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I smiled softly and got out of my seat, then climbed into his lap right in the middle of the restaurant. “Then I’m thankful too. There’s nothing back there for me, I’m all yours, Sir.”
“I know.” He kissed me softly, quickly, then chuckled as he tipped his head back. “I wonder what Dad would’ve made of that. Probably would’ve beat him with his cane.”
I laughed at the visual and stared down into the only blue eyes I wanted to see. “He would have and that would have been hilarious.” Out of nowhere, my mind drifted off to my own father, and how he didn’t even bother to answer the phone when I was at my lowest. Charlie had showed me how a father should be, how much my father truly failed me.
“Zepp?” he whispered. “Where’s your head at, sweetheart? Where’d you go there?”
“I—” I realized for the first time I’d never opened up about this part of my life, and a blush spread across my cheeks before I found the words. “I thought about my dad actually. Charlie would have kicked David’s ass for me and my own dad didn’t even answer the phone when he kicked me out.”
“What?” His arms tightened around me. “Honestly, I assumed your parents were dead because you never spoke a word about them. They don’t talk to you?”
I shook my head. “My mom died when I was nineteen but my dad stopped talking to me when I chose to stay with her after I turned eighteen. He didn’t understand it, but he didn’t need me. She did. He sends a text for my birthday and that’s it these days. He has a whole new family.”
His lips pressed gently against my exposed collarbone. “And so do you. You’ve got a brother now and a father and a dick-for-brains.”
I couldn’t help but grin as I leaned in to kiss his jaw. “My handsome dick-for-brains, a brother who’s the conductor of the Hot Mess Express and the best dad I’ve ever met. How’d I get so damn lucky?”
Sterling laughed so loudly it drew attention to our dark, secluded little corner, so I covered his mouth quickly just to watch the way his eyes shifted. In a heartbeat, he had my hands pinned behind my back on that table. “That was bold, Miss Bryce. You’re lucky you’ve got me missing my father at this exact moment, or else we’d be testing just how much coverage this table provides.”
I shivered, unable to help the arousal that spread through me, but I knew what we both needed. “Let’s go see him. It’s not too late. You can punish me for that later tonight when we get home.”
“Deal.”
The thought of what was waiting for me kept me half distracted as we paid for dinner and called Charlie to make sure he was awake, but I had something I’d been meaning to talk to them both about anyway. It seemed better to do it all at once, so I cozied up to Sterling in the car on the drive over and stayed on my best behavior on the walk to the elevator — but all bets were off when the doors shut and he slid his hand up my dress to tease me.
“Your punishment starts now,” he whispered, biting my earlobe and rubbing my clit through my panties. “I’m gonna wreck this pretty pussy when we get home.”
“Fuck me running,” I gasped, spreading a little more for him with a moan. The thrill of where we were made concentrating on anything hard, but I managed a “yes, Sir” before I pulled him in for a heated kiss. I should wear dresses more often, apparently.
The ding of the elevator doors sounded way too quickly, and he pulled back just as calm and collected as ever. “Good girl. Now come on.”
I took his outstretched hand and slowly brought his fingers to my mouth to suck myself off of them, then walked to the door like nothing happened. “Knock knock, Charlie. It’s your favorite people.”
“Christ,” Sterling hissed, no longer looking so composed as we waited for the door to open. “Have I told you lately that I’m crazy about you? And that you drive me crazy? And that you are crazy?”
Charlie opened the door and smiled widely, giving me an opportunity to ignore his questions and kept me from having to admit I did know all of that. I hugged Charlie tightly and moved past him so Sterling could have a turn, then walked straight over to his humidifier to make sure his settings were correct. “How are you liking it, really? Give us all the dirt so we can kick some ass if we have to.”
“It wouldn’t take much to kick ass around here,” Charlie quipped. “We’re all o-old. There’s nothing to worry about, though. I quite like it here.”
Sterling sat across from his father and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees like he was trying to see through him. “No, seriously. Tell me. I was already stopped mid-ass kicking once tonight. I’m ready.”
“For Heaven’s sake.” Charlie gently slapped the side of Sterling’s head, then shifted his attention to me. “What exactly has Oliver d-done now?”
The fact that Charlie assumed it would be Ollie was comical. “Not him, actually. My ex somehow found out our address and decided to come by. He’s lucky Carl was already upstairs.” Carl, a dog that would probably kiss a burglar for belly rubs — it was laughable to think he’d do anything at all.
“Is everything alright?” he asked seriously. “Is he going to cause problems?”
“No. He’s harmless.” Sterling took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “Just a man who finally realized what he lost, that’s all.”
“I think we hurt his ego enough. But there’s something I’d like to talk to you both about. Nothing to do with that jackwagon, this is me changing the subject.” I paused nervously and met Sterling’s eyes. “It’s about me and my future. I didn’t expect to love this job so much. I also didn’t expect I’d miss it so badly every day. I felt fulfilled in a job for the first time in my life, and maybe that mostly had to do with Charlie, but I want that again. I looked into STNA classes earlier this week and the course is only two weeks long. I want to work here, near Charlie.”
They both stared at me in silence for way longer than I was comfortable with, and Charlie spoke first. “I’ll threaten to take my ch-charm and bingo skills elsewhere if they don’t hire you. It would be an honor to have you close again, Zeppelin.”
“I love you,” Sterling rushed out, leaning over to kiss me just as I opened my mouth to answer Charlie. It was bumpy and awkward but made us both giggle, and I clung to him for more.
Those words still gave me butterflies.
“I love you too, I love both of you. I—” Why am I getting emotional?! “Thank you both for showing me what family is supposed to be.”
He kissed me again, much smoother this time. “Don’t kid yourself, sweetheart. You’re the one who reminded us.”
