Page 90 of Fire in My Heart

Izzy thought about that for a few seconds. “Do you love Charlotte?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” I ran a hand through my hair.

“That’s the question. Do you love her?” Wes had appeared in the room, but everyone else was talking and laughing in the kitchen.

I rested my elbows on my spread thighs. “I’m not talking about this with you.”

“I told you so,” Izzy sang as she skipped into the kitchen, probably to get more food.

Wes raised a brow as he rested a shoulder against the door jamb between the kitchen and the living room. “I talked to Charlotte.”

“How is she? Is she okay?” My blood ran cold at the idea of Rick Solomon finding her and hurting her again.

I couldn’t be there last time, and I wouldn’t be present if he showed up again. I wasn’t sure why that hurt so much. I’d chosen to remove myself from Charlotte’s life. She hadn’t trusted me, and that’s all that mattered.

Wes just considered me. “I think she’s felt better.”

“But physically, she’s okay? Rick didn’t show up after making bail?”

Wes pushed away from the door jam and sat in one of the upholstered chairs across from the couch. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“She’s not mine anymore. She never was.” That hurt to admit out loud. Everything I thought I knew about her was wrong, and what I felt for her was based on that lie.

Wes tipped his head to the side. “Why do you say that?”

“It was based on a lie. She never told me about her ex stalking her, hurting her. I could have helped her if I’d known.” Now why did I say that? The crux of the problem was that she lied. I hated liars. And I thought I’d gotten good at spotting them. But apparently that same skill didn’t translate to personal relationships. Especially when I hadn’t been in one in a long time.

“Why didn’t she tell you about Rick?” Wes asked.

“She said she thought he’d go away. That he wouldn’t be an issue anymore.” I’d dealt with a lot of domestic violence victims who were embarrassed about the position they were in.

I never thought I’d be dating someone in a similar situation. “She was embarrassed that she was involved with someone like that.”

“That sounds reasonable, and I agree with you; she should have told you. At the very least, you could have protected her, advised her to get the order sooner. But I guess it comes down to one thing?—”

Wes talking about Charlotte was giving me hope, and that was a dangerous emotion. I hoped Mom wouldn’t die, and itdidn’t do any good. Hope was useless. The only thing I could rely on was reality. When I couldn’t stand his smug silence any longer, I asked, “What’s that?”

“Do you love her?”

I sucked in a breath. “That doesn’t matter. I never really knew her at all. You can’t fall in love with someone who lies about who they are.”

“Did she lie about who she was?”

I racked my brain for evidence. I was the one who’d pursued her that night at the cottage. I was attracted to her sweetness, her joy. The fact was that she fascinated me.

I couldn’t get past the fact that she hadn’t told me about Rick. She wanted to believe that Rick was gone and wouldn’t bother her again. That part fit with what I knew of her. “I guess not. But how could I trust her again?”

Was I actually considering talking to Charlotte again?

“Why don’t you talk things out with her. If you love her, it’s worth a shot. You can’t just walk away.”

“I can, and I did.” It was easy. Right and wrong. Wes just couldn’t see things like I did.

He leaned forward on his thighs. “I know you compare everything to your job. But this is different. This is more in here.” He pressed a hand over his heart.

I wanted to growl and protest, but he might be right. My chest was an open wound since I’d walked away from Charlotte. I thought it was the pain of finding out the woman I loved had lied to me. But maybe it was because our relationship was over. I missed her.

“I want you to be honest with yourself. If you don’t love her, then keep things how they are. But if you do, don’t you think it’s worth a conversation? We’ve all had trouble in our relationships, but we didn’t walk away. We stayed and fought for them.”

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