“It’s weird to see you driving that thing,” I said as he strode toward me.

  “Hard to pick up coffees on the bike,” he replied with a grin. “I had Kara make you what she thought you’d want.”

  “Thanks, Pop,” I said, taking the coffee cup.

  “Your ma show her face yet?”

  “Nope,” I said, taking a sip.

  “Figures,” he replied. “If I didn’t get her coffee she’d be up bitchin’ that I hadn’t, but since I did, she’ll sleep until it’s cold.”

  “I was just enjoying the quiet,” I said, tilting my face back toward the sun.

  “Yeah, it’ll be nice to have the work finished around here,” he replied, sitting in the chair next to me. “Boys won’t show up for another hour, just so you know.”

  “Thanks,” I said, glancing at him. “Not really ready to see him yet.”

  “Relationships are hard,” he said, nodding. “Don’t matter if they’re just startin’ or thirty years in.”

  “We’re not in a relationship,” I reminded him.

  “You wanna be?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “It’s not bullshit.”

  “It is,” he said calmly.

  “He was screwing around with other people,” I said in frustration. “How am I supposed to just overlook that?”

  “He cheat on you?”

  “Not technically.”

  “That’s right.”

  “I still don’t think I can get past it,” I snapped, getting to my feet. It didn’t feel like a conversation I could have while sitting down. “When I think of him, all I think of is him screwing around with Tabitha. Where’s the goddamn loyalty? I didn’t want to be with anyone but him. I still can’t imagine being with anyone else!”

  “You told him you were too busy for a relationship?” he asked, waving me off when I looked at him in surprise. “I hear shit. No one around here can keep their trap shut. You give him a time frame? Tell him to wait?”

  “No.”

  “You just expected him to read your mind, then,” Dad said calmly.

  “I expected him to not want to be with anyone else!” I practically yelled.

  “Not a fair expectation, yeah?” my dad asked, a sympathetic smile on his lips. “You were expectin’ the man to hang around alone while you figured your shit out—but you didn’t tell him that.”

  “I know it’s not logical,” I spat. “That doesn’t help how I feel.”

  “Guess you gotta figure out if feelin’ betrayed and punishin’ him is more important than actually bein’ with the man,” my dad said with a shrug. “Can’t have it both ways.”

  “I hate having conversations with you,” I said, dropping back down in my seat.

  “Next time you and your mother can sit out here bitchin’ about men and how horrible we are,” he said, sipping his coffee.

  “We can do that with you present,” my mom joked, coming out of the trailer in her robe.

  “Ladybug, workers are gonna be here in less than an hour.”

  “And?” she asked, taking her coffee.

  “You gonna get dressed?”

  “No one is going to see me in my robe, Cody,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “Uh huh,” he grumbled. “That’s why you’re already wearin’ makeup?”

  “You worry about you,” my mom said dismissively, making dad chuckle. “How’s my youngest and favorite this morning?”

  “Tired,” I replied. “Still mad.”

  “Yeah, I heard the last bit—”

  “Were you eavesdroppin’, Ladybug?” my dad asked in amusement.

  “You weren’t exactly quiet,” my mom replied. She looked at me. “I get it.”

  “Thank you!” I said, sending my dad a pointed look.

  “But your dad’s right,” she said with a shrug.

  “Mmhmm,” my dad said in satisfaction.

  “You don’t have to get past it today, kid,” my mom said, grimacing. “But if you want to be with Bishop, you’ll have to let it go eventually or you’ll both be miserable.”

  “Could you both stop acting like I’m being crazy?”

  “I don’t think you’re crazy,” my mom said instantly. “I’d feel the same way you do. I’m just saying, don’t wallow in it.”

  “I’ll wallow if I want to,” I joked.

  “Change of subject,” my mom said, smiling big. “What are you going to name the new cart?”

  “Buy My Fucking Coffee,” I joked.

  “Hippies, Stop Here,” my dad said.

  “Not a Health Hazard!”

  “Clean as Fuck, We Promise.”

  “Very funny,” my mom said. “But really, any ideas?”

  “Yeah, but it’s nothing fancy,” I said with a shrug.

  “Hit me,” my mom said, leaning forward.

  “Charlie’s Coffee?” I said with a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s basic, but—”

  “I like it,” my dad said, cutting me off. “Simple.”

  “I do, too, actually,” my mom said thoughtfully.

  “Really?”

  “Really,” she said. “But, I mean, I named you.”

  “I should’ve thought of that,” I said with a laugh. “But I also thought, I don’t know, it’s so close to the club and stuff, and it was your dad’s name, too.”

  “Namin’ it after the former president,” my dad said with a smile. “Smart.”

  “Aces will have to stop by for their coffee,” my mom said with a snicker.

  “Well, I wasn’t trying to be that sneaky,” I said defensively as I laughed. “I just thought it was a nice thing to do.”

  “Sure,” my mom said, drawing the word out.

  “You guys are impossible.”

  “Where’d you think you got it?” my mom asked, reaching over to poke me in the side. “Charlie’s Coffee—the alliteration is good. Plus, your dad’s right. It’s simple and the boys won’t mind having it written on the sides of their fancy coffee cups.”

  “I’m going to have to order new stuff,” I said with a sigh.

  “We’ll figure all that out later,” my dad said.

  At the sound of a vehicle on the gravel, we all turned to look down the driveway.

  “Looks like Bishop couldn’t sleep either,” my dad said, getting to his feet. “Ready or not, Charlie Bear.” He and my mom went inside, abandoning me before Bishop had even parked his truck.

  Since I didn’t feel like letting them eavesdrop, I walked toward the truck, meeting Bishop halfway. “I left for a reason.”

  “I told you I was sorry,” he replied. “Not much more I can do.”

  “You’re right,” I said with a laugh. “So what exactly are you doing here?”

  Looking at him hurt. Standing close to him hurt. The fact that he’d come to find me before work, hurt. It all hurt.

  “I didn’t know she was talkin’ shit,” he said with a sigh. “You know I wouldn’t have gone near her if I’d known.”

  “I don’t know how you could go near anyone,” I blurted, frustrated. It wasn’t just the fact that it had been Tabitha, though that had made it worse—it was the fact that he’d wanted to date anyone else at all that I couldn’t see past.

  “You wanted me to be alone,” he said with a half-laugh. “Alright.”

  “I was alone,” I pointed out.

  “That was your choice,” he bit out. “It wasn’t mine.”

  “I’m sorry that I was overwhelmed and your little girlfriend—”

  “I went on two dates with the woman.”

  “And your little girlfriend was trying to tank my business,” I continued, ignoring him. “But here’s the thing, I wasn’t dating other people. I didn’t want to see anyone else and clearly, you did.”

  “You know how fuckin’ lonely it gets—”

  “Oh, give me a break,” I scoffed.

  “No,” he said flatly. “You’ve got a ton of family that you can hang with when you’re bored. You’ve always got shit you could be doin’ and I don’t. I’m not from here, Charlie. I don’t have never ending shit to occupy my time. I moved here because Draco’s here and once I did, I was stuck.”

  “You’re not stuck.”

  “My parole officer is here,” he argued. “I’m here. My job is here. I’m here.”

  “How exactly is that my fault?” I asked.

  “It’s not your fuckin’ fault.” He looked up at the sky in frustration. “I’m sayin’ that you told me you didn’t want to spend time with me and now you’re pissed that I was hangin’ out with anyone else!”

  “Well, I didn’t want to hang with anyone else!”

  “Jesus Christ!” he snapped. “Neither did I!”

  “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “You were super fuckin’ clear, Charlie.”

  “You’re right,” I said, throwing up my hands. “You’re totally right. I was. Go, do whatever you want. Fuck your way through town.”

  “You’re a fuckin’ head case, you know that?”

  “Cool,” I snapped. “Then you’re lucky you escaped while you could.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” he mumbled under his breath, walking away from me.

  I stood there with my arms crossed as he walked to the end of his truck and back again, muttering the entire time. When he got back to me, he leaned down until we were nearly nose to nose.

  “To be clear,” he said precisely. “I didn’t fuck anyone.”

  “Give it time,” I shot back.

  “You’re actin’ pretty fuckin’ jealous for a woman who blew me off.”

  “You know exactly why I didn’t want to start a relationship,” I argued.

  “That change?” he asked, his face still close to mine.

  I wasn’t sure how to answer him.

  “Well?” he asked, unwilling to let me off the hook.

  “We’re moving the cart this weekend and rebranding,” I said, dodging the question.

  “You want to be with me, Charlie?” he asked flat out.

  I couldn’t even find the self-preservation to lie.

  “Yes,” I bit out. He reached for me, but I shied away without thought.

  “What the fuck?”

  I swallowed hard. It felt like there was a lump in my throat the size of Texas.

  “All I see is you with her,” I said quietly, shaking my head as I laughed at myself.

  “We went on two fuckin’ dates and one of those was with other people.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I replied with a helpless shrug. “I look at you and I see you defending her. Getting in my face last night and calling me a bitch.”

  “Fuck,” he said, looking down at his feet.

  “My parents think I’m in love with you,” I said, scrubbing my hands over my face.

  “And what do you think?” he asked quietly.

  “I think if I wasn’t, this wouldn’t hurt so bad.”

  “Honey,” he said softly, reaching for me again.

  “I’m not—” I put a hand out to stop him. “It doesn’t change anything.”

  “It changes everything,” he replied simply.

  “Not for me,” I said, taking a step backward. “Cause see, pretty sure I loved you before all of this.” I laughed, the sound coming out broken and wrong. “But I thought it could wait until I had shit figured out.” I closed my eyes. “But it wasn’t the same for you. You didn’t wait.”

  “What the fuck do you think I’m doin’ here right now?” he asked, his tone making my eye pop back open. He was angry.

  “I have no idea,” I replied honestly.

  “Charlie, you kicked me out of your room and said I stunk last night—”

  “You did.”

  “And I still got my ass out of bed at the ass crack of dawn to come lookin’ for you.” He pointed at me. “You’re actin’ like a lunatic, and I’m still standin’ right here.”

  “I’m not acting like a lunatic.”

  “Why do you think I’m here, honey?”

  I stared at him.

  “I love you,” he said in exasperation.

  “And dating someone else was how you decided to show it. Makes sense,” I replied. Now I was angry again. How dare he say that to me when the night before he’d been with someone else?

  “Jesus,” he said, shaking his head as he glared at me. “We’re just gonna keep goin’ round and round.”

  “I guess we will,” I said in defeat.

  He wanted everything to be better, and I did, too, but I wasn’t there yet. It was all too fresh. As much as I wanted to just step into his arms and let it all go, I couldn’t.

  “Listen, you know where I am,” he said, finally. “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

  I bit back the words on the tip of my tongue asking how long he would wait this time before he gave up. As he headed toward my parents’ new house, I stomped back to the trailer.

  “That went well,” my mom said dryly, leaning up from where she’d unashamedly been watching us from the window.

  “Poor kid,” my dad said from his seat at the table.

  “I’m not even sure which of us you feel bad for,” I replied. He just shrugged.

  “You’ll figure it out,” my mom said as she strode toward their little bedroom area. “It always takes you kids a while to get your heads out of your asses.”

  I was so full of nervous energy that I rolled up onto my toes a few times.

  “Hey, dad,” I said, looking down at his shaved head. “Do we have to wait until the weekend to move the cart?”

  “What are you thinkin’?” he asked, looking up at me.

  “Can we get it today?” I asked, curling my fingers together under my chin. “It would give me more time to get it all set up and ready for Monday morning.”

  “That’s actually a good idea,” my mom called.

  With a sigh, my dad pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Grease and see if he can move it today. I think he’s the only one with a truck big enough to haul it.”

  “You’re the best,” I said, leaning down to give him a hug, wrapping my arms completely around his head.

  “We know what you’re doing,” my mom said, walking toward me as she buttoned her shorts. “And we’re more than happy to help. But just saying, distracting yourself so you don’t have to deal with Bishop hasn’t worked all that well for you up to this point.”

  Chapter 16

  Bishop

  I felt like an absolute asshole. There was no getting around it and I’d stopped trying to reassure myself that I’d done nothing wrong. If we were discussing technicalities, I guess I was in the clear, but that didn’t really change shit.

  I’d known in my gut that I shouldn’t be taking anyone else out. Sure, it was fun in the moment, but all that time I’d known that if Charlie would’ve crooked her finger at me, I would’ve dropped Tally in a heartbeat. So, I hadn’t been fair to either of them.

  Taking Tally to the house had been such a moronic idea that half of me wished that Uncle Beau was around to thump me on the side of the head like he’d done when I was a kid and did something stupid.

  Bottom line, I’d hurt Charlie, and that’s what made my guts twist in remorse. Charlie, who’d never done anything to me except be honest about what was going on in her life and why she didn’t have enough time to spend with me. Who’d gone out of her way to make sure that I had furniture, and bedding, and one of the best homes I’d ever lived in.

  Instead of punching a hole into one of Casper and Farrah’s new walls, I picked up a broom and started sweeping. It would be a while before the rest of the crew showed up and I had too much energy to sit there doing nothing. I needed to figure out how I was going to fix things.

  I thought of the way Charlie had shied away from my touch and cursed, throwing the broom across the room.

  “Hey now,” Farrah said, stepping through the front door. “Careful in here, we’re almost at the finish line.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, slicking my hair back from my face.

  “It’s getting long,” Farrah said, nodding toward my head. “I can cut it for you if you want, or my Cecilia can.”

  “Thanks,” I replied cautiously. Didn’t she know that I’d fucked up? Why was she being nice to me?

  “I told Charlotte I’d ignore you,” she said, leaning against the window ledge that faced the driveway. “But I’m pretty sure she didn’t expect me to follow through.”

  “She’s pissed at me,” I replied with a sigh.

  “With good reason,” Farrah said easily.

  I gave her a short nod. I wasn’t willing to get into the details of what had happened between me and her daughter, and even if I had been—was I really going to tell her mother that I’d done nothing wrong when I knew that wasn’t exactly true? Did I really think that I had room to defend myself?

  “People don’t realize how sensitive Charlie is,” Farrah said conversationally. “They take her at face value, most of the time. Snarky. Strong. Tough. But my girl feels things deep even when she isn’t showing it.”

  “I know that,” I replied quietly. I’d seen it.

  “She’ll forgive you,” Farrah said, looking around the room. “I doubt she’ll even make you work for it. Charlie’s always been quick to anger and even quicker to forgiveness. It drives me nuts most of the time.”

  “Not sure how to work for it when she doesn’t even want me around,” I replied.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Farrah said kindly. “And hey, if nothing else, be glad that you dodged a bullet with that girl you brought home. From what I’ve heard of her over the last couple of years, she would’ve sucked you dry and then told everyone how bad you tasted.”

  I choked on my own spit as she laughed.

  “She didn’t—I didn’t—we—”

  “She still might,” Farrah said thoughtfully. “That one’s never been good with the truth.”

  “Is Charlie okay?” I asked. “Kara said that the rumors are everywhere. I didn’t really have a chance to ask them about any of it.”

  “Too busy shielding your soft parts, I’d imagine,” Farrah said, raising her eyebrows. “Yeah, she’ll be fine. She just went with Casper to move the cart. We’re gonna bring it back here and spruce it up before we take it to the new location.”