Chapter 46 Charlie #2
Austin led the way upstairs, with Scar, Nova, and Luna following, their chatter filling the house.
Ollie lingered, stepping into the kitchen and gesturing toward the sparkling waters I’d set out in a container. “Can I have one?”
“Oh, of course.” I quickly grabbed a bottle and opened it, then turned to the fridge, pulling out a cup with ice. I handed it to him with a small smile.
“Thank you.”
“How, uh, how was your flight? You just got into town?”
Ollie nodded, taking a sip of the water. “Yeah, got my visa situation all figured out, so I’m here to stay now.”
“Oh, nice. Are you doing . . .” My brain scrambled to remember what Austin had said he did.
What was it? Why couldn’t I remember? My heart sank slightly. How am I messing this up already?
“Rugby,” Ollie said, his lips curving into a small smile. “I worked as an assistant coach for a rugby team, but I found out the league here needed a coach, so I’ll be working for them.” He chuckled softly, leaning against the counter. “Actually, got myself a promotion—I’ll be the head coach.”
“That’s amazing. Congrats,” I said, my smile widening.
“Thanks. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind getting everything settled, but I’m excited to get started.”
I nodded, genuinely impressed. “Well, that sounds like a perfect way to kick off your time here.”
“Yeah, I think it will be,” he said, his voice steady, his eyes meeting mine briefly before glancing toward the stairs. “And honestly, I’m just glad to finally be here, close to them.”
The sincerity in his voice warmed me, and I nodded again, feeling the weight of how much this all meant to him.
“I knew this day would come. One day. I thought Scar would be older, but I knew she’d want to see her dad. I just—” Ollie shook his head, pulling out a stool from the counter and sitting down. “I just wasn’t expecting it to happen this fast. I thought I’d have a few more years, her and I.”
I walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”
He had been there since she was born. He’d raised her.
He shook his head a few times, his gaze drifting out toward the distance before he finally looked back at me. I moved to the other side of the counter, pretending to busy myself, wiping down an already clean surface. Anything to keep from breaking down.
I paused, hesitating for a moment before swallowing hard. “I can’t speak for my husband, but I know Austin really values the relationship you have with Scarlette. He won’t take that away from you. He doesn’t want to.”
Ollie looked down at his hands, turning his glass slowly, his expression heavy.
“And I appreciate that,” he said quietly.
“But it’s hard. It’s hard to see the woman I love, the one I took care of for years, coming here and now having to share our time.
To see the woman who spent so many nights crying over a man who wasn’t there, over a pregnancy that wasn’t planned, and a newborn she was terrified to raise alone.
The one who would spend hours, days, crying in the bathroom at work.
The woman who pushed me away, over and over, because she was terrified of what might happen because of her past. It’s .
. . hard to be here and see him.” He let out a soft, disbelieving chuckle, shaking his head again. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
“No, but you should tell me.”
Austin walked into the room, and I dropped the rag I’d been holding, quickly bending down to pick it up.
He gestured toward the stairs, a small smirk on his face. “Luna’s got them up there counting thread counts or some shit.”
Ollie chuckled softly and stood, brushing off his pants.
“I, uh, I don’t know what to say to you,” Austin confessed, standing directly in front of Ollie. His voice was quiet, and I froze, waiting to see what would happen next.
Ollie shifted, dropping his gaze to the floor before he spoke. “I don’t mean to come off as a dick. I just—watching Nova go through everything she did, watching her cry over you and Scarlette when she was just a baby, and now feeling like I’m losing her . . . my baby girl. I feel—”
His voice cracked, the emotion thick in his throat, and before he could finish, Austin stepped forward, wrapping him in a firm hug.
“Thank you,” Austin rasped, his own voice breaking as he held Ollie. “I can’t thank you enough. I will never take your family from you . . . ever.”
They stayed like that for a moment, the air heavy with unspoken feelings, and then Austin stepped back, his hand lingering on Ollie’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” Ollie whispered.
“No,” Austin said, shaking his head slightly. “Thank you. For everything. You have every right to hate my guts. I was a horrible person to Nova. To everyone. I can’t change the past, but I’ve spent years working on myself. Trying to fix what I could.”
He looked over at me, and his expression softened.
“It wasn’t until I met Charlie that I realized I had actually changed.
She made me see that forgiving myself was the final piece of moving forward.
” He turned his attention back to Ollie.
“I hope I can show you the person I am today. I’m not asking for full custody or to take Scarlette away.
I don’t want to break apart your family.
I just hope . . . if you have it in you, both of you, to make room for me—” He paused, his eyes flicking back to mine.
“And my wife. All we’re asking for is a seat at the table. That’s it.”
Ollie looked at Austin, his expression softening as he exhaled slowly. His voice was quiet but firm when he finally spoke. “I think we can make another seat. The table’s big enough for all of us.”
The air in the room shifted, a quiet, almost fragile relief settling over us.
Austin’s shoulders eased, and he nodded, his eyes glistening. “Thank you.”
Before anyone could say more, the front door opened, and Dirks walked in like a whirlwind, his blonde hair mussed, his shirt slightly untucked. He looked disheveled but completely unbothered. “Merry Christmas,” he shouted, his voice booming through the house.
Austin walked over and pulled Dirks into a firm hug. “Glad you made it,” he said, his tone light and easy as he pulled back.
Luna came bounding down the stairs, her sequined dress jingling. As she hit the last step, she launched herself into Dirks’s arms, and he caught her effortlessly, wrapping her up tightly.
“Hi, baby,” he crooned, his voice dropping into something intimate and warm as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Nova slid up beside me. “Luna’s in love with Dirks.”
I blinked, still watching as Dirks swung Luna around like they were in a rom-com. “What?”
“And,” Nova continued, holding up a finger like she was revealing a juicy secret, “she’s also in love with another guy. There’s . . . a complicated history there.”
I stared at her, my jaw dropping. “Wait. What?”
Nova nodded solemnly, her lips twitching with amusement. “Oh, yeah. It’s a whole thing. You’d love it. Very ‘soap opera meets holiday special.’”
I blinked again, completely speechless as Luna clung to Dirks like she hadn’t seen him in years. Jennie is going to lose her mind over this.
“Let’s eat,” Austin announced, and everyone filed into the dining room.
As everyone took their seats, the hum of conversation filled the room. Plates were passed and glasses were filled.
I stayed back for a moment, watching everyone settle in. As the scene unfolded in front of me, I took it in.
Scarlette climbed into the chair next to Austin, her little hand resting on his arm as she wiggled into place. “Can you help me cut my carrots?”
Austin nodded, his knife hesitating before slicing through the vegetables. His face crumpled just slightly, and emotion welled in his eyes as he tried to stay composed. Watching him care for her like this—it was raw and tender, and I couldn’t look away.
Across the table, Ollie sat beside Nova, his arm draped over the back of her chair like a silent promise. His fingers grazed her shoulder every so often. Nova leaned into him subtly, the air surrounding them speaking to a relationship between two people who had been through everything together.
Luna was sitting next to Dirks. She wasn’t even trying to hide the way she looked at him—like he was the only thing that mattered in the room.
It was a look filled with longing, with history, with emotions too big for words.
And Dirks, for all his usual cocky energy, had moments where he glanced back at her, his lips curving into a faint smile, like he knew exactly what she was thinking and felt it just as deeply.
I sat down slowly, my heart swelling. This wasn’t just a meal; it was something fragile and beautiful, like a moment suspended in time.
My family—a patchwork of people I never could have imagined being together—was sitting around a table, sharing food, laughter, and something unspoken that felt like hope.
Halfway through dinner, a knock at the door broke the spell. Austin looked at me, his brow furrowed, questioning.
“I’m not expecting anyone,” I said, standing quickly and heading to the door.
When I opened it, the sight of my brother made me gasp. “Jacob,” I squealed, throwing my arms around him before he could say a word.
He hugged me tightly. “Had to come meet everyone.”
I grabbed his arm, pulling him into the dining room with pride. “Everyone, this is my brother, Jacob. Jacob, this is Nova, Scarlette, Ollie, Luna, and Dirks.”
Jacob smiled, his easy charm filling the room as he nodded to each of them. Austin stood and grabbed another chair, setting it at the corner of the table without hesitation.
After everyone had eaten their fill, we moved to the living room, laughter and warmth following us. Scarlette sat cross-legged on the floor, her face lighting up as we handed her the stack of presents we’d carefully chosen.
When she opened the paint-and-spin toy I’d picked out, she let out a little gasp, her excitement spilling over as she ran to me. She wrapped her small arms tightly around my waist and buried her face against me.
“Thank you, Charlie,” she said, her voice soft but filled with so much joy it made my throat tighten.
I held her close, my heart swelling so much it hurt. I looked around the room—at Austin’s soft smile, at Nova’s quiet pride, at Ollie’s steady presence, at Luna and Dirks whispering to each other on the couch—and tears stung my eyes.
This wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t clean or easy. It was real. It was messy and full of love, and it was ours.