Fight Dirty (Dawson Family 5)

Eastwood is small in terms of population, but with it consisting of farmland, the actual size of the town is impressive. It won’t take long before the in town part of Eastwood gives way to fields and farms. I slow to a stop at a crosswalk, waiting for an old Ford to rumble through the stop sign before crossing the street. I don’t want to go that far today and plan to just run up and down the same streets a few times before going back to my parents’. I want to continue my search for a place to live so I can get my stuff out of storage as soon as possible.

My phone dings with a text, and I look down to see who’s texting me. It’s Marcus, who’s the closest thing I had to a best friend in the city. He’s an interior designer and worked on the floor below me. We coincidentally got into the elevator at the same time more than once, and then discovered that we both have a closet-addiction to Broadway shows, Disney movies, and teen TV dramas.

With us both having crazy busy schedules, we didn’t have much time to hang out but texted regularly. He’s been checking in on me ever since I left New York.

Marcus: Hey lady. Haven’t heard from you in days. How you doing?

Me: Much better today. Looking for apartments here so I can get out of my parents’ house. I feel like things are looking up.

I exit out of my texts right as he sends me another, making a mental note to check it after my run. Inhaling deep, I cross the street and am right about to pick up the pace to a jog again when a little boy on a bike speeds out of his yard and onto the sidewalk.

“Jackson,” a man calls after him. “You gotta wait, buddy.”

My eyes go to the man on their own accord and my heart stops. My mouth goes dry, and I suddenly can’t remember how to move my feet, despite the fact that I just ran over a mile.

He comes down the porch steps holding a tiny baby in his arms. She’s wrapped in a little pink blanket and starts fussing, no doubt from him calling out to the little boy named Jackson.

If there were a lush flowerbed or even a prickly bush nearby, I’d dive right in and pray he didn’t see me. I’d stay there until Jackson sped by on his bike, not wanting to risk moving even a muscle.

But it’s too late, because he’s looking right at me.

“Charlie?”

My mouth opens, but no sounds come out, though I’m pretty sure he can hear the pounding of my heart. Suddenly, the heat of the day comes crashing down on me, and I blink rapidly, trying to get rid of the dizziness.

My eyes fall shut in a long blink, and Idina Menzel’s voice rings out through my earbuds, telling me it’s time to try defying gravity. But it’s like I already am. Because only one person can make me feel that way, like I’m floating and falling at the same time, and the shock of how strong those feelings are coming on makes the dizziness increase tenfold.

I swallow hard and open my eyes. He’s coming closer, cradling the baby to his chest. She looks so tiny in his arms, and he’s put on several pounds of muscle since I last saw him. Is it too late to run and hide?

Yes, yes it is. Because Owen Dawson is walking right to me.Chapter 7OwenViolet starts to settle down, but my heart is in my throat. Charlie is only a few yards from me, standing on the sidewalk, staring at me like she’s seeing a ghost. In a way, maybe that’s all I am to her.

A distant memory that’s started to fade. I can only hope it’s haunted her a few times over the years.

Because she’s haunted me.

“O-Owen,” she starts, pulling her earbuds out of her ears. It should be illegal for anyone to be this good-looking. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a high ponytail and sweat drips down her chest, disappearing between her breasts. She’s wearing a pink sports bra and tight running shorts. Her body is toned and tan, and I remember all too well the way it felt under mine. “You…you have a baby?” Her eyes go to Jackson. “Or two?”

I wave Jackson back over and laugh. “No, they’re not mine. You remember my brother Wes?”

She blinks rapidly as she nods. “Oh right, Dean said he had kids.” Her eyes go to Violet. “She’s adorable.”

I give her a wink. “Now that she does get from me.” I swallow my pounding heart and do my best not to fuck Charlie with my eyes. Because she somehow looks better than I remember. There’s always a risk for seeing something in real life after fantasizing about it, and she does not disappoint.