30. Simon
Emmett: Hey, slight problem I forgot to tell you about.
Simon: What’s that?
Emmett: Charlie invited me tonight.
Simon: What do you mean Charlie invited you? When?
Emmett: I don’t know how I could be any more clear. I came by the restaurant last week to check in, you know, the day you were playing Santa. She asked me before you randomly showed up.
Simon: What did you say?
Emmett: I told her thanks but no thanks. Some bullshit excuse about not liking to be around people on New Year’s. But she just texted me again asking if I changed my mind because there’s still time to get there before midnight. So if she says anything, don’t act weird.
Simon: I mean, that wasn’t a lie. You really don’t like people.
Emmett: At least one of us is telling the truth…
Ihate that he’s right. Fuck. How have I not told her yet? I told myself a hundred times that I wasn’t starting the new year with her not knowing everything. Yet here we are, New Year’s Eve, and she still doesn’t know that the rent she pays every month goes to me.
Well, it goes to a bank account that I don’t touch. Well, now it does. I didn’t cash the first few months.
Fuck. I need to tell her. But I can’t now. We’re an hour away from the New Year’s Gender Reveal Blowout Bash. She’s spent the day making sure the caterers she reluctantly hired are doing everything the way she wants. I’m making sure the betting stations are set and the band has everything they need.
And if being busy wasn’t a good enough reason, no one should have drama on a big event day. We’re celebrating Baby Bug with our friends and loved ones, and I’m not going to ruin it because of the dumbass decision I made months ago.
What’s a few more days going to hurt?
Simon: I know. I’ll tell her. Soon.
Emmett: You better, because I’m tired of lying for your ass.
Simon: I will.
Emmett: I’ll believe it when I see it.
“You okay?”
I hurry and put the phone into the pocket of my bright pink suit—yes, the suit from Oliver and Izzy’s reception—as I turn to Charlie. She, as to not give it away that we know the gender, is wearing a baby blue dress that hugs her curves, and baby bump, perfectly. The color matches her eyes, and along with her now strawberry blonde hair, I don’t know how she could look more beautiful.
“Yeah.” I pull her into me, taking the opportunity to steal a kiss. “Just putting out a fire.”
She gives me another concerned look, but I take that away with another kiss. The only problem is, this kiss doesn’t stop. I didn’t mean for it to keep going. But what started as an innocent peck to deflect is quickly turning into a heated one that is two seconds away from us needing to sneak into a broom closet.
“Watch it. Children are here. They don’t need to see how the baby was made.”
We pull away, guilty looks covering our faces, as we turn to Connor and Lila.
“Sorry,” Charlie says, quickly trying to fix her red lipstick that I’m sure I smeared. “Are you both having a good time?”
“Yes!” Lila claps. “I was playing with Jayce.”
“That’s fun,” I say, kneeling down to her level. “You know, that’s my nephew. His mommy is my sister.”
“Wow, really? He’s my boyfriend!”
I nearly choke on my own spit. Charlie can’t hold in her holler. And as I sneak a peek at Connor, his eyes are about to bulge out of his head.
Charlie steps forward and takes Lila’s hand, still stifling her laugh. “How fun is that? Can you introduce me to him?”
Lila doesn’t think twice as she leads Charlie away. I stand up next to Connor and give him a pat on the back. “Welcome to the family.”
“I never thought you’d be in my family, let alone my daughter furthering the ties.”
We chuckle and go take a seat, which gives me a view of the entire banquet hall. The band I hired has kept everyone on the dance floor all night. The betting tables have been busy as people have been placing their wagers on the gender, the date of birth, and the other prop bets we’ve put in place, like whether or not I’m going to pass out in the delivery room and how long Charlie will be in labor.
But the best part of all? Everyone in my and Charlie’s life who means anything to us is here. My entire crew of friends and their children; my whole family, including Maeve and Jayce, Stella and her fiancé Duncan, Ainsley, and even my sister Quinn came in from Arizona; and of course, the people in town who are like family. Mona took a break from her retirement travels to be here. Regulars from the diner are here. The icing on the cake for Charlie was that Connor and Lila made it down from Nashville.
“Thanks for being here,” I say to him. “I know how much it means to Charlie.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it.”
There’s a pause in his words, and I feel like he wants to say more.
“Let me have it,” I say, helping him along.
“Have what?”
“You paused, which usually means there was a ‘but’ coming. Or in this case, whatever it is you’ve been dying to say to me for months now.”
Connor chuckles as he sits back and crosses his foot over his knee. “There were days back then that Charlie never stopped crying. If you didn’t know, one would have guessed it was because Mom was dying. But I knew it wasn’t just because of that. And sometimes it wasn’t because of that at all.”
“I wish I knew,” I say. “Believe me, I tried to reach out. I wanted to talk to her. I hated how things were left.”
“I know. Well, I know that now. But that doesn’t change the fact that for years I thought you were the asshole who broke my sister’s heart.”
“I get it,” I say, nodding to where my sisters are all out on the dance floor, dancing to a cover of a popular song from our youth that they used to drive me insane with. “If I knew any man fucked with my sisters, hating them would be the bare minimum of my feelings toward them.”
“Exactly,” Connor says. “Charlie gave up her life for me when our Mom died. She was twenty-one years old and took on guardianship of a sixteen-year-old kid who was mad at the world because his mother was just taken from him and his dad never gave a shit. She took me and Lila in without missing a beat, when I was scared to even hold the baby I didn’t know I had.”
“She’s a good woman.”
“No, she’s a great woman,” Connor emphasizes.
“You’re right,” I say. “She’s the best person I know. She makes me a better person.”
“That’s what she does. And for that, she deserves the world.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I say. “And I want to give her that. Whether it’s with us, or the diner, or our family, I want to give her everything she wants and needs.”
“I know you do,” Connor says, but he pauses. I follow his line of sight to Charlie dancing with Lila and Jayce. Her smile is lighting up the room as she happens to look over at the two of us. “She comes off as strong. She wants to do everything for herself. Take care of everything herself. Never ask for help.”
“I’m well aware,” I say, the ping of guilt stabbing me in the gut as Connor talks. It’s like he knows.
“What I’m saying is, for years I thought you were the enemy. But now you’re an ally. Help her where you can. Be strong for her so she doesn’t have to do it all the time. Be her partner. Just…be there for her.”
I nod and extend my hand. “You have my word.”
We stand and shake hands. I’m a little shocked when Connor pulls me in for a bro hug.
“Oh, and Simon?”
“Yeah?”
“Hurt her and I’ll kill you.”
I laugh, but nod as we step away. “I figured you felt that way.”
“Don’t all brothers?”
I take a glance at the dance floor to see not only my sisters, but all of the women in my life who I love like family, are all gathering. My heart doubles in size as I take them all in, knowing that I’d do anything to make sure these women were taken care of.
“Yeah. Yeah, we do.”
The DJ announces that there’s five minutes left until the ball drops.
AKA—five minutes until this place is covered in pink.
Connor and I walk to the dance floor as he scoops up Lila and I take Charlie by the hand.
“You ready?”
Her smile and radiating happiness nearly knocks me on my ass. “Let’s go, Daddy.”
I kiss her hand as we make our way to the microphone. Because of course I have to give a speech.
“Friends, family, I want to thank you all for spending your New Year’s Eve with us.”
“And we’d like to thank you for paying for the open bar!”
Everyone laughs at Wes’s joke as I hold up the glass of champagne I was just handed. “This is a night of celebration. For everyone, this is the start of a New Year. For Charlie and I, this year is going to be one we’re never going to forget.”
A round of “awes” echo as I kiss the top of her head. “Now, I hope that you have all placed your bets, because in thirty seconds, the ball is going to drop in Rolling Hills. If you’d like, grab your confetti cannons, which are packed full of either pink or blue confetti. But remember, don’t set them off until the clock strikes midnight!”
A round of applause is quieted by the traditional countdown to New Year’s. I take Bug and lead her to the floor so we can take in the moment with those we love.
“I love you, Simon Banks,” Charlie says, her hands resting on my shoulders.
I pull her in tighter as the countdown hits five. “You have no idea how much I love you.”
“Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!”
The band starts playing the traditional New Year’s song as people kiss their loved ones and the kids go crazy with the noisemakers and confetti cannons. Before we know it, a mass of pink balloons float down from the ceiling, causing an uproar of cheers.
“Hell, yes!” Wes says as he’s the first one to congratulate me. “Welcome to the world of being a girl dad.”
“Glad to be here,” I say before accepting hugs from Oliver and Shane. Izzy, Betsy, and Amelia have Charlie wrapped in a group hug.
I think this is the first time I’ve seen Charlie with them. I wasn’t expecting for this sight to hit me like this. But it is. Because Charlie’s part of this group. This family we’ve made for ourselves. She’s one of them. One of the girls.
The ones who made us whole.
Betsy brought Wes back to life after his divorce, and she’s the mom his kids deserved after growing up with the Wicked Witch. Izzy showed Oliver what love was after years of searching. And Amelia? She might have been our sister growing up, but now I know the real reason she was with us. It was because she was meant for Shane.
Then there’s Charlie. She was truly the missing piece to my puzzle. She makes me want more. She makes me want to be a man who thinks about more than himself and what building or house he’s buying next.
This is it. Our family. Our foundation. Charlie not only completed me, but our group.
This is it. This is us. Forever.
“Hey,” Charlie whispers in my ear. “Follow me.”
I can’t object before she takes my hand to lead me off the dance floor. We’re stopped by congratulations with every step, but that doesn’t stop her. If anything, it makes her speed up more.
“Bug? Are you okay?”
She doesn’t answer; she only picks up speed. Before I know it, she’s opening the door to what I believe is the coat closet. “Pants off, Banks.”
I know she can’t see how big my eyes are. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” I hear the click of Charlie locking the door as my eyes start to adjust to the darkness. Before I know it, Charlie is in front of me, her hands working to loosen my belt. “Sex. Now.”
I’ve heard about second trimester pregnancy hormones. I’ve read about them, Wes warned me, and the Facebook group I’m in for expectant fathers has had numerous posts about this. But I didn’t know if it was real.
“Charlie, while I love you, and will never turn down sex, you know we’re in a closet where people are probably going to need coats sooner rather than later?”
Her hand is down my pants and beginning to stroke me. “Well, then, we better hurry up.”
Any protest I had dies on my tongue as Charlie pushes my pants down and falls to her knees. The only sound that comes from my mouth is a muffled f-bomb as Charlie begins sucking me like her life depends on it.
If I ever get bored with the feeling of this woman’s mouth on me, then someone needs to take me out back and end it all.
I want this. Her. For the rest of my life. I want sneak-away trysts in closets. I want to make love to her in our bed. I want to have six more kids. I want her to walk down the aisle to me.
I want everything. And I want it with Charlie.
“Up,” I command, pulling her off me and if I could see, I’d bet I could see her spit still coating my cock. “I need inside you.”
Charlie doesn’t hesitate, she stands up and I turn her around, leading her to a wall as I suck on her neck. My hands pull at her dress and bra, bringing them down so her fantastic tits spill over.
“Hold on.” I push the coats aside, giving her a base to hold onto. “This is going to be quick.”
“Please…”
I let go of her only long enough to push her dress up and slide her panties down. I slide a finger along her pussy to find it already wet for me.
Like she always is.
I slam into her, and her scream is so loud I’m sure anyone standing outside could have heard her.
Let them hear. Ask me if I care.
I don’t. Let them hear her scream for me. Let them hear the sounds I make because this woman’s cunt is holding onto me so tight it might never let me go. Let them know we want each other so much that we’re fucking in a coat closet because we can’t not do this.
“So good,” I say as I reach around, holding each of her dangling tits into my hands. “Do you know how much I fucking love you?”
“Yes…”
“How much I need you…”
“Yes…”
“That I can’t breathe without you…”
“Yes, Simon. I love you…”
“You’re mine, Bug.” I pick up the pace of my thrusts, and I feel my balls tightening with every push. “Do you hear that? Mine.”
“Yours…Forever.”
Those words coming off her tongue is my undoing. I feel her also coming apart around me, and I hold her tighter as our orgasms chase through us.
That might have been the most intense thing I’ve ever felt in my life. Which makes sense.
It’s Charlie. My Bug.
Intense is the only word that even comes close to describing what I feel for her.
The sound of our breaths is interrupted by a banging on the door—and a very pissed off Shane yelling at us.
“Simon! For the love of God! I know you’re in there, and we need to get our coats. Get the fuck out.”
“Hold your fucking horses!”
Charlie starts giggling as I slide out of her. She adjusts herself as I pull my pants back up, but I don’t walk to the door yet.
“Come here,” I say, pulling her into my chest. “Happy New Year, Bug.”
She places a gentle kiss to the corner of my mouth, and somehow that hits me just as hard as what we just finished doing. “Happy New Year, Daddy.”
Maybe the four best words I’ve ever heard…