Page 126 of With a Cherry On Top

“You deserted your daughter.” The words feel like fire in my throat, like acid in my veins. “You’ve been gone for months, mostly without calling or checking in. You canceled on her when she was supposed to come see you. Fuck, Josie, she was so excited, and you didn’t think about anyone but yourself. And now—now you want to come at me over who I choose to spend my time with? Over who I bring home?”

Her face crumples, her lips wobbling.

“You don’t get to pass judgment until you come home and hug your daughter. Until you prove you’re here to stay. You don’t get to show up when it’s convenient for you and pretend you still have a say in my life. In Sadie’s life.”

I take a shaky breath, my hands trembling.

“Youdon’t get to say a single damn word to me,” I finish, voice hoarse, “until you stop making excuses and start fixing what you broke.”

Silence.

The whole precinct is staring at us now. Officers. Civilians. The guy at the front desk who was half asleep two minutes ago. Until Josie’s tears finally spill over, and she walks past us in a flurry.

The door buzzes again as she disappears through it, leaving me standing there, my chest heaving.

A hand lands on my shoulder and I turn, locking eyes with Max.

“I think you should go now,” he says quietly. “Both of you.”

I let out a shaky breath, then nod.

I made a scene. A huge fucking scene.

Charlotte is still beside me, silent, eyes downcast. She gives Max a small wave, then grabs my hand and drags me toward the exit.

I follow her, no questions asked.

No wondering.

No looking back.

CHAPTER 24

Rinse and Repeat

Iopen the door to the house and hang my head, the weight of the night settling on my shoulders like a heavy coat. I found texts from everyone once I finally checked my phone—they assumed I struck gold and left with the hot redhead, which in a way, I did.

I guess they don’t need to know I was handcuffed and in the back of a police car.

The whole place is empty, silent, and I wish Sadie weren’t at my mom’s place tonight. Wish she were home so I could tiptoe upstairs, tuck her blankets under her chin, and press a kiss to her forehead.

Just seeing her, hearing her breathing, would be enough. She has this magic, this inexplicable power to make all my bad moods disappear.

But tonight, the house is just a house. Cold. Quiet. Hollow.

Charlotte steps in behind me, closing the door with a click, then her gaze sweeps over the darkness like she’s feeling the same emptiness.

“I need a shower,” she says, voice hushed but certain. “Do you need a shower?” Without waiting for an answer, she lacesher fingers with mine, tugging me gently up the stairs. I follow, flicking the light on when we make it to the top. The golden glow spills into the hallway, illuminating the moment she reaches for the zipper of her dress. With a single fluid motion, it slides off her shoulders and pools at her feet.

My breath stalls.

Okay.Seeing Charlotte naked performs miracles on my bad mood too.

She steps closer, a knowing smirk playing on her lips as I try to keep my eyes on her face and fail spectacularly. When I jerk my chin up in a pathetic attempt to be noble, she tilts it right back down with a teasing finger.

“Don’t look awaynow,” she murmurs.

She strips me of my shirt, then my jeans, her fingers brushing over my skin like she’s memorizing every inch. Without a word, I turn the shower faucet on and step into it behind her, the roar of the water drowning out everything for a blissful moment.