Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

She steps into view, and I swear my world shifts with the impact of what is finally happening. The instant her foot hits the pavement, I’m moving. A few of the men wave, shouting their hellos, but I’m too focused to respond with more than a chin dip. Her face lights up bright, and behind her sunglasses, I can feel her eyes glowing into my skin. There are no words before my mouth lands on hers, and I’m lifting her off the ground. She giggles down my throat as I curl my tongue around hers, covering every inch of her mouth, and grumble in appreciation at the taste of chocolate and cinnamon.

“Hey,” she whispers breathlessly against my lips.

“Why does it feel like I spend most of my life waiting for you?”

“I’m here now.”

“Let’s go home.”

“Home.” She repeats the word in a hushed sigh. I take her hand and walk us to the back of the plane, where the flight attendants unload bags. This time, I do speak to the few people I recognize, and Darby introduces me to those I haven’t met. This crew is the first round to arrive for the grand opening event scheduled in a few days. Several full-size SUVs pull up, ready to transport them to the hotel. She confirms we will be at the dinner scheduled for tomorrow night while I load her bags and Runner into the truck.

“What did you work out with Connie?”

I frown at the mention of her name. “I didn’t work out anything. I told her to have the kids at the house on Saturday morning by nine. If she’s even a minute late, we’re going back to court.”

“They’ll be at the ribbon-cutting ceremony?”

“Yes, and if she does anything to screw it up, she’s fucked.”

Stephanie was right; Connie held no credibility after what happened. The judge granted me seventy-five percent custody, and Connie lost all financial support. If I have any suspicions of her manipulating the kids or backhanded activity while they are with her, she’s losing them for good. We tried to keep what happened back in January quiet, but it was impossible. Connie received most of the backlash. On top of losing her kids, she ruined her reputation and found herself dropped from all social circuits. Plus, her lavish lifestyle came to an end.

Connie’s scheme was eventually fully exposed for what it was all those years ago and leading up to trying to destroy my relationship with Darby. She came after me with intentions of getting pregnant and took measures to help that along. All our families, including hers, know the truth, except for the part of how Cole was conceived. That is a secret that will never be disclosed.

I didn’t give a fuck. What I did care about was the kids’ transition, but Cole and Maya had no problems. I worried how Darby would adjust, moving into a house that was insta-family, but she was dead set this is what she wanted. And now we’d have a whole new set of grandparents to step in when needed.

“We’re going to make a detour. If you need to make any calls or texts, I suggest you use this time to do it.”

“What detour?”

“I have something for you.”

“You mean our families aren’t already waiting to swarm us when we drive up?”

“Not unless they’re aiming for a death wish. Today and tonight are mine. We made a compromise.”

She lets out a laugh. When I glance over, she’s turned in her seat, facing me with raised eyebrows. “Compromise? When did you learn to compromise?”

“I’m a very reasonable man.”

“Liar.”

“I’ll amend. I’m a very reasonable man when people see things my way.”

“That sounds more like it.”

“Make your calls.”

In the twenty minutes it takes us to get to our destination, she speaks to her parents and Evin, who didn’t put up an argument about postponing Darby’s homecoming once they knew my plans. My secret can’t stay hidden for much longer, not with our families bursting to squeal. Especially Cole and Maya. That’s why everyone agreed to give me this time.

That and I threatened to physically remove anyone that stepped foot on my property before tomorrow afternoon.

“What did you do exactly? Even my mom didn’t give me a hard time. That’s highly unusual.” Darby drops her phone in her purse.

“I didn’t do anything,” I reply with my best innocent face.

She eyes me skeptically but is distracted when I pull up to the familiar brick building. “Why are we here?”

I don’t answer, getting out and whistling for Runner to follow. He sniffs around while I go to help her out. She takes in the few changes from the outside. “New landscaping, fresh asphalt, a delivery bay,” she assesses.

“I thought you might want to see what the new owner did.”

“Okay, but we’re the only people here.”

I shrug, leading her by the elbow to the door, taking her finger in mine to punch in the code on the security pad. Her sharp intake of breath is all I need to know she recognizes the number sequence. It’s the date I walked up to her in that gym years ago.