by K. C. Crowne
Speaking of the devil, I saw Charlotte nearby, still sitting with my family, her eyes on me. She looked away as soon as she caught me looking back.
Chapter 9
Charlotte
She didn’t mean as much to me as she seemed to think.
I turned back around and focused on Penny and the babies. Mrs. Harvey and the boys were cleaning up, picking up paper plates and tossing them, and I needed a distraction. I stood up and started to clear the table too.
“Oh no, you don’t have to do that, Charlotte,” Mrs. Harvey said. “Sit down.”
But the truth was, I needed to help. Needed to do something, anything, to stop myself from thinking.
Was Eli talking about me?
No, it had been clear he had cared about me when we’d dated.
But even if he was talking about Megan, it made me wonder - how much did I know about Eli? Back when we were dating in high school, and prior to that, every girl in school wanted a piece of him, and I couldn’t really blame them. Tall. Muscular. A charming smile and sweet eyes. A chiseled jawline. He was perfection, easily one of the hottest men many of us had seen in our lifetime, and not much had changed.
I couldn’t blame Eli if he had decided to play the field a bit; we hadn’t been together after all. But the way his brothers treated him, made me think he had a past full of Megans who likely meant nothing to him. And that wasn’t the Eli I remembered from our time together. Just sleeping with women and tossing them aside?
Did I even know this Eli anymore?
As I tossed the last of the plates into the trash, I noticed that Penny and Sam were struggling with all four of the babies crying at once. Eagerly, I rushed over to help.
“Thanks, Charlotte. You’re such a life-saver today, seriously,” Penny said with a tired smile.
“I’m happy to help. If you ever need a babysitter, please, do not hesitate to give me a call. I would gladly spend more time with these munchkins.”
I entertained Lily with a giraffe toy while her parents played with the other three.
“So you’re planning to stick around Liberty for a bit then?” Penny asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. I should have thought about that before offering, I guess, huh? I honestly have no idea when I’m going back to Tennessee, but probably won’t be here too long.”
Emmy sat down beside Penny with a smile on her face. “Well I have to say, if you end up marrying into this family, you’d be very lucky.”
My cheeks burned and I looked away.
Penny added. “I don’t think she and Eli are an item…”
“No, we’re not,” I said softly. “We dated in high school. It was a long time ago.”
I finally managed to meet Emmy’s eyes, and the woman looked so embarrassed. She covered her mouth and then blurted out an apology. “I’m so sorry. I just assumed--- but you know what they said about people who assume things.”
“It’s okay. It’s an easy mistake. After all, everyone here still treats me like family,” I said, though I shot a look at Emmy’s husband, Graham, and almost added, “Except him.” Thankfully I had the self-control to keep that little bit to myself.
Danielle had remained quiet up until that point, feeding her son and just listening in from the other side of Penny. She added, “Well, if you and Eli did manage to find your way back to one another, I have to say, Eli is one hell of a catch.”
“He really is,” Penny added. “I mean, he did go through a player period for a bit there. Sam told me he used to party and drink a lot, but over the last year, he’s really turned things around. And he’s so good with the kids for someone who used to say he didn’t want to have any.”
Eli said he didn’t want to have kids? Since when? I thought back to conversations where we’d plan to have at least three, if not four or more, little rugrats, and he was always the one who aimed for wanting more rather than less. He liked big families like his own. Yes, he had some concerns over whether he’d made a good father at times, he seemed nervous, but what good man didn’t have concerns about whether they’d make a good dad?
The idea that he’d sworn off kids entirely surprised me, but I kept that to myself.
Sensing the awkwardness, Penny quickly changed the subject, and I was grateful for that. “Not to mention, Liberty is an amazing town. I just felt right at home here from the start. It’s a lot like Red River in that regard, but in some ways, even better. There’s less big development, and still a lot of little Mom and Pop shops, and knowing the people running the town, I don’t see that changing much.”
“It does seem like a nice town, I just don’t know if I could ever leave the South, you know?” I glanced over at Eli who was chatting with Mason as the two of them cleaned the grills and started packing everything away. I had given up everything for him once, left my home and everyone I knew, and it hadn’t ended well. I didn’t have much faith that it would go well a second time. Though I had to admit to myself, Liberty was no San Diego. I did enjoy the fact that it was a small, close-knit community rather than a big city.
But why was I even thinking like that?
Eli and I weren’t even a thing, nor should we be. I hardly knew the man he had grown into and he hardly knew me. And I’d just called off a wedding to another man, there was no reason to rush into another relationship so quickly.
But if I were to do so…
Eli’s smile could light up a room. He hoisted young Skyler into the air, the little girl grinning and laughing. He was such a natural around children, I couldn’t imagine him swearing off having a family of his own when he’d make such a damn good father.
“I really don’t know what I’m going to do,” I said, quickly looking away from Eli. “I feel like I can’t really go back home, but I don’t think staying here is a good idea either. I just don’t know.”
Penny reached out and placed a hand on my arm, offering a reassuring smile.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Charlotte. Whatever you decide to do, you’ll get through this and come out ahead. I’m just saying, if you can’t go back home, Liberty is a really nice place to be and Eli isn’t the man he was even a year ago. He’s grown up a lot.”
And I didn’t doubt that.
“I know, but I don’t want to rush into anything.” I meant that about both a new relationship and moving my entire life from Tennessee to Utah. “Rushing into new situations has never worked out well for me.” I added that last bit while thinking of my time in San Diego.
“I know, and I think you’re being smart about that. I’m just saying, keep an open mind.”
Ooo000ooo
“You have a really nice family,” I said as we drove down the mountain roads toward his place. “I always knew your mom and brothers were nice, but their wives and all their kids are just amazing too.”
It reminded me of evenings visiting with his family as a teen, and how I so badly wished my own family was as warm and caring as his. I always hated going back home. Not because my parents were mean or awful or anything, but they were just… not around. My dad worked long hours and my mom had a life of her own. Even when we did talk, I often didn’t feel a connection with her as I did Mrs. Harvey. I often felt more like a burden than anything else.
Eli rubbed at his beard. “Yeah, I’m pretty lucky. But you know, you’re practically family too, even though we aren’t together. My mom still thinks of you as a daughter.”
“I know, but it’s not the same. I’m visiting, but I’m not part of the family anymore.”
And that had been my choice. A foolish choice most likely, but it was one I had made.
“Nah, you’re always welcome.”
I didn’t want to argue with him, since I wasn’t sure I could make him understand how awkward it would be for me to always be the ex-girlfriend surrounded by his brothers with their wives and kids - and there was a chance Eli would find a wife of his own one day too, and then what? There was no way she’d want an old fling hanging around.
> No, it was better if I didn’t think of myself as part of his family. Better for everyone involved if this didn’t become a regular thing.
Thinking about him having a future wife, my mind went back to the brunette at the party. There would likely be more like her, some more serious than others.
Before I could stop myself, I asked, “So who was that woman?”
Eli sighed and stared straight ahead, focusing on the road. I thought he might not answer at first, but then he did. “Her name is Megan. A year ago, I went on a date with her, but we didn't really connect. At that time, I was going through a transition of sorts. Before her, I was happy to just date around, nothing too serious. But then when it came to her, I was already getting tired of that whole scene and when we didn’t connect on a deeper level, I just-- well, I lost her number and forgot about her to be perfectly honest. I know it was a dick move now. I should have told her back then that I wasn’t interested.”
Dated around? I cocked an eyebrow at his phrasing. To me, it sounded almost like he was hooking up, something that the wives alluded to when talking about his past as well. But they had also said he’d changed over the last year.
I didn’t feel the need to get into the specifics of these relationships. For one, there was no reason to make myself feel sad about things I had no reason to feel sad about, and two, it was none of my business.
But Eli continued. He glanced over at me and gave me a crooked grin.
“Honestly, there was nothing wrong with Megan. She seemed like a nice enough girl at the time, but just like every other girl I ever dated, she never lived up to my expectations because I kept comparing them to you.”
Those words were like a spear through my heart. I gasped, feeling like all the air had left my body, and the pain in my chest was physically unbearable.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Eli muttered.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just--” Just what? You don’t want to think about how you’d always felt the same way? That you had tried dating for a long time after leaving Eli, but that no man ever compared to him, and you only ever settled for Peter because your mom pressured you into it and you didn’t want to end up an old spinster?
I finally finished my thought. “I understand, Eli. Because to be perfectly honest, I felt the same way about anyone I tried to date too.”
“Oh really?”
I hated myself for letting the truth slip out. It felt like once the words were out there, there was no taking them back and we might venture into dangerous territory. But I had said them, and there was no backtracking now.
“Yes. I was never really in love with Peter, which is why we were together for like ten years before I agreed to marry him. I always knew it wasn’t right, but eventually, I knew I couldn’t keep stalling and waiting for…” I didn’t finish that sentence because again, it was dangerous territory. I couldn’t admit, out loud, that I was waiting for Eli to come back, to search high and low for me and sweep me off my feet all over again. Because that wasn’t fair to him.
It took me a second to realize where we were. The truck was no longer moving, the engine was off. I shook my head and pulled myself back into reality, and I realized we were parked in front of Eli’s house now. How long had we been there, just sitting in the truck, talking like this?
Did it even matter?
Eli had shifted in his seat so he was facing me fully now, and I did the same, removing my seat belt to mirror him.
“After seeing what my brothers had, and seeing their sweet families, I realized I was tired of playing games and hooking up. I wanted something real, something like we had,” he said softly.
“I’m so sorry--”
He placed a finger to my lips to silence me and said, “Shhh. No more apologies. We’ve apologized enough already, and the past was the past. I’ve already told you, I forgive you, Charlotte. I’ve just never gotten over you.”
And truth be told, I had never gotten over him either. Not fully.
I swallowed a lump in my throat, and without thinking clearly, leaned into him again. I don’t know who kissed who, but our lips seemed to be drawn to each other like magnets. Impossible to deny that attraction there, so I just gave into it, opening myself up to him again.
He kissed me softly, his tongue sliding into my mouth and stroking my own. My face was in his hands, and he caressed my cheeks even as he pulled away.
“We can’t keep doing this, Charlotte,” he said. “I can’t make the same mistake I did earlier.”
“I’m sorry for pulling away like I did.”
“No, don’t be sorry. It’s not the right time. You’re vulnerable, you’ve been through a lot. And I can’t take advantage of that,” he said. The ladies from earlier were right - he had grown up. He rested his forehead against mine and stared deep into my eyes. I felt like I had finally come home, even though I’d been living in Red River for years and never felt that way again, after leaving Eli.
“I know you’re right, but hearing everything you’ve said and knowing how I feel, I just-- I don’t know, maybe this is right?”
“Maybe it is,” Eli said softly. “But right now isn’t the time to find out. You need time to heal and rushing into anything would be a very bad idea.”
“I know you’re right, but--”
He tapped my lips gently again and pulled away, but this time, there was a smile on his face - a reassuring smile.
“Let’s get you over this hump and give it some time. Let’s move slowly. If we still feel this way after everything calms down for you, we can see where it goes. But for now, I think we need to stay as friends. I think that’s what’s best for you.”
As much as it pained me to admit it, he was right.
Ooo000ooo
Emotions were swirling through my brain as I laid down to sleep later that evening. I found myself smiling and feeling giddy like a teenager all over again, but then a second later, I felt guilty. There was so much Eli didn’t know about me, secrets that could possibly rip us apart if he found out. If we decided to pursue things, I would need to tell him everything. I’d have to be honest about what had happened to his baby, the baby he never even knew about.
He was right about giving us some time to think. Everything was so fresh, so new again. I was vulnerable and a mess. Waiting until this blew over would also give me time to come clean, to tell him what happened and the real reason I left San Diego - because I knew I would never be able to face him again after what I’d done.
But then I’d think of that soft, lazy grin of his, and the way I could get lost in his eyes when he stared at me… and the euphoria rushed back in, replacing all my fears and doubts, making me blind to the reality around me.
Tomorrow would have been your wedding day, I thought to myself. You were going to marry Peter, not Eli. You can’t just rush into things here.
I tossed and turned for a long time, and my eyes were finally starting to grow heavy when my phone went off. The screen lit up, pulling my eyes open. Out of habit, I checked it. An unknown number and a photo popped up on my screen.
My heart stopped as I made sense of what I was looking at.
It was a photo of me, at the park, sitting on the bench with Eli. My face was buried into his chest. I’d been crying, and he comforted me, but it looked far more intimate to the naked eye.
A message popped up soon after.
So it’s true. You were cheating on me and ran away to be with your lover. I’m sure your family and friends will just love seeing this proof of your affair.
But how?
How did he track me down to Liberty, and how did he get this image?
My heart raced as I responded, typing out the message and hitting send before I had a chance to re-think things.
How did you get this?
His response was swift and brutal.
I know people everywhere, Charlotte. It would be wise not to forget that my network is incredibly vast. You’ll never fully get away from me. Ev
er.
Chapter 10
Eli
Charlotte looked as white as a ghost when she came down the stairs. I sipped my coffee and tapped the chair next to me.
“Have a seat. Tell me what’s going on.”
“How did you--” she started to ask, but then gave me a knowing smile. “You know me well.”
She took the seat across from me instead, her phone in her hands.
“Did Peter message you again?” I asked.
“Yeah, you can say that,” she muttered, passing the phone over to me. I glanced down, expecting to read another empty threat, but saw a photo instead. A photo of Charlotte and me, together in the park.
Maybe Peter wasn’t as harmless as I thought he was. The hair on my neck stood on end, and I realized I’d been too careless with Charlotte. I thought I’d known Peter, based off what I knew of the guy back in high school and from what Charlotte had told me, but perhaps he had some connections that were dangerous.
Maybe he would come after her.
“I’ll see if I can trace the photo. Many times, digital images taken from phones leave coding that can tell you about where they were taken and the device they were taken on. Do you mind if I take your phone for a bit?”
“Sure, go ahead. I have a feeling that any clients that call me right now won’t be asking me to work for them anyway.”
“And if they do call, I can pass the phone to you,” I said, fiddling with the device. “Do you mind if I look around the phone, make sure there’s no tracking devices or anything?”
“Of course not. Do what you have to do,” she said. “My passcode is 0406.”
Right away, I recognized the number.
It stood for April 6th. The day we had started dating back in high school, the day I officially asked her to be my date for the prom.
All these years, and she still kept it as her passcode. Not very secure, obviously, but sentimental as hell - or maybe the number didn’t mean what it used to and it was just an easy number to remember. Hell, maybe it was a coincidence.