“How are things going with your parents?” Harper said.
“Really well. I’m going to meet them in a couple weeks up in Key Largo.” She still felt nervous about it, but after having a couple of days to think about it, she felt like she was ready.
“Oh wow. That’s a big step.”
“Is it wrong that I’m a little terrified but also excited?” Charlie dug her fingers into the sand to ground herself. It was warm on top but surprisingly cool underneath. She lifted her hand and let the granules slide between her fingers. It was surprisingly soothing, so she did it again.
“Not at all. I think whatever emotions you’re feeling are the right ones. You haven’t seen them in a long time, so of course you’re going to be nervous and excited. I’m sure they’re really excited to see you, too.” She grabbed Charlie’s hand and squeezed it. Held on.
“I think so. No, I know so. I can tell my mom is trying to play it cool in our texts, but she mentions it in every exchange we’ve had since we made the plans. Though it’s only been a couple of days.”
“Why’d you pick Key Largo?”
“They’re going to be in Miami for some conference, and it seemed rude to have them drive the whole way down here. Meeting them halfway felt like the right thing to do. I feel like it’s what we’re all trying to do here as we reconnect, you know? Meet halfway.”
“Yeah. It’s sweet. You’re a good daughter.”
Charlie stiffened. “I’m not really.”
“Maybe you weren’t for a while, but it sounds like you’re working your way back.”
“I’m trying. I had turned into someone childhood me would have never recognized, and I barely recognize her today. I was that Charlotte for a lot of years. I’m trying to make up for it. Be better.” She closed her eyes because she couldn’t look into Harper’s anymore. She was a better person now, but Harper seemed so pure. Always fighting for the good guy. Charlie wasn’t sure that had ever been her. She wished she could change so many things.
The feel of something grazing her cheek had her opening her eyes. Harper had moved closer, and it was her fingers against Charlie’s face. Compassion clear in her expression, she said, “I like who you are now. And we aren’t born perfect. We just do the best we can. And I think you’re doing a pretty damn good job these days.”
Charlie tried to speak, but only got out, “I—” before Harper leaned closer, and Charlie couldn’t remember what she was going to say. Words escaped her entirely as Harper’s gaze flicked from her eyes to her mouth and back again. Charlie leaned in, driven by instinct. Harper was going to kiss her, and Charlie desperately wanted her to. She kept herself from whimpering but wasn’t sure how. She’d been thinking about it since the yoga class—probably since well before.
It felt like an eternity until Harper’s lips touched hers. It was so light that it felt more like the caress of a butterfly’s wings. Charlie’s eyes slid closed, and her hand found its way to Harper’s hip before she even realized what she was doing. But once she did, she tightened her fingers into the cloth and pulled Harper closer. Every cell within her came alive, and her entire body seemed to vibrate. The pressure of their kiss intensified, and she felt Harper scoot closer on the blanket. Charlie shimmied closer too.
She opened her mouth, needing more, and traced her tongue along Harper’s bottom lip. Harper opened her mouth, and suddenly, their tongues were stroking, tasting. She groaned as wetness flooded between her legs. She didn’t think she’d ever wanted someone as much as she wanted Harper.
And she could kiss. She sucked Charlie’s lower lip into her mouth and bit gently. Just enough to send more heat low in Charlie’s belly before resuming their kiss.
Charlie’s hand slid around to cup Harper’s ass through her shorts, and she broke their kiss to trace her tongue along Harper’s jaw. Harper’s head dropped back, and Charlie used the new access to kiss a path along the column of her throat, alternating between kisses and playful nips.
When Charlie scraped her teeth along the top of Harper’s breast, her lips hitting the top of her bra, Harper said, “Oh God, yes. Charlie. Please.”
It was hearing her name on Harper’s lips that caused Charlie’s traitorous brain to reengage and reminded her that Harper hadn’t dated anyone since her wife had died. Had she thought this through? Charlie summoned her strength and lifted her head.
“Why…why are you stopping?” Harper’s eyes were cloudy with lust, and Charlie hated it but knew she needed to check in.
“Are you ready for this? For, uh, dating or something again?” Charlie really disliked hitting the pause button, but as Harper’s hazy eyes widened and started to clear, she knew that checking in had been the right thing to do.
Chapter Fifteen
“I think so.” Harper closed her eyes to gather herself, and when she opened them, she reluctantly said, “Yes, but probably not this fast.”
“Fuck.” Charlie shimmied back up after nearly having her lips on Harper’s breasts until their faces were level. She rested her head in her palm, mirroring Harper’s position once again.
“Exactly.” Harper wanted to pull away and put her walls back up, but she didn’t. She couldn’t.
“Can I ask you a question?” When Harper nodded, Charlie said, “What changed? I feel like there’s been an attraction between us from the beginning, yet you always kept me at a distance. And then, you told me all about your wife and how you didn’t date. But it felt like today, no, yesterday something shifted.”
Harper sighed because it was difficult to articulate the full gamut of the emotional roller coaster she’d been riding. “My brother- and mother-in-law have been trying to convince me to open up to the idea of dating the last couple of years or so, but I always tell them I’ll think about it and don’t. But Ellie said some things to me that…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Resonated. Like, how can I think I only have room in my heart for one person? As we talked, it was like a light switch flipped inside me, and everything Andrew and his mom have been telling me finally clicked.”
“I’m glad,” Charlie said as she took Harper’s hand and brought it to her lips.
“Me too, but I think we should go slow. I would love nothing more than to get us both naked on this secluded stretch of beach, but at the same time, that thought terrifies me.” Saying it was physically painful, but she knew time was what she needed to make sure her heart, mind, and libido were all in the same place. While her body had gotten caught up in the moment and still ached, her brain was tugging on the reins. “I don’t want to move too fast and panic. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
