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“I don’t always. I do sometimes. But no.” He squeezed her fingers. “I won’t. Because it’s more important to me that you’re with me, and we have a good time.”
Tatum swallowed hard, but before she could say anything, Charlie continued.
“I mean, it’s rare for anyone to be that bad, but it’ll be a loud, crazy party. As much as I want you to be with me, I don’t want to put you in a situation that’ll make you uncomfortable.”
The tables had filled while they were talking, and now Pete and Vianne were at the front of the room. Pete was calling for everyone’s attention, introducing the lineup for the night as Shaker Road out of some little town in southern Missouri.
“What?” Charlie finally asked when she still hadn’t said anything. “What’re you thinking?”
Overwhelmed that Charlie had spent time worrying about whether she’d be comfortable at the party or not made her certain she would go and she would have fun.
“I want to go.”
27
Breena’s house was a perfect place for the Murphy family parties. Charlie missed the farm—they’d had some good times there when they were all younger. But he was happy to have those memories, and now they had Breena’s house and her big yard, and the best part about today was his date. Maybe for Joy it was her birthday and her family and friends gathered around her. But Charlie was thrilled to have Tatum with him.
They played volleyball with the family for a while. No surprise to him to find that Tatum was athletic and quietly competitive. She hit it off with his sisters just as easily as she’d been talking to his brothers on a daily basis at the coffee house. When the fun of the volleyball games got old, they switched it up. Pete and Vianne threw a Frisbee. His mom, Breena, and Sarah disappeared into the kitchen. Charlie knew they were putting the finishing touches on the spread they had put out for dinner. Tatum had offered to help, but his mom insisted Tatum and Everleigh stay outside and have some fun.
The day was hot, and the beer was cold. Charlie drank a couple, but he found he didn’t give a damn what kind of bottle was in his hand with Tatum at his side. When his mom hollered out the back door to tell everyone dinner was ready, he and Tatum made their way inside behind Mal and Everleigh. Sev teetered in behind them. He wasn’t drunk, but he wasn’t feeling much pain, either. Charlie was relieved that Tatum didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.
They fixed their plates and carried them back outside. Tatum found a spot to sit next to Everleigh. Charlie and Mal sat with them, wolfing down their chicken while the girls did more talking than eating. Charlie was relieved when Sev chose to park in a lawn chair across the patio with their dad.
Joy seemed happy. That meant a lot to Charlie, even if he didn’t say that to his sister much. Or maybe at all. He didn’t want to know what had happened between her and Falk. He’d been pissed when her husband first walked out. Pissed all over again when Falk filed divorce papers. But he’d spent a night or two on the town drinking with his brothers. Got the resentment and the worry out of his system. Nothing good would come of him going after his ex-brother-in-law. In fact, it would only have made Joy mad at him.
Still, thinking about that now and thinking about the worry Tatum carried over her sister made him feel bad for her. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if one of his siblings got messed up in drugs or couldn’t turn down the bottle to the point of messing with their health and well-being. Especially if there was a kid involved.
He watched Tatum when she wasn’t looking, happy to see that she looked relaxed. She seemed to be enjoying herself. She’d cleaned her plate, and though she hadn’t had much to start with, she did eat more than he thought she would. Charlie’s mom joined them after making sure everything had gone off without a hitch in the kitchen. It made his heart swell a bit to see Tatum and Everleigh talking with Mom as if they’d always been part of the family.
What if they had Tatum’s niece? His parents would love her. No questions. Hell, he would, too. It was a longshot, but if they ever did have her, if they ever got custody of Bryony, it would be a major stress on their relationship. Not Bryony herself. Charlie wanted a family, and he wasn’t the kind of guy to deny a child love because she wasn’t his biological child. No. That tie to Sutton, to Tatum’s sister would be the hard part. True, being awarded custody would mean something to him and Tatum. But maybe not Sutton.
He snorted when he realized how far down the rabbit hole he’d just gone. For fuck’s sake, he and Tatum had spent one night together, and it wasn’t a full night. He’d ducked out after two, thinking she might want the space when morning came. Before that, they’d shared an angry fuck and before that either simmering silences or heated words. How the hell that added up to getting custody of Bryony was beyond him.
Not really, though. He loved her. That was the gist of it. Charlie was head over heels for Tatum, and he’d do any damned thing he could to make her happy. Thinking about adopting Bryony was in step with doing anything he could for Tatum, so no, it wasn’t that much of a stretch for him.
However, he had no idea what she was thinking. She liked him. Okay, sure. But he wasn’t certain if that meant she liked his dick or his personality. He hoped she liked the whole package, but he didn’t know. He wouldn’t ask. Not yet. In his head, his heart, they’d been together from the beginning, but in reality, they’d only just started down this road, and no one knew where it would lead. If he asked for clarification or a profession of love, he would sound like a headcase and an asshole for pushing her.
“You sure have a serious look on your face.”
He turned his head as Tatum snuggled close to him. She leaned over the side of her chair to rest her head on his arm.
“Just thinking.” He offered her a smile.
“About what?”
“You.”
When their eyes met, hers lit up. Interest, maybe. Happiness, for sure. She wore it well.
“What about me?”
“How happy you make me.”
She lowered her eyes to his lips, her own tipping up in a smile.
“It’s like a TV show,” she said softly.
Charlie drew back to look at her closely, but she was looking around Breena’s yard. Pete and Sev were now winging the Frisbee at each other. Vianne and Joy were standing by the back door talking. Everleigh was in Mal’s lap, arms looped around his neck. His parents were missing in action. Charlie preferred to think they were inside getting Joy’s cake ready to cut, when in fact, he figured they were inside somewhere kissing. They did it a lot.
