Public Displays Of Affection

Chapter Seventeen

"Can't you let things slide for one night, Charlotte? Just keep the kids home and not run around like a crazy person? For one night?"

Bonnie's suggestion sounded tempting but impossible. "We're hosting the Loveland Little League tonight. The place is going to be a zoo, and I've got snack bar duty."

"Good Lord, Charlotte."

She laughed. It felt good to laugh after all that crying. She'd cried for over a half hour, and now she was behind schedule. The kids were finishing up their dinners but had yet to change their clothes.

"Hank, honey, go put on your leotard. Justin and Matt, put on your uniforms and grab your gloves."

The kids dispersed-her two running up the stairs and Justin bolting out the back door for his own house a block away.

"Let me do something for you tonight," Bonnie said, loading the dishwasher. "How about I take your concession stand duty?"

"No. That's okay, Bon. Really."

"Then let me take Hank to ballet and pick her up."

Charlotte looked at her friend and smiled. Because of Bonnie, she was starting to feel better about things. She felt lighter inside, more hopeful, and a little less burdened by guilt Bonnie had been right about so much. It wasn't her fault that Kurt had died. God-whoever he or she was-didn't take Kurt's life to punish her for having a sex drive. The idea was almost laughable, and one day she hoped to be able to laugh at herself for ever thinking that Right now, she'd focus on trying to find a way to love and honor Kurt's memory but grab hold of her own life-the only life she'd ever get

"Thank you, Bonnie," she said, taking a deep breath. "T amp;at would be great if you could drive Hank tonight."

The phone rang. The news she got caused Charlotte to reach into the pantry and shoot a steady stream of squirt cheese into her mouth. It was either that or cry some more.

"That was the Liebermans." Charlotte took a big swallow. 'They just canceled on me for the concession stand. All three of them."

"Give me that," Bonnie said, holding out her hand for the aerosol can and squirting the cheese on her tongue. "God! This stuff is hideous!"

They laughed loud and long, and Bonnie was saying that she and Ned would take two of the Lieberman spots when they noticed a nicely dressed woman at the back door. Charlotte was surprised when the stranger poked her head inside the house like she was an old friend.:

"Everybody decent?"

Charlotte studied the woman, looked to Bonnie for confirmation, and the two of them screamed out at the same time, "Ohmigod! LoriSue?"

She was getting used to the fuss by now, having spent the last couple days dressed like Hilary Clinton.

It was kind of fun seeing everyone's reaction to her transformation/The girls in the office went ballistic, especially over her hair, Jimmy, the scum bucket, told her she hadn't looked that hot since high school. Justin hugged her and told her she was the prettiest mom in Minton, and she had to admit that that one made her a little teary eyed.

But nothing could compare to the shocked looks on Charlotte's and Bonnie's faces.

"So what do you think, girls?" LoriSue twirled around to give them the full effect of outfit no. 3-a cotton-rayon blend pencil skirt that hit midcalf, topped by a complementary summer-weight twinset, both in a hand-dyed dusky blue. She kicked up her heels to show off her simple but elegant sling-backs. She shook out her hair, which she had to admit felt delicious as it moved freely against the back of her neck, unencumbered by hair spray.

The two women stared in stunned silence. Bonnie was clutching a can of something in her hand, and a little poof of orange goo went shooting out onto the kitchen floor.

"Well?"

Charlotte was the first to speak. "Wow, LoriSue. You are beautiful and sophisticated and stunning-absolutely stunning."

Bonnie nodded in agreement, her mouth ajar. Finally she spoke. "You're Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman- toward the end."

LoriSue liked that analogy. It didn't offend her in the least. In fact, she really did feel like Cinderella.

Justin burst in the door at that point wearing his uniform, baseball mitt in hand. It seemed like Charlotte had everything in control, as usual, and was about to take the boys to the ballpark. LoriSue thought maybe it should be her turn tonight.

"I'll drive Matt and Justin," she said, holding up her digital camera.-'Tin taking pictures for the Web site, so I have to be there all evening."

"Isn't she megapretty?" Justin asked, leaning against her side and gazing at her. LoriSue kissed the top of his ball cap.

"Yes, she's megapretty," Charlotte said.

LoriSue locked eyes with her. Charlotte was megapretty, too, in her own way, and LoriSue wondered why she'd never really seen that before. Charlotte had always seemed plain to her, kind of washed-out and moving around too much. But tonight, as she stood still in her kitchen in a ratty pair of jeans and a simple V-neck T-shirt, LoriSue noticed a glow in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes that she didn't recall seeing before.

And LoriSue couldn't help but think that maybe all women were beautiful-even Bonnie, who was still staring at her-each in her own way.

"I don't suppose you'd like to do concession stand duty?" Bonnie asked. "We're short a grill cook."

Not in this outfit. LoriSue held up the camera. "Otherwise occupied tonight, sorry."

Bonnie suddenly grinned real big, looked at Charlotte, and said, "Know of any other warm bodies?"

Charlotte didn't answer. Her eyes were focused on something right behind LoriSue and Justin, something that had transformed Charlotte's face. If there had been a glow about her a minute ago, the woman was now on fire from the inside out. LoriSue knew exactly what she would see when she turned around.

Joe Mills-everyone's favorite warm body.

He'd gone over the situation in his head so many times that his brain hurt and had decided just moments earlier that he really should talk to Charlotte, tell her a little bit about what was going on in his life, enough that she could make an informed decision.

He just couldn't bear the thought of ever doing anything that would hurt her.

As Joe glanced at the house full of people, he realized their little chat would have to wait. Then he sensed that something had changed. And as Hank ran through the kitchen in a little black ballet outfit and raced toward him, Joe felt like he'd walked onstage in the middle of act 2.

Then it registered. It was Charlotte. She was completely different-transformed. She was looking at him with naked greed. Desire. Not a trace of ambiguity anywhere. It was like she'd decided to stake her claim and stake it now.

The force of it knocked the air right out of Joe's lungs-but that could have been the impact of Hank's little body, which had just thudded against him. Her chubby arms were squeezing him around the hips.

He blinked at Charlotte.

Then, with a little smile barely pushing up the corners of her mouth, Joe felt her slide her gray gaze up and down his body like she was painting him with long, steady strokes of a brush. It was a blatantly sexual move. His favorite kind.

Then he realized he didn't know the woman standing just inches away from him at the back door. He was about to introduce himself when he let out a startled laugh. LoriSue should go into undercover work.

He nodded at her in approval. "Nice," he said.

"Thank you," she whispered back.

He watched a hot wave of embarrassment wash over LoriSue, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was married to Jimmy Bettmyer. Nobody deserved that fate. And Joe hoped to God that this drastic makeover wasn't for him. Yes, she looked about five hundred times more attractive than she did a couple weeks ago, but the look didn't reach out and grab him.

His gaze returned to Charlotte and he smiled at her.

The only woman he wanted-the only woman he'd ever really wanted-was Charlotte.

She shot a full-throttle smile right back at him and he felt his insides melt. He knew right then, as his hands patted Hank's red curls and his eyes couldn't leave Charlotte's face, that he was, in fact, falling in love with her.

"Joe?" Charlotte said. "Can I ask you something?"

Matt burst into the room at that instant and waved his baseball glove in the air. "Hey, Joe!"

"Hey, Matt."

"Hey, Joe," said another voice.

"Hey, Justin."

"Yo, Joe," said Bonnie.

"Yo, Bonnie."

And Joe sensed that whatever Charlotte was about to ask. him was going to be big-life changing, even-yet she was brave enough to ask him in front of all these people.

He gave her his full attention. "Yes?"

Charlotte tilted her head and said sweetly, "You any good with a spatula?"

As a matter of fact, he was damn good with a spatula. But he suspected they weren't talking about the same thing.

Charlotte watched Bonnie's Toyota head down the drive with Hank buckled in the backseat, followed by LoriSue's BMW, Matt waving to her out the rear window. And suddenly they were alone, just Charlotte and Joe, in the driveway.

She could feel him, though he wasn't touching her. It was the memory of his touch that she felt, the ghost touch she'd lived with for all these years. But he stood right next to her now. All she had to do was reach for him, and he'd be real.

The thought left her breathless.

"Charlotte, we need to talk."

"No more talking, Joe. I want to kiss you."

She heard Joe make a little strangled squeak. "There's something I should tell you first." He took a step away. "Slow down just a second."

She couldn't help herself-she laughed. She reached out and touched the silky sleeve of his polo shirt, staring at how her fingers played on the hem of the fabric, noticing how pale her hand looked near his rich brown skin. It occurred to her that he really should change clothes before his stint at the grill, because this nice shirt would be ruined. She'd tell him that in a minute. Right now, she wanted to put her lips on him. And they had about ten minutes before they absolutely had to be on their way. The two of them could accomplish a lot in ten minutes.

"You know, Joe…" Charlotte raised her eyes to him. She could see him holding back. His jaw was clenched. His lips were tight. She saw the air rushing in and out of his nose-like a bull trying his best not to charge. "Things have been mighty slow for me the last thirteen years." ^ One of his eyebrows twitched.

"I don't think I want slow anymore."

The other eyebrow twitched.

"In fact, I'm damn sick of slow."

Joe shifted his weight and licked his lips, never taking his black eyes off hers. Those eyes held that familiar look of entitlement, along with a touch of surprise. The look advised her to be damn sure of what she was doing, because there would be no turning back.

She remembered that look. She liked that look.

"Do I have to ask for it, Joe?"

His eyes got big.

"Because I'll beg for it if you want me to."

Joe's lips parted. The man looked stunned.

"Give it to me, Joe," she whispered. She pressed her body up against his and used her tongue to lick up the front of his silky polo shirt, her eyes locked on his.

Joe let out a sigh and a moan and took a step in to her and just kept walking. Charlotte strained her neck to keep focused on his face, now so close, and reached her arms behind her in case he backed her into the side of the house.

Which is exactly what he did. She hit the siding with a thud.

"Ask for it again, Charlotte."

She stood on tiptoe. She reached her arms up over his shoulders and hooked them around his neck. She smiled at him. She grabbed a handful of his hair. And pulled him down close.

"Please," she breathed. "Kiss me, Joe."

She attacked him like he was a Honeybaked Ham. Like he was her first decent meal in more than a decade. Which he was.

Joe's hands were all over her bottom and the back of her thighs. He was kneading her, pushing her on, and on she went, kissing him, eating him, as snippets of her poetry and their recent conversations floated through her mind and propelled her kiss into higher gear- "meat…" "slut…" "ladylike little split fruit…" "perkiest little pink cherry nipples…" "lying in wait…"

Charlotte jumped him-just threw her legs around his waist and gloried in the feel of his hands clamping her butt. Joe pulled her tight against him and ground her against the wall with his pelvis.

Her head hit the siding, and a dull discomfort radiated down her neck to her shoulders only to be erased by the searing pleasure, pleasure that had no beginning and no end because of this mouth, this tongue, this man. All over her.

"Oh God, Joe," she whispered against his kiss. Joe's arms went tight around her. She couldn't get close enough. It was as if she wanted to push herself inside him, obliterate her own being, and become part of him.

"I've wanted you forever," he said, his hands in her hair, his kisses moving across her cheek and down her throat and onto her collarbones. "I've missed you the last couple days, Charlotte. The last thirteen years."

"God, I've missed you so much, Joe."

The kissing stopped and they just held each other. Joe propped his chin on her shoulder and hugged her so hard she thought she heard the crunch of the cartilage between her ribs. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered but that Joe was real and he was in her arms again.

He backed away from the house and began walking, Charlotte's body stuck to the front of his. He crossed the drive toward his yard. Charlotte laughed.

"Where are you taking me?"

He stopped in his tracks. He said nothing, but just hugged her even harder.

"Joe?"

"I was going to take you to my bed, but I realized that probably wouldn't be a wise idea."

"Yeah. We need to be going."

Joe laughed. "Right. Want to ride in my car?"

Charlotte pulled back a little so she could look down into Joe's face. That baseline melancholy she sometimes saw in Joe was back, not quite hidden by his gentle smile. She kissed that smile, brushed her fingers through all his thick black hair, and wondered what made him so sad.

"I'd love to go for a ride in your car. The boys talk about it all the time."

"So I hear. Let's go."

She unhooked her legs and slipped down the front of his body until her feet hit the driveway. Joe took her hand. "Oh, wait! You really should change your shirt," she said.

Joe frowned and glanced down at himself. "You don't like this shirt?"

Charlotte laughed. "I love the shirt. But I don't think you have any idea what you're getting into-the concession stand is a pit of grease."

"Ah. Then come with me and I'll change."

Charlotte hadn't been inside the Connor house since before they began packing, so the bareness of the place shocked her. She stepped inside through the pool patio door to the kitchen, immediately noticing that there was no fruit on the counter. No art on the walls. No candles on the family room mantel. Just a black leather couch, one lamp on one end table, and a dinette set with two chairs. Joe lived simply.

"I'll be right back." He began walking toward the center hallway.

"I'm waiting down here?"

He turned to face her, the sadness back with a vengeance. "Please. If you don't mind."

The hurt was immediate. Apparently, Charlotte was good enough to grope in the drive but not good enough to let upstairs. She shrugged and looked down at her sandals.

Joe walked back to her. "Charlotte?".

At the brush of his fingers on hers, she looked up.

"I am not used to having a woman in my life. I've been alone a very long time."

She nodded and swallowed, overwhelmed by the serious tone of his voice and the pleading in his expression.

Whatever he was about to tell her was difficult for him.

"Okay," she whispered.

'There are things about me that I don't usually share with anyone."

"Your writing."

He smiled a little. "Because of the nature of my work, I've become a very private person."

"So you don't want me in your bedroom."

Joe's eyes closed, and she marveled at how long and lustrous his eyelashes were against his cheek. Joe's children would be beautiful creatures. And the next thought hit her before she could protect herself-their children would be beautiful creatures.

"I want you in my bedroom bad, Charlotte."

"We have about thirty seconds until we have to leave. Go change your shirt."

"I'm going to have you."

"Yes, you are, Joe."

He didn't have to say a word. They were driving along the state highway just past Main Street when the scent of honeysuckle whooshed down on them through the open roof of the Mustang. Charlotte's little hand landed on the top of his right thigh, telling him everything he needed to know.

She remembered, just as he did.

She'd cried that day so long ago. He'd never been with a woman who cried during sex, and it baffled him. She assured him she wasn't crying because she was sad or hurt, but only because it felt so good.

That first time, she'd straddled him. He thought it would make her feel more in control and less in danger. He didn't want to scare her or make her run. He only wanted to fuck her. He wanted to fuck her from the instant he saw her zoom by in that little car on the Beltway, red hair flying around that angelic face. It had been a primal urge. He had no choice but to follow her and get her.

He nearly hooted with joy when that notebook flew up and out of her car. If that wasn't a sign, he didn't know what. was.

The surface of her skin had been satin smooth and hot from the sun. Her entire little body was covered in that creamy pale satin. She felt ethereal under his hands. Fragile and delicate. But the way she kissed him-goddamn- that was anything but delicate. She was greedy and pushy and kept making these blissful little moaning sounds as her hands ran over his body and her lips attacked his. She might have been petite, but she had a big appetite for sex.

The second time, he took her standing up, much like the kiss they'd just shared in her driveway. In fact-feeling her ass in his hands, her legs clamped around his hips-it was like those thirteen years had never even happened. She tasted the same. She felt the same. And Joe wondered if he'd ever really existed outside her flesh and her heat and the sound of her voice.

He glanced over at Charlotte next to him and watched her hair whip in shiny flames around her face. Today was then or yesterday was now, he didn't know which, but he knew that he was right where he was meant to be-at this woman's side.

"Do you remember the third time we made love?" she asked.

Joe laughed. Apparently, his brain was the projector and his forehead the movie screen and she'd had a front row seat for the show.

"Hell yes, I remember." The third time had been the best And the most intense thing he'd ever experienced.

Joe took her hand from his thigh and raised it to his lips. Then he put it right back where it had been, only his hand now cupped hers.

As he looked at the profile of her face in the mellow evening light, he told himself that he would find a way to love this woman and keep her safe. It was possible. Every day he spent in Minton made him feel closer to normal. Every day he spent in her presence made him believe that anything was possible.

"I couldn't help myself that day, Charlotte. I wanted you so much. I just went crazy."

"It was a good crazy, Joe."

"A great crazy."

He'd never gone soft that day with her so long ago; As soon as he came, he was ready again. One look at her- from her smoky gray eyes to the sweet patch of honey red fuzz below her belly-and-he'd felt like there would never be adequate release. She was a drug, and he couldn't get high enough.

So he'd eased her down on her back and spread her thighs wide, running a finger along her to be sure she was ready. He found her swollen and tender and so slippery that his finger disappeared inside her with the slightest pressure. When he removed his hand, he'd seen the blood. It wasn't much and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but he'd stared at his finger for a long moment before he dared look up at her face.

What he'd seen in her expression blindsided him- naked vulnerability and pure female lust. Tears spilled down the sides of her face and into the hair fanning out beneath her in the honeysuckle. She offered him a shy smile, in spite of the tears, and whispered, "Thank you for this."

He'd been unable to come up with a reply.

Her smile widened.

"Why are you crying?" he'd asked her.

She'd reached up and touched his face, caressing his brow and cheek. "Because you're everything I needed."

And that's when it hit him-this woman wasn't a playful conquest. She was a gift-a rare and beautiful gift

He'd nearly begged her, "Tell me your name, baby. Please."

She'd pressed a fingertip to his lips. "Shhh."

He'd licked at that finger, then pressed his mouth on hers as he penetrated her. He'd cradled her in his arms, feeling the sheen of tears, sweat, and honeysuckle blossoms that seemed to cover every inch of their skin. She'd cried out into his open mouth, shuddered beneath him, and gripped him so tight he could feel every bone in her body.

That third time, it had been like he'd reached out through the universe and touched joy. That third time, Joe had made love to the woman and she'd made love to him.

Now, with the wind in his face and her at his side, he marveled at how young and stupid he'd been that day. He'd just stood there in the parking lot, so concerned about not showing his real feelings that he'd frozen. The big badass right out of Special Forces couldn't bring himself to ask the woman for her name again-let alone her number, her address, her date of birth, and whether she believed in love at first sight.

Instead, he'd grunted something unintelligible and was wondering how he was going to get out of there with his pride intact when she'd thrown herself at him, kissed him, and broken his tooth.

She'd raced out of that parking lot so damn fast that there'd been no time for an awkward good-bye. No time for any good-bye at all. Joe had just spit out his tooth chip into the loose gravel and forced himself not to look up at the license plate.

As he pulled into the Minton Little League parking lot and cut the engine, Joe ran his tongue over the chip in his tooth. He turned to see that she was watching him, smiling, her face radiant from the wind and sun, her hair a bit disheveled. He couldn't remember ever seeing anything as lovely in his whole life. Something about Charlotte made him believe in happiness. In miracles.

"You sure you're ready for this?"

Joe didn't know whether she was referring to snack bar duty or love, but one answer would work for both.

"I'm sure."

He held her hand as they walked toward the obnoxiously bright blue concession stand, its white aluminum shutters raised for business. Bonnie and Ned waved at them from inside as a faint aroma of hot grease wafted through the air.

Joe leaned down and whispered in Charlotte's ear, "I won't be able to keep my hands off you in there."

She looked at him sideways. "I was about to say the same thing."

"Gonna be a long night," he said with a sigh.

Charlotte laughed. "You have no idea."

"Four more number fours and two number fives!"

At that instant, Joe realized it was a good thing he'd gone into law enforcement and not fast-food management. His head was spinning.

"You hanging in there, Joe?" Ned looked over at him with an impish grin. "Only got two hours to go."

"Smooth and in the groove, Ned." He slapped four more burgers onto the open buns lined up on the wooden countertop.

Ned laughed. "And it pays just about as well as police work, doesn't it?"

Joe's brain buzzed in alarm, but he kept his eyes on the grill and his breath steady. So Ned knew, or at least suspected. Part of him wanted to believe that Ned was an ally. Part of him remembered Roger's warning not to lose his edge. There wasn't room for a single mistake now, not since he'd made up his mind to bring Charlotte and her kids into his life.

No mistakes. Ever.

"I suppose you'd know, Ned."

"Yeah, well, I hear the pay scale is a little better at the federal level."

Joe said nothing, thankful for the string of orders now being recited in Charlotte's melodious voice.

"I need a number one, three number fours, and a number two without the chili!"

"A number two without the chili is a number three, Charlotte," Ned mumbled.

"One three then," she said impatiently.

How did Ned know? What had Joe said or done to tip him off? Did it mean he had to leave Minton? Would Charlotte ever consent to go with him?

"Your secret is safe with me," Ned whispered over the hiss of the grill.

"And what secret is that?"

"Why don't we go for a beer sometime and talk about it? Is Friday good? Nine o'clock at the Creekside-you know where that is?"

"I've seen it."

"Good, then." Ned slapped his shoulder. "By the way, you're a natural at this. I'm impressed."

Joe took his time flipping the burgers, then turned slowly toward Ned, shooting him a look he'd perfected long ago. Ned's eyes widened and the older man tugged at the collar of his golf shirt.

"Now it's your turn to impress me, Chief Preston."

Ned swallowed and gave him a nod. "Duly noted."

The next two hours passed in a blur of burgers and buns and frozen bags of French fries and it had just occurred to Joe that he was dying of thirst when there was a little tap on his shoulder. Charlotte stood behind him, holding out a bottle of water.

It was the only touch he'd had from her since they walked in the place. So much for not being able to keep his hands off her-the only thing he'd had in his hands was frozen beef.

"Thank you for working so hard, Joe," she said, opening the bottle and handing it to him. "We get ninety percent of all our operating revenue from this concession stand. Did I tell you that?"

God, she was sweet And watching those pretty pink lips recite Little League fund-raising facts was making him hard. "You don't say?".

"Yes. So you are now officially a Minton Little League volunteer. Wanna serve on the board?"

"No." He couldn't take his eyes off her lips.

"You got a couple burgers about to combust back here, Joe." Ned didn't even try to hide the laugh in his voice.

"Right."

Joe rescued the orders and Charlotte went back to her post Moments later, he heard LoriSue's voice at the snack bar window, chatting with the women about the Little League's Web site or something.

"LoriSue is lookin' real good lately," Ned whispered. "I always suspected that woman could suck a golf ball through thirty feet of garden hose."

Joe roared-laughed so loud that everyone turned to look at him. And honest to God, he couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed like that.

Charlotte suddenly raced behind him, on her way to the back room for freezer pops, he overheard. Joe was feeling frisky. He was feeling happy. He handed Ned the spatula and ripped off his apron. "Take over for me for a minute, would you?" He didn't give him time to say no.

When Joe reached the back room, Charlotte was on tiptoe, leaning down into the chest freezer. Her little heart-shaped ass was displayed like a Valentine with his name on it. Joe shut the door softly and took a few silent steps toward her.

"Hey, dumplin'."

She gasped and tried to straighten up, but Joe flattened a hand on her spine. "Stay right there. I like you like this."

He felt Charlotte shiver under his palm. He felt the cold air rush from the well of the freezer around her body. He pressed into her behind and brought both hands to cup her breasts. Her nipples were little rocks in the cold.

"Joe…" The word was part plea and part moan.

"I know. I'm not usually one for public displays, either, but you make me crazy."

She looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "I feel how hard you are," she whispered.

He pinched her stiff little nipples, then relaxed his hands to cradle the weight of her breasts in his palms. He pushed her up against the freezer and moved his hips into her. "I want to take you like this. I haven't taken you like this-yet."

Charlotte's smile disappeared. Her expression grew serious and hot, and her lips trembled. "Oh God." She closed her eyes. "I want… I want…"

"I want it, too."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure you understand, Joe. I'm so… well… deprived that I'm afraid once I start I won't ever get enough."

"The potato chip scenario again."

"I'm afraid so."

"We're going to get along just fine."

"Joe? Do you take a multivitamin with iron every day?"

"I do."

"You're going to need it."

"Are you on the Pill?"

"No"

"Good. I want to have babies with you."

"Oh my God."

Joe immediately closed his eyes in horror-his DNA was speaking without his permission. The idea of bringing any more children into this situation should make him sick with fear-it's just that Charlotte made him want so much. She made it seem possible.

"I didn't mean-"

"Hey-we've got a line for the freezer pops out here!" Bonnie's voice was coming closer. Obviously she was giving them ample warning that she was on her way to the back. She was a good woman.

"Damn!" Charlotte straightened up and turned toward the doorway. Joe pressed his pelvis against the cold, reached inside for the pops, and handed them back to Charlotte without turning around. He hoped the commercial-sized freezer would be sufficient cover for his raging erection.

"Here you go!" Charlotte's voice sounded overly enthusiastic as she handed the pops to Bonnie, and Joe let his head hang into the frozen food and laughed. They were like teenagers. It felt so reckless. It felt so damn good.

"All righty, kids," Bonnie said. "You two can take off. Ned and I will close up."

"Thanks, Bonnie."

"Don't forget your children, Charlotte. Matt's game just ended and Hank is running around here somewhere. I've got her ballet bag in my car."

"Right"

"See you, Joe." Bonnie was obviously enjoying herself. "Everything all right down there?"

"Better than ever" Joe answered.

The ride home was magic. The kids reached up into the wind, laughing and shouting as their fingers played in the rush of cool night air. Charlotte leaned back on the headrest and gazed at the stars above. Joe held her hand. And it dawned on her that the Mustang was the first convertible she'd been in since that day thirteen years ago.

The stars raced by, like time did, and it made her dizzy. She thought of holding Matt and Hank for the first time, just seconds after they were born. She thought of the feel of Kurt against her at night. The scent of honeysuckle hit her nostrils, and Charlotte recalled the way Joe had looked deep into her eyes when he took her.

She found herself saying a silent prayer to Kurt. She hoped that God was eavesdropping and that both of them would understand.

I will always love you, but it's time to let you go.

"Mama! Look!" Hank and Matt screamed in amazement as a shooting star flashed on the horizon.

Charlotte felt a smile curl her lips.

"Shooting stars are actually small asteroids burning up in the earth's atmosphere," Joe said. "They're not really stars at all."

"Coolio," Matt said.

"Guess how many fingers I'm holding up," Hank said.

Joe laughed. "I have no idea."

"I'll give you a hint," Matt said. "She's holding up all the fingers on her left hand,"

'That would be four fingers then." was Joe's answer.

Charlotte turned around in time to see her children stare at each other in shock, their mouths open, then start to howl with laughter.

Joe pulled into Charlotte's drive instead of his own, which made her smile, and the kids tumbled from the backseat and raced for the door. Charlotte had barely gotten out of the car when Hoover bounded toward them, barking like a hound from hell. His nose immediately went to Joe's crotch.

"Your dog needs obedience classes, Charlotte."

"I took him. He flunked."

Then Joe had his arms around her, and she felt herself melt against him with a sigh. What would life be like if she could end every day in this man's arms? Hoover shoved his big head between their knees.

"It's damn hard to be alone with you," Joe said, chuckling.

"I know. I'm popular." Charlotte pulled away from his embrace. "Anyway, you smell like a giant number five with cheese."

Joe grinned down upon her and planted a sweet kiss full on her lips. "How about I take a shower and come back over?"

This was the part that was going to be the most difficult, but Charlotte knew she had to get it over with. Yes, she was falling for Joe, and yes, she'd decided to give in to her unbearable need for him. And no, she wasn't a damn bit ashamed of herself for doing either.

But she wouldn't do anything that would harm her children.

"Joe? I don't feel comfortable having you in my… well, my bedroom. Because of the kids. It's just-"

"I understand."

Sometimes she thought Joe was too good to be true. This was one of those times. He looked down at her with affection even though she'd just put the kibosh on his plans. How could a man be so carried away by passion one moment and so patient the next? What made a man like Joe tick?

She looked forward to spending a long time finding out.

"I'd like to make it really special for us-like, when it's not a school night and the kids can sleep over with friends. I'll make you dinner. We won't be rushed. We can-"

"I've waited thirteen years. I can wait a couple more days."

"Mama!" Hank's face was pressed up against Charlotte's bedroom window and she peered down on them. "Matt won't let me take a shower first and it's always my turn to go first on Tuesdays!"

"Creepy little cow-butt tattletale!" Matt's voice rang out from somewhere inside the house.

Charlotte looked up at Joe and sighed. "Good night." She planted a kiss on his cheek, which felt clenched tight beneath her lips. "I guess this mixing fantasy with reality isn't an easy thing to do."

"We'll find a way, Charlotte. Just you watch."