Sutton slid her hand down to Charlotte’s and laced their fingers together. When she squeezed, Charlotte felt it. In her chest, in her stomach, everywhere.
“Come. Watch the movie,” Sutton coaxed, tugging her hand.
She wouldn’t say no. She’d never say no to this.
To the time she got to spend with Sutton in any capacity. To the feeling, the lightness, Sutton inspired in her. It was addicting and beautiful and the best she had ever felt.
And it certainly wasnotfriendship, in any way.
As it happened, Charlotte wasn’t entirely positive how long she could continue to act like it was.
CHAPTER TEN
“Do you have everything you need?”Sutton asked Lucy as she helped her zip up her jacket. “You have your stuffed dog?”
“Yes!” her daughter exclaimed, her big, blue eyes blinking sleepily already. She was valiantly fighting feeling as tired as she felt, but… that was Lucy.
Given that it was a holiday, Sutton didn’t hold to Lucy’s typical bedtime, but Sutton didn’t think she’d last too much longer, anyway. It was barely seven now, and she was going for a sleepover with Sutton’s parents at their hotel for the night so they could take her out and about in the morning.
Lucy had been up and running around in excitement since just after six this morning and had gotten to have her sugar high at dessert, around three. Shehadnapped during the Peanuts special, though, and would more than likely con Sutton’s dad into getting her ice cream, so Sutton really couldn’t decide which direction it would go.
She tugged Lucy into her chest for a hug, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she did. “You be good for Grandma and Grandpa, okay?”
“And Auntie Alex,” Lucy promised, wrapping her arms around Sutton’s neck and squeezing.
Sutton smiled as she held a little tighter for a second. “Yes, honey, Auntie Alex, too.”
Her parents and Alex were all staying at the same hotel, and for all Sutton knew, it would be her sister Lucy conned into getting her ice cream. She wasn’t surewho, but she knew it would happen.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Mama,” Lucy wished her as they pulled back.
“Happy Thanksgiving, honey.”
Lucy’s attention was already pulling away from her even before Sutton had fully straightened up from their hug and had moved on to Ethan, who’d just finished pulling on his jacket.
Her parents stood ready to go in Sutton’s front hall, and her mom was the first to hug her. As always, her hug was a little tighter, a little more desperate, like she tried to hold on to pieces of Sutton to keep with her during the weeks to months that they didn’t see one another.
Sutton held her back in the same way.
“We’ll see you for brunch tomorrow?” her mom asked quietly, still in the hug.
Despite the fact she was nearing forty, Sutton enjoyed the embrace as she always did. “I’ll meet you at the restaurant,” she confirmed.
As soon as her mom stepped back, her dad stepped in, and so the procession went until her family had all filed out the door, ending with Regan and Emma, who paused, as Regan madeeyesat her.
“So…”
Sutton arched her eyebrows, already instinctively knowing what this was about. “So.”
She’d already heard Regan’s delighted feedback regarding Charlotte coming to Thanksgiving since the day she’d told her friend about Charlotte’s attendance last week (“God, having her and yourmomin the same place will be priceless!” and “Do you think she knows how to have a holiday meal that’s not all about discussing the national treasury and foreign affairs?” and “Are you going to make googly eyes at her the same way you did when she met your family, back in the day?” and many more).
Regan had opened her mouth to speak, brown eyes bright with words Sutton could predict—wanting to talk about how she felt the day had gone, about the interactions Charlotte had had with her family, about Regan’s impressions of her—before Emma wrapped her arm around Regan’s waist and pulled her close.
“We are not doing this to Sutton right now,” she muttered quietly enough for just the two of them to hear while Sutton’s family mingled on her front stoop, waiting for Regan and Emma to join them.
Sutton gratefully leaned in to hug Emma before doing the same to Regan.
Nevertheless, Regan persisted. “We aren’t doing it now,” she whispered, “but we will be having a debrief soon!”
