Page 128 of Love You, Mean It
“Well, what do we have here?” He smirked. “Why are you panting?”
“I ran all the way here. And after eating junk food all day, that was not a good idea,” I said.
“What are you doing here, Firefly?” He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I’m just a woman who loves a man, Charlie Huxley.” I shrugged. “And his little girl.”
“Welcome home, baby.” He opened his arms, and I lunged at him.
He spun me around with a laugh, and Harper came running over. “I missed you, Vi.”
I pushed myself up and gave Charlie a chaste kiss before turning to look at Harper. My eyes welled with tears as I took in her cast. A reminder of what had happened.
“I’m sorry, Harps.”
“I’m not. Everyone at school thinks it’s so cool. Look at all the people who signed it.” Her cast was covered with tons of names written in different colors. But one spot in the center hadn’t been touched, right next to where her father had signed. “I saved this spot for you.”
“I can’t believe you saved me the best spot,” I said as I traced my thumb over the edge of the pink cast.
“Well, I love you, silly. I want to look down and see your name right next to Daddy’s.”
I placed a hand on my heart, because I loved this little girl so much that I felt physical pain at her words.
“I love you too, baby girl.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me.
I didn’t care that she clunked me in the side of the head with her cast.
I was just happy to be here.
With Charlie and Harper.
Home.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Charlie
The three of us had fallen back into a rhythm.
Most nights Violet stayed at my place, but she’d also redecorated the guest room at her house and made it a Pinkalicious room, so Harper loved when we’d all stay over there as well.
Today was Harper’s last day of school, which meant field day and a family picnic.
My daughter wanted us both there. She’d said it like it was just the norm now.
Because we were a family, and I felt it every single day. In the simple things like making breakfast together and helping Harper with her school projects, to the more difficult things like the night my daughter had the stomach flu, and Violet and I stayed up with her all night trying to comfort her.
Things had calmed down with Denise Quigley after I’d met with both her teacher and an administrator about the bullying. Turned out other parents had made many complaints about her behavior, and Denise and her mother were brought in to discuss the situation. I wasn’tprivy to what those details were, but she’d left Harper alone ever since, which was all I cared about.
I drove the truck over to pick up Violet before we headed to Rosewood River Elementary for the big day.
“I see we’ve got a special outfit on today,” I said, raising a brow as I opened the passenger door for her outside her office.
“It’s field day, right?” She glanced down at her pink tennis skirt and white tee that readTeam Harper Huxleyin large pink letters. I leaned forward and kissed her before helping her into the truck. Her hair was in a high ponytail with a pink ribbon, and her white sneakers had pink laces. She was clearly going all out for field day.
Once I got into the driver’s seat, I pulled away from the curb.
