by Tamie Dearen
“I didn’t know what she was crying about. She kept trying to take off her diaper, but she’s not potty-trained yet,” Josh said.
“But she’s being potty-trained. She wears pull-ups. They’re like disposable padded panties. You hurt her feelings when you made her wear a diaper.” She asked the girl, “What’s your name?”
“This is Chloe,” said Josh. “And this is Jace.” He moved Jace to stand in front of him. “Jace, this is Aunt Charlie.”
His huge blue eyes grew wider. “You’re Aunt Charlie? I know about you. You make cookies and climb rocks and teach kids to ski. Are you gonna teach me to ski?”
Charlie tried to keep her voice casual. “You have two children you never mentioned?”
“They’re my nephew and niece. I’m keeping them for the next two weeks.”
“I didn’t even know you had siblings. Are they your sister’s kids or your brother’s?”
“My sister. But she passed away about a month ago.”
He held his finger to his lips and darted his eyes toward Jace. Of course, he didn’t want to talk about Jace’s mother’s death in front of Jace, but the boy had already heard.
“My Momma and my Daddy died,” he declared.
“Oh,” she said, her heart wrenching for the pain in his big green eyes. Her mind flew as she tried to decipher the meaning of this revelation. Was this the reason Josh was trying to rush Olivia into marriage? It explained so much about Olivia’s reticence. No wonder she didn’t think Josh was in love with her. He would have to convince her his love for her had nothing to do with needing her help with his niece and nephew. Maybe Charlie could help make that possible. Josh had really straightened out his life, and he deserved to be happy.
“Okay,” said Charlie. “Well, we’ll have plenty of fun today. They can stay with me and Ellis and Micah.”
“Jace has to go to school,” said Josh.
“I could skip today,” offered Jace, with a wistful look at Charlie. “I never learn anything anyway.”
“Sorry, buddy. You can’t skip school.” Josh’s deep dimples appeared on his cheeks.
“But I want to play with Aunt Charlie. Aunt Olivia said Aunt Charlie would teach me to ski.”
“I can teach you to ski,” said Josh. “But not until the ski trip.”
“But I want Aunt Charlie to teach me,” he pouted.
“I’ll teach you,” Charlie promised. “You look like a natural skier.”
“I do?”
“Let me see you stand with your feet together and bend your knees a little bit and lean forward on your toes.” He complied with earnest enthusiasm, and she nodded approval. “Yes, I can tell you’ll be a great skier.” She glanced at Josh who was grinning at Jace’s efforts. “Or were you going to put him on a board? I can teach either one.”
He sighed. “Right now, I’ve just got to get him to school and get to work. Come on, Jace. Let’s go.” He touched Charlie’s arm before he left. “Charlie... This means a lot... I mean, I really owe you. I hate to take advantage of you, but I’m desperate.”
Charlie felt an unexpected thrill, as she shivered from his touch. She tried to hide it, bouncing Chloe in her arms. “No problem. The boys will be glad to have a playmate today. And anyway, we’re like family. You’re practically like my big brother.”
She hoped he couldn’t detect the lie. Her reaction to his touch felt nothing like a brother’s. But she needed to remedy the awkwardness between them so Olivia would believe in Josh’s affections. He could never know how he made her heart race. No one could know.
JOSH LET OUT A BREATH as he got on the elevator with Jace. It was so hard to be around Charlie and act normal. He could tell the ski trip was going to be torturous. At the wedding, he’d covered his feelings by pretending to be hostile. But he could hardly act antagonistic toward her when she was helping him out in a crisis. And it didn’t help she looked so darned attractive. How could she look that good at 7 a.m. without a stitch of makeup on? And strangely, seeing Chloe in her arms made her look even more appealing.
Was it possible Olivia was right? Would Charlie agree to marry him so he could gain custody of his niece and nephew? He imagined how that conversation would go. “Yes, I did ask Olivia to marry me first, but she turned me down. So now I’m asking you. And I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to help with the kids while you’re studying in law school.”
There was no way Charlie would agree to his outrageous plan. Even if he confessed the truth—that he was still in love with her—she would never believe him now.
He had his work cut out for him. He had to convince Olivia marrying Charlie wasn’t an option, and show her it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to marry him. Perhaps she was worried about the responsibility. Maybe while they were on the ski trip, he could demonstrate how he could handle his niece and nephew on his own. And she would also see how incompatible he and Charlie were. That was the only possible way she’d agree to the marriage.
“Uncle Josh?”
“Yes?”
“I like my aunts.”
“Yes, you have some amazing aunts. And you haven’t even met them all yet.”
“But Aunt Charlie’s going to like Chloe more than me. Chloe gets to spend all day with her. It’s not fair. I want to spend all day with Aunt Charlie.”
He nodded and rubbed his nephew’s blond head. “I know how you feel, buddy.”
THREE TWO-YEAR-OLDS were at least twice as tiring as two of them had been. They were simply too excited to settle down for a morning nap. Charlie had bundled them up and taken them outside to play on the rooftop patio before lunch. After eating grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, she felt certain they would all crash. But they seemed to keep running on nervous energy, finally collapsing at about two thirty. Charlie decided she needed a nap as much as they did, and she’d just lain down on the couch and closed her eyes, when her phone rang.
“Hey, Charlie. I just wanted to make sure we’re still on for tonight.”
“Oh...” Charlie had forgotten all about her promise to Derek. “I... uhmm...”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to back out on me. I’ve been looking forward to it since Saturday. And I purposefully didn’t call and bug you because something told me you’re not a big chat-on-the-phone kind of girl. Was I right?”
“Yes, you’re right. I almost didn’t answer this call. Listen, we can still do the movie, but I’m going to be really tired.”
“No problem. I’ll get the movie and the Chinese food. What time? Seven?”
“Sure. Okay. But don’t get your feelings hurt if I fall asleep.”
“I promise. It happens to me all the time. I’m totally used to it.” He chuckled.
She hung up and promptly fell asleep. When she awoke, an hour had passed. She roused the kids from their naps and the afternoon passed in non-stop action. At five thirty, Josh and Jace returned to collect Chloe.
Charlie handed Josh a bag of pull-ups. “Mom and Dad buy them by the case. You can pay them back later. But I think Chloe will be pretty disconsolate if you try to put her back in a diaper again. She used the potty twice today. Do you have a training potty?”
“No. I didn’t know I needed one. And to be honest, I don’t know how to do that.” Her heart went out to him. His voice was weary, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
“Well, you can borrow this potty-training book my mom and dad have been referring to. Just bring it back tomorrow.” As Jace dashed away to play with the twins, Charlie narrowed her eyes at Josh. “So what’s the story here?”
“Well, it’s complicated, but... basically, I’m trying to get custody.” He dropped his voice.
“Ahhhh. It all makes sense now. And that’s why you’re getting married to Olivia?”
“Well, no. Of course not. I love Olivia. I’m just in a rush to get married because of the custody thing. But we haven’t told anyone else about it.”
“So this is what you told Spencer about? This is why he thought O
livia was pregnant.”
“Yeah. She was pretty mad about that.”
“Why didn’t you just tell everybody the truth?”
“I... I haven’t quite convinced Olivia. And I didn’t want her family to know the reason I was rushing things. But I promised her she could tell Grace the truth when she and Brad came back from their honeymoon. So I guess everyone will find out, now.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I just hope Grace will take my side in this.”
She watched as Josh moved to pick up Chloe, kissing the top of her blond curls. He reached out his hand to Jace. “Come on, buddy. It’s time to go.” Her heart clenched in her chest as tears sprang to her eyes. Seeing how much he loved the children made him look even more attractive. She realized the depth of her underestimation of this man. She’d been so unfair to him when she’d judged him by his past, rejecting his promise he could change.
She blinked her watery eyes. As Josh started toward the door with Chloe in one arm and Jace in tow, Chloe began to cry and hold out her arms to Charlie.
Charlie gave her a big hug and accepted a wet kiss. “We had fun today, didn’t we Chloe? Can you say goodbye to Ellis and Micah?” Chloe turned her attention to waving goodbye to the boys who were running in circles around Charlie’s legs.
“I’ll help you, Josh,” Charlie said in a low voice.
“What?” he said, turning to gaze at her, his green eyes shining with intensity. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll help you convince Olivia it’s a good idea. I’ll help you any way I can. I’ll help with the kids on the ski trip and give y’all more time alone together. Whatever it takes. I’m on your side.”
To her surprise, he almost looked disappointed. But he smiled as he responded, “Thanks, Charlie. That means a lot. And thanks so much for today. I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Do you want to bring her back tomorrow? I could watch her Thursday and Friday.”
He hesitated. “The nanny’s supposed to be back tomorrow, but...”
“What?”
“Well, Chloe cried a lot when I left her Tuesday morning, and with you... She seems to really love you. Maybe it would be better...” His voice trailed off.
“Bring her back. The boys loved her and so do I.”
“What about me?” said Jace.
“I love you, too,” Charlie declared, giving him a hug he returned with fervor. “We’re going to have so much fun on the ski trip!”
“Will you make cookies again?” he asked.
“Uhmm, sure,” Charlie said, confused. She wasn’t sure where Jace had gotten the idea she made cookies. Her sister was the one who liked to bake all the time. But she did have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe. “I’ll make cookies tomorrow and you can have a couple after school.”
“Okay!”
Josh felt a knot in his chest as he boarded the elevator with Jace and Chloe, a diaper bag, and a bag of pull-ups hanging from his arm. When Charlie offered to help, he’d thought for just a moment she was proposing to marry him and help with the kids. But instead, she was offering to help him convince Olivia to agree to the marriage. He’d fought to keep his emotions in check while watching her interact with Jace and Chloe. He couldn’t help picturing her by his side, loving the kids, helping to raise them. If only she loved him the way she already seemed to love the kids.
It was probably a bad idea to bring Chloe back the next two days. It would be good for Chloe, but extremely hard for him. How could he hide his feelings for her when everything she did simply endeared her to him more?
“Uncle Josh?”
“Yes, Jace,”
“What are we doing tonight? Is Aunt Olivia coming over?”
“Yes. Tonight, Aunt Olivia is coming, and so is Aunt Grace and Uncle Brad.”
“And Aunt Charlie?”
“No, Aunt Charlie’s not coming.”
“I like Aunt Charlie.”
“Me, too.” A little too much.
“But Aunt Olivia’s nice, too.”
“Yes, she is.” But not as nice as Charlie.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”
“And Josh is fighting the grandparents for custody of Jace and Chloe,” said Olivia.
“Are you kidding me?” Grace asked yet again.
“Can’t you think of anything else to say?” Josh asked with growing irritation. “That’s all you’ve said since you walked in the door.”
“I happen to know for a fact she’s got a huge vocabulary of exclamations to choose from,” Brad bantered. “But she saves all the others for me.”
Grace hit Brad’s shoulder without taking her eyes off the squirming blond two-year-old in Josh’s arms. “So do I understand this right? You want Olivia to marry you? In January? Because there’s a hearing in February?”
“In a nutshell, yes. But I’m not ruining her life or anything. I offered to pay for all four years of medical school in exchange for a year of marriage. She’s the one who said I should only pay for one year. And I’m pretty sure she can get an annulment at the end, so it won’t even be like she was ever married or divorced.” He set Chloe down and handed her a bin full of plastic blocks which she promptly dumped onto the floor.
“So we’re talking a marriage in name only? A year of that? A platonic relationship?” asked Grace.
“Yes. Totally platonic,” Josh said.
“And what are you going to do for sex for that year?” asked Grace. “Are you going to bring other women to the house while Olivia’s living there? I don’t see how you could be discreet enough to keep people from finding out.”
“I’ll do without,” said Josh, his voice unequivocal.
Now even Brad looked at him with disbelief. “For a year?”
“What’s another year?” Josh’s tone was bitter. “It’s been two, already. I’m used to it.”
“Two years!” Brad exclaimed. “Are you kidding me? Buddy, you really have changed. I had no idea. Charlie did this to you?”
“It wasn’t because of Charlie,” he denied. When he saw Brad’s dubious expression, he reiterated, “I didn’t change because I was pining for Charlie. I just decided to straighten up my life. I’m not complaining. It’s a good thing. I’m not proud of the way I was before.”
Josh saw Grace looking over his shoulder. He turned quickly, catching Olivia making hand-signs to Grace.
“What are you telling her?” he asked, at Olivia’s guilty look.
“Just that I need to talk to her privately.”
“No, she needs to hear my side first.” He turned back to Grace. “I’ve considered all my alternatives. This is really the only viable option. No one else would agree to a marriage like this. And I can’t pretend to be in love with someone just to get them to marry me.”
“I would like to point out I never agreed to this marriage. I only consented to act as his fiancée since he had to meet with the ad litem.” Olivia stepped in front of Josh.
“But you know I don’t have any other choice.”
“Wait,” said Grace. “I don’t understand why you didn’t ask Charlie?”
Josh felt the blood pounding in his head. “Why does everyone act like Charlie wants to marry me? She doesn’t! She rejected me for two years. Two years! And just today, she offered to help me convince Olivia to marry me. Does that sound like someone who wants to marry me?”
“She really said that?” asked Olivia.
“Yes, she did. I told her the whole story, and she said she’d do everything in her power to help us end up together so I can win this custody battle.”
“What’s a custody battle?” asked a small voice behind the sofa.
Everyone turned their heads to look at Jace. “How long have you been there? What did you hear?” asked Josh.
“Just about how Aunt Charlie won’t marry you, but she wants you to marry Aunt Olivia. What’s a custody battle?”
“It’s not really a battle. Remember I told you I want you and Chloe to live with me? I’m just trying to
prove I’m the best choice for you and your sister, but there’s a judge who makes the decision.”
Tears welled up in his eyes. “But I want to live with you, Uncle Josh. Why can’t I decide who I want to live with?”
Josh scooped him up into a bear hug. “It’s okay buddy. I’m almost positive you’ll get to live with me. I just don’t know about your sister. But let’s not worry about it. It’s a long way off. We’ve got the ski trip coming. We leave in two days. Okay?”
“Okay. But Uncle Josh? Why doesn’t anyone want to marry you?”
Josh heard Brad snickering. “You didn’t understand that right, buddy. Olivia wants to marry me. Okay?”
“But Aunt Charlie doesn’t?”
“I didn’t ask Aunt Charlie. I only asked Aunt Olivia. She’s the only one I want to marry. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Now say goodnight. And we’re off to bed.”
When Josh came back out from tucking Jace in, he found Olivia and Grace in a tête-à-tête. “I don’t like the looks of this,” he growled.
Grace was chewing on a fingernail, her brows furrowed in concentration. “What happens if Olivia doesn’t marry you?”
Josh felt a familiar sinking in the pit of his stomach. “I’ll probably still get custody of Jace. But the grandparents will get Chloe, so they won’t get to grow up together, and I’ll probably never even get to see her. And I don’t know how I’m going to explain to him that his grandparents wanted his sister, but not him.”
“Are you one hundred percent positive you can’t get custody of Chloe if you’re not married?”
“Not a hundred percent, but the ad litem sure made it sound like that. You can ask Olivia. She heard him.”
“Okay,” said Grace.
“What does ‘okay’ mean?” Josh asked. “Are you with me on this or against me?”
“It means, okay,” said Grace.
“Yes, but are you supporting me on this? Are you on my side?”
“You know, Josh, there shouldn’t be sides in a marriage. A marriage is about teamwork and compromise.”
