Page 79 of If My Wishes Came True
At this point, the odds that Charlie and Vanessa are only casual acquaintances are not in my favor. They must have dated in the past. Maybe it was years ago.
But if it was years ago, why does Charlie look like he’s about to break my heart?
“Jenna,” he says, taking my hand. “Vanessa and I were engaged.”
My jaw drops. “What?”
I’m floored. Vanessa was engaged to my soulmate? How is that possible? She just left Nico at the altar. She never mentioned another broken engagement. “When did this happen?”
The color comes back to Charlie’s cheeks, but it’s not the happy flush I know and love. His eyes shy away from my gaze, embarrassed. “We were supposed to get married four months ago. But it didn’t work out.”
I pull my hand from his. “No,” I say flatly. “That’s impossible.”
This can’t be happening.
I replay every single conversation I’ve had with Vanessa in my head, searching for answers—but I come up empty.
“She told me she was engaged to a guy named Nico,” I say, a small part of me hoping this could all still be some big mistake we’ll laugh about later.
My boyfriend sighs. “I’m CharlesNicolasSutton. My mom chose my middle name in memory of her dad, Nicolas St. Pierre, who passed away before I was born. He was Haitian?—”
“Like Vanessa,” I say, tears welling in my eyes. I remember Charlie telling me he was a quarter Black on his mother’s side, but he never mentioned his grandparent was from Haiti. The fact that he and Vanessa share this special connection stings my heart in the most unbearable way.
He nods. “My whole life, I went by Nico. It’s what my mom called me as a baby, and it stuck. But after things ended with Vanessa, I knew I needed to make some big changes. Start fresh. I didn’t want to be Nico anymore. Nico was uninspired, unhappy—and down on his luck. So I decided to go by my first name instead.”
My vision is blurry.
Charlie is Nico.
I think back to the last time Vanessa mentioned him. We were at the wine bar, and she was upset because she’d gotten several missed calls from him. Sam and I were convinced he wanted her back.
What if we were right?
Earlier, when I asked if he’d been to Barcelona, Charlie frowned. I thought maybe he’d missed an opportunity to travel there because of work. But now I know the truth. If Vanessa hadn’t left him at the altar, he’d be there with her at this verymoment—on their honeymoon. Is that where he’d rather be? In Europe with Vanessa, instead of here with me?
I feel like I’m going to be sick. I’m terrified he’s still in love with her, but I don’t have it in me to ask him.
“She told me you’ve been calling her a lot,” is all I manage to say.
Charlie runs a hand over his face. “I have—but it’s not what you think. I’ve been calling to tell her I stayed in Chicago. She thought I was moving back to New York, and I didn’t want her to be surprised, in case we ran into each other.”
“I didn’t even know you’d lived in New York,” I say, completely bewildered.
Last night, I would have told you that I knew Charlie inside and out. Now I feel like I’m in bed with a stranger.
He sighs. “In the past nine years that I’ve worked for Sutton’s, my dad has sent me to six different cities. New York was one of them. I lived in Manhattan for a year. I met Vanessa my first week there, and we became friends, then…”
He flushes, and I spare him the discomfort of finishing the sentence. “One thing led to another,” I say, nodding.
“A year later, my dad announced he was moving me to Chicago,” Charlie goes on. “And when I broke the news to Vanessa, she proposed.”
“Sheproposed?” I repeat, surprised. “I never knew that.”
“I was completely caught off guard. We were in a relationship, yes, but we hadn’t had a single conversation about marriage. I didn’t know how to respond. She was my best friend, and I did love her, but…” He looks at me with wistful eyes. “She wasn’t the love I always dreamed of, Jenna.”
I take a ragged breath.
“But how long was I supposed to wait for you? It would be crazy to spend the rest of my life searching for someone I’d only ever met in my dreams, wouldn’t it?” He shrugs, looking defeated. “So, I said yes. And we moved to Chicago together.”
