But it felt good to say these things, her feelings and thoughts, toCharlotte, who narrowed her eyes to little slits as she bit at her cheek as if she were biting back harsh, extreme expletives.
She didn’t say the rest of what she’d said to Layla. That Lucy had met Charlotte before she and Sutton had started this… arrangement. That Charlotte was a trusted and safe person to be around their daughter. That, to Lucy, Charlotte was one of Sutton’s friends and someone she was working with. That Lucy had no idea about Sutton and Charlotte’s sexual relationship, becausewhy would she?
Back in the kitchen last night, she’d quietly snapped, “And all of that? That’s the only thing you have the right to comment on when it comes tomyrelationships. What pertains toLucyis something you and I can talk about. Beyond that? I do not want to hear it.”
“And you don’t think it pertains toLucythat you’re in bed with asenator?With someone who is on track to be the fuckingpresident?!” Layla had crossed her arms, scoffing. “You don’t think that is something I have the right to comment on?”
“What did she have to say to that?” Charlotte softly asked after clearly breathing through some of her anger.
“She…” Sutton rolled her eyes, even as thethoughtof the next words forced her nerves to leap into action. “She threatened to bring up our custody arrangement.”
She’d seen red at that.
Just, it appeared, as Charlotte did. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open, and her fingers twitched against Sutton’s hip as if they were ready to reach for her phone. “Darling, I can make a simple phone call, and truly…Laylawill never get her day in court.”
The threat was not a joke in the slightest. Sutton could feel how very serious Charlotte was, and she didn’t know what it said about her that she found it equal parts amusing, thrilling, and endearing.
But Charlotte’s response calmed Sutton’s, and she reached down, smoothing her hand over Charlotte’s. Intertwining their fingers so easily, she shook her head. “No, that’s… it’s not arealthreat.” The words were a reassurance for both Charlotte and herself. “Layla can hardly manage the custody arrangement we currently have, even between her and Arianne, and we both know it.”
There were many days, Christmas Eve itself being the latest instance, in which Layla was late to picking up Lucy or had to postpone due to work.
It was an empty threat and they’d both known it, but it was something Layla had never once said before, which showed exactly how rattled she was by the whole situation.
“It was just… not a nice message to wake up to,” Sutton summed up.
Charlotte’s fingers flexed around hers, holding tighter, as she asked, “Have you watched the videos she sent? With Lucy?” She nodded toward Sutton’s unlocked phone, where the video thumbnails were still on the screen.
“Not yet,” she admitted.
“Do you want to?” Charlotte prompted, so softly. Like she was trying to cheer Sutton up, to comfort her.
It was damningly sweet. Sutton nodded before she bit her lip and cast a look at Charlotte. “You… don’t have to watch, if you’d prefer to get a coffee or anything else.”
Charlotte shot her a truly incredulous look. “I hope you’re kidding. Play the videos, please.”
So she did.
She lost herself in several glorious minutes of watching Lucy open her gifts at Layla and Arianne’s, her sullen pouts from yesterday forgotten as she exclaimed with joy over her gifts, then presented her own gifts to Layla and Arianne.
It worked very well to rinse the residual bad taste out of Sutton’s mouth, and she turned to look at Charlotte, who had a cute, soft smile on her face. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For the guitar; Lucy wassohappy.” She pointed at the last video they’d watched. “She has it right there. She wouldn’t let it go.”
And the guitar was there, present, among even all of the new gifts she had just opened.
Charlotte turned to look right back at her, smiling indulgently. “It was very worth calling in the minor favor.”
She was close enough to see the flecks of gold in Charlotte’s eyes. Close enough to feel Charlotte’s warm breath blow over her lips. Close enough to fall right in at the thought of what they were doing: lying in bed on Christmas morning, watching videos of Sutton’s daughter, while Charlotte looked as enamored as Sutton felt.
Both of those flutters that Charlotte brought out in her kicked up, both the good, deep, warm one and the discomforting one. Both feelings Charlotte inspired in her were now both uncontrollable. Her heart started beating faster with the way Charlotte justlookedat her.
She breathed through the way her heart pounded and her stomach fluttered and forced herself to blink and look away.
“Um. I have a gift for you, speaking of gifts,” Sutton murmured, unable to speak as if this morning wasn’t affecting her in some way. She held her phone up and shook it a little, bringing them back to the videos they’d just watched as a reminder that they still needed to open their own presents. “If you’d like to open it before I have to get ready?”
Even giving Charlotte the option of opening her gift, though, sent Sutton’s nerves buzzing.
Charlotte’s eyebrows lifted with obvious interest. “I would love it. I…” Her soft smile dipped, right into her own obvious bout of nerves, as she offered, “I have my gift, for you as well.”
They sat on the couch, re-dressed in Christmas pajamas with mugs of coffee in hand, twenty minutes later.
