“Mom,” my voice tightened. “It’s fine.”
“No.” Charlie smiled, looking unfazed. “She’s right.”
“No, she’s not.”
“She is.” She kissed me on the cheek and slid past me, out of the bed. She squatted down next to a duffle bag that I hadn’t even noticed and zipped it up. Her guitar was next to it. The room was spotless like she’d spent the afternoon cleaning. There were even vacuum lines in the carpet. She smiled at my parents. “Thank you for letting me crash here for so long. Really. I’ll never forget that you brought me home and gave me a place to stay until I was ready to face…things.”
Mom put a hand to her heart. “Charlie.”
Charlie walked over and wrapped my parents in a hug, one arm around each of their necks. “You guys are the best aunt and uncle a girl could ask for.”
“And you’re the best niece,” Dad said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Er, son’s girlfriend,” he corrected. “That’s going to take a little getting used to.”
I shrugged. “I’m already used to it.” But then I looked at Charlie and my stomach soured at the thought of her leaving. “You don’t have to go. I’ll go. I’ll move in with Theo and James.”
She gave me a sad smile. “I was moving anyway. I was going to tell you tonight. We have a new baby and my mom has missed me a lot. It’s time to go home.”
I tried to smile but it came out as a grimace.
Her hair was beginning to dry, forming into loose waves. “I’ll just be down the hill. Just like old times.” Her head tilted and she smiled. “And not like old times at all.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“You can still spend every waking hour with me.” She walked over and looked up into my eyes. “Starting right now. Come help me settle in? I want to introduce my boyfriend to my family.” She pushed up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on my lips. “And I want you to meet my sister.”
I reached down to pick up her bag.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dad said. “Not so fast. First, we’re going to address the matter of my dinghy.”