Page 62 of Crossing the Line (Whitecap)

“Because he fell in love with her.” Her head whipped around to her man as I chugged back half my beer. “He fell in love with her and didn’t know how to tell her without fucking it all up.”

Charlotte’s eyes, so much like her sisters, yet still different, flew to me and grew wide. “Is that true?”

“Yep,” I admitted as I scraped at the label off the bottle with my thumbnail. “But it doesn’t matter now. Like I said, I fucked up. She knows the truth now and doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

But then I thought of her question earlier that day before I left her in her workshop. She’d wanted me there tomorrow and was worried I wouldn’t be. What did that mean for us? Could I eventually earn her trust back? I had to, I thought. There was no other option because there was no life without her and Renee.

Draining the last of my beer, I shifted the topic off me to what they were both here for. “I’ll make introductions tomorrow.” I looked to Charlotte as I said the next part. “She already knows you’re coming, and she wants to see you.”

Charlotte’s chest shook on an uneven breath. “Is she—Is she good? Happy I mean?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “She asked me the exact same thing about you this morning, almost word for word.”

Her hazel eyes grew glassy as she smiled, letting out a watery laugh. “Of course she did. She’s my twin.” Her voice held a note of fondness that made me feel a little better.

I nodded in agreement. “And to answer your question, yeah. She’s really happy. She’s made a wonderful life here for her and her daughter after the nightmare she escaped from with Knightly. They have a lot of love in this town.”

“That’s good,” Charlotte whispered, her focus drifting off, staring at nothing in particular. “That’s really good.”

“Is it cool with you if we crash here for the night?” Dalton asked. “We came here straight from the airport, didn’t have time to book a room anywhere.”

“Don’t bother with that. Stay here as long as you want. This house is plenty big enough. You can take the room off the hall near the entryway. Second door on the left.”

He gave me a short nod before rising to his feet. “Come on, baby,” Dalton said gently, wrapping a big arm around his woman and helping her off the stool she’d been perched on. “Let’s get some sleep, yeah? Tomorrow’s a big day.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep. I’m so anxious I feel like I’m coming out of my skin.”

I saw the smirk he gave her and caught his mumbled, “Think I can come up with some ways to wear you out,” just before they disappeared out of the kitchen.

I followed suit not long after, crawling between my cold sheets and staring up at the ceiling fan casting shadows on the walls with each slow rotation.

Tomorrow was in fact a big day. And there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to get even a minute of sleep tonight.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Cheyanne

I chewedon my lip and wrung my hands as my gazed darted all around. “Do you think I have time to pull the vacuum out and give the rug a once-over?”

Luna lifted the coffee mug to her lips and drank from her perch on the barstool. “Will you try to relax? There’s no reason for you to vacuum anything. The house is so spotless you could eat off of any surface in here.”

Maybe she was right, but I couldn’t help it. “I’m just really nervous,” I admitted as I moved to the back of the couch and began fluffing the throw pillows. Renee sat at the coffee table, coloring in one of her million books, completely oblivious to her mom’s freak-out. At least she was still dressed, which I had to consider a win. “It’s been almost twenty years. What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Impossible. You’re the most likable person on the West Coast, if not the whole country. It’s actually kind of freaky how likable you are.”

I let out a snort, a shaky smile tugging at my lips. “Thanks. And thank you for being here today. I know this might be kind of awkward for you.”

“Nothing to thank me for, babe. You need a support system at your back the first time you meet your sister in two decades, I’m your girl. I’m your ride or die chick. Your sister from another mister. And another mother, but that doesn’t rhyme as well. I’m your—”

“I get it,” I cut in with a giggle. My laughter was interrupted by a steady knock on the door. And just like that, my heart nearly exploded from my chest.

“Mommy, someone’s at da doow,” Renee informed me, not even bothering to lift her head from her coloring.

My eyes bugged out as I whipped around to Luna in a panic, whisper-yelling, “Oh my God! They’re here!”

She hopped off the stool and came to me, clapping her hands on my shoulders like one of those coaches you’d see in the movies just as they were about to give their player an inspirational speech.

“Woman, get your s-h-i-t together. Pull up your big girl panties and go open the door.”

---