Page 45 of Whatever It Takes

I reached out, touching the side of her face. “Are you okay?”

There were a whole lot of what-ifs flowing through my mind, drawing up every conceivable scenario. None of them amounted to anything good.

She leaned her cheek into my palm. “I am now.”

I just wanted to close my eyes for a few minutes and wrap her up in my arms, be her anchor in the storm. The overwhelming need to protect her was stronger than anything I ever felt before. I wiped a tear falling down her cheek. “I never should have let you go there by yourself.”

She placed her hand on my shoulder. “Quinn, he would never hurt me.”

I looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Didn’t she understand how ridiculous that statement was? “You don’t know that. You told me yourself on the phone that he looked strung out on drugs. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”

“Yes, I do. I’m not going to fight you on this. I know my husband.”

My eyes narrowed. “Oh, so now he’s your husband?”

“Technically, yes, he still is.”

“Only on paper,” I shot back.

“At this point, I’m pretty sure that’s the only place that matters.”

I stumbled back, her words were soft but the impact was hard. She might have well sliced me open. I leaned my hip into the counter and tried to act like she wasn’t grinding a knife through my heart. My anger was rising, and I knew I should just shut my mouth. My temper wasn’t going to do me an ounce of good, but I was ready to lose my shit.

How the hell did we just go from her clinging to my arms to her wanting nothing to do with me?

I was seething. “Okay, Mrs. Anderson. Explain to me how this works going forward.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled in a deep breath. “What am I supposed to do? Tell me. You want me to pledge my loyalty to you? Want me to tell you that I hope he rots in hell? I can do that, but it won’t change the fact that he’s the father of my daughter.”

I winced and turned my head away from her so she wouldn’t see the hurt in my eyes. “Why do you always feel the need to remind me of that? You don’t think I understand he’s Emery’s father? That is no excuse for the shit he pulled today.”

“I just need you to understand that it doesn’t matter if he’s sitting in a padded cell in Philadelphia, or sipping tequila under a palm tree in Mexico, we will always be connected somehow. This is my life now, Quinn.”

She threw her hands up in her hair as I silently watched a single tear fall from her eye.

“I promised you I would keep you and Emery safe. I know today messed with your head, but you don’t have to go through this alone.”

Charlotte has always been stubborn and strong-willed. It was one of the things I always loved about her. But she needed to understand that there wasn’t a chance in hell of me backing away. She could try her best, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

“I appreciate all you’ve done for me. I’m very lucky—”

I cut her off. My pride was taking a huge hit. I could not let her continue. My sanity was at stake. “I don’t want your fucking gratitude.”

“I know.” She sighed. “Today was hard for me. I just need some time to process all of this.”

I didn’t know what was going on in her head. Things were perfect when I said goodbye to her this morning. These past few days had been the best I’d had in a long time. I had no idea what Grant really said to her, but it felt like whatever it was, it was going to set us back a bit.

My arms itched to reach out to her and shake some sense into her. I didn’t want to go backward, not after all the progress we made.

My gut told me to keep my mouth shut and just give her some space. But I felt threatened, and I needed to know where we stood.

“Have your feelings about us changed?” I asked with a calmness I was far from feeling.

“Quinn, I love you. That hasn’t changed. But how can I even think about a future with you while I’m still married to another man?” Her words gave me comfort and tore me apart at the same time. “These past few weeks have been difficult for both of us. Maybe we should press the brakes for a little bit and take some time to let all this drama play its way out.”

Her words threw me. What in the fucking hell was she talking about? It felt like our relationship was deteriorating right before my eyes.

I clenched my fist at my sides. “I know things are complicated, and I know this isn’t an easy situation for anybody. But I’m trying here. Really trying. I’m trying to be the better man here, Charlotte. For you and Emery. I’m trying my best to take care of you. Don’t shut me out. Not after you finally let me back in.”

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