Chapter Eight

Charlie

“That’s enough sun for now,” Owen calls to Jackson about twenty minutes later. Jackson throws his head back dramatically and begs for one more minute. Owen chuckles and agrees, and then stands to slip the sleeping baby into her stroller.

His biceps bulge under his gray t-shirt and the look on his face as he gently lays Violet down is doing bad, bad things to me. He really loves his niece. He actually does enjoy taking Jackson to the park. Is he a family man after all?

“Hey, Owen,” a group of three moms, one of them pushing a double stroller, comes up the park sidewalk.

“Hey, ladies,” Owen says back with his famous cocky grin. I don’t think he realizes he does it anymore, and that smug smirk just comes naturally to him. “Nice day today, isn’t it?”

The mom with the stroller bites her bottom lip and looks Owen up and down. “It’s a little hot out here, don’t you think?”

The other two moms make a joke about it getting hotter. Owen laughs to oblige them, and the weirdest thing is starting to happen to me.

I think…I think I’m feeling a little jealous.

I squeeze my eyes closed. Stop it right now, Charlie. I’m not in the right headspace to date anyone. And I know better than to get back together with an ex who broke my heart years ago.

Wanting to get married and have children was what drove Owen and me apart in the first place. I wanted to settle down, go ring shopping on the weekends, and pick out baby names.

Owen didn’t.

We wanted different things in life, which no one can fault either of us for. I was willing to wait for Owen, convinced he’d just need a year or two to realize that starting a family was something he wanted to do too.

I guess I was wrong.

Though, really…the joke is on me. Because here I am, in my thirties now, and single as ever and still childless.

“Oh my goodness,” one of the moms whisper-squeals as she looks at Violet. “She gets cuter every time I see her!”

“She gets that from me,” Owen says, and everyone erupts into giggles.

Jackson runs over, cheeks beet red and panting. “I’m thirsty,” he pants, and Owen tears himself away from his fan club to get Jackson a juice box from the diaper bag. He sticks the straw in for Jackson and then rustles his hair, teasing him about being sweaty.

“Can we go swimming at Grammy’s?” Jackson asks Owen as he buckles his helmet back into place.

“That’s not up to me, buddy. Grammy will say yes, of course, but we have to ask your mom.”

I watch Owen out of the corner of my eye, thinking that he’s changed a lot. Maybe?

“Are you going to be in town for a while?” he asks me.

“It seems that way.”

“Come to Getaway tonight. You can drink on the house.” He turns his head, flashing that cocky grin again that makes me feel all squishy inside. “You still like sweet red wine, right?”

I nod. “Yeah, I do.”

“Then I’ll make sure to have some. If I remember correctly, which I know I am, red wine always…” He trails off and wiggles his eyebrows.

“Owen,” I start, voice edging on scolding. It’ll be all too easy to fall back to old habits, and Owen would be a hard one to break. It took years for me to get over him the first time…if I even got over him at all.

Inhaling deep, I look down the opposite direction of the street.

“I…I should finish my run,” I tell Owen. “It was good to see you, though.”

“It usually is.”

Smirking, I shake my head. No, he hasn’t changed at all. “Tell your mom I said hi.”

“You could tell her yourself.” He adjusts the sun visor on the stroller. “Come over for dinner on Sunday.”

“Your mom still does Sunday dinners?”

Owen smiles. “She never stopped. Give me your number and I’ll call you.”

“Owen…” I let out a breath. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Why not? Worried you won’t be able to resist me?”

Yes, I am a little worried, actually. I narrow my eyes. “Of course not. But what’s the point?”

He shrugs, getting a cocky glint in his eyes. “You never know what could happen. And if anything, we could just have sex. We were always good at that, if I remember correctly. I always pleased you. Multiple times.”

I come to a dead stop, staring at him openmouthed with a you did just not say that look in my eyes. Then again, I’m not surprised, and suddenly, heat is flashing through me. Owen is good. With his fingers. His mouth. His tongue…and holy shit, that big cock.

“You’re disgusting.”

He raises his eyebrows. “I did remember correctly. And you never thought what we did was disgusting before. I seem to remember one particular night in vivid detail that involved you, me, and the roof of your parents’ house. What you wanted me to do to you…I still think about my head between your legs while balancing two stories above the ground.”

“Jackson might hear you,” I hiss, getting turned on and annoyed by Owen’s open dirty talking.

“Nah, he’s too far ahead. Hey, Jackson, we’re going to Disney World,” he says just to prove his point. The boy doesn’t so much as turn around. “See?”

“And if he did hear you? Have fun telling him Disney was just a joke.”

He shrugs. “Then I guess I’d have to take him. Wes and Scarlet won’t be going anytime soon with the new baby and all. Jackson loved going last year. And it gives me a good excuse to go on all those kiddy rides. The Haunted Mansion ride is the shit, you know.”

All I can do is laugh and shake my head, which is all I’ve been doing since I stepped back into Owen’s presence. I don’t know how someone can go from making my panties melt off to then making me laugh like this. But that’s Owen fucking Dawson for you…

“You didn’t give me your number yet.” Owen stops at a street corner, eyes on Jackson. He steps to the side of the stroller, keeping one hand on it but ready to jump forward and grab his nephew in case he doesn’t stop to let the cars pass. Dammit, Owen. Stop being so attentive and caring and sexy and—stop.

“That was done on purpose.” I stick my earbuds back in my ears. “Bye, Owen.”

I take off, running down the block before I slow enough to look down at my phone to turn my music back on. My heart is hammering and sweat broke out along my forehead as soon as I turned and ran away. I keep going, not stopping until I’m back on my parents’ block.

Panting, I climb the porch steps and heft into the porch swing. I should cool down and then stretch, but I need to sit right now and sort out my thoughts. Because they’re all over the damn place. Taking my earbuds out of my ears once again, I call Marcus.

“Are you being held hostage?” he answers on the second ring.

“Yes, I am. Send me five thousand dollars,” I say dryly. “Or a new pair of Christian Louboutins, which would be slightly less expensive.”

“Only slightly,” he laughs. “But seriously. You never call. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” I confess and lean back, pressing the heels of my feet against the porch and then pushing off to get the swing in motion. “That’s the issue. I have no idea what’s going on. Well, I did, and then I didn’t.”

“Are you having a nervous breakdown or something?”

“I wish I could say that was the reason,” I laugh. “I ran into my ex and was not prepared at all for it. He was holding a baby, Marcus. A little baby girl.”

“Your ex, Owen?” he asks, and I internally cringe over the fact that he even knows Owen’s name. I could have sworn I’d only brought him up once. Maybe twice.

“Yes.”

“He has a baby?”

“No, it was his niece and he was babysitting so his sister-in-law could nap.”

“How sweet.”

“Right?” I close my eyes and push the swing again.

“I still don’t get why you called.” The sound of a busy New York City street comes through the phone. “Unless seeing Owen is making you feel—”

“Nothing. It’s making me feel nothing. I just got out of a long-term relationship. A serious one. Like as serious as you can get, well, without being married and having children. I should be upset about Todd still, right? Not about—wait. I’m nothing. Nothing toward Owen.”

Marcus laughs. “You’re cute when you’re flustered, and I’m sad I’m not there to see it in person. I’ve never seen Ms. Big-shot Lawyer flustered before.”

“I’m not flustered,” I say, not believing it myself. “I’m a little annoyed, that’s all. Owen is so…so arrogant.”

“Arrogant but looks good with a baby in his arms?”

“Ugh, yes.” I stand up and walk down the steps. “I need to get back to work. All this free time is messing with my head.”

“Honey, maybe you should take a hard look in the mirror. Why is Owen instantly frustrating you?”

“I just told you. He’s a cocky asshole. Ugh, he’s seriously infuriating! You should have heard what he said to me. I cannot stand that man.”

“Mm-hm. I’m sure that’s it.”

“Maybe I’m looking for a rebound. Is rebound sex a thing? Does it help?” I shake my head. “Never mind. I’m not sleeping with Owen.”

“Can I be honest, honey?”

“Your blunt honesty is why I love you.”

“I think Todd was your rebound.”

“My rebound?” I open my mouth but don’t know what to say. “No…no way. He was my fiancé! That’s not a rebound.”

“In the last two minutes, I’ve heard you have more passion in your voice over Owen than I did in the years you were with Todd. And I almost don’t want to say it, but I’m going to. We all know you and Todd were over before you ended things.”

“I…that’s not true,” I stumble over my words.

“I love you and want you to be happy. Just think about what I said.”

“Fine, I’ll think about it.”

“And feel free to send me any pictures of that sexy man holding a baby. You know I’m a sucker for hot guys holding babies. And puppies. Or reading or holding a cup of coffee.”

“So just hot men in general?” I laugh.

“Guilty. I’m about to get in a cab, talk soon, though, okay?”

“Of course.” I end the call and go inside to stretch and shower. Then I get something to eat and go back upstairs. Lying down in bed, I grab a book and plan on reading a few chapters, escaping into a fictional world and not thinking about ex-boyfriends or ex-fiancés or anything of the sort. This fictional land full of witches and sexy vampires is much more exciting, anyway.

Three chapters later and I’m feeling sleepy. I trade the book for a blanket and lie down. Mom left to go to the store and Dad is at work. The house is quiet, save for the birds chirping outside the open window. With the ceiling fan on high, things are set for prime napping time.

My eyes fall shut and I start to drift to sleep faster than I expected, slipping into a hazy dream where I’m walking through Eastwood and run into Owen again. But this time, we don’t go to the park.

This time we go back to his house, which is technically his parents’ since that’s the last place he lived during college when we were still together. We’re sitting in the kitchen and suddenly he’s holding a baby again, but instead of the little blonde-haired newborn he was holding before, this baby has thick dark hair…just like he does.

Then the dream shifts and suddenly we’re upstairs in his bedroom. He’s on top of me, and his kisses feel just as good as before. My clothes just melt off in a way that can only happen in a dream. Owen rolls me over so I’m straddling him. I buck my hips, feeling his big cock rub against me.

“Charlie,” he moans, looking into my eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I pant and lean down to kiss him. I grind against him, needing a release. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything this good.

My eyes fly open. Oh, shit. My hand is between my legs, and my body is still craving the release my dream didn’t give. I push myself up, eyes wide. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I stride into the bathroom and turn on the sink, set on splashing cold water on my face.

Because having a sex dream about Owen is the last fucking thing I need.