Finally

by R. L. Mathewson

  This wasn’t going to work.

  She opened her mouth to suggest that they bring the bunny back only to end up closing it with a groan when Abbi said, “I love my bunny,” damning Charlie to hell.

  “We should keep her in the living room,” Dustin said, reaching over to run his hand over the bunny’s white back while she nudged her light grey face against Abbi’s hand, demanding more carrots while Charlie couldn’t help but wonder if the kids were trying to get her killed.

  “I shall call her Applesauce,” Abbi said with a firm nod.

  “That’s nice,” Charlie mumbled absently as she wondered if she should update her will.

  “She’s so fluffy!” Abbi, who hadn’t stopped smiling since the store owner placed the bunny in her arms, said as she obediently grabbed another baby carrot and held it for the bunny.

  “She’s pretty,” Dustin said, shifting on the bed to move closer to his sister.

  They were so damn adorable, Charlie thought, feeling her shoulders slump in defeat as she reached over to the pet Applesauce. “She is cute,” she found herself admitting only to wince when she looked back and found Devin, who looked really pissed, standing in front of her bed, glaring…at her, which she didn’t find very reassuring at the moment.

  “Why don’t you guys go take the bunny and watch television while I talk to Charlie?” Devin said, never taking his eyes off her as the kids, who knew better than to argue right now, climbed off her bed and made their way to the door as Charlie sat there, debating joining them when Devin added, “Close the door behind you.”

  “Wait! You don’t have to leave!” Charlie said, only to groan when she heard the door close behind them.

  “Explain,” Devin bit out evenly.

  Charlie opened her mouth to do just that, only close it and take a deep breath as she was forced to grab hold of the comforter when a wave of dizziness hit her. “Sorry, my life just flashed before my eyes,” she said, taking that slight twitch of his lips as encouragement.

  “I’m going to spank your ass,” Devin said, nodding to himself as he moved to grab her.

  “That costs extra!” Charlie said, turning to dive off the bed only to end up desperately trying to grab onto the comforter when the man that was a lot faster than he looked grabbed her.

  “Let’s have a talk, shall we?” he said calmly as he dragged her off the bed and threw her over his shoulder.

  “I mean, it’s your money. If you want to spend it on talking, I guess that’s fine,” Charlie said, shrugging it off even as she couldn’t help but notice that he was carrying her into the bathroom.

  “I honestly don’t know how Ben put up with you,” Devin said as he placed her on the bathroom counter before closing the bathroom door and throwing the lock while she sat there wondering if this counted as a secondary location.

  “With the help of alcohol and a lot of denial,” Charlie mumbled absently as Devin came back.

  “That’s not really going to help me, now is it?” Devin drawled as he stepped between her legs. “Start talking.”

  “About my rates?” she asked with a hopeful smile.

  “I suppose we could talk about that, but I thought we’d talk about the fact that you gave my children a rabbit instead,” he murmured as she felt herself being pulled closer.

  “I’d rather talk about my rates. They’re very competitive,” Charlie said, nodding solemnly.

  “So, I’ve heard,” he murmured as she found herself pulled even closer until she was sitting on the edge and a soft groan was torn from her when she felt his hand settle between her legs. “Do you remember when I told the kids that they couldn’t have any pets until they were older?”

  “Vaguely?” she said, admittedly having a problem paying attention at the moment.

  “Vaguely?” he murmured back her answer, looking thoughtful as he stopped rubbing his hand between her legs to pull her off the counter and-

  “I remember!” Charlie found herself admitting as she suddenly found herself facing the mirror with her hands grabbing hold of the counter.

  “Good. Now we’re getting somewhere,” Devin said as he reached around and unsnapped her jeans.

  “Umm, the kids are downstairs,” she reminded him, afraid that he might actually give into temptation and spank her ass, which she was almost ninety percent sure that she wouldn’t enjoy.

  “They have SpongeBob on and a bunny. They’re good for at least an hour,” he said as she felt him push her pants down along with her panties.

  “I’m probably going to need those to escape,” she pointed out.

  “Probably,” Devin said, not really sounding all that concerned as she once again found herself picked up and placed on the counter.

  “Would it help if I apologized?” Charlie offered as she watched him pull her sneakers off, one at a time before he finished pulling her pants off and tossed them aside.

  “Why did you get the bunny, Charlie?” Devin asked as he knelt down in front of her.

  “I’m weak?” she mumbled absently as she watched Devin lean forward and-

  “Definitely weak,” Charlie freely admitted when she felt his tongue slide between her slit.

  “Try again,” Devin said with another slow swipe of his tongue.

  “Ummm, I’m still not really sure what happened. We were heading to the post office and then there was talk of fluffiness and I was finding out just how expensive hay was,” she mumbled somewhat incoherently as one hand found the edge of the counter and held on tightly as the other started running her fingers through his hair, encouraging him to keep doing that thing with his tongue that was making it really difficult to focus.

  “And you’re not going to do it again, are you?” Devin said, tearing a “No!” from her seconds later when he slid his tongue inside her as she shook her head because she’d definitely learned her lesson.

  Chapter 33

  Four Months Later…

  “This isn’t happening,” Devin said, taking a moment to close his eyes and slowly exhale, hoping, praying really, that when he opened his eyes that this would all end up being a bad dream.

  It wasn’t.

  “I had to feed Bradford,” Abbi, who was covered from head to toe in pancake batter said with a helpless shrug as the large German Shepard covered in pancake batter that failed the police academy because of his love of snuggles and who had managed to break Charlie in less than two minutes with a whimper, leaned over and swiped his tongue over Abbi’s face, cleaning a small section of her skin.

  “What was wrong with the breakfast I made him?” Devin demanded with a glare, daring her to even suggest that he didn’t take good care of the dog that he’d decided was his.

  “He deserves deliciousness,” Abbi said, folding her batter-covered arms over her chest so that she could glare up at him.

  “And that’s exactly what I gave him,” Devin said, matching the move with a pointed look at the large metal bowl that Bradford was currently licking clean.

  “He’s only trying to spare your feelings,” Abbi said with a disappointed glare at the dog that was going to need a bath, too.

  “I’m an excellent cook,” Devin bit out.

  “Then explain last night’s dinner,” she said, looking really fucking smug for someone wearing Doc McStuffins pajamas.

  “It was delicious,” Devin said with a look that dared her to argue.

  “Really? Then explain why Bradford refused to eat any,” Abbi said, cocking a brow in question.

  Nodding, Devin said, “We are no longer speaking.”

  “I miss Charlie,” Dustin mumbled sadly from where Devin placed him in an attempt to keep him clean so that he wouldn’t have to give him a bath as well.

  “I know you do, buddy,” Devin said, only to bite back a sigh when Biscuits, the asshole kitten that the kids had conned Charlie into getting last week, decided to climb up his leg.

  “When is Charlie coming home?” Dustin asked as Devin leaned over and carefully extracted the kitten f
rom hell off his leg and put him down. No sooner had the psychotic little kitten’s paw touched the floor when Bradford’s ears perked up and he decided to try to inspect the kitten again, earning a hiss and a swipe before Biscuits raced beneath the cart that he’d built for Charlie, to hide.

  “Bradford, you’re being naughty,” Abbi said.

  “Friday night,” Devin said as he found himself glancing at the clock again and bit back a sigh.

  God, he fucking missed her.

  For the past couple of months, she’d been hitting lectures, going to conventions, and taking online courses every week and he…

  Couldn’t complain since whatever she was doing was helping Bradford Creations. Over the past few months, Charlie had managed to double Bradford Creations’ following on social media and they now had more orders than they could keep up with. He’d hired five more full-time employees, had enough orders to keep Bradford Creations busy for a very long time, and that didn’t seem to be enough for Charlie.

  She was determined to learn everything there was to know about online marketing. While she helped the kids with their homework, she was reading articles. When she made dinner, she listened to podcasts and audio books. After the kids went to bed, she spent a few hours in her office working while he did the same upstairs. But once they were done…

  She was all his.

  They’d learned pretty early on that this wasn’t going to be easy because of the kids, but they’d figured out a way to make it work. They were usually able to get a sitter at least once a week and when they couldn’t, they turned it into a family date night. They ended their nights together, making love late into the night until it was time for him to leave.

  He hated that part.

  Just once, he wanted to know what it was like to wake up with her in his arms, but that wasn’t a choice. At least, not yet. While he was ready to spend the rest of his life with Charlie, she…wasn’t. They’d been dating for a little over four months now and she still hadn’t told him that she loved him yet.

  He didn’t want to rush her, but god, it was fucking killing him. She told his children at least a hundred times a day that she loved them. She’d also told her best friend, the bunny, the kitten, the dog, and on a few occasions, a fucking jelly donut, but she’d never said it to him. He knew that she cared about him, but he wanted more.

  He wanted Charlie.

  “Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom,” Dustin said, reminding him that they needed to move their asses if they had any hope of getting to school on time.

  “Sorry, buddy,” Devin said as he helped his son off the counter.

  “Thanks, Daddy!” Dustin said, carefully stepping over a puddle of batter before quickly making his way to the kitchen door.

  “We’ll be up in a minute,” Devin said, trying to figure out how he was going to get a six-year-old and a hundred-and-fifteen-pound dog covered in batter upstairs without making a mess.

  Maybe he should try the sink, he thought, glancing at the sink in question. It worked for Charlie, he thought, only to frown as he watched his son who should be upstairs getting ready for school, carefully make his way back into the kitchen and head to the refrigerator where he helped himself to a stick of butter. Once he had what he needed, Dustin turned around and walked back out, leaving Devin to follow him, really fucking hoping that his son wasn’t going to do something to make this worse.

  “Dustin, what are you doing, buddy?” Devin said, quickly making his way into the living room in time to see his son walk into Charlie’s apartment.

  Shit!

  Whenever Charlie was away, Dustin liked to go in Charlie’s apartment and watch television so that he could snuggle on her side of the bed. He missed Charlie. Not that Devin could blame him.

  “Summer vacation is coming soon,” he heard his son explain as he walked into the apartment and-

  “I know. I’m very excited about spending the summer with you,” Charlie said, smiling warmly as she handed Dustin a plate stacked with pancakes, home fries, and sausages, a Charlie special as the kids liked to call it, to Dustin who happily took it and placed it on the breakfast tray that Charlie bought for him.

  “What are you doing here?” Devin asked, unable to take his eyes off her as he walked around the bed.

  “Why wouldn’t I be here?” Charlie asked, blinking up at him as she speared a breakfast sausage on her fork.

  “Because you’re supposed to be in Boston at a convention,” Devin said, sitting down on the bed so that he could kiss her.

  “I am at the convention. They had to move a few things around because one of the presenters had a family emergency. So, I thought I’d get a few things done today,” she said when he forced himself to pull away as she held up the sausage for him to steal.

  “It looks like you’re sitting in bed eating breakfast with my son,” he said as he stole the sausage off her plate, not bothering to point out that it was a three-hour drive back to Boston since he’d missed her.

  “Well, I mean technically he’s my baby boy,” Charlie said with a pitying look that had him narrowing his eyes on her as he finished off her sausage.

  “I really am,” the little traitor happily agreed around a forkful of pancake.

  “And Abbi?” Devin asked, narrowing his eyes on the beautiful woman that enjoyed tormenting him.

  “Is also mine,” Charlie said as she pointed towards the bathroom just as Abbi walked in with Bradford by her side. “Go take a shower. Your food’s waiting for you in the oven.”

  Without a word, Abbi obediently walked into the bathroom as Bradford walked over to the bed to inspect their breakfast. “You, too,” Charlie said, tossing the dog a sausage. Tail wagging, he happily followed Abbi into the bathroom.

  “Your food’s waiting in the oven, too,” Charlie said, gesturing for him to move his ass.

  “It’s your turn,” Devin said, helping himself to a piece of potato.

  “I cleaned up the lime Jell-O mess last week,” she pointed out as she dug into the pancakes that looked really good.

  “That was two weeks ago. Last week was Elmer’s glue,” he reminded her as he leaned down and stole the pancake off her fork.

  “And I cleaned that up, too. This is all you, big guy,” Charlie said, gesturing with her fork for him to move his ass.

  Sighing, Devin stole another bite before reluctantly heading into the bathroom, telling himself that she’d be back in a couple of days and then they could-

  “Daddy, what’s this?” Abbi asked, drawing his attention to a small round pink plastic box.

  “Those are Charlie’s, sweetheart,” Devin said, plucking Charlie’s birth control pills out of his daughter’s hands and closing it before placing it back in the medicine cabinet.

  “What are they for, Daddy?” Abbi asked as she pulled her batter-splattered nightgown off and tossed it on the dog, who seemed more than happy to have something to play with.

  “Nothing,” Devin said, sighing as he turned on the shower, still wondering how he was going to tell Charlie that she didn’t need them.

  Chapter 34

  Boston, MA

  “Oh, come on! Just five more minutes,” Charlie said, making sure to look appropriately pathetic as she looked down at her iPad.

  “No,” came the grumbled response from the man that had propped his phone against his headboard so that he could curl up with his pillow and ignore her.

  “But I miss you,” she mumbled sadly, making sure to add a sniffle at the end there.

  When Ben cracked one eye open so that he could glare at her, she allowed her bottom lip to tremble ever so slightly. “No, you don’t. You’re just using me because Devin’s busy.”

  “How could you say that?” Charlie asked even as she couldn’t help but notice that Devin hadn’t called her back yet.

  “Did you tell him yet?”

  “Not yet, but I have a plan,” Charlie promised him as she reached over and grabbed her drink off the nightstand, careful not to disturb th
e stack of brochures, pamphlets, and business cards that she’d collected from information booths, lectures, and her attempts to network over the past couple of days.

  “I sure hope so since you’re supposed to be quitting in six months,” he said, earning a glare.

  “I’ve still got time,” she reminded him only to continue when he opened his mouth to argue. “But I won’t need it because I have a plan.”

  “Are you going to tell me about this wonderful plan of yours or just keep telling me that you have one?” the smartass grumbled.

  “It’s very simple,” she started only to glare down at her phone when he said, “It sounds it.”

  “This right here is why I don’t like you,” Charlie said absently as she grabbed her phone off the bed and realized that it was after ten o’clock. The kids were probably already in bed, she thought, debating calling Devin only to dismiss the idea since he was probably trying to work.

  “I’m still waiting,” came the grumpily muttered reply that dragged her attention back to the problem at hand.

  Telling Devin that she was quitting without things ending badly.

  “I’m going to set up Bradford Creations social media accounts so that Devin can handle it on his own,” Charlie said with a firm nod because this was actually a really good plan.

  Thanks to all the changes that she’d made over the past few months, mostly adding pictures of the kids helping Devin and quite a few that showcased how incredibly hot the men working at Bradford Creations were, Bradford Creations had a very large following eager for Devin to interact with them. They loved hearing from him, seeing the videos that she’d talked him into doing and all he had to do at this point was to keep it up.

  It was simple.

  “And what if he can’t?”

  “Then I’ll still be there to help him,” Charlie said, shrugging because she honestly didn’t see what the big deal was.

  “And the reason that you haven’t told him yet…”

  “I want to keep him in suspense?” Charlie said, only to drop onto her side with a groan because she was pathetic, she decided, following up that personal revelation with a nod.