Page 49 of With a Cherry On Top

“Europe, for the most part. Sydney for a while, and...lots of other places.”

“And now, Roseberg.”

“Yeah. I’ve got quite a few projects lined up, so, if everything goes well, we’ll stay a while.” She bats her lashes. “Roseberg might be my new home.”

Roseberg might be her new home.

I don’t know why it hits me like that—maybe because I hadn’t considered it before. That this sharp, teasing, impossible girl isn’t just passing through my life butrootingherself into it.

I barely know her, but she’s in my mind. In my house. She’s met my kid too.

I nod, my fingers tightening around my water. “Guess I’ll have to start saving you a seat at Tony’s then.”

CHAPTER 10

Finger Lickin’ Good

Charlotte ate three slices, then stopped herself from reaching for a fourth. She almost looks drunk with food, her body sinking deeper into the chair, lips parted in a lazy kind of satisfaction. I doubt she ever feels this way—full, content, at peace with her stomach. A selfish part of me wishes I had been the one to feed her, to be the reason for this rare kind of bliss. But I can’t bring myself to be sad when she looks this happy.

From upstairs, Sadie’s voice carries over, her excited chatter echoing against the walls.

“So...” Charlotte’s gaze flicks to my left hand. “Your wife doesn’t live here.”

The words barely register before I correct her automatically. “Ex-wife.”

“Really?” She points at my hand, at the ring that still sits there. “So what’s with that?”

My fingers flex on instinct. Ishouldtake it off, but every time I try, it feels too final, like pulling out the last thread holding something fragile together. The final step toward admitting my biggest failure.

Now, for the first time, Ireallywish I had.

“Uh...I don’t know. The divorce only became official this week, and Sadie just found out.”

“But she knows now, right?”

I reach for my water, the condensation slick against my fingers. “My ex-wife...she’s in rehab. So the whole divorce thing has been complicated.”

“I’m sorry.”

I nod once and look away, my jaw tight.

“That must be hard for Sadie,” she adds after a beat.

“It is.”

She hesitates, then, “And for you.”

I glance at her. Most people don’t say that. They focus on Sadie, or on Josie, or on the logistics of it all. Butme? I’m the one who fucked up. The one who caused this situation. I’m the one who was in love with Josie when she belonged to someone else.

“Losing your wife and your co-parent at once...it can’t be easy.”

I clear my throat. “No,” I admit quietly. “No, it’s not.”

She doesn’t respond right away, just watches me, her gaze steady, and I offer a small smile, trying to defuse the sudden tension. “Don’t feel too bad for me. This is kind of...my fault. All of it.”

She stills, thoughtful. “Really?Allof it?”

“Uh-huh.”