She was scared. The words she didn’t say were louder than anything else. And she had every right to be. The last time we’d been in a room together, I was doing coke off another girl’s tits and throwing bottles at her. That kind of trauma didn’t disappear because of one good evening.
“I won’t fight for anything except a chance to show you what I can be.”
I glanced over at Charlie, who was wiping down the counter, her focus intent but calm.
Nova’s lips twitched into the faintest smile, and she half jokingly said, “Honestly, I trust her more than you.”
I sighed, shaking my head with a quiet chuckle. “Yeah. She’s pretty amazing,” I murmured, almost to myself, before looking back down at Nova. “Thank you again,” I said earnestly. “We’ll see you guys soon.”
“I’ll text you.” She waved at Charlie. “Bye, Charlie. If you want to get that coffee, I’ll spill the gossip.”
Charlie paused mid-wipe, setting the cloth down on the counter before walking toward us. She stepped up to Nova and wrapped her in a warm hug. “I don’t know what your schedule looks like, but I’ve got a couple weeks of break left, so anytime works for me.”
Nova’s grin widened. “Think you can sneak away for a few hours?”
“Absolutely,” Charlie said without hesitation, her smile matching Nova’s.
“Cool. Can’t wait.”
I held the door as Nova dashed to the car, where Ollie was waiting with it open.
Once they drove off, I closed the door and slowly turned around. Charlie was standing behind me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hug her for long. We were just talking about custody and you and?—”
She pressed her warm, plush lips to mine.
I blinked, caught off guard. “What?” I asked, confused.
“Nothing,” she said softly, her lips curling into a small smile. “I just had the best night ever, Austin.”
“Me too, Char,” I whispered against her lips. “Me too.”
Her smile faltered slightly as she pulled back, her hands still gripping my shirt. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For ever doubting that you still had feelings for Nova,” she said, her eyes meeting mine. “I get it now. I really get it.”
I took a deep breath. “I still live with a lot of shame and guilt for what I did to her. But with Scarlette, it’s important to me to show her that I’m here, that I’m committed to being her dad.”
“She even calls you dad.” Charlie’s voice wavered, and I nodded, the lump in my throat making it hard to speak.
“I never told her to,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “She just did.”
Charlie’s eyes shimmered as she looked up at me.
“Can you believe we’re here?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her waist as we turned to look at the house.
The living room was a mess of torn tissue paper and discarded boxes, remnants of the day’s chaos. The kitchen washalf cleaned, counters still cluttered with dishes and half-drunk sodas. But it was ours. It was a home.
“All because of our shitty healthcare system.” Charlie joked.
I chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. “Worth every damn loophole,” I murmured, pulling her closer.
48
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