Page 50 of Whatever It Takes

My head was poundingand I had to force my eyelids to open. Where the hell was I? I rolled over to the side feeling the plush down comforter underneath me. That’s when I shot up and started rubbing my eyes.

The events of last night slowly came back to me. The last thing I remembered was going up to Bree’s hotel room to get the box of stuff she had of mine, after drinking way too much at the bar downstairs. She basically threw herself in my arms and started crying after I told her how sorry I was for hurting her. I thought I was doing the right thing by giving her comfort. But then she leaned in to kiss me goodbye. Even though my brain was clogged from all the alcohol, her lips felt wrong and I pushed her away.

Damn it! I sat up in the bed and looked around. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was Charlotte’s bedroom and not Bree’s hotel room. I ran my hand through my hair and cursed myself for almost messing up big-time. Thank God I didn’t actually do something stupid.

I swung my right leg over the side of the bed and started to stand up. Emery’s teddy bear fell in front of my foot. I leaned on the edge of the mattress and rested my arms on my knees.

I can’t believe I boozed it up with Bree knowing she still had feelings for me. Why the hell did I have to go and do something so stupid? I picked my phone off the nightstand and was thankful that Charlotte put it in the charger. There was a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water sitting next to it.

I folded up the blanket and went downstairs to get my bag. I needed a shower and a change of clothes. Living out of a suitcase was getting old, but I was here and finally in her bed, so at least I had that.

As soon as my feet hit the bottom of the stairs, I wasn’t expecting to see Emery sitting on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal while watching cartoons. I frowned, wondering if something was wrong.

“How come you’re not at school?”

She looked up at me and smiled. “I have a doctor’s appointment today. I’m going to school when I’m done.”

I swallowed hard and slipped my hands in the front pockets of my jeans. She just caught me coming down the stairs from her mother’s bedroom. Charlotte was going to have my ass. She had rules in place, and I had crossed a line.

“Is your tummy feeling better?” she asked, swallowing a bite of her Lucky Charms.

“What do you mean?”

“My mommy said she let you sleep in her room because you had a stomachache. She lets me sleep with her when I don’t feel good too.”

“Yeah.” I ran my hands through my hair. “I’m feeling better, Peanut.”

“Mr. Bear probably worked. He always makes me feel better. You can keep him for a while if you want.”

That explained why I had a stuffed bear laying on my chest when I woke up.

“Thanks. I appreciate that. Where is your mom?”

“She’s in the kitchen.”

“I’m going to get a drink. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in my tracks. Charlotte was bent over the dishwasher, her perfectly round ass was a sight for my sore eyes. Her long dark hair was hanging over her back like a silk curtain. She was already showered and dressed. If you considered that short, black skirt she was wearing clothing. It was showing more skin than I was comfortable with.

I stood there and watched her like a stalker. I took a deep breath when she turned to face me.

“You’re awake,” she said in a cool tone and pushed the dishwasher tray in and shut the door. “I was hoping we would be gone by the time you woke up.”

My body leaned against the wall and my eyes begged her to look at me. She acted like she could barely stand to be in the same room as me.

“Charlotte. We need to talk about yesterday.”

She spun around and kept her gaze over my shoulder. I kept telling myself to calm down and let this conversation play out. But she couldn’t even fucking look at me. “Not now,” she snapped. “I need to get Emery to her appointment and then I have to run a few errands.”

I touched my jaw and searched for the right words. I felt pathetic because all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and beg her to let this shit go. But fighting is what Charlotte and I did. We fought hard and loved harder. We always had. It was the dynamic of our relationship.

I loved this woman with every ounce of my being. And while things seemed to always get heated between us, I would rather freeze to death than lose that fiery passion that made me feel alive. Loving Charlotte was never boring and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Can we meet for lunch today to talk?”

“I’m busy.”

I pulled on the back of my neck. “Are you going to give me a chance to explain?”

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