Chapter One

Charlie

May 22, 2016

“YOU ONLY GRADUATED three hours ago,” my older brother unnecessarily reminded me in that authoritative tone he often used. “Let’s just focus on moving you home, and get you settled there for a while. Then when you’re ready, you can look into getting your own place. I don’t understand why you’re trying to rush this.”

And I couldn’t figure out why he was dismissing the importance of all that I needed to do. “Because I have a court date in a month, Jagger, and I need to have everything done by then. I don’t understand why you’re trying to stall this.”

“A month? Charlie!”

“Jag,” his wife began, but didn’t continue when Jagger shot her a look.

“She’s barely giving herself any time, Grey,” he said firmly, then glared at me. “And when were you going to tell us that you set up a court date?”

“You should have known that I would schedule it for as soon as possible.”

“It would have been nice to know that you scheduled it at all.”

“You knew this was coming!” I said with a frustrated laugh. “This shouldn’t be as shocking as you’re making it seem.”

He blew out a harsh breath. “It’s not, and of course we did. I want this to happen for you, but you should’ve known that you would need time to get everything in order once you got home. A month isn’t enough time, Charlie. I would have told you that before today, and you wouldn’t have this deadline. We need to push the date back.”

“No,” I said decisively. “It wouldn’t be long enough if I took my time adjusting back to life in Thatch. But I don’t need to adjust to life in Thatch, I was only gone for nine months. I’ve graduated, which was one of the conditions, and as soon as I can, I’m finding a job and I’m moving out.”

Jagger groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Do you realize how much easier everything would be for you if you and Keith just stayed with us?”

“Because that will look so great on me. Single mom chooses to live in back room of brother’s warehouse with toddler son because it’s easier.” I scoffed. “What would the judge say, Jag?”

Jagger didn’t respond, because he already knew.

I dropped my voice so it wouldn’t carry into the living room of my off-campus apartment, where my son was playing with Grey’s parents and my niece. “Once Keith started talking and saying ‘Mama,’ I had to spend over a year making sure he wouldn’t call me his mom until everything finally came out about whose son he really was. Do you have any idea how much that killed me?”

Jagger locked his jaw and his eyes darted to the floor, but he didn’t respond.

Grey stood a few feet away with both hands covering her mouth, her eyebrows pinched and eyes filled with pain.

I knew they both were imagining having to do the same with their daughter, Aly, who had just started saying “Dada” and “Mama” within the last couple months.

“Then, after all that, he spent the next eight months trying to understand that I was his mom, and finally got to the point where he understood it . . . and I left for school. To him, it probably looked like what Mom always did to us, Jagger, just kept leaving. He probably thought I wouldn’t come back.”

“No, we never let him think that,” Grey assured me. “And you were home every other weekend and you FaceTimed every day. He never thought you weren’t coming back, Charlie.”

I’d already known that, but it never made it easier on me. I waved off her worried look, and waited until I had Jagger’s attention. “You demanded that I go away to finish college. I did. I have two more conditions to fulfill from the judge, and nothing will stop me from checking them off as fast as possible so I can get custody of Keith. He’s three and a half years old, Jagger. I know you want to help me, but I want my life with him.”

One month, I thought to myself. One month and Keith will finally be my son. A tremor or fear rolled through me. Hopefully.

“Okay,” my brother finally said with a deep breath out. “But don’t rush into finding somewhere to live just because of this court date. You two have a place with us, and you can stay there as long as you need. That appointment can be pushed back, all right?”

I nodded quickly, though I had no intentions of doing that. I would find the perfect place for us in time. I knew it.

Jagger held my stare for a few more seconds, then took a step away. “I’m gonna start loading up the cars so we can leave soon.”

Grey knocked her shoulder into mine once Jagger sauntered away, and whispered, “I’m proud of you for standing your ground.”

A soft exhale burst from my chest. “I’ve never had a problem standing up to him, it’s everyone else I have a problem with.”

She sent me an amused look. “Charlie, you have a problem even talking to other people. But I’ve never seen you stand up to Jagger like this, I think maybe this time away has helped you come out of your shell just a tiny bit more.”

“Wishful thinking. I’ve been practicing that speech for about a month now.” I looked to my front door, and tried to keep the hopeful tone from my voice when I asked, “Speaking of loading up the cars, where’s Graham? Are you sure he and Deacon didn’t head back to Thatch already?”

Grey’s brother, Graham, and his best friends had all been at my graduation, but a couple of them had left directly after in order to get back to work on time. Graham and Deacon, however, had been with us at lunch, and I hadn’t seen them since we’d all left to come back to my apartment.

Or, at least, I’d thought we’d all come back here. But we’d been back for close to an hour now, and the guys still hadn’t shown.

I wasn’t exactly torn up about it, even though having Graham’s truck would mean that we would be able to easily fit all of my stuff into the vehicles for one quick trip home.

Grey shook her head and pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the screen. “No, he said they’d meet us back here. Maybe I should call—”

“No, that’s okay,” I said quickly, happy to prolong my time away from a certain cold, brown-eyed boy.

Just then there was a quick rap on the door before it opened, and Graham and Deacon walked in.