Page 142 of With a Cherry On Top

I shut my eyes, pressing my lips to her hair, then doing the same with Charlotte. Fuck whoever’s watching. For the first time in a long time, it feels like nothing is missing.

Sadie pulls back after a few seconds, rubbing at her face with the back of her hand. “Daddy, I wanna do my dance.”

I brush a curl behind her ear. “We can’t wait to see it.”

Her big brown eyes flick between us. “Will you and Charlotte dance with me?”

Before I can think of a way to get out of this without hurting Sadie’s feelings, she’s nodding. “Sure we’ll dance with you.”

Say what now?

“Charlotte,” I hiss through gritted teeth, but she widens her eyes at me as if to say I don’t really have a choice.

“What! We were just dancing at home. This is the same.”

Howis this the same? I look back at the moms, at Miss Delaney watching Charlotte with a frown, and groan inwardly.

I guess I’m dancing.

The audience claps as I help Sadie back to her spot. Charlotte quickly joins her side, then watches me expectantly until I pull myself up on the stage and join them.

The teachers restart the music and this time, Sadie dances—with me and Charlotte right beside her, following along, fumbling our steps, completely out of sync but laughing through it.

And when the final note plays, and Sadie throws her arms up in the air, beaming at the crowd—Charlotte and I do the same, mirroring her movements, grinning just as wide.

The applause is deafening, but all I hear is Sadie’s giggle, and all I feel is Charlotte’s hand in mine, squeezing tight. I playfully pull her closer, her shoulder bumping against mine as her eyes widen in surprise.

“We’re not just hooking up, Charlotte,” I say, low enough that only she can hear. She gives me a look—a look like she doesn’t want to burn my life down to ashes—but I’ve made my decision. “I’m turning this spark into a wildfire.”

CHAPTER 28

A Family Feast

Charlotte’s phone buzzes again on the table.

It’s been lighting up since we walked in the door, vibrating angrily. I glance over as she flips it facedown for the third time. It’s Beatrice, isn’t it?

“You okay?” I ask as Sadie chatters between bites of pizza, her legs swinging under the table. “I can take you home if you need to go.”

Charlotte brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “Nah. I’ll come up with a lie. I always do.”

I study her for a second longer. “You sure?”

The last thing I want is to get her intomoretrouble.

“I’m fine,” she says then adds with a little shrug, “Half of these are just notifications from TOP anyway.”

My muscles tense at the mention. “Really?” I ask, aiming for a casual tone. “How come?”

“Guess my fans are worried about my prolonged absence.”

Prolonged? How long has it been? And will it be permanent?

She spent years under her mom’s control, and I’m not about to be the guy who tells her to quit camming, but if we’re going tokeep seeing each other, we’ll have to talk about it eventually. Set some boundaries. Figure out what makes sense for both of us.

She turns to Sadie, who’s barely stopped talking since we got home—first about the performance, then about the ice cream we got after, then about the park, where she made Charlotte push her on the swingswayhigher than I ever would have.

Charlotte, for her part, played along like a pro. She cheered at every trick, gasped at every daring move, and let Sadie cling to her the entire walk home. And now, even as we sit around the table, she’s still giving Sadie her full attention, nodding along as if this is the most fascinating story she’s ever heard.

---