Page 128 of Love Me Steadfast
While that reassured me in the moment, I realize now that it wasn’t an answer to my question. Not a complete one.
“I promised Charlotte I’d never hurt her,” I say. “I meant it back then and it’s just as true now.”
“Yeah, I know.” Emotion plays across his face. “But it’s obvious someone else has.”
I stand, adrenaline pumping through me. Is this what I’ve been missing all this time? Someone hurt her, and for reasons she’s kept to herself, she felt the need to push me away?
The soft click of a door down the hallway draws both of our attention.
“Think she’ll tell you about it?” Theo asks in a soft voice.
Hot anger claws at my insides, making me want to hit something. “I don’t know.”
Theo grips my shoulder and our eyes lock, then he crosses to the stairs and climbs out of sight.
Charlotte shuffles into the kitchen wearing leggings and one of my Finn River Fire & Rescue hoodies, her silky hair swept to oneside. Ollie trots over, and she smiles, even bending low to scratch her head.
The simple gesture of trust gives the chains surrounding my heart a sharp tug. I want to freeze this moment in time. She’s here, safe with me, learning to trust me again. But she obviously hasn’t trusted me all the way. As much as I’d like to think I could hold out, hoping that someday she opens up to me, what if she refuses? Could we build the future we dreamed of with secrets left between us?
“Morning,” Charlotte says as she straightens, her eyes calm. She walks into my embrace, and I savor the way our bodies fit together.
“Nice hoody,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “You know what it means, right?”
She laughs, and it’s light and carefree, like yesterday never happened. Like she’s not hiding something important from me. “Hmm, enlighten me.”
“The only way you get to wear a firefighter’s gear is to be one, ordoone.”
“Well, we both know I don’t have any plans to be one.” She laughs again, sliding her hand to the small of my back, her warm fingers lighting up my bare skin.
In one motion, I lift her over my shoulder. “Just for that, I’ll let you leave it on.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
CHARLOTTE
I’m just pullinginto Evergreen’s parking garage when my phone rings through the Bluetooth. The caller ID is an odd one…something I’ve never seen before, so I decline it.
But as soon as I park, my phone chimes with a voicemail.
I run my tongue over the temporary crown Dr. Wilson placed on my cracked tooth yesterday. He said it’s normal for the nerves to take a few days or even weeks to settle down, but the ache is mild compared to yesterday. I should have gone in sooner, before it turned into such a crisis.
Leaning back in my seat, I gaze out my windshield at the big gray clouds that have been building all day, muting the sunlight so it feels later than nearly noon. I hadn’t planned to spend all morning in bed with William, but I couldn’t help myself.
It’s not that I’ve been lonely. Or even alone.
But since Creekside, it’s like my heart’s been fed only the minimum caloric intake to keep beating. And now, she’s been offered a taste of everything we’ve missed. How can I deny her?
Even though being with William is a dream I can’t keep. And the longer I indulge, the harder it’s going to be to leave.
My fragile heart presses against my ribs.Let. Me. Out.I should. So she can save herself.
With a trembling finger, I press the replay button on my voicemail. But I’m surprised by the warm voice filling my car. “Hi Charlotte, this is Special Agent Luke Ballard with the FBI. William gave me your number. Say, I’m working a case and I’m hoping you can help me with a few things. Give me a call when you get a chance.”
I huff a slow breath and blink at the slice of patchwork sky outside the parking garage. Yesterday’s phone call flashes in my mind.I need you to make a couple of records disappear.I don’t want to think about what this means, but already my stomach is knotted, uneasy.
If Nic’s hurt other people, does that mean he’s likely to do it again?
Needing to move, I step from the car and walk toward the hospital entrance.
