Chapter 24
Charlie
It’s Friday night, and I’m sitting on Mitch’s front porch with him, drinking beer and taking in a moment of silence after the rowdiness inside. Since Maddie’s brothers and their wives are in town to support the casino charity event, the house is full.
I was happy to head to my place and fuck Jessica into oblivion, but apparently it was more important to come here, where I’ve received endless shit over the woman who has taken up residence in my life.
I can’t even deny it. We are pretty much inseparable.
I mean, just this morning, she made me run through the woods at dawn and then insisted I eat more of those high-protein jars of mush.
As I sat at my kitchen table listening to her talk a mile a minute, an inexplicable contentment warmed what I’d previously thought was my cold, dead heart.
I’m starting to forget what it’s like to not be around her.
I find myself wrestling with unfamiliar emotions like wanting to see her stuff in my bathroom and the way my chest feels full when the sun washes over her in the morning.
Something has changed inside me. Something I don’t recognize, and for the strangest reason, since I’ve opened up to her, I want to talk to Mitch.
After thirty-six years of remaining detached, I’ve found myself in a relationship, and I have no idea what to do about it. So it seems like a good idea to talk to the one person who’s always been there for me.
I’m sitting on the railing of the porch, resting my back against the column and looking out over the expanse of lawn Maddie has artistically landscaped over the last couple of years.
I take a sip of my beer and ask the question that’s been nagging at me since we came out here to escape the madness. “How did you know Maddie was it for you?”
The porch swing he’s been softly swaying on stills for a moment before he says, “It wasn’t one thing.
More a cumulation of a lot of different things.
Things like wanting to be around her all the time.
Or how when something happened, she was the person I wanted to tell.
When she walked into a room, it was more than being happy to see her—it was like everything got a little bit brighter.
On her worst day, I’d still rather be with her than anyone else.
My world, and everything in it, is better because she’s a part of it. ”
For reasons I cannot possibly fathom, his words make my throat tighten. The breeze blows, and I continue to stare into the yard.
“Do you think Jessica is it for you?” The question is careful, like if he says the wrong thing, I might run off.
But how can I run off? Jessica is here. “Isn’t it too soon for that?”
“I’m not one to judge, considering all the ways I schemed to keep Maddie in my house.” He grins like he’s recalling a fond memory before saying, “If it helps, it’s not in your imagination. You are different with her.”
“How so?” It hadn’t occurred to me that anyone had noticed.
“You smile more, laugh more. She challenges you. When she’s around, you forget to put distance between you and everyone else. Since you’ve met her, you’ve voluntarily talked to me twice. Seems like that means something.”
I rest my head against the column. “She makes me want to be a better man.”
He chuckles. “That’s definitely a sign.”
I confess the fear lurking like a dark shadow. “I don’t think I’m good enough for her. She deserves someone better at this than I am.”
“Why do you think that?”
“How can I give her the life she’s used to when I don’t have the foundation?”
“What makes you think you don’t have the foundation?”
I cross my arms over my chest, letting the bottle dangle from my fingers. “Please. All I know is how to do is survive, and she deserves more than that.”
“I don’t know about that. Maybe you’re better at it than you think you are.”
I scowl. “Has my history escaped you?”
He’s quiet for a bit, swinging gently as the chains squeak. “I suppose that depends on your point of view.”
“You lost me.”
“You told me the only reason you were in that bar to begin with was because you felt like shit after consoling Felicia for an hour.”
“I couldn’t just leave. I owed her that.”
“That’s the point. People who aren’t good at relationships just leave. What exactly do you think a relationship is?”
I hadn’t thought about it like that before. “That’s the point I’m making—I don’t know.”
“You have relationships with a lot of people, Charlie.” He tilts his head toward the front door. “I’d bet almost every person in that room would have you high on their list of who they’d call if they were in trouble. I did call you when I was in trouble, or don’t you remember?”
“I remember.” Mitch wasn’t always the happy, laid-back guy he is today. “You returned the favor. I’m not sure what would have happened to me if you hadn’t forced me to be friends with you.”
It’s about as emotional as I can manage at the moment.
“This is getting borderline embarrassing.”
He laughs, the swing creaking as he pushes it with his foot.
“It’s fatherhood. It’s ruined me. The other day after work, I came home to Maddie and Lily dancing and singing in the kitchen.
I walked in, and the music was blaring, the sunlight was shining in through the windows, making their red hair glint in the light as they twirled around, and I choked up. ”
His statement doesn’t send the normal panicked rejection racing through my blood. My first thought isn’t never. Instead, it’s of Jessica. “I suppose there are worse things than loving your family.”
Just then, the front door opens, and the woman in question walks out, her dark hair loose, swirling around her shoulders.
She’s wearing a little white cotton dress that makes her look like a virgin ready to be ravished.
A dress she made me promise not to ruin, even though it has these buttons centered between her breasts that are begging to be ripped off.
I can’t help thinking she does it on purpose. Just to taunt me.
“We’re getting ready to sit down.” Her hips have a hypnotic sway as she makes her way to me, making my head spin.
“Come here.” I slide my hand around her waist, pulling her toward me.
She comes willingly, her blue eyes flashing as she loops her arms around my neck. “Oh my god, you’re so obsessed with me.”
Mitch laughs, and I can’t help it. I laugh too.
And I feel it, just like Mitch said.
She walked into the room.
And everything in my world got brighter.
Jessica
I can barely contain my excitement as Charlie and I take our seats across from Gracie and James Donovan at the large table.
Truth is, I’d almost forgotten about their relationship because everything between Charlie and me is pure bliss.
But when I heard about tonight, I’d known this was the perfect opportunity to make sure everything was laid out on the table.
The eldest Donovan brother, Shane, is sitting next to his brother James, his very pregnant wife on his other side.
Cecilia Donovan, with her light, golden-brown hair and glowing skin, is the movie star version of a pregnant woman. Tall and lithe, she’s one of those women whose stomach is the only indication she’s having a baby.
I point a finger at her abdomen. “How far along are you?”
“Eight months.” She smiles at me and rubs her stretched belly. “This is my last trip before I’m forced to stay close to home.”
Sitting across the table from me, Gracie leans over and scoffs at her sister-in-law. “Isn’t it disgusting she looks like that in her third trimester?”
“Hey!” Cecilia exclaims.
My lips twitch. “You look like a supermodel with a basketball under her shirt.”
“I can’t help it.” Cecilia throws up her hands, her grin making her a lot more human. “And I’m not disgusting.”
Shane, a tall, gorgeous blond man with green eyes that appear to be a Donovan family trait, turns to his wife. “Of course you’re not, baby. You’re perfect.”
Cecilia puffs out her bottom lip. “Gracie’s being mean.”
Shane tucks his arm around her and kisses her temple. “Jimmy, take care of your wife.”
The professor tsks at Gracie. “Why do you always cause trouble wherever you go?”
“I most certainly do not.” Gracie sticks out her tongue at Cecilia. “Now look what you’ve done.”
Cecilia points at her belly. “I’m pregnant.”
“I hope you’re enjoying that excuse because the clock is ticking,” Gracie says.
The other woman tilts her patrician chin in the air. “Which is why I’m milking every single second of it.”
As though the baby knows we’re talking about them, Cecilia’s stomach rolls. Shane’s big palm covers the bump, and it responds by moving like an alien has taken up residence under her top. “Eight thirty on the dot. The little guy is like an alarm clock.”
“Are you having a boy?” I ask.
“It’s a surprise.” Cecilia gestures toward her husband. “This one just has opinions.”
Shane continues to rub her stomach. “I’m a Donovan. It took my dad four shots to get a girl. I’m playing the odds.”
Charlie’s hand falls to the back of my chair, and I smile at him, sliding a bit closer. He shifts, so we’re pressed together like puzzle pieces.
“Shit.” Shane peers back and forth between us, then smirks. “Look who turned out to be a cuddler.”
Charlie brushes his thumb over the curve of my neck. “Do you see what I do for you?”
I wave my hand through the air. “It’s not my fault you made a big deal about girls and now you’re paying the price. That’s business.”
He curls his fingers around my neck and squeezes. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am, but I also enjoy watching you suffer at my expense,” I say.
Gracie, sitting across from me, laughs. “You’re exactly the kind of woman I always hoped would come along and knock him right on his ass.”
“Thank you,” Charlie says in a dry tone.
And would you look at that. It didn’t take any time at all for the gorgeous baker to hand me the perfect opportunity to execute my plans.