Page 38 of Deny Me
He didn’t want to hear the words from anyone but Charlotte. A glance told him alarm had widened her eyes, tightened her hands into fists. “Charlotte?”
Kim choked on an angry laugh. “Do you know she still has the land her father gave her for your engagement? The land you planned to build a life on? She can’t let it go. She can’t let anything g—”
“Mom.” A flash of desperation.
“No, Charlotte! We almost lost you, for God’s sake. You can’t—”
“That’s enough!”
Charlotte’s pain echoed clearly in her shout, but even that couldn’t distract him from her mother’s words. He tried again. “Charlotte?”
The land didn’t matter, didn’t mean anything. It had been a gift from Ben to his daughter, not to his son-in-law to be. It belonged to Charlotte, and he’d had no expectations over what she would choose to do with it. They hadn’t gotten beyond a few vague ideas for a house there anyway. That decision was up to her; it didn’t mean she couldn’t let go of King.
But…“We almost lost you…”What the hell?
His heartbeat throbbed in his throat, choking off his air. “Charlotte, what is she talking about?” Had the woman he’d loved, probably still loved if he was being completely honest with himself, tried to kill herself after he left?
No, surely not. She’d been young, their breakup had been devastating to them both, but she wouldn’t have done that.
Would she?
Kim seemed beyond stopping. Some part of him, the objective part that hovered overhead, watching the conversation dispassionately, understood the fear that whatever was happening between him and Charlotte could impact her daughter, her family. The other part of him…
Well, it was still panicking over something he didn’t know yet.
“Tell him, Charlotte. Tell him what he cost you.”
What he…?
“Stop this, Mom.” His own panic was reflected in Charlotte’s gaze, but he didn’t understand why. “Just stop.”
“He—”
“Stop!” A single tear drifted down her cheek, ripping at his chest, pushing him to go to her, to make this all go away by surrounding her in his arms. “That wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but mine.”
“It was certainlynotyours,” Kim insisted. “No one can blame you for—”
Charlotte’s hand came up, the sob that escaped stopping Kim’s words as if they’d hit a wall and not her daughter’s will. “Stop, Mom. Please. Just stop.”
Kim covered her mouth. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Charlotte.”
“No.” She dropped her hand, but the crying didn’t stop. King found himself moving forward, needing to touch her so bad he shook. Needing to make her pain go away even if he had no clue what had caused it.
Did I almost lose her permanently? Did she almost die?
He couldn’t fathom even the possibility, but what else could this be about?
Charlotte squared her shoulders, and he froze in place. Something tough, impenetrable, settled over her. “Nothing that happened after King and I separated was his fault. Period.” Her voice broke on the word, pushing doubt into his mind. “I don’t want to hear another word about it, or about what King and I choose to do now. It’s between the two of us, not us and you or Dad.” She cleared the strain from her throat. “Now, I need to check in with Becky, and then we have some things to discuss with the team. Right, King?” Her gaze glanced off him, not truly connecting before darting away once more.
He couldn’t stop himself from giving her what she so obviously needed. “Right.”
She nodded. “Right.” Moving toward the door, she threw over her shoulder, “Mom, let Dad know, please?” And then she was gone, leaving him to face the aftermath alone.
Kim met his gaze. Something lost and broken stared at him through her eyes. He didn’t know what it was, couldn’t fix it, but…
“Kim…”
She brought her hands up to cover her face, fingers rubbing over her brow as if pain had settled there.
