by Tamie Dearen
Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t resist as he slowly moved his lips toward hers. He saw when her eyes closed in anticipation and felt her hand slide up against his chest. He pressed his lips against hers with the slightest pressure and slid across in a gentle caress. He tickled her mouth tenderly with his tongue until her lips parted. And he pulled away, teasing, showering small kisses across her face to her ear. Then he whispered, “I love you, Charlie.”
When Charlie tried to pull back, he dropped his hands to her shoulders and held her still. “Wait! You believe me, don’t you?”
“Josh... I know you think you love me. But...”
“Charlie. I’ve changed. I’m not the kind of guy I was when you met me. I promise, I’ll never stray.”
“I know, Josh. If I really thought you’d cheat on me, I would never agree to marry you.”
“Then what is it? Why won’t you believe me?”
“It’s... I know you had feelings for Olivia, or you never would have asked her to marry you. Maybe you didn’t really love her. I’m not even sure you know what love is.”
“That’s not fair. Why do you think you can judge my feelings?”
“I don’t mean it that way. I’m only saying whatever you felt for Olivia, you can’t already feel for me in less than two weeks. Can you?”
“Yes, I can. Because I already loved you, Charlie. I just pretended with Olivia.”
“You were going to marry her without caring about her at all?”
“But she knew...”
“You told me you loved her.”
“I did... I do... I love her like a sister. But it’s different with you. It’s always been different with you, Charlie. Don’t you understand?”
“No, I don’t. It seems like you said what you needed to get Olivia to marry you. And now that’s what you’re doing with me.”
“But I didn’t even ask you. You offered all on your own. Was I supposed to turn you down?”
“Yes, I mean... I don’t know. This is too much right now—I need to think.”
“But...”
“I’ve got to think!” Charlie fled up the grand staircase.
JOSH JERKED WHEN BRAD gripped his shoulder. “Hey, buddy. What happened? Charlie seemed upset.”
“I don’t know exactly. I was trying to convince her I was really in love with her. But I think she’s upset I wasn’t in love with Olivia. Is that possible?”
Brad shook his head. “Anything’s possible. She’s a woman. Their minds don’t work like ours.” He looked around. “Where did she go?”
“She said she needed to think.”
“Oh no—don’t let her do that. You’ve got to talk to her.”
“But talking was what started this whole mess.”
“Yes, I know. Talking is bad—I hate it too. But trust me... You don’t ever want to let a woman think too long. Talking is awful, but thinking is worse. Especially, if they’re crying at the same time. Was she crying?”
“I think she was.”
“Go stop her! Hurry!”
CHARLIE HUDDLED IN the safety of the reading nook, letting tears flow down and wet the cushions where she was lying, curled up on her good arm. She was so confused by her feelings. Josh had said he loved her, and she wanted to believe him. But he also admitted to pretending feelings for Olivia simply to secure her marriage to him. How could she know he wasn’t doing the same thing with her?
She tried to reason things out in her emotionally charged mind, but nothing seemed to make any sense. She decided to let herself cry for a while until her emotions evened out. Maybe then she could think rationally. But just as she gave herself permission to sob out her fears, she heard Josh’s voice.
“Charlie? Baby, don’t cry. Okay? We need to talk. This is not as bad as you think it is.” He crawled into the nook and lay down on his side behind her, spooning against her back with his head propped on one hand and gently smoothing her hair back off her face with the other.
“Look, I’m confused, too,” he soothed. “But we don’t have to totally understand our emotions for everything to be okay. We only have to care about each other and the kids and commit to make the marriage work. Whatever it takes. Isn’t that what you said in the hospital? We could grow to love each other if we’re committed to it?”
“I guess s-so,” she sniffed. “But now, I’m n-not sure.”
“No, you were right. We just have to be committed. I’m committed. I’m totally committed. Are you?”
“Y-yes. But...”
“Nothing else matters. We’re going to make this work. And I’m going to make sure you’re never sorry; I’ll promise to be the best father and the best husband you could ever have. You’ve got to believe me. If there’s anything I can do, it’s this. I can commit, and I can carry through on my commitment. Do you believe me?”
She nodded. “I know you can. I believe you.”
“And the love thing. We’ll figure that out. Okay? We’ll know when we both love each other, and that’s all that matters.”
“But I still don’t believe it will happen before the wedding. I feel like you’re trying to make me believe you’re in love with me just so we can have sex.”
“I’ll wait, Charlie. I’ll wait until you think it’s the right time.” She heard the tension in his voice as he added, “As long as it takes.”
“Even if it takes weeks or months?”
“Even if it takes weeks or months.”
She couldn’t help but tease. “What if it takes years?”
“Ahhhhhhh!” he gave a pitiful wail, and Charlie couldn’t stifle a giggle. They both began to chuckle, and she turned on her back to look at him, wiping away a stray tear.
“This is for good, Josh. No changing your mind or getting bored with me, because when we do have sex, you’ll probably be disappointed.”
“Charlie, I can guarantee you I won’t be disappointed.”
“You can’t know for sure.”
“I do know. Look Charlie, you were right about having sex when you’re not in love. It’s meaningless. And I need you to know something... Since I met you, I haven’t been with any other girl.”
“Really?”
“Really. It’s been so long I can’t even remember what it’s like.”
“Really?”
He bit back a grin. “No. I remember. Want me to describe it to you? I’m looking forward to introducing you to it.”
“Josh! Don’t talk about it.” She felt the blood rush to her face.
“Why not? I think about it all the time. Imagining us—”
“Stop! I don’t want to hear this.”
“All right, I’ll be good.” He leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead. “Are you okay? Are we okay?”
“Yes, but no more saying you’re in love with me.”
“But Charlie, when can I say it?”
“Not until it’s really true.”
He made a strangled sound. “Why did God make women so unreasonable?”
“I’m not being unreasonable. I’m being sensible.” She sprang to a sitting position and spoke in an urgent voice. “We should go. People will wonder where we are.”
“Charlie, can I kiss you one more time? Since the last one kind of ended in an argument?”
“I don’t know if that’s such a—”
He swallowed her words with his lips, gradually changing from a gentle caress to a firm demand. She was awash in a flood of swirling colors in her head. She tried to bring her mind under control, to regain her footing, to find solid ground. But the fiery sensation of his lips on hers made her float in the air, drifting and dizzy. She returned his kiss with equal fervor, and a little whimper escaped her. Then his lips left her, bereft, to trail along the line of her chin and into the hollow of her neck. She felt her bones melt as her head fell back, and she collapsed, helpless against the assault to her senses.
He pulled away, emitting a pained groan. “Charlie, let’s try for weeks instead of months. Pleeeeeeeeas
e!”
Charlie struggled to catch her breath. “Okay. Good idea.”
Josh pumped his hand. “Yes!”
Chapter Eighteen
CHARLIE WAS EATING with Josh and the Gherrings in their penthouse when Josh left the table to take a phone call. Charlie's appetite disappeared as Josh returned wearing a fierce expression.
“That was Drew Warner, the ad litem,” said Josh. “The Parsons want to meet with me.”
“The Parsons...” Anne said. “Are they Jace and Chloe’s grandparents?”
“They’re Chloe’s grandparents, but they’re not actually related to Jace.”
Anne grimaced at his bitter tone, but Steven nodded. “This is good. This is what my attorneys wanted.”
“Well it’s not what I want.” Josh banged his fist on the table. “I think it’s a bad idea.”
“Why?” asked Charlie. “Maybe it’s a good sign.”
“We already know they want custody of Chloe, but not Jace. So there’s only one reason they could want to meet.”
“What?” Anne asked.
“They’ve heard I may get custody of Chloe, and they want visitation rights.”
“That’s probable,” said Steven. “And you might as well get used to the idea, Josh. It’s quite possible the courts will order it, and things will be best for everyone if you can get along with the Parsons.”
“Just think how that’s going to make Jace feel, when Chloe gets to go visit the grandparents and he doesn’t.”
“You still don’t have the right to cut her off from her grandparents,” Steven reasoned.
“I know, but that doesn’t make me like it.” His fingers drummed on the table. “They want to meet my fiancée... Olivia.”
“I assume you didn’t mention you had changed from one fiancée to another?” asked Steven.
“No, not yet. I was hoping we could get the whole thing done without ever mentioning it. You know, as long as the custody was given to Mr. and Mrs. Josh Branson, it wouldn’t matter who the Mrs. was...”
“You didn’t think the ad litem would notice?” asked Anne.
“Well, Charlie and Olivia both have long, brown hair. I know Charlie’s is longer and a little curlier, but I thought maybe he’d question his memory a little.”
Steven voice was sarcastic. “I’m sure you won’t have any trouble explaining your relationship and upcoming marriage to the ad litem, just as you’ve explained it so satisfactorily to me.”
“Steven!” Anne scolded. “You gave your blessing already.”
“Only because Charlie was taking it the wrong way and getting her feelings hurt,” he argued. “I still firmly believe they’re rushing into marriage for the wrong reasons.”
“But we love each other,” Charlie declared. “Right, Josh?” Nothing she said ever seemed to satisfy Steven. He seemed to be embracing the role of protective father.
“Right.” He had less conviction in his voice.
“Actually, I don’t doubt that,” said Steven. “But marriage is a huge commitment. I really think you should stop and make this decision independent of the custody issues. Even though it means you might lose Chloe.”
“It’s not a might thing,” Charlie argued. “We’ll lose her for sure.”
“Are you admitting you wouldn’t be getting married in less than three weeks were it not for the fact you’d lose Chloe?”
“That’s not a fair question,” she complained.
“No, he’s right,” said Josh. “We’re getting married early because of Chloe. But both of us have the kind of personalities to follow through on commitments. So we have even more reason to make our marriage work than most other couples our age.”
“So your reasoning is your marriage has a better chance of surviving because you’re going to have kids depending on you. And I’m saying having children puts an extra strain on a marriage.” He turned to Anne and added, “Not Ellis and Micah, of course.”
“It’s a moot point,” Charlie told Steven. “We’re getting married, and we’re adopting Chloe and Jace. You already gave your blessing, and you can’t take it back. So we need to spend our energy figuring out how to handle this meeting.”
“Fine,” said Steven. “I may not agree with your decision, but as always, I’ll do anything I can to help you.”
“I’ve got an idea,” said Anne. “What if you just didn’t mention her name? You could play it by ear.”
“Would we introduce her as Olivia?” asked Josh.
“Could I just say my nickname is Charlie? That wouldn’t be a lie.”
“They might ask where you got the nickname from,” Anne said.
“I’ll just say I was a tomboy and wanted a boy’s name. That’s true, also.”
They waited for Steven’s input. “Nope. I won’t be a part of this deceit. If you want advice on how to tell him the truth, I’m your man.”
“Okay,” Anne said, “What would you recommend?”
“I would say, ‘Mr. Warner. There’s been a minor alteration in the plan since we last met. This is my current and final fiancée, Charlie Best.’”
A pregnant silence fell across the table. Charlie chewed her lip. Josh frowned. Her mom twisted her hair around her fingers.
Anne broke the ice. “Should we maybe practice calling you Olivia so you can get used to answering to it?”
“WHAT ARE YOU WORKING on?” Brad asked Grace, finding her busy with her laptop. “Facebook?”
“No, who has time for Facebook? I’m working on Phase Three of the Charlie/Josh plan.”
“Phase Three? I thought we were done. They’re engaged. They kissed. They fought. They made up.”
“Oh no—we’re a long way from finished. Emily got the truth out of Charlie. They still aren’t admitting they’re in love, at least not to each other.”
“Are you sure? I think Josh told Charlie he loved her at the Christmas party.”
“Nope. Charlie said they both agreed to ‘work on it.’ But you can’t tell anyone. Emily was sworn to secrecy.”
“Then why did Emily tell you?”
“Well, everyone knows in matters of life and death, the secrecy clause has loopholes.”
“And this is a matter of life and death?”
Grace speared him with a furious gaze. “You don’t think Charlie and Josh’s future and the future of Jace and Chloe is a matter of life and death?”
“Whatever, Grace.”
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. Just remember, we started Phase Two at your request.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“But that’s not all we found out. Charlie had one of Collin’s cards.”
“She can’t possibly be interested in that jerk.”
“Well, she couldn’t explain why she had his card. I think it indicates at least a passing interest.”
“What are you planning to do about it?”
“We’re waiting to see. If we need to, Olivia can take him out of play.”
“Girls are scary.” A violent shiver ran up his spine.
“We’re not planning to kill him.”
“Don’t tell me. I want to be able to claim ignorance,” he said, with his fingers in his ears.
She laughed, bopping him playfully on the top of his head. “You haven’t even finished your part yet. Josh hasn’t bought a ring, has he?”
“He’s supposed to go shopping today.”
“You’re not going with him?”
“Don’t you think that would be a little strange? Two guys shopping for rings together?”
“Awww... Are you worried about your manly image?”
“I gave him the pictures I got from Emily. He can handle it from here.”
“I don’t know.” Grace chewed on her fingernail. “Maybe I should go with him.”
“He’s fine. He doesn’t want any help.”
JOSH STARED AT THE glass case full of engagement rings, wishing he’d brought someone along for a second opinion.
“Can I help you?”
asked a saleswoman with long blond hair and perfectly applied makeup.
“Uhmm, I need to buy an engagement ring.”
“Okay, you’re at the right place. What style did you have in mind?”
“I’m not sure. I thought I would know it when I saw it.”
“You have some pictures with you?” She the folded magazine pages in his hand.
“Yeah.” He handed her the pictures. “I don’t really know if I like any of those.”
She flipped through the images and opened the jewelry case, removing several rings.
“This one has a lovely solitaire. It’s almost two carats—”
“I don’t want a solitaire.”
“But this picture—”
“I don’t care. She needs something special.”
“Okay. Well, the white gold and platinum are the popular choices. Maybe we can just start with a setting you like.”
“Do you have anything else besides silver?”
“They’re not silver. They’re white gold and platinum. Silver is –”
“I don’t care. I’m asking if you have any regular gold rings. Gold rings that look like gold.”
“Well... we have a few. They’re not as popular right now. Over here in this case...” she moved a little way to Josh’s left.
“Wait! What’s that?”
“That’s called rose gold.”
“Rose gold? But it’s still actual gold?”
“Yes, it’s gold alloyed with copper. The copper gives it the pink color.”
“Can I see that ring?”
“This one has a beautiful solitaire,” she said, pulling it out of the case and handing it to Josh.
“No. It’s not quite right. The band is too thin and too plain.” He returned it to her, searching vainly in the case.
“One of these yellow gold rings, perhaps?” she said hopefully. “This one looks like this picture. I think it’s very close.”
“No. All these rings look the same to me. This girl is different. She’s special. The ring has to be special.” His eyes fell on a ring in an adjacent case. “What about that one?”
“Okay. Well, that’s an antique style. Hexagonal setting. Very nice.” She retrieved it from the display. “The center diamond is fairly small, less than a carat. But it’s surrounded by a halo of little round cut diamonds in the hexagon, and it has this double row of channel set round diamonds coming down from each side.”