Charlotte chortled before turning the sound into a cough at Sutton’s sharp look. Sutton herself wanted to chuckle at it, but presenting herself as a united front with Layla and Arianne was something Charlotte might have to learn…
Wow.
Shaking her head at that thought—she was getting far too ahead of herself—she resolutely tamped down on any sign of amusement. “What I was referring to, honey, is that Charlotte and I aren’t married.”
“So… youaren’tmoving in?” Lucy asked, seeming alarmingly crestfallen at the idea.
Charlotte, for her part, seemed just as surprised at the reaction as Sutton did. “I—sorry, little darling, but I’ll be living in my own house for now. But if you’d like, you can come over there sometimes, too?” she tentatively suggested, looking at Sutton for approval as she did so.
“Really?!” That seemed to perk Lucy right up, just as Charlotte, unsurprisingly, had figured it would.
Sutton held Charlotte’s light, hopeful gaze with her own. God, she truly was such a sucker for her. “Yes, sweet, we can go to Charlotte’s house sometimes.”
“Okay!” Lucy crinkled her face up in thought before she tilted her head and sent Charlotte a far too imploring look for a six-year-old. “Are you still gonna bemyfriend?”
“If anything, I think we might be even better friends,” Charlotte promised without missing a single beat.
“Am I still gonna be your sweet pea?” Lucy asked then, sliding her gaze to Sutton.
She felt her heart squeeze in her chest, and she couldn’t resist reaching across the table to cup Lucy’s small, soft cheek in her palm. “Always, honey. That will never change.”
Lucy accepted that with a nod before she turned her head to plant a pecking kiss against Sutton’s palm, mirroring exactly what they did during Lucy’s bedtime routine. “Um… are you gonna hang out with us even more, then?” she asked as Sutton removed her hand.
“Yes,” Charlotte affirmed.
“Can I ask more questions if I come up with ’em later?” Lucy distractedly asked, starting to look down at her plate.
In a way, Sutton was a little impressed that her daughter’s attention hadn’t been captured by the spaghetti and meatballs before this, seeing as it was her favorite meal.
Sutton couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes. Always.”
“Okie! Let’s have dinner,” Lucy announced, lifting her favorite purple fork with the silicone grip.
Sutton let out a breath she hadn’t even been aware she’d been holding as she felt Charlotte’s hand that still sat on her knee squeeze again, this time for several seconds. Even when she stopped squeezing, she didn’t remove it.
Sutton turned slightly, looking toward Charlotte, who was already looking at her. The look on Charlotte’s face was something Sutton could only describe as adoring.
God.
Her stomach fluttered again. They were really doing this.
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat her spaghetti.
Two long hours later,Sutton exited Lucy’s bedroom, softly pulling the door closed behind her.
She walked down the hallway toward the living room where Charlotte was waiting, pausing just before crossing into the entryway.
She was thrown back, suddenly, to months ago. To the first night Charlotte had met Lucy, the first night Charlotte had joined them for dinner.
The first time Sutton had kissed her in over a decade.
And she’d paused right here, looking at her decorative mirror, before entering the room after putting Lucy to bed.
Back then, she’d been conscientious of her looks, before getting over herself because, well, it didn’t matter what she looked like. She and Charlotte were nothing other than friendly colleagues.
Now… Sutton studied herself for a few seconds, recognizing every little aspect of her face. Every faint laugh line, the small wrinkles that so recently had started forming at the edges of her eyes.
“You look absolutely beautiful.” Charlotte’s voice carried to her, making her blush and startle as she turned to see her only a few feet away.
