Before she could respond, Lucy spun around to look at them, nearly tripping over her own feet as she scuttled backward. “Mama! Is Charlotte coming to dinner?”
“Yes, hon, she’s going to meet us there. Now, eyes forward,” she called back.
Lucy giggled as Jack used their connected hands to tug her up and off of her own two feet. “I told you she was coming!”
Sutton could see the look her mother was giving her from her peripheral vision even before she turned to face her. “What is it?”
Katherine pursed her lips. “Nothing.”
Sutton nailed her mom with a look. “You said you were going to give Charlotte a chance. That you believe she loves me and Lucy. And, really, if youdogive her a chance, you’ll see it for yourself.”
She was sure of that, actually. It had to be true because Sutton felt so adored by Charlotte; she truly couldn’t imagine that someone else might not be able to see it.
Even Regan—her staunchest, fiercest supporter in this life—liked Charlotte. Not only did she like Charlotte, she’d invited Charlotte over for coffeewithoutSutton! That was the biggest stamp of approval Sutton could imagine anyone receiving from her best friend.
If Regan could see the love and adoration that Charlotte made Sutton feel, then surely her very wise, very observant mother could as well.
She just needed to work on getting everyone to the same place at the same time, to provide the opportunity for her mother to spend some time with Charlotte.
“I am giving her a chance, sweetheart,” Katherine assured in a murmur. “I’ve been giving her a chance for the last two days.”
Sutton squeezed her eyes closed at the reminder.
Her parents had arrived in town Thursday afternoon. Sutton had gone to pick them up from the airport and bring them to their hotel, stopping for a quick dinner first. Friday afternoon, yesterday, they’d all taken Lucy out to the zoo after she’d gotten out of school and had then stopped over at Sutton and Lucy’s for some family time in the evening.
Unfortunately, Charlotte hadn’t been able to make the best of impressions during this visit so far.
She’d been busy on Thursday, having been in meetings with leaders of foreign affairs until late at night. She hadn’t even left her office until nearly ten p.m.. When shehad, she’d come over to Sutton’s.
Which had been a lovely surprise for her. She’d just climbed into bed for the night, missing Charlotte, knowing they hadn’t been able to talk for most of the day because Charlotte had been in very important, do-not-disturb meetings.
Only for Charlotte to have appeared in the doorway to her bedroom, smiling that slightly self-conscious smile—one that still managed to look self-possessed, somehow—as she’d asked, “I assumed it would be all right for me to use my key? I didn’t want to call when I got out of my meetings as I wasn’t sure you’d still be awake.”
That incredible, overwhelming but in the best way possible feeling of being so in love had washed over Sutton. “Of course it’s all right. It’s always all right for you to use it; that’s why I wanted you to have it.”
The reality was, Sutton was trying very, very hard to not get ahead of herself when it came to her relationship with Charlotte.
Yes, they were in love. Yes, Charlotte was patient and sweet and perfect with Lucy. Yes, Lucy adored Charlotte right back. Yes, everything seemed to be going so incredibly well. Yes, Sutton wanted Charlotte around all of the time.
She wanted Charlotte to come home to her after a long day. She wanted Charlotte to breathe that heavy sigh of relief as she dropped next to Sutton on the couch or in bed and unburden herself of everything she’d gone through that day. She wanted to regale Charlotte with all of her own trials and tribulations since the last time they’d seen one another.
What Sutton wanted, very acutely, was for Charlotte to move in with her.
But the logistical reality of their relationship wasn’t lost on her. No matter how caught up in this fever of love she was, Sutton couldn’t throw caution to the wind completely and ask Charlotte to live with her. Not when she had to put Lucy first, had to maintain her composure in her own career.
After all, this time last year, Charlotte hadn’t even been a fixture in her day-to-day life. She’d been nothing more than an incredibly successful politician with whom Sutton had once been in love. They’d only established a true romantic relationship a couple of months ago.
Granted, they’d been sleeping together for a couple of months beforethat, but Sutton wasn’t sure where to slot that detail into this situation.
As it was, she thought giving Charlotte a key was the best compromise between logic and emotion. No, Charlotte wasn’t moving in; she still had her own home, where most of her belongings stayed.
She just also had the option of coming over to be with Sutton whenever the timing was right.
Was it Sutton’s fault if she very much hoped that the timing was right as often as possible?
Charlotte had left early on Friday morning, unfortunately.
She’d kissed Sutton, long and slow, as they’d woken up. Then she’d slid her hand between Sutton’s legs, working her to a breathtaking orgasm that had rolled over her in slow, intense waves.
