Page 126 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

Aubrey rolled her eyes. “I’m not scared. I just don’t like water going up my nose.”

“You should plug your nose.” Charlie pinched her nostrils together. “This is how my daddy taught me.”

“Hmm.” Aubrey tapped her chin, pretending like she’d never heard of the idea before. “Maybe you could show me?”

Charlie smiled, tossing her towel on the deck and wasting no time scurrying her little butt back to the diving board.

Aubrey smiled and followed close behind just as Logan’s phone rang on a table.

“I’ll be right there,” he called to their backs, then took the call.

Thomas stood from his seat. “I haven’t been swimming in ages. I think I’ll change and join them.”

“And I’d better let the kitchen know our dinner choice.” Lillian gave me a genuine smile as she stood and followed Thomas into the house.

I let out a deep breath, relieved at how painless that had been. With Sofia having left for the city already, it might actually be an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. And I couldn’t help but feel excited for Charlie that she might actually get to know her extended family.

Her shyness was gone with Aubrey—and the diving board—as she catapulted herself into the water. One by one, Charlie would warm to these people and pull them into her circle. If they were anything like Logan, which I suspected they were even with last night’s events, she’d have more than just me and Hazel and Jackson in her family.

“That was Sean.” Logan sat by my feet, blocking my view of Charlie and Aubrey. “He tried to track down the owner of that email account but is having trouble, which is just pissing him off. Sean thinks the guy is a hacker too and is blocking him.”

I frowned. “This is not a big deal, Logan. Let it go. It’s just some guy being a jerk. The emails will stop.”

“I’m not willing to take that chance.”

We went into one of our stare-downs, but I finally gave in. Even behind my sunglasses, he was winning. “Fine. If you want to waste Sean’s time, that’s your choice. But I don’t want to talk about it. Not today.”

Today, I just wanted him to be close. To have this last day together before everything changed tomorrow.

“Okay. Not today.” The tension in his face disappeared and he scooted closer. His hand skirted up my knee to my thigh and he leaned down, giving me a gentle kiss.

I relaxed into him, leaning my forehead on his shoulder.

We held one another without another word until he wrapped his arms tight around my hips.

“Logan, that’s too ti—”

I couldn’t get the words out. One second I was sitting, the next Logan had scooped me off the chair and was hurling us both toward the pool. I screamed as we crashed into the water, laughing as I came up for air.

“You’ll pay for that.” I splashed Logan’s smug grin.

“Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it?”

I smiled, just as Aubrey and Charlie came up from behind him and dunked his head in the water.

And that was how we spent our last day.

Playing with our daughter. Getting to know his family. Eating corn dogs. And saying good-bye with every gentle touch and chaste kiss.

We spent the day savoring every moment. A calm understanding had cleared the worry between us and given us the liberty

to just . . . be.

As heartbreaking as it would be to say good-bye tomorrow, we both knew it was the right decision. The fairy tale was over. The glass slipper was coming off. Charlie and I needed to go home.

Where we belonged.

The day I drove Thea and Charlie to the airport was the worst day of my life, without question. We rode in solemn silence back to the city. Charlie’s sad eyes often found mine in the rearview mirror. Thea held tight to my hand as I drove, keeping us connected for just a bit longer.