“They’re pulling in,” Cameron announces as he steps out on the porch and nods his head in the direction of the driveway. And my heart skips a beat. Beverly and Sniper join us on the porch, and Cameron wraps an arm around Beverly’s shoulders and kisses her temple when she becomes teary-eyed. Sniper takes my hand and squeezes it, giving me a wink; letting me know everything will be all right. Breathe, Charlotte.
When Henry parks his car, I once again have to remind myself to breathe. I’m so damn nervous my legs are shaking. Having my legs give out on me would not be good right now. Sniper, Anna, Cameron, and Beverly fly off the porch and surround George the moment he steps foot out of the car. I can barely see him as he’s lost in the tiny crowd surrounding him. After a few moments, they seem to break and his gorgeous, dark eyes meet mine, sucking the breath right out of me. They’re clearer now, and not so foreboding. As the others chitchat amongst themselves, he slips away and walks toward me. My heart hammers in my chest as he watches me with every step he takes. He looks amazing, so much better than when I last saw him. He’s put on a little weight, filled out a little more, and his hair is trimmed. Light panting breaths release from my mouth as I will myself to stand still. When he finally reaches me, he takes my hand and runs his thumb over the back of it. Caressing it lightly.
He worries his bottom lip for a few seconds as he stares down at me. “How are you?” he asks, his voice deep and husky, making my insides curl.
“I’m good,” I manage after a beat. “How are you?” I add. “Y-you look really good, George,” I finish in a nervous stutter.
He smiles and nods in agreement. “That’s because I’m clean.”
The others sidle by us, quietly, all of them giving quick, knowing glances. It’s no secret to anyone George and I have some things to work out, and it makes my heart burst with happiness that they’re all rooting for us. It’s nice to know I finally feel at home here, and they want to see us happy and together.
Once they’re all inside, George remains steady and continues to hold my hand. He pulls me toward him and slams my body to his. I tense for a moment from shock, but quickly mold to him as I tentatively wrap my arms around his neck. He holds me to him, tightly, breathing into my neck. And it feels amazing. My chest presses firmly against his. The electricity between us is palpable. A long minute passes where neither of us says a word. When his mouth finally finds my ear he whispers, “I’ve missed you like crazy. I gotta spend some time here with everyone, but I’d like it if we could leave together afterwards. I need to tell you some things. Is that okay?”
“Of course,” I whisper, still holding onto him for dear life. He doesn’t let me go, and I’m not sure how long we’d remain standing here if not for Cameron popping his head out and clearing his throat.
“I hate to break up this lovers’ moment, or whatever this is,” he motions his hand wildly in our direction, “but Mom says we can’t eat until you two come in. And I’m a growing boy,” he adds. “I need to eat.”
George snorts as he pulls away from me and turns his head to Cameron. “We’ll be right in.” Cameron, satisfied with this, leaves us and George’s gaze finds mine. “Just in case I forget to tell you later, you look beautiful tonight, Charlotte.”
Warmth crawls up my neck and covers my cheeks as his heated stare stays focused on mine. Before I respond, I look down and realize he’s wearing my brother’s necklace. My fingers brush over it softly as I smile. “You’re wearing it.”
Swallowing hard, he takes my hand and presses it to his chest. “I have your brother’s necklace, and you have my brother’s tags.” Then he tilts his face down and presses a soft kiss to my forehead before pulling me inside to join the others for dinner.
Dinner went great. Everyone laughed and reminisced, and when the subject of Ike came up, George asked me questions about my time with him, and I take that as a good sign. When I became teary-eyed, he’d handed me his napkin to wipe my face and squeezed my leg under the table to comfort me. George told us about his struggles with addiction, how and why he thinks he came to be in that bad spot in his life, and he apologized to all of us for any hurtful things he may have said or done.
When the evening ends, we all collect our coats and before I step outside, Beverly pulls me into her arms and hugs me tightly. “Thank you for saving my son,” she whispers before kissing my cheek. I smile at her but I know George decided to go to rehab on his own; that’s something I can’t take credit for.
“You two be safe tonight,” Cameron winks as he gives George a one-shouldered hug. “And by safe I mean—”
“Cameron,” Beverly warns.
“What?” Cameron feigns ignorance. “I was going to say wear your seatbelts—by safe I meant wear your seatbelts. What did you . . . ? Oh, Mom, come on. Dad, we’ve gotta do something about this woman’s gutter mind. She’s a bad influence on me.”
Beverly’s face turns bright red as we all laugh. Even Henry can’t help chuckling, even when Beverly smacks his chest.