by K. C. Crowne
I took the stairs two at a time, knowing that the flight into Utah wouldn’t take that long. There was also the drive from Salt Lake City; Mom usually rented a car when she was here. She didn’t like to be driven around, preferred to have her freedom to go where she wanted.
I opened the door to Mason’s room, and as expected, there was still a bed - surrounded by a pile of boxes that he’d left behind.
Ooo000ooo
I finally hauled the last of Mason’s junk into one of the other bedrooms and was putting the sheets on the bed when I heard mom’s voice call from downstairs. “We’re here!”
I checked my watch. “They were fast,” I muttered. Mom wasn’t lying about boarding the plane earlier. Normally she gave us a little more notice than that. I had to wonder what the hurry was.
“I’ll be right down,” I called out the door, before finishing up the bedding. I made sure there was a nice, thick quilt - one that Mom had made herself years ago - tossed on the bed and checked the bathroom one last time to make sure everything was clean and it was stocked.
Perfect, I thought. Or as perfect as one could get with only a few hours warning that guests would be arriving. I was grateful for my upbringing and the military for making sure that I kept my own spaces tidy. I didn’t have to worry about the living room or the kitchen being suitable, just the rooms we no longer used in this big old house.
I didn’t want to keep mom and her guest waiting, so I hurried out of the room and down the hall, then down the stairs.
“Sorry, I was just--”
I stopped before hitting the bottom of the stairs, my eyes landing on my mother’s “guest”.
She was older than the last time I saw her, but I recognized her instantly. I’d never forget her adorable round face, or the freckles splashed across her nose, and those green eyes that seemed to light up the room. Her hair was longer than before too - long reddish-blonde curls that fell over her shoulders in soft ringlets.
But I noticed something else too. The black eye. Rage filled my insides at the thought of anyone hurting her. Calm down there, tiger. You don’t know what happened.
I didn’t think it was possible, but she was more beautiful today than she was thirteen years ago.
I suddenly forgot how to breathe, much less speak. My heart pounded in my chest, loud enough that I’m sure she could hear it. I gripped the banister of the stairs with my now-sweaty hand.
“Hi Eli,” Charlotte said to me, offering a sweet smile. Her smile wavered as I continued staring at her, not moving forward nor backward. She must have seen the look of shock on my face. She turned to my mother. “I thought you would have told him.”
“No time, dear,” Mom said, patting Charlotte on the hand. “I didn’t have a chance to explain everything, but we can talk now that we’re here.”
I remained frozen in place.
Nothing had ever rendered me speechless before, at least not that I could recall.
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry, Eli--” Charlotte’s cheeks turned pink, and she averted her gaze, focusing on the floor instead of at me.
I finally found my voice, and I said, “It’s fine. No worries. It’s good to see you again, Charlotte.”
Was it? Well, yes, it was. But it also wasn’t. I’d never felt so conflicted in all my life. I finally took the last few steps and joined them in the entryway.
“You know? I can just get a hotel if it’s too awkward for you,” Charlotte said, still not looking me in the eye.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “You’re staying here.” I had trouble looking at her too. Mostly because she was so stunningly beautiful that it hurt, but also… the black eye staring back at me I told myself it was none of my business, that I had no idea what Charlotte was up to these days, but I couldn’t get over the anger inside of me.
Someone hurt her. I wanted to hurt them.
My fists were balled at my sides, but I reminded myself to breathe, to not overreact. It’s the first time I’d seen her in thirteen years, I didn’t want to make a fool of myself by going off the rails, especially since I had no idea what was going on yet.
My mother cleared her throat, reminding us both that she was still there.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner, I just figured after all these years, it wouldn’t be a problem,” she said, speaking slowly and keeping her eyes honed in on me.
“Oh, it’s not a problem.” Liar. I was a fucking liar. It was a problem because my body still reacted to her like it did when we were just stupid kids. It felt like we’d jumped back in time, when she was mine and I’d knock anyone silly who even thought about hurting her.
“Good, because Charlotte here needs our help, Eli,” Mom said. “Can we take this into the living room?”
“Of course, lead the way.” My voice was softer than usual, almost like I still hadn’t remembered how to speak clearly.
My mother led us out of the entryway and into the living room. I’d started a fire about an hour before, just to make sure it was cozy in here. Early spring in Utah could still be pretty chilly, especially at night.
I motioned to the couch, and both my mom and Charlotte sat down. I sat across from them in the leather chair.
“Charlotte, would you like to explain?” Mom asked.
Charlotte shook her head, her cheeks even brighter pink than before. She looked down at her hands, which were clasped firmly in her lap. “I’d rather not into all the details,” she said softly.
This was not the Charlotte I remembered. My Charlotte had not been so demure, so afraid to speak her mind. It was clear someone had not only hurt her physically, but they’d crushed her spirit as well.
“That’s fine, dear. I understand. But I think it’s important that Eli understands everything going on, so he can keep you safe.”
“She’s in danger?” I asked, hackles raised. “The person who hit you, I presume?”
Charlotte finally met my gaze, her eyes on fire. She didn’t say anything, she nodded and looked away again.
“That bastard,” I muttered. I didn’t even know who the person was, but I knew one thing was certain - I wanted to kill him. I was already out of my chair, ready to hunt this mystery man down and make him pay.
Mom stood up too, and even though she was shorter than me by a lot, she still seemed to hover above me - like she did when I was a child.
“Sit down, Eli. You’re not going all the way to Tennessee. Not right now at least.”
“I don’t think it would be a good idea for him to go back at all,” Charlotte quickly added.
I took a seat, but only because they were right. That asshole was lucky he lived half a country away. Had he been local to me, well, I’m sure he’d have spent the night in the hospital at the very least.
“Who is he?” I growled.
“He’s my fiancé’,” Charlotte said, and it was like someone had ripped my heart out with their bare hands. “Ex-fiancé’, I mean.”
“Name?”
“Peter.”
“Please tell me it’s not that uptight asshole Peter Simmons.”
She didn’t answer. She just gave me a look that said it all.
“God, I always knew he was a prick. Back in high school, he’d walk around like there was a corn cob stuck up his ass, like he was better than everyone else just because his daddy was the District Attorney or some shit.”
Charlotte flinched at my words, and I shut my trap. This was her ex-fiancé I was talking about, a man she thought she loved. Even though I’d been right about him, she clearly hadn’t seen the same signs I had. No need to rub her nose in it.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said all that.”
“No, you’re right,” Charlotte said matter-of-factly. “You’re absolutely right. I thought he was an asshole in high school too, but I’d also thought he’d changed, you know?”
“When did you reconnect?” I wasn’t sure if I had wanted to hear the answer. Was Peter the reason she’d left me? Had they been together all t
his time?
“We met when I went back to college, after--,” she said, trailing off, but I could fill in the blanks. “He was in law school while I was getting my undergrad.”
So they met after. I knew in my heart that Charlotte wasn’t a cheater, but I also never imagined her leaving me the way she had. It made me think I didn’t really know her, and since so much time had passed, I likely had no idea what kind of person she was today.
There was an awkward silence as I tried to think of what else to say. How would I respond if she were any other woman asking for my help? My brain went utterly blank. I couldn’t think straight because she wasn’t just any other woman off the street. She was the love of my life, the one that got away. The woman I’d compared every other woman to over the years, and none of them ever matched up.
“I can go to a hotel, if this is a problem,” she said, repeating her offer from earlier.
“No, absolutely not,” Mom said before I could say anything.
Though I was in agreement - if there was the possibility of someone coming after her, I didn’t want her to be alone in a hotel. If this were any other woman, I’d want her to stay where I could keep her safe - and the best place for that was right here, under our very own roof.
“I think it’s best if you stay here.”
Her eyes turned to me. “It won’t be a problem?”
“No, not at all.” Except my heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest every time I look at you, not a problem at all.
“Thank you so much, Eli. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
She looked tired. Her eyes seemed to be heavy, and from the sounds of it, she'd had a really long day.
“Let me show you to your room, and you can rest and get cleaned up,” I said, standing from the chair.
“Thank you.”
I let her take the lead on the stairs, and it was hard not to check out her figure. She had always had an amazing body in my opinion, and she had even more curves than I remembered. I did everything I could to keep my eyes off her ass. She deserved more respect than that.
When we reached the top of the stairs, I said, “First room on the left.” “My room is at the end of the hall, and Mom’s is next to yours if you need anything.”
I opened the door and motioned for her to step into the room. I stayed in the hallway, not wanting to invade on her personal space.
She stood there, facing me, but her eyes were glued to the floor. Her hands were clasped in front of her. “I really don’t know what to say, Eli.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“It’s just-- I’m sorry--”
I held up a hand to stop her. “No need to apologize. Let’s just worry about what’s going on right now.”
She barely looked up at me between her thick, dark lashes. My heart pounded in my chest as memories swirled in my brain. Memories of how she’d stare up at me like that right before I’d pick her up and carry her to bed, where we’d make love for hours.
Those were the days, I thought.
Now, though, the black and blue flesh around her eye tugged at my insides and made me so angry, I couldn’t see straight.
I cleared my throat and motioned to the left. “Bathroom is right through there. It’s a private bath, so it’s all yours. Should be stocked with the basics, but if you need anything, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Eli.”
“I’m going to let you rest a bit.”
I closed the door behind me and walked back downstairs. My mother was still sitting on the couch, where we’d left her.
I took a seat in the chair and turned to face her.
“You should have told me you were bringing Charlotte.”
“I told you, dear, I had no time,” Mom said, giving me her best innocent-eyed look.
“You had plenty of time to type out her name. It would have taken what, a few more seconds at most?” I’d never yelled at my mother, but my voice rose a bit - almost like a growl. I slammed my hands down on the armrests of the chair.
“I didn’t think it would be a big deal, Eli. I’m sorry. It didn’t even occur to me that you still had feelings for her--”
“I don’t have feelings for her still.”
Mom raised an eyebrow.
I heard the front door open, and I knew my brothers were coming over for a meeting. I called out, “In here.”
I continued talking to Mom. “I would have just liked some heads up so I could have reacted better, that’s all. I was surprised to see Charlotte after all these years.”
“Wait, Charlotte is here? As in Charlotte Grey?” My oldest brother, Graham, stood in the doorway, frowning at me.
“Yeah, she’s in trouble. Mom brought her out so we can help.”
Graham walked into the room and let out a low whistle as he took a seat next to Mom. “After everything he’s been through, you thought that was a good idea?”
“It was thirteen years ago, Graham.”
Graham looked over at me, but I averted my gaze. Mom didn’t know about everything - about how I fell into a very dark place for a long time after the breakup. Graham and the guys only knew because they figured it out, though I never admitted the cause for my distress. They just knew.
The front door opened again, and there were voices in the foyer. My other two brothers were there now, and we’d start our meeting. Anything to distract me from this conversation.
“I think I’m going to get cleaned up now and let you boys do your thing.”
Mom stood up and hugged Graham, Sam, and Mason before going upstairs. Mason and Sam just looked at us, blankly.
“What is it?” Mason asked.
“Charlotte Grey is here, in this very house. Mom brought her,” Graham said, not even trying to keep his voice down.
“What the hell?” Sam said. “Doesn’t she know--”
“No, she doesn’t. Eli here never told her,” Graham answered for me.
“Man, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s fine,” I said.
My brothers shared a look, and it just pissed me off even more. I pushed myself up from the chair and growled. “Can we get this meeting started? I don’t have all damned night.”
“We’re just worried about you, Eli,” Sam said. “Chill for a few minutes, let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. She’s a woman in need, and I’m going to help her. You guys don’t have to help if you don’t want to, but I have a job to do.”
I walked into the dining room where we usually held our meetings. Typically, they’d be about the security business, but considering all of my brothers were slowly going their own way, we didn’t really talk about that too much.
Instead, I was planning to talk to them about my future business plan and see if they wanted to get in on it too.
However, after finding out Charlotte was there, it was clear they wouldn’t be open to talking about anything else.
My brothers and I sat around our dining room table.
“We just don’t want to see you falling back on old patterns,” Graham said, taking the lead on their version of an intervention. “You’ve been sober for a year, and you finally seem to be in a better place mentally, Eli. Charlotte could derail all of that.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“How can we be so sure?” Mason asked.
“Because I’m telling you it’s not going to happen.”
My brothers shared a look.
“Listen, yes, I struggled when we broke up, but I was a twenty-year-old kid. That was thirteen years ago, and I’m not that kid anymore. I have my shit together, and any feelings I have for Charlotte are long gone.” I couldn’t look any of them in the eye when I stated that last part. My internal lie detector confirmed that it was, indeed, bullshit, but I shut that thought down very quickly.
Maybe it was the expression on my face, or maybe my brothers knew me better than I knew myself, but they didn
’t look convinced.
I continued, “I’m not going to turn my back on her. She’s in need. She’s been abused and she’s scared, and I have to help her. You guys know how that goes.”
“Listen, we’re not saying you need to turn your back on her. I get it. But you also don’t need to be the one to house her. What if she stayed with me?” Graham asked.
“Or me,” Mason offered.
“We have an empty room,” Sam said.
I frowned. “No, you guys have your own families. Mason, you have the twins, and Sam, I can’t even begin to imagine what life is like with four babies. Even if you have a spare room, you don’t need to be bringing a potential target into your homes, around your kids. I’ve got this. I can handle it.”
I took a few deep breaths and did my best to put on a blank mask. I needed them to believe me, that I wouldn’t let my feelings for Charlotte get in the way.
Easier said than done, of course. That woman still had a piece of my heart, I knew that the moment I laid eyes on her. But she’d hurt me badly and there was no forgetting the months - no, scratch that - years, of pain that followed.
I’m sure we were both grown up, both different people, but she was just getting out of an abusive relationship, and there was no way in hell I wanted to be the rebound.
“Alright, but Eli? Please, come to us if you need one of us take over. We can work it out,” Graham said softly. “You don’t have to shoulder this burden alone.”
“Thanks, man. But I’ve got this.”
I prayed that it wasn't a lie.
Chapter 3
Charlotte
The private bathroom was nice and large, with both a bathtub and a shower. As soon as I laid eyes on the jetted tub, I knew that was exactly what the doctor had ordered. Everything on me hurt from being cramped in a plane for hours, followed with being cramped inside of a rental car for a little longer. The tension in my body brought on one of the worst headaches of my life.