Page 71 of Claiming Charlotte

“You, my little artist, are going to give me a new tattoo.” He grinned.

“Roe, I've only painted on canvas, what if I mess up? Then it’s stuck on you forever. ”

He pushed me into his chest and his arm moved to the table grabbing the materials and setting them next to us on the couch. Reaching around to the back of my neck he pulled me in for a kiss.

“It wasn't a question, Charlotte. Take off my shirt and do the tattoo,” he ordered.

With a cheshire smile, I straddled him and got to work.

My tongue rolled over my top teeth as I concentrated, going over his skin to fill in the color of the Cardinal he had tattooed on his chest. The line work was a bit off, but the colors and shadowing along the edges, bleeding into the red, hid it. I’d hoped. He looked deep in thought, like he’s been doing a lot lately and I wondered what was plaguing his mind, but I had a brief idea. I wasn't the only one he shared this house with.

“It's ok to miss him, you were best friends,”? I said putting the finishing touches on the piece.

I leaned back and admired my work, and the perfectionist in me cringed. But the rational part of me was proud that I didn't just destroy his peck with a mediocre image.

Sorrow danced around his eyes as he spoke. “Don’t, he’s shit.”

“I won’t bring it up again, I’m sorry.”

Getting off his lap, I moved aside to clean up while he strutted to the mirror in the hallway. His lingering silence led me to believe he hated it, then I heard a growl from the hallway. Was it really that bad?

Pounding.

Crunching.

The drywall.

He stomped over to me and took a deep breath. His cheeks were flushed and puffed out, grinding his teeth so hard, I could hear them rub against each other. But I didn’t speak. He needed the space to gather his words. I stepped up to wrap my arms around his torso, and he melted into my arms kissing the top of my head.

“I went to go see my dad,” he whispered into my hair. “Sit down, we have some stuff to talk about.”

We spent the better part of the night in the kitchen talking about the information given to Rowan by his father and I was astonished to say the least, and it gave me all the motivation I needed to fulfill my father’s wish.

“These were retrieved from the Walkers office, by one of Arthur's guys,” he said, throwing a bunch of files on the table in front of us. “It's everything about all of us, and our parents. What if he wants to finish what his father started?”

“But only Richard knew all of the history, I can’t believe my father was best friends with him. This is crazy. What would he have done if I couldn't give him what he wanted? If I didn’t lose it, what if he would have taken our baby?”

I was shocked. Roe grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers with mine, squeezing gently.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore…Okay?” He reassured me.

We had already looked at the other files and the torture Thomas went through was heinous. No wonder why he's so reserved. Arthur, he almost shared the same fate as myself and now I can understand why he didn’t do relationships or the reaction he gave when we came across my own videos. They must live with so much guilt.

Charlie’s file was the same. If I lost my children, one of two things would happen, I’d go crazy, or I’d walk through life watching each day blend together until I died. All the guilt I had for the way I’d treated him through the years came crashing down on me and I wiped a stray tear from my eye.

Carter Davies- Deceased - Decapitation

Sarah O’ Malley- Unknown- left family after birth of youngest daughter

Helena O’Malley - Sold

Celeste O’Malley- deceased - hollow bullet to the chest

“Princess, are you ready to look at our files?”

I shook my head.

“Why don’t we read each other's?”? I suggested.

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