I snuggled in against Charles, the wicker squeaking beneath us. “Thank you,” I said.
“For what?” Charles asked.
“For accepting me. For including me. I never asked you to fold me completely into your life.”
He kissed the top of my head and held me close. “I told you I wanted you around me always. The closer you grow, the more I love every part of you. And if I love you this much, my family won’t be able to do anything but love you, too.”
I bit back hesitations. He was promising someone else’s feelings now. Instead, I changed the subject.
“Will we have time to walk down to the beach?”
Charles again laughed outright. This was the happiest I’d seen him for a prolonged period of time, probably since high school.
“Not a chance,” he answered. “If we were calculating the amount of time betw
