Page 52 of Gossip Game

“Oh, sweetie, come here.” Charlotte lifted his niece into her arms.

Ainsley shot her sister a satisfied smirk before resting her head on Charlotte’s shoulder.

“Hey! I want to dance with you guys, too.”

He was already hefting Maisy onto his hip before she could finish her demand. Maisy wrapped an arm around Charlotte’s and Noah’s necks, pulling the foursome closer together.

“This is perfect,” Maisy announced.

It certainly is.

Charlotte gently rocked Ainsley. The little girl’s eyes drifted shut.

“Do you want me to take her, too,” he asked when she shifted Ainsley on her shoulder.

She shook her head. “I miss when Vivi and Gray were this small. I used to dance them to sleep just like this.”

The gentle smile she bestowed on his niece robbed him of his breath. Her devotion to her brother’s twins was touching. It was obvious Charlotte longed for children of her own. He could give her that. Hell, he ached to give her that.

A round of applause greeted them when the music stopped. It was only then that he noticed all eyes in the room focused their way. Charlotte curtsied as best she could with twenty-five pounds of dead weight on her shoulder. Maisy trotted out her best royal wave for the crowd.

Alex and Chris hurried over to take their daughters. Noah reached for Charlotte’s hand, brushing his lips over her fingers. A gorgeous blush stained her cheeks when she leaned her cheek against his shoulder. Noah was a little disappointed there wasn’t a camera in sight to record the moment. For once, he’d like to give Bucky Kincaid something to eat crow about.

“Is it time to go home?” Charlotte whispered, the seductively asked question erasing all thoughts of Kincaid from his mind.

FIFTEEN

The sky was a brilliant blue when Charlotte and Noah emerged from Meemaw’s the following morning. Stopping on the breezeway connecting the two houses, Charlotte inhaled a deep breath of the mountain air, tinged with the crisp scent of autumn.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said.

Noah wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his lips into her hair. “Mmm. You are.”

She swatted at his hands that were roaming shamelessly over her belly. “I meant this place. Your home. I’m so glad you invited me.”

“We could go back inside where you can thank me for my generous hospitality.”

The idea was appealing, but if he “thanked” her anymore today, she doubted she’d be able to walk.

“We’re late for breakfast,” she argued half-heartedly. “Haven’t you worked up an appetite yet?”

He spun her around in his arms. The roguish smile he wore was still new to her. And precious. She enjoyed knowing the part of Noah he reserved for only a few. It made her feel special.

And loved.

He hadn’t come out and said it yet. At least not in words. But every time he touched her, she experienced it. And it felt glorious.

Her fingers found the buttons on his Henley. “Well, I guess since we’re already late.” She batted her eyelashes.

Noah’s pupils dilated. A moment later, he dropped his arms from around her.

“Too late,” he teased as he spun her around and patted her on the butt. “Now I’m thinking about bacon.”

Charlotte sputtered in protest. Noah laughed as he propelled her into the empty kitchen.

“There better be bacon left,” Noah called out.

“In here,” Chris answered.

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