Page 27 of Unearthed Dreams (Sable Point #3)

Chapter Twenty-Three

KAI

A month after Billy’s death, his affairs were nearly settled.

The cardboard box of ashes now rested in a proper urn on a shelf behind the bar, waiting for the day I figured out where Billy would have wanted to be scattered.

The bar had fallen into a rhythm again—though quieter now, more subdued, like the whole town was still processing the loss.

Hank’s law office smelled like leather and old paper, the kind of place that hadn’t changed in fifty years and probably never would. His secretary showed me to his office, where he sat behind a massive oak desk that had probably been there since before I was born.

“Kai.” Hank stood, extending his hand. “Thank you for coming.”

I shook it, noting how his grip was firm but careful—like he was handling something fragile. Great. More fucking pity.

“Let’s get this over with,” I said, dropping into one of the chairs facing his desk.

Hank’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t comment on my tone.

Instead, he pulled a thick manila envelope from his drawer.

“Most of this is standard paperwork—the bar is already in your name. But...” He hesitated, then pulled out a sealed envelope.

“Billy left this for you. Asked me to give it to you after...”

My throat went tight as I recognized Billy’s messy scrawl across the front: Kai .

“He wrote this before Pineview,” Hank continued. “When his mind was still clear.”

The envelope felt heavy in my hands, weighed down with words I wasn’t sure I was ready to read. But Hank was watching me with that careful expression again, so I tore it open, unfolding the pages inside.

Kai,

If you’re reading this, I’m either dead or so far gone I might as well be. Figured I should write this while I still can. While I still remember who you are and why I’m giving you my life’s work.

The bar was everything to me once. Before all the mistakes I made. It was the one thing I did right. And watching you bring it back to life made me proud in a way I never expected.

You’re the son I always wanted but never had. I know that might be hard to hear, given everything with Kelsey. But it’s true. You’ve got a good heart, Kai. Even when life’s done its best to harden it.

I need you to forgive yourself for Kelsey. For not being able to save her. God knows I’ve spent years trying to forgive myself for not being there when she needed a father. But sometimes people can’t be saved. Sometimes they don’t want to be.

Build a life here in Sable Point. A real one. One you can be proud of. The bar is yours—has been since the day you walked in. But now I’m asking you to make it yours in the ways that matter. Put down roots. Let people in.

I’ve watched you these past months, keeping everyone at arm’s length. And I get it. Believe me, I do. But don’t let my daughter’s ghosts keep you from living.

You deserve good things, son. Even if you don’t believe it yet.

-Billy

The paper crinkled in my grip as something hot and tight wrapped around my chest. Across the desk, Hank busied himself on his computer, giving me a moment to pull myself together.

I carefully folded the letter, sliding it back into its envelope. “Was there anything else?”

“Nope, that’s it.”

I stood, tucking the letter into my back pocket. As I walked out of Hank’s office into the bright summer day, Billy’s words echoed in my head: You deserve good things, son. Even if you don’t believe it yet.

Maybe it was time to start believing.

I’d just locked the front door when the back one creaked open.

Charlie slipped inside like a shadow, backpack slung over one shoulder, wearing those tiny sleep shorts and one of my t-shirts she’d stolen. My heart did that thing it always did when I saw her—like it was trying to break free of my chest just to get closer to her.

“Hey, pretty girl.”

She smiled—that soft, private smile that only came out in moments like this, when it was just us in the quiet of my bar. “Hey yourself.”

Eleven PM on a Tuesday. Like clockwork. Every night since Billy died, she’d been here, curling herself into my life like she belonged. And fuck if I didn’t want her to belong.

“Your parents asleep?” I asked, even though I knew the answer. We had this routine down to a science now.

“Mmhmm. Mom’s shows ended at ten, Dad started snoring by ten-thirty.” She dropped her backpack by the stairs. “Chase was out, probably at Elena’s again, though he won’t admit it. And Jasper and Nat are...” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, being newlyweds.”

She moved through my space— our space, if I was being honest—with the easy familiarity of someone who knew exactly where they belonged. The sight made my chest ache.

Because she did belong here. With me. Even if the thought terrified me.

Billy’s letter burned in my pocket where I’d kept it since this afternoon.

You deserve good things. Maybe. But Charlie?

She deserved fucking everything. More than sneaking around her family’s backs.

More than being my dirty little secret. More than loving a man who’d spent the last decade drowning in ghosts.

“You’re thinking too loud,” she said, stepping into my space. Her fingers found the furrow between my brows, smoothing it gently. “Stop it.”

I caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Can’t help it.”

“Try.” She pushed up on her toes, pressing a soft kiss to my jaw. “Or I’ll have to distract you.”

Christ. The innocence and heat in her voice—it still knocked me sideways every time. A month of teaching her pleasure, of watching her bloom under my hands, and she still managed to surprise me with these little moments of bold sweetness.

I was so fucking in love with her it hurt.

But love wasn’t always enough, was it? Hadn’t I learned that lesson the hard way with Kelsey?

“Charlie...” Her name came out rougher than intended.

She pulled back slightly, those stormy eyes searching my face. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t start overthinking this. Us.” Her hand found my chest, right over my heart. “I know that look. You’re spiraling.”

I covered her hand with mine, marveling at how small she was compared to me. How delicate. How fucking precious. “You deserve better than this. Than sneaking around, hiding what we are from everyone.”

“Maybe.” She stepped closer, eliminating the little space between us. “Or maybe what I deserve is to choose for myself. And I choose this. You. All of it. ”

My arms wrapped around her waist automatically, drawing her closer even as my mind screamed to push her away. “You’re twenty-two. You should be out living your life, not tied down to?—”

“I’m twenty-three, actually.”

The words stopped me cold, my hands still resting on her hips. “Today’s your birthday?”

“Yep.” She traced a pattern on my chest through my t-shirt, refusing to meet my eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” My thumb brushed the strip of skin where my shirt had ridden up on her waist, and I felt her shiver.

Her lips curved into that small smile that always made my heart skip. “I’m telling you right now.”

“Yeah, but there’s only”—I glanced at the clock hanging behind the bar, its soft ticking suddenly loud in the quiet space—“an hour left.”

She pressed closer, and the innocent way she fit against me made my blood run hot. “Can’t be certain, but I think that’s plenty of time for my gift.”

“Gift?” The word came out rougher than intended as her fingers slid up my chest to play with the collar of my shirt.

A blush crept up her neck, but there was something decidedly wicked in her expression. “Might be more of a gift for you.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Riddler?” My hands tightened on her hips instinctively as she swayed closer.

Her cheeks flushed darker, but those stormy eyes held mine with unwavering certainty. “My virginity. I’d like to gift it to you for my birthday. ”

The air left my lungs in a rush. My fingers flexed against her hips as I struggled to form words. “Charlie...”

“Don’t.” She pressed a finger to my lips. “Don’t overthink this. Don’t tell me I deserve better or that we should wait. I’ve done enough waiting. Please, Kai.”

Jesus fuck. The amount of self-restraint I’d shown over the last month—the last few months, honestly—was epic.

I’d never wanted to bury my cock in someone so badly.

Sure, I got off every damn day, but that perfect, tight pussy was practically begging me to fuck it every time I slipped my tongue or my fingers inside.

Now, the woman herself was begging.

How could I deny her? On her birthday?

I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

I’d done enough waiting too.

“You’re sure?” My voice came out rough, strained.

She nodded, her fingers trailing down my chest to play with the hem of my shirt. “I want it to be you. Here. Tonight.”

“But this... this needs to be perfect. You deserve?—”

“You.” She pushed up on her toes, bringing her lips a breath away from mine. “I deserve exactly what I want. And I want you, Kai.”

The sound of my name on her lips, soft and certain, snapped the last thread of my control. I lifted her, and her legs wrapped around my waist like they’d done dozens of times before—except this dance would end a little different tonight.

Her fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently. “Take me upstairs.”

My boots hit each stair with purpose, Charlie’s soft weight in my arms making me hyperaware of everywhere we touched. Her mouth found my neck, pressing feather-light kisses that had my grip tightening on her thighs.

I shouldered through my apartment door, kicking it shut behind us. Charlie’s laptop sat on my kitchen counter next to a coffee mug she’d left this morning. Her hairbrush on my dresser. Little pieces of her life scattered through mine.

“Put me down,” she whispered against my throat.

I set her on her feet but couldn’t make myself step back. Not when she was looking up at me like that—all trust and want and nervous excitement.

“We can go slow,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We don’t have to?—”

She tugged at the hem of my shirt gently. “I don’t want slow. I want you.”

A growl tore from my throat as I yanked it off in one rough motion.

Charlie’s soft hands slid down my chest, over my stomach, and to the waistband of my jeans. She’d made me come in my fucking pants before, but never just from skin-on-skin contact—but fuck me if I wasn’t right there.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I feel like I should be asking you that,” I muttered as her fingertips traced a path along the skin just below my navel.

“Kai, I’m the virgin here. Why are you nervous?” A small sound escaped her lips and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“Absolutely not,” she mumbled into her palm, but her shoulders shook, giving her away.

“Well that’ll be about e-fucking-nough of that.” I bent at the waist and threw her over my shoulder, carrying her the short distance to the bed, fireman-style.

Her giggles rang in my ears as she slapped my jean-clad ass and a wide grin stretched across my face. I tossed her on the bed and she bounced as her laughter echoed around the studio apartment.

I was on her in an instant, and she spread her legs to make room for me in the cradle of her hips. Her hands dove into my hair, freeing it from its tie so it hung like a curtain around my face—just the way she loved it, so she could run her fingers through it while I kissed her.

She was looking at me with those big, beautiful eyes, and I could hardly think, let alone speak. Elbows braced on either side of her head, I kissed her forehead and ran a gentle hand over her hair.

She was the first to break the silence with a quietly murmured confession.

“I love you, Kai.”

I blinked, hand stilling on the top of her head. You deserve good things.

Billy’s words echoed in my head as I processed Charlie’s, but she took my silence the wrong way.

“It’s okay. I don’t need the words. Just show me.”

God, I wanted to tell her how much I loved her. How she’d taken every bruised and battered piece of my soul and mended it. How she made everything better by simply existing. But would it even be enough, in the long run?

I couldn’t force the words past my lips.

So I showed her instead.