He frowned at me. “I know, but there’s a difference in not being perfect and being Charles. Trust me on that. In fact, this brings me to the real reason I wanted to talk to you.”
“Which is?”
“Owen and I will be gone for two weeks,” he said. “Would you mind staying at the house with Lucky while we’re away?”
“Can’t I just take him back to my place?”
Since Dad moved in with Declan after Declan’s surgery, it only made sense for me to take over the house once I’d decided to move back to Cincy. The decision had been a tough one, even more so since my twin loved Columbus too much, and I didn’t anticipate him deciding to move back with me.
“You could, but I’m convinced you wouldn’t have any peace of mind. Lucky had been thrown out of a moving vehicle when Owen found him. He’s become quite attached to our house, and it’ll be hard enough for him that we won’t be around. We hope keeping him in the same surroundings will ease his anxiety.”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind me being in your space.”
“Of course not. You’re family, and each of you has your own room anyway.”
“All right then. I’ll be your dog sitter.”
“Of course, I’ll pay you for your time.”
I glared at him. “Don’t insult me, Declan. You just said it yourself. You’re family.”
“Fine then, but I do have an account with several places should you need to get anything for the house or Lucky. I’ll ask David to give you the list. Feel free to use those.”
“You’ll just be gone for two weeks.”
“Unless I can convince Owen to extend the time.” A new song started, and we continued dancing. “And there’s something else I need to ask you to do.”
“Okay, name it.”
“Charles is caught in a weird place right now.” We both perused the bar for Charles. He was talking to Poppy. The guy she’d been dancing with stood beside her.
“What do you mean?”
“He wants a divorce, but it’s not so simple, since he also wants to be a father to the baby. I have a feeling Poppy will make things very difficult for him, and I’m afraid that if he doesn’t get his way, he’ll forget all his good intentions and fall right off the wagon and he’ll start partying again, drinking, missing work. Typical Charles stuff. Just keep an eye on him while I’m away, will you?”
I swallowed hard at his request. “Charles is an adult, Declan. He hardly needs a babysitter.”
“That’s debatable, but I’m serious. I’ve seen the worst of it over the years. I won’t be around to bail him out if he gets himself into trouble.”
“But why are you telling me this?”
“Because I know I can count on you. You have a take-charge attitude that he needs to pull him back from the edge should he wander too closely.”
Chapter 3
Charles
Drinking was familiar, so I stuck with that as the reception progressed. I took my time with each glass, since I didn’t want to be so drunk I’d ruin Declan’s big day. Just drunk enough to get over how much my feelings plummeted with each minute.
It wasn’t even about Poppy and the way she danced with every man and ignored me during the reception. I was already used to her behavior.
Seeing Declan and Owen together had started to hurt. I was genuinely happy for them, but it also reminded me too much of what I’d lost. Then there in my vision was Declan dancing with August, and I loathed the knotting in my chest.
They looked great together. Both men of similar age, similar height, and handsome. I could feel the powerful and confident aura they exuded straight across the space that divided us. They would’ve been magnificent together, but Declan was in love with Owen.
“Charles.”
For once since I found out Poppy was pregnant, her interruption was a welcome distraction from analyzing my feelings where August was concerned.
“Yes?” I turned my attention to Poppy and the nervous young man who stood with her. I dismissed him quite easily. The poor thing was just another pawn in Poppy’s game. I still wasn’t sure how to win this round.
“We’re leaving,” she said.
I nodded absentmindedly at her. “Okay, call my driver, and he’ll take you home.”
“Actually, we’re going back to Manuel’s place.”
Manuel gave me a slight wave. “Uh, um, she said it was okay, but if it’s not, I can—”
“She’s right, Manuel.” I smiled at the other man. “It’s no problem