Page 36 of A Night To Remember

“Don’t get smart with me, girl. I may not be the smartest man, but I do have eyes in my head. It’s time you came clean,” Keith insisted.

Charlie rolled her eyes. Why did people always ask questions to things they already knew the answer to? “Jake is my boss,” Charlie answered stubbornly.

Delores intervened. “Your father told me about what happened in the office. Are you going to sit there and lie to our faces? We’ve raised you better than that, young lady.”

“Okay, Jake is Kristy’s father. Is that what you wanted to hear? When I started working for MBF, I didn’t know Jake was the owner, nor did I think I’d see him again so he didn’t know about Kristy until today,” Charlie confessed.

“Do you mean to tell me, you’ve been hiding her from him all along?” Delores sounded astonished.

Charlie groaned inwardly. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

“From where I’m sitting, it doesn’t seem that complicated,” her father contradicted. “Judging from the way that boy was looking at the baby, he was pretty shocked. How in the world did it happen? You’ve always refused to tell us how you became pregnant with Kristy, but by God, you’re going to tell us now!” He finished with his voice raised several decibels.

“Dad, do I have to remind you that Kristy is sleeping? It’s been over three years now. The hows and whys Kristy is here are no longer important, what is important is that she is here. Why delve into something you guys know I don’t want to go into?”

“Because we care, Charlie. You were obviously upset when you came out of your office building today,” Delores answered.

“If you cared, you’d drop the subject and trust me to handle this as I see fit,” Charlie argued.

“We’ve trusted that you would eventually tell us what happened. We also trusted that you would do the right thing by Kristy and settle down again, but I see our trust has been misplaced.” Keith shot her a look of disapproval.

After the emotional roller coaster Charlie had been on, she snapped. “Okay, do you really want to know? I had a one-night stand with a stranger, on what should have been my anniversary with Paul. I panicked the next morning and ran away, thinking I would never see him again, but surprise, surprise, I learn he’s my new boss three years later. I didn’t tell him about Kristy because I was scared of losing her. Now you know. Are you happy? Can you guys get off my back now?”

She had never talked to her parents like this before and while she didn’t regret what she’d said, she regretted how she’d said it. Even though they were being pushy, she knew they had meant well. The hurt expressions on their face cut her to the quick.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Charlie apologized. “I love you two so much and I know that you want the best for me and Kristy, but you also have to realize that I’m an adult. This is my life and I’ll live it the way I see fit, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t look to you two for guidance or that I don’t value your opinions. I just need you to respect my decisions and trust that you instilled the values in me that will help me make the right ones.”

From the expressions on their faces, it didn’t appear ready to listen. Charlie loved her parents but they could be stubborn when they wanted to be. An awkward silence followed. Keith and Delores looked at one another and then at Charlie, making her feel guiltier than she already felt. They murmured something about getting on the road early the next day.

Charlie’s parents expressed they no longer felt welcome in her home because of her outburst. They decided to head out the next morning even against Charlie’s protests. She woke up early to make them breakfast. She was sorry they were leaving in these circumstances, but it couldn’t be helped. She hoped they’d eventually get over their hurt feelings to actually take in what she’d actually said to them. When she saw them off, she kissed and hugged them like normal, but there was still some tension and restraint between them.

Charlie dropped Kristy off at the daycare as usual when her parents left, needing some time to herself. She spent most of the morning driving around but going nowhere. She couldn’t help remembering Jake’s angry words. Charlie wished she had listened to Laura and told Jake about Kristy, at least then she wouldn’t have caused him so much pain.

The look of hurt in his eyes ripped at her heart. She sincerely wished she had been upfront with Jake from the beginning, instead of hoarding her secret selfishly to herself. She went over the reasons as to why she had decided to keep Kristy a secret until it finally dawned on her.

Charlie wanted Jake.

She wanted him more than she had wanted anyone in a very long time and it scared the hell out of her, but that only brought on a new set of problems. If she allowed herself to give herself over to him completely, Charlie could be opening herself up to heartache. She’d been down that road before and didn’t think she could deal with it again.

Still, it didn’t keep the carnal thoughts at bay. The things he’d done to her body gave her many sleepless nights. She would wake up with her body damp with sweat after dreaming about his delicious cock damp with her pussy juices. Even thinking about it now made her pussy contract. She was finally able to admit to herself it had been more than just grief that had allowed Jake to make love to her that night over three years ago.

She had been fiercely attracted to him, and she still was. Now that she could see the situation more clearly for what it was, she wondered how she’d deal with him where Kristy was concerned.

After driving around for a few hours, Charlie came home to find a black luxury vehicle in her driveway. The moment she pulled up, Jake climbed out of the car. Charlie slowly got out of her car, bracing herself for another verbal assault.

“You didn’t show up for work today, so I looked your address up in your file. May I come in?” he asked politely. Jake stuffed his hands in his pockets, a look of uncertainty on his face.

Charlie was taken aback by his manner. This was a totally different man from the angry avenger of the day before. He seemed more subdued today.

“Sure.” She led him into her house. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” she asked.

“Shouldn’t you?” he countered.

“Touché. How did you know I would be home?”

“I didn’t, but I was prepared to wait it out. I had to talk to you, Charlie.”

He looked around him when he walked inside. “You have a nice place.”

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