I never wanted a family, knowing what my career involved. But a child deserves to have a father who does more than supply the sperm and support check. Charley deserves a better man than me.
Money and fame don’t erase your past.
But I won’t deny what I know deep down is mine.
Sometimes you have to lean into the curveball and make the best of what’s coming at you.
I look each of her brothers in the eye before looking back down at her. “Charley’s going to live with me.”
ELEVEN
charley
I whip around,dislodging his hands from my shoulders. “Move in with you? What the hell are you talking about? I have a place.” I gesture around me.
Nate crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. “A place with mold that needs to be fixed.”
I scoff and cross my arms. “I can stay at the inn down the street. It’s fine.”
It isn’t fine. It’s going to put a dent in my checking account. My aunt owns the inn in town, but it isn’t going to be free. Even with the family discount, it’s going to hurt.
But I’m not sure I can live with Nate. Just being around him sends my emotions into a tailspin.
Noah sighs. “Come on, Charley. You know everything here in town is booked solid, especially this weekend. What if the project goes on for weeks?”
I turn to my oldest brother. “What if I stayed with you?”
“You don’t want to do that,” Aidan says, shaking his head.
I sigh. “True. He’s weird about his space.”
Noah frowns. “What? I’m not that bad. I just like my space. But whatever you decide, you can’t stay here tonight.”
“You could stay with Mom,” Del says, with a grin.
I shake my head. “No way. I love her to death but we drive each other crazy.”
“Sounds like I’m not the only one weird about my space,” Noah mutters.
“You know what, guys? Why don’t we let Nate and Charley work this out?” Del asks.
He uses the same tone when he’s trying to convince homeowners to decide on his TV show.
They all file out and I close the door behind them, leaning back against it. “Nate, I can’t move in with you.”
“Why not?”
“Well, first of all, you don’t live here.”
“Already working on it.”
“You are?”
“Yep. What else?”
My mind blanks, but I know there’s a reason. Or a hundred.
I shake my head, trying to clear it. “Look, we’re just two people thrown into a situation we have to work through. And we hardly know each other.”
