She shook her head. She’d been too wound up about their hanging-out/kickass date to notice.
“It’s a short easy ride,” he said. “Believe me, I’m in full control. I push them to the limits in stunts.”
Her heart fluttered, worried all over again about his beautiful body splattered on pavement. She suddenly felt light-headed.
Ty slid an arm around her waist. “You okay? You look pale.”
She took a deep breath. “Every time you tell me what you do for a living, I feel a little dizzy.”
He kissed her temple. “Aww, you worry about me. Ain’t you sweet?”
No one had ever called her sweet. “I’m not trying to be sweet.”
“You just naturally are. Ready to ride?”
She broke out in a sweat. “Are you going to do anything risky?”
He framed her face with both hands and gazed into her eyes. “With you, never.”
She felt breathless at the intensity of his gaze, but she believed him. “Okay.”
She followed him to the bike. He put on her helmet for her and checked to make sure it was fastened properly.
“Adorable,” he pronounced.
He threw one leg over the bike, sat down, and hitched a thumb for her to do the same. “Use the foot pegs and keep your feet there.”
“Got it.” She got on behind him, immediately hugging his waist. The solid warmth of his broad back calmed her nerves. The seat was wide and comfortable for two.
“Don’t lean against the turn,” he said over his shoulder. “Just relax and follow my lead.”
“Okay.”
He gunned the motor and made an easy turn out of her driveway. It was a beautiful sunny spring day and the light breeze felt full of promise. Within minutes, Charlotte was surprised to find herself completely relaxed. Between Ty’s heat and the vibrations between her legs, it was a very good ride.
Only ten minutes or so later, he pulled into the long driveway of the park. A few more turns and he parked. She stepped off the bike and he followed, taking off his helmet and turning to her. “How was it for you?” he asked in a sultry voice.
“It was amazing,” she returned in a seductive purr.
He grinned and gestured for her helmet. After he secured them to the bike, he entwined his fingers with hers and headed toward the basketball court. “I’m pretty sure you met everyone at Claire and Jake’s wedding, but just in case, here’s a quick recap.” He pointed to the court, where three guys were already practicing free throws. “That’s Marcus; he’s always here first, even though he has to travel furthest. He lives in lower Manhattan. That’s how much he loves us. There’s Logan; you know Josh. Not here yet, but later you’ll see Park, Mad, Alex, and Ethan.”
“That’s cool that Mad can keep up with you guys,” she said. “I mean, since she’s so petite.” Mad was only five foot four.
“Are you kidding? She’s one of the best players out there. What she lacks in height she makes up for in speed and sneaky steals. Besides, she’s been playing since she could hold a ball.”
“Is that everyone you call brother?”
“Jake, of course.” That was Josh’s identical twin. He was with his wife, Claire, at her latest movie location. “Did you hear he’s getting into the business now with Claire’s production company?” Claire Jordan was a major movie star and sometime book club member. Jake had been helping out with the marketing for Claire’s company.
“You mean he’s going to produce a movie?” she asked.
“Thinking about it. He’s also toying with the idea of pitching some TV shows.”
“That’s really cool!”
“Yeah, we’ll see. Depends on what he comes up with.” He stopped by the side of the court, watching the guys. “Ben had to work. Zach used to play too, but he’s out of touch out in no man’s land.”
“You mean jail?” she whispered.
Ty’s head swiveled toward her.
“Ty!” Josh called, raising a hand in greeting. “Hey, Charlotte, you playing?”
“No, I’m just watching. Thanks for the martini. Ty told me that was your suggestion.”
Josh dribbled a ball back and forth between his legs. “Had to give him an advantage the way you were shooting him down cold.”
“Did you ever think there might be a reason for that?” she asked.
Josh straightened and held the ball under one arm. “Never crossed my mind.”
“She’s way into me now,” Ty boasted loud enough for the entire park to hear. Before she could counter that maybe it was the other way around, he was gone, giving Josh a big pound-on-the-back bro hug.
Ty stole the ball from Josh, took three huge steps toward the basket, and swish!
“Impressive,” she said.
Ty pointed to her. “That was for you, baby.”
Charlotte flushed. “Thank you?”
“Show-off,” Josh said.
“I’ll just sit over here,” she said, pointing to the bleachers. Yeah, she was definitely not joining in when the guys could play that well. She’d just annoy them. She hadn’t even attempted the game since high school gym.
One by one, the guys arrived, dropping off bottled waters or thermoses on the bleachers. They were surprisingly choreographed as they warmed up, like maybe they were running drills they all knew. She figured they must be waiting for someone before the game started. She tried to remember each guy again. The Campbells had a strong family resemblance to each other with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and muscular athletic builds. Only Logan had light brown hair. Oh, Alex was missing. He was a single dad to a two-year-old. That could definitely make a guy late.
Ty stopped by the bleachers and snagged someone else’s bottled water. She knew he hadn’t brought one. He took a long swallow. “How’re you doing? Not too bored?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sure you don’t want to play? Always more fun to join in the action than sit on the sidelines.”
“I’m okay.”
“If Alex doesn’t show soon, we might need you to even up the teams. Don’t worry, I’ll cover you.”
She had no idea how he’d cover her—most guys played aggressively, eager to win—and fervently hoped Alex showed. At least she was wearing jeans and sneakers, though she didn’t want to sweat through her pretty embroidered button-down shirt.
Ty turned. “Hey, you finally made it!”
Alex was pushing a stroller with his daughter, Vivian, in it. As they got closer, Charlotte realized Vivian was asleep. “Sorry I’m late. The nanny quit.”
“Again?” Ty asked.
“I know,” Alex said wearily. “Anyway, I just stopped by to watch for a bit and then I’ll head out. I don’t want to leave her by herself.”
“I’ll watch her,” Charlotte said. “It’s no problem. I’m just sitting here anyway.”
“You would?” Alex said, his expression going from weary to hopeful. “Thank you. If she wakes, just tell her Daddy’s right over here playing ball.”
“You think she remembers me from the wedding?” Charlotte asked. It had been almost four months ago.
“I’m not sure,” Alex said. “That’s why you point me out first thing. She’ll be pissed if she doesn’t see me right away.”
“Okay.”
He dug around in the back of the stroller. “Here’s her sippy cup and some Cheerios.”
“Got it.”
“Viv will be fine,” Ty said, slinging an arm over Alex’s shoulders. “Char loves kids.”
She jolted at the casual remark. They headed off to the court.
It wasn’t like Ty had ever seen her with kids. She’d only babysat for preschoolers back in high school. A baby was a distant fantasy. Who knew if she’d be any good at it? She glanced over at Vivian sleeping peacefully with a small square light blue blanket, fraying at the edges, tucked against her cheek. Another yellow fleece blanket covered the rest of her. Her cheeks were pink, her lips parted slightly, and her light brown hair was longer t
han the last time Charlotte had seen her. Now there were just waves in her hair, the baby curls already growing out. Charlotte’s heart squeezed. Vivian looked like an angel.
A few minutes later, Park and Mad arrived. Charlotte gave them a quick hello. Neither one of them seemed surprised to see her. Finally everyone was there and the game began. But Charlotte barely saw it. Instead she kept a careful eye on Vivian in case she woke up.
The moment she did, Charlotte leaned down to her and whispered, “Your daddy’s right there playing ball.” She pointed.
The little girl scrunched up her face like she was going to cry.
“See?” She quickly turned the stroller so she could see better. “There he is playing ball with your uncles and aunt.”
Vivian slowly sat up and looked around.
“You want your sippy cup and snack?”
Vivian nodded. She gave them to her. The little girl sipped, dropped the cup in her stroller, and easily lifted the plastic lid off the container. Charlotte relaxed. This wouldn’t be so hard. Five minutes later the Cheerios were gone and Vivian handed back her empties. Easy enough. What an independent little girl.
Then she tried to climb out of the stroller.
“Wait! I’ll help you.” Charlotte pulled back the blankets and saw there was a little seat belt. She undid it and lifted her out. Vivian’s hand tangled in Charlotte’s hair, tugging it a little, but she didn’t mind.
“Swing,” Vivian said.
Charlotte looked around and spotted a playground in the distance. “Let me ask your daddy.”
“Swing!”
“Let’s just check in with Daddy.”
“SWING!”
The girl had some lungs. And a dogged persistence Charlotte suspected was a Campbell gene. She stopped by the edge of the court with Vivian in her arms and waved to Alex.
“Time-out,” Alex said and jogged over, sweat pouring off him. “Hey, pumpkin.” He kissed Vivian’s cheek. “You remember Charlotte? She’s Aunt Mad’s friend. And Uncle Ty’s too.” He winked at Charlotte.
Vivian could care less. “Swing.”
“Is it okay to take her?” Charlotte asked.
“If you don’t mind,” Alex said. “Don’t turn your back for a minute, though; she’s fast and fearless.”
“Got it.”
“You don’t have to carry her.” He ruffled Vivian’s hair. “You’re a big girl now, right, Viv? My superstrong girl.” He held up a fist for a fist bump.
Vivian fist bumped. “Strong girl.”
Charlotte smiled, loving the sentiment. Teach ’em young to be kickass. No wonder Mad was such a confident strong woman. She was probably raised that way, the only girl in a houseful of older brothers and her dad.
Alex gestured to Charlotte to put Viv down.
Charlotte set her on the ground and the girl took off, running full speed toward the playground. Damn, she was fast for someone with such little legs. She took off after her.
~ ~ ~
Ty took a short water break after the first half of the game and caught sight of Charlotte playing with Viv on the playground. His niece was shrieking with delight as Charlotte chased her in circles around the slide and then suddenly turned, looking surprised to see her behind her. Viv cracked up, bending over with her laughter. He watched as they went a few rounds like that, entranced at the beautiful sight. Charlotte was a natural.
“Earth to Ty!” Park hollered from the court.
Ty shook his head, raised a hand to the guys, and headed back to the game.
His younger brother by two years, Logan, elbowed him. “See, this is why you never bring a woman to your game. Now you suck.”
Ty elbowed him back. “I do not suck. Prepare to lose.”
Alex and Logan tipped off at center and they played the second half, but he couldn’t keep his mind on the game. His gaze kept pulling back to Charlotte and Viv having a grand old time together. His team lost and the guys all blamed him. He didn’t even care, which wasn’t like him.
“Next time,” he said, wiping the sweat from his face with the bottom of his shirt. He stepped off the court. Charlotte and Viv headed straight toward him, holding hands, both of them smiling.
That is the woman I’m going to marry.
The thought shocked the hell out of him. He quickly averted his eyes. Whoa. Hit the brakes.
Alex appeared at his side. A moment later, Charlotte and Viv stood in front of them, still holding hands, seeming happy they found each other. The sight of the woman longing for a child and his motherless niece happy together made Ty’s chest ache. He focused on Alex instead.
Alex scooped up Viv. “You have fun?” She nodded and he turned to Charlotte for confirmation.
Charlotte smiled. “We had a great time. She’s super sneaky. She kept surprising me.” Viv reached for Charlotte and Alex handed her over. Viv gave Charlotte a tight squeeze around her neck.
Viv pulled back and patted Charlotte’s cheek. “Come over?”
“Not this time,” Alex said. “We’ve got stuff to do.”
“Next time,” Charlotte said.
Viv grabbed Charlotte’s long hair with both hands, lifting locks of it and watching them fall. Charlotte’s hair was pretty, long and silky. Viv probably wasn’t used to seeing long hair with only Mad’s hair to mess with, which barely reached her shoulders. Viv never knew her mom. Tammy had died during the C-section having her.
Charlotte extricated Viv’s fingers from her hair and handed her back to Alex.
“So long,” Alex said. “Thanks again, Charlotte.”
“No problem.” Charlotte smiled, watching them go. Finally her gaze returned to him. “Did you have fun?”
He couldn’t speak for a moment, his chest aching with the enormity of all he felt. This couldn’t be love so soon. They’d only known each other for a couple of weeks. Love had only happened for him once before and he’d gotten burned. His ex had been using him to get a meeting with a director, stringing Ty along for two months, playing the long game for a career opportunity. What he felt for his ex, even in the beginning, was insignificant compared to the way he felt right now about Charlotte.
If he had any sense of self-preservation, he’d drop her off and never look back.
“You okay?” Charlotte asked.
This was crazy. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
She inspected his black eye and eyed his ribs on his left side covered by his shirt, seeming to remember everywhere he’d been injured.
“Sure?” she asked softly.
Hope, a dangerous thing, filled his heart.
“I’m sure.” He kissed her, unable to resist before he belatedly remembered he was drenched in sweat. “I should head home and shower. You want to meet up for dinner tonight?”
Clearly he had no sense of self-preservation.
“What about this afternoon?” she asked, and he fell a little harder. She wanted to spend all her time with him. There were no brakes on this thing. “I thought we were hanging out this weekend.”
He couldn’t help but smile. Big time. “You want more of me so soon?”
“You’re only in town for two more weeks, so I figure we shouldn’t waste time.”
He kissed the end of her nose. “You’re damn sweet.”
She shook her head, trying to deny it. He wasn’t buying it, but he didn’t argue the point. Instead he said his goodbyes and headed to his bike, eager to get back to hanging out with Charlotte just the two of them.
“You were a natural with Viv,” he said, entwining his fingers with hers. “She was having a blast.”
She got serious. “I had a good time.”
He wasn’t the most intuitive guy, but given what Char had told him before, he knew she was worried about having kids. “Ya know, my dad mentored a lot of kids and they truly felt like family. It doesn’t have to be your blood to feel real.”
She grimaced. “This is quite possibly my least favorite topic in the world. Can we not talk about it?”
“You got it. So the plan is, I stop home, shower, and change clothes then back to your place for whatever you want.”
“You want to cook dinner together? I could teach you a simple roast chicken recipe.”
“Absolutely.”
“You would’ve agreed to anything, wouldn’t you?”
“Yup.”
They got to his bike and he handed her the helmet. She put it on, looking pleased to be going for a ride. See? Already he was a good influence, opening her up to new experiences. What woman could resist a motorcycle-riding, orgasm-giving man?
He made the short drive to his dad’s place, let himself in, and left Charlotte to relax on the sofa. Upstairs, he stopped short outside of the bathroom. His dad was in the shower. He was on a reverse schedule, working night shift as part-time security guard, sleeping until afternoon, and then showering. Ty threw some clothes in a duffel bag and headed back downstairs.
“Shower’s taken,” he said. “Okay if I take one at your place?”
“Of course.”
Once they got to Charlotte’s place, she settled on the sofa with an e-reader. He hoped she was reading one of those smutty books they liked in her book club. Then she’d be all hot for him. Stop that shit. Yes, he wanted her, badly, but he didn’t want to be all about the physical with Charlotte. As crazy and fast as it was, he knew this was the woman for him with a certainty he’d never had with any of his relationships. His only regret was screwing things up the first time he’d met her at Claire and Jake’s wedding. They’d lost time because of his own stupid fault. From now on he was going to do everything right. A slow getting to know each other. A strong foundation of friendship. The rest would fall into place when the time was right. Not because of his own usual slick moves. They’d have to work out the long-distance thing, but it wasn’t insurmountable with regular visits, phone calls, texts and all that.
He turned on the shower and gave it a few moments to warm up. The bathroom was decorated kinda girly, everything matching—towels, soap dispenser, toothbrush holder, even the small trash can—white with light red flowers on a tree branch. Maybe cherry blossoms but less pink. He didn’t know, but it felt cozy. His own house in LA was all black and white with steel accents.
The shower started to steam. He quickly stripped, slid back the glass door, and stepped inside. He soaked his hair and grabbed the shampoo. Pomegranate? He sniffed it. Great, now he was going to smell all fruity and girly. He should’ve brought some of his own shampoo.
So Revealing (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 3) Page 11
