Charmed: A Small Town Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Willow Springs Series Book 3)

by Laura Pavlov

  I pushed to my feet and paced the room. How the fuck did I get here? I was so deep in love with this girl, and there was a shitstorm brewing around us. When it was just Maura and me—it was perfection. I’d never felt that kind of contentment. Hell, even sex with her was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I’d always thought I was a kick-ass lover, but I’d do just about anything to give Maura pleasure. And sex with someone you loved proved more intense. The connection was powerful. But we were in a mess of a situation. Because all of these outside factors were going to come back to bite us in the ass. Sure, her internship would end, and if we could keep this on the down-low until that happened, that would be one less obstacle.

  But her father.

  He was a looming dark cloud over our heads.

  “He’ll draw the line in the sand, trust me.”

  “And they still aren’t speaking much?”

  “He texts her about throwing her a big, showboat graduation party, because that’s how the man rolls. He refuses to bring up the fact that he has another child who was brought into the world from an affair where he cheated on her mother. And he’s put Maura in an awful situation by insisting she keep this secret from her mother. How low can one man get?”

  “Right. Agreed. But Maura knows all of that and she isn’t ready to cut ties with her father, correct?”

  I looked away. Maura was all goodness. The girl was forgiving to a fault. She’d taken her newly found sister under her wing and she had practically adopted Beeves, bringing the man coffee and food every day.

  “Correct. She has a good heart. She loves him in spite of it all.” I dropped back down to sit.

  “Well, love is funny that way. Forgiveness is a part of life, Crew. And you don’t hate her father for having a secret love child or for asking Maura to keep this from her mother. You hated him long before that, right? In fact, you thought you hated Maura just for being his daughter. Those are deep-rooted feelings.”

  I let out a long, strained breath. “I was wrong about Maura. But I’m not wrong about her father.”

  “How do you know? Because of what happened when Belle died?” she asked. She already knew the history. Why the fuck did we have to relive it?

  “Obviously. He robbed my father of his last moments with his daughter.”

  “If your father had been there, would the outcome have been different? Would Belle be here today?”

  I scrubbed a hand down my face. She knew I didn’t like to talk about that day. I’d opened up about what happened years ago, but I sure as shit didn’t want to talk about it now.

  “Of course not. But my father could have said goodbye to her.”

  “Did you get to say goodbye? Wasn’t Belle suffering from a high fever and incoherent at the end?”

  I was on my feet again, pacing the room. “Correct. She was unresponsive to us.”

  “So, your father couldn’t have said goodbye to her really, right? And he told her every day how much he loved her before that day, so what would there have been to say?”

  “I don’t fucking know. I was a goddamn kid. My sister died in front of my eyes. My mother was a mess, and I was the only one there to hold her together until Dad got there hours later,” I shouted. I didn’t know why I was shouting. I never lost control like that. I prided myself on staying collected. I couldn’t hold the position that I did at Carlisle Ad Agency if I was a hothead. That didn’t make for a great leader. But I was spiraling. I could feel it.

  “I get that. That’s a heavy weight for a young kid. Actually, it’s a heavy weight for a grownup. But what I’m hearing you say is that you hate Arthur Benson for putting you in that position. Not for robbing your father of his last moments with his daughter. Because honestly, she was already gone, Crew. Hours before she took her last breath. She knew her father loved her. He’d said everything to her many times before that moment because there’d been so many scares with Belle over the years. In fact—and I have asked your father for permission to share this with you—but he doesn’t resent Arthur for taking away his last moments with Belle. He resents Arthur for calling him away and leaving you to witness what you did.” Judy saw everyone in my family and had been our family therapist since Belle passed away. My parents had tried to find someone in Willow Springs, but we all connected with Judy, so they FaceTimed with her or came to Dallas to do sessions in person occasionally.

  “What difference does it make? Either way, he’s an asshole.”

  “Hate is a strong emotion. Do you think Arthur knew Belle was going to pass away while your father was in court?”

  I thought about it. Did it matter? “Probably not. But I don’t think he cared. I think he has continued to hate us even after what he did.”

  She nodded. “Do you think some of that anger that you’re giving to Arthur Benson could be anger about the fact that your baby sister died? That life isn’t fair? That you had to witness all of that? That you’ve been grieving for years about the loss?”

  “I don’t want to do this.” I grabbed my jacket and walked toward the door.

  “Crew. All of this is coming to a head because you are finally letting yourself love again. You’ve been holding back since the day Belle left this earth. And loving Maura is bringing up a lot of stuff for you. Using your hatred toward her father, and your grandfather’s rule that you can’t date an employee, aren’t those just safety nets for you? Something keeping you from going all in?”

  “I’ve loved people since we lost Belle. Hell, I love my family more than life itself,” I shouted again. My ears were ringing, and my chest was pounding at a rapid rate.

  “Those are all people you already loved. Who have you added to that list since the day she died? Be honest with yourself.”

  I tried to think of a name. “I had a college girlfriend. You know that.”

  “But you weren’t as into that, if memory serves. You actually told me that you liked her, but you weren’t capable of loving anyone back then. You’ve had the same friends your entire life. Otherwise, everything has been on the surface, in my opinion.”

  Was that true?

  “Well, I’m all fucking in on Maura Benson. I love her. No doubt about it. More than I ever thought I could.”

  “So, you’ve brought Maura around your friends? Back home to see your family now that you’re officially together? You’ve gone out with her friends like normal couples do?”

  “I’m her fucking boss.”

  “She’s an unpaid intern that you’ve known most of your life. There’s no shame in falling in love with her, but there is shame in hiding it from the world.”

  “She’s doing the same thing. Her father would lose his shit if he knew.”

  “Is she keeping it quiet because of her father, because she went ahead and saw Piper several times at the risk of losing him? She doesn’t seem overly concerned with what he thinks. Do you think she’s keeping it quiet because she wants to protect your job? Your feelings? Have you ever asked her?”

  My hands fisted at my sides. “We’re going to discuss it when her internship ends.”

  “I don’t think you will. I think you’ll use her father as the scapegoat when the internship ends. Because even though you love her, you’re keeping her at arm’s length, whether you want to admit it or not.”

  “This is bullshit. Why the fuck would I do that?”

  “Because you loved someone and lost them. Because it’s scary to love deeply when there’s no guarantee they will be around forever. And that terrifies you, Crew. Don’t you think Belle would want you to be happy and find love? You have to come to peace with the fact that you don’t have control over everything. Including your heart. You gave it to a girl you thought you hated.”

  “I’m done.” I yanked the door open and slammed it.

  To hell with this. She was wrong. I was protecting Maura, not myself.

  I sp
ent the afternoon in the conference room with my grandfather and Diane Batone, the woman writing the article for Dallas Life. It was an article about the day in the life of the youngest CEO in the state of Texas. My grandfather sang my praises, and a tinge of guilt settled in my chest. I’d answered every single question honestly up until the last one.

  “So, Crew Carlisle. The women of Dallas want to know. Are you the city’s most eligible bachelor, or are you spoken for? You’ve managed to keep your private life very private.” She chewed on the back of her pen and wriggled her brows.

  Jesus. I hadn’t expected this to turn personal.

  “He’s not in a relationship because running a company of this size, especially at his age, is all-consuming. But I think he does fine with the ladies all on his own.” My grandfather leaned back in his chair and answered confidently.

  Old school answer, Gramps.

  And completely untrue.

  But I kept my mouth shut.

  “Well, there will be a lot of women hoping to capture your heart, Mr. Carlisle.” She winked before pushing to her feet and sliding me her card. “Call me.”

  Good Christ. I hoped this article wouldn’t lead to women thinking I was out looking for my next hookup.

  Thanks, Gramps.

  I glanced up through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls to see Maura at the end of the hall staring at me. My gaze locked with hers.

  She looked a little wounded.

  But she didn’t know what had just happened. I walked Diane out with Gramps on my tail. Once Diane was on the elevator, Gramps faced me. “Something going on with you and the Benson girl?”

  “What?”

  “I see the way you two keep looking at one another. I may have been born in the last century, but I know when a man and woman are stealing glances.”

  I shrugged. I wasn’t going to have this conversation here. “I’ve got it handled.”

  “Make sure you do. That’s why I jumped in on that last question. You looked like a deer in the headlights. Keep it out of the office, and out of the press. Got it?”

  I hugged him goodbye, and he stepped into the elevator. That went better than expected, although I hadn’t told him the extent of things. But I would soon.

  I made my way back toward my office and Layla looked up at me. Maura continued typing on her computer beside Layla, who looked like she was going to burst out in laughter.

  What was I missing?

  “You have a visitor, Crew,” my assistant said.

  “Who is it?” I hissed, because I wasn’t in the mood, and I wanted to know why Maura was ignoring me.

  Maura spun around in her chair, face bright red and eyes full of fire. “It’s Juliette Parker. Your girlfriend.”

  Layla used her hand to cover her mouth and I wondered if she’d figured out what was going on between us. She would be the one person in the office I would actually trust. She always had my back, and I’d always have hers.

  “I don’t have a girlfriend,” I said, trying to tell Maura that Juliette was nothing to me, but instead her face fell at my words.

  “Good to know.” She stood, her cheeks flushed, and she refused to meet my gaze. “I’m heading over to creative to pitch my idea. I’ll be back.”

  I watched her leave and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. Not here at least.

  “You might want to take care of that little situation in your office. And then explain it to your real non-girlfriend,” Layla leaned close and whispered, before pulling away and winking at me.

  Could this day get any worse?

  I pushed my office door open. “Juliette. This is unexpected.”

  “Well, you don’t take my calls. You don’t respond to texts anymore. Did I do something?”

  “You didn’t do anything. I should have called you and explained. I’m sorry,” I said, dropping in the chair behind my desk.

  “Explain what?”

  “I’m seeing someone,” I said.

  Her face fell. “Oh. I thought you didn’t do relationships.”

  “I didn’t think I did either. But I met her, and things changed,” I admitted. I didn’t want to hurt Juliette, but my mind was on Maura who was currently not speaking to me.

  “Lucky girl.”

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I should have called. I just sort of thought it would blow over.”

  “I get it. I think my feelings grew deeper than I expected them to. But you were always straight with me, so I can’t be upset,” she said, and I pushed to my feet.

  She turned to hug me, and I wrapped my arms around her, relieved that this was as painless as it was. “Thanks for understanding.”

  “Of course. I’m disappointed though. If anything changes, call me,” she said as I pulled back.

  “It won’t. She’s the real deal.”

  She nodded. “I’m actually happy for you, Crew. Take care.”

  The door flew open, and a red-faced Maura walked in. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I interrupting? I just forgot to give you these contracts that came in while you were in your meeting.”

  I tried not to laugh. There were no contracts. She was flustered and jealous and it was so goddamn cute. Juliette waved before leaving my office, and I moved to my door and reached for the handle. Layla was staring at me from her desk with a smirk, and I rolled my eyes and closed the door.

  “Let me take a look at those,” I said, taking them from her hand. Her other hand was fisted, and she looked like she might blow.

  Blow her top.

  Not blow me.

  Because I had a hunch that wouldn’t be happening today.

  I glanced down to see an article about spring fashion and burst out in laughter.

  “Is this funny to you?” she hissed and spun around, heading for the door in a fury.

  I followed, just like I always did. Hell, I’d chase this girl just about anywhere. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her back against my chest. “It’s fucking hilarious, baby. Nothing’s going on, but you’re cute as hell when you’re jealous.”

  She pulled out of my arms and spun around to face me. “I’m not jealous. Not even a little. I’m just mad because I told you from the start that if you weren’t all in, you just needed to let me know. I deserve a little more respect than having your little side piece show up here. So, what was that? Did you just have an office quickie? You’re a pig,” she whisper-hissed because our office romance was still a fucking secret, and I was getting damn sick of it.

  “If I’m not having an office quickie with you, I’m certainly not doing it with anyone else.” I put a hand on each of her cheeks. “I love you. Juliette is a part of my past. She showed up here because I haven’t answered her calls in months. I told her I was in a serious relationship. I should have called her to tell her, but I just assumed she’d figure it out. That’s on me. But you’re the only one for me, Maura Benson. I love you.”

  “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Well, for starters, you walked right in. If I were to have an office quickie, I assume I’d at least lock the door. Secondly, I don’t have a reason to lie. If I didn’t want this,” I motioned my hand between us, “I wouldn’t be in it. And I’m deep in it, baby. You’re all I want. And I think my grandfather knows about us. He didn’t come out and say it directly, but he knows. And I’m pretty fucking sure Layla knows. Not totally surprised, they both know me well.”

  “What does that mean?” She searched my gaze.

  “It means that we’re being sloppy. We still need to be careful for three more weeks. We can’t risk anyone else finding out.” I wanted that to be true, but my conversation with Judy was still nagging at me.

  She wrapped her arms around my middle and hugged me tight. “Sorry. I was jealous.”

  “You
don’t say?” I teased. “Hey, let me ask you something.”

  “What?” She tipped her head back and looked up at me.

  “What happens in three weeks? When the internship comes to an end. What is your plan with your father?”

  She shrugged. “My issue with my father is about the fact that I’m hiding a massive secret from my mother. When you give me the green light, I’m prepared to tell my father about us. He’ll have to deal with it.”

  Judy was fucking right. She was protecting me, not herself.

  I owed her the same thing.

  But Arthur Benson was still my enemy no matter how you looked at it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Maura

  “Hey, Mama. I’m going to come home tomorrow and spend the day with you,” I said, chewing on my thumbnail. Crew and I were already in Willow Springs, driving to his house for dinner. He wanted me to spend time with his family. But the guilt that I was feeling about being next door was a lot.

  “Are you driving home with Gigi?” she asked. “I can’t wait. Let’s have a girls’ day. Your father will be disappointed. He’s on a golf trip with Uncle Hank and a few friends.”

  Thank god. I wasn’t ready to put on a show with my father there. My brothers thought I should wait and force my dad to tell her the truth, but seeing as we weren’t really speaking, that hadn’t happened. But my relationship with Piper was growing deeper. I’d taken Crew and Ivy to meet her last night for dinner. It was the oddest mix of emotions. I felt a connection with her. Like we’d known one another our entire lives. Yet I felt enormous guilt every time I was with her. Like I was betraying my mother. Piper understood it, because she felt the same way about her mother. Wes and Lyle were looking forward to meeting her, but we all felt it would be best to wait until my mother found out. I had been put in the situation without warning, but my brothers felt it would be disrespectful to our mother if they didn’t wait. They also knew what was going on with Crew, and they would take the secret to their graves. But Crew was nervous about them knowing. And maybe telling my father. I knew they wouldn’t do that to me. But I hated that I couldn’t share this with my mom. I’d never been happier in my life, and it was all a massive secret. Graduation couldn’t come soon enough.