by Bella Grant
“Ah, Charlotte.” He beamed and immediately took one of her hands. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for days! Are you all right? I know what happened with you and Mother. I wanted to make sure there was no permanent damage done.”
“To my body or my pride?” she asked jokingly, wondering if she could get rid of him. He was still her friend, but as she stared into his eyes, there was something missing—the fire she saw in Braydon’s eyes, the deep caring that was more than just being friendly. “I’m a bit busy taking care of something right now, Quin. This isn’t a good time.”
He looked crestfallen, but didn’t let go of her hand. “Perhaps I can be of assistance?”
As she fumbled for words, she heard her mother call out behind her, “Ah, Quin, it’s good to see you. How is your mother? Does she have at least one black eye?”
Quin looked a bit taken aback. “Yes, I’m afraid she does. A few scratches, too.”
“Pity,” Victoria said as she stood in the doorway with her daughter. “I would’ve wished to see two black eyes on that woman.”
“I beg your pardon? That is my mother you’re speaking of.”
“Yes, and she attacked my daughter after barging into my home uninvited.”
“I am sorry to hear that, but Charlotte’s behavior was not exactly proper, either.”
Charlotte opened her mouth, but her mother took her arm. “No, it was not, but that is not for you to comment on. She is my daughter. Now, I suggest you scurry back over to your dearest mommy and tell her if I see her again, I will be the one throwing punches.”
“Quin, I’m sorry,” Charlotte said as his face turned red. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into her.”
“Yes, you do,” she said and glanced back at Quin. “As does his mother. I’m crazy, they all know it. They’ve all known it for a while now, had their suspicions about poor, little old me. Well, let them all know it’s official. I’m crazy, and I can say whatever I want. Cheers, Quin!” She pulled Charlotte back with her and slammed the door in Quin’s face.
Charlotte, out of polite reaction, opened the door again. Quin’s face was screwed up in confusion and annoyance as she hurried out onto the porch and closed the door firmly behind her. “I’m sorry. It’s been a rough few days with her.”
“So I see,” he said, then cleared his throat. “I came by for several reasons. First, Braydon has informed me of your financial plight with the orphanages. As of right now, my company is drawing up a proposal that will back you and Terrance at your presentation on Friday.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “You are? Why would you do that?”
“Those orphanages are a very important part of this city, Charlotte, and important to you. I don’t want to see you lose them. It doesn’t matter what you are going through,” he said when she started to explain. “I don’t need to know as long as you understand that I will help you however I can.”
She hugged him, as she always had when they were just friends before all this engagement nonsense. But as he wrapped his arms around her, she could feel the tension in him. He still wanted more from her, and she just couldn’t give it. Quickly she pulled back, thanked him again, and asked why he had stopped by.
“I really would just like to put all of this behind us. Monday evening, we’re having our usual monthly cocktails. It also marks the week for you to make your decision.”
“Quin, I’m still not sure,” she started to explain, but he held up his hand.
“You still have a few days. I’ll wait for your visit then, and I am not one to put aside all my manners, so please inform your mother she is, as always, invited to cocktails as well.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek and then hurried down the path as Charlotte went back inside to find her mother waiting for her, arms crossed over her chest and tapping her toe.
“What?”
“That man outside is nothing more than a friend, and if you marry him, he will be in your way,” she said. “But the man in the sunroom, that Braydon? He knows what it means to live. He’s grown as a person, and if he keeps looking at you the way he does, I think you’ve found the person you’re meant to be with.”
Her words made Charlotte pause. How did everyone else see these things, yet she still doubted her feelings?
“I was the same way with your father.”
“I thought you and Dad were high school sweethearts?”
“We were, but that man drove me insane before we were together. That, and I was supposed to marry someone else entirely.”
“You never told me that!”
Victoria shrugged. “You never needed to know. Now then, I’m going to lie down. Let me know when Dr. Shannon gets here.” She gave her daughter’s cheek a kiss and a gentle pat, then headed up the stairs to her room.
Slowly, Charlotte made her way back to the sunroom where she leaned in the doorway and stared at Braydon’s silhouette. He stood in front of the windows, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the birds. His shoulders were a bit tense, most likely from dredging up his past, but it made Charlotte feel better knowing what he’d gone through, helped her understand why he’d become the person he was today.
He glanced over his shoulder and smiled when he saw her. “The doctor?”
“No, actually, it was Quin. But don’t worry,” she said when Braydon frowned. “Mother got rid of him. Then I apologized for her behavior and somehow got myself invited over for cocktails Monday night to give my answer. And he wanted to let me know about his decision to back the orphanages? You told him?”
“I thought it might help.”
She kissed his cheek after he walked towards her as a lazy smile stretched across her face. “Thank you, I have a feeling we’ll need it.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Well, I’m happy for you, but I’m happier he’s gone for the time being. Now I can have you all to myself.” He leaned down and kissed her, and fire spread instantly through Charlotte’s body at his touch.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she whispered.
He shook his head as he stared into her eyes. “Don’t be. There was a time in my life I didn’t know my up from my down. I wasn’t lucky enough to have someone beside me then, but you are.” He ran his fingers through her hair, taking in every inch of her face with his green eyes. “I’m right here, Charlotte, whenever you need me.”
“I know,” she said quietly. And I think I love you, she almost said as they turned back to watch the birds.
Chapter 17
Braydon paid for the pizzas at the front door as Charlotte went upstairs to check on her mom again. Dr. Shannon had been by an hour earlier and told them she seemed to be doing all right after the episode. He’d pulled Charlotte aside with Braydon and let them both know that the memory issues might get worse. It could take months or years, or it could take days, but they needed to be ready for it.
Charlotte hadn’t been able to say much, but Braydon had assured him they would take the utmost care of Victoria.
So, instead of meeting at Braydon’s place, Terrance was on his way over so they could work on the presentation for tomorrow morning. He was sure that was another reason Charlotte had grown more anxious as the day passed. That, and the visit from Quin hadn’t helped. But she got over it fairly fast and hadn’t brought him up since. Braydon was grateful for that. He didn’t want his stepbrother brought into any conversation if it could be avoided. He’d called and checked in at the office, too, but as far as anyone could tell him, Natalie had disappeared. No one had seen her since that morning.
Braydon worried, but he didn’t think she’d do anything drastic. It sounded as if she’d decided to quit. He thought about it as he carried the pizzas into the kitchen as Charlotte came from the hallway leading to upstairs.
“How’s she doing?” he asked.
“Sleeping soundly. Pizza? Thank God, I’m starving.”
She flipped open a box, pulled out a slice with jalapenos and black olives,
and started to eat it as Braydon watched, amused. He leaned his hip against the edge of the counter and grinned as she ate the slice in a few minutes and reached for a second piece.
“Oh,” she said, catching him watching her. “Did you want a slice?”
“Not yet. I was going to wait for Terrance.”
“I guess I can, too,” she said and started to set the piece down until he told her he was kidding. She waited a second, then bit into the piece without delay. “So, do you really think I can pull this off tomorrow?”
“There’s no reason why you can’t. Terrance already said he’d be there to help you present, and I’ll be there, too. I think it’s going to go better than you believe.”
“I hope so,” she said. “Don’t think I could stand telling those children the orphanages will shut down because I lost all our money.”
“You didn’t. Your father did, and it was an accident.”
She shrugged and set the rest of her pizza down, plopping onto a stool at the breakfast bar. She rested her forehead on her hands and sighed. “I’m going to be a wreck tomorrow.”
“No, you won’t, because when we’re finished, I’m kidnapping you, remember?”
“But my mother,” she said, lifting her head. “I can’t leave her alone.”
“I had a word with Dr. Shannon. He has a nurse available this weekend, and if Milly is better, and if I send Liam over, your mother will be well taken care of,” he said. “It’s only for a few days. I think you need it.”
He could tell she didn’t want to argue. She needed to get away before she worried herself into a frenzy and drove everyone around her crazy. Everything was already planned. He had clothes bought and packed for her, the jet was prepped, and he’d called ahead to the estate in Ireland. The house was being aired out, cleaned, and filled with enough food for the weekend. It was going to be beautiful.
And there’d be no place for her to escape when she felt she might be going against whoever’s wishes were not hers. No more running away from what she really wanted.
No more running from herself.
There was a soft knock at the door. “That’ll be Terrance. Didn’t want him to wake your mom,” he explained and headed to the front door, leaving Charlotte in the kitchen, her face torn between excitement and anxiety about the next day.
“Hey, man,” Terrance said when Braydon opened the door. “Is her mom all right?”
“Better now. She’s sleeping.”
“I didn’t know she was sick.”
“No one did. You know how these people are. But no need to talk about that. Charlie’s freaking out about tomorrow morning.”
“She’s got me,” Terrance said, patting him on the back.
“That’s what I’m worried about,” he joked as he led him to the kitchen.
“Terrance, you might have to do all the speaking tomorrow,” Charlotte gushed. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to get two words out.”
He gave her a one armed hug. “You’ll do just fine. You have to. The children are relying on you”
Her eyes widened even more. “That’s not helping.”
“It should. If the orphanages lose money, the children will have no place to go, no chance of staying together. They’ve made a family for themselves there. They need this—they need us, Charlotte. Don’t let them down.”
She looked up at Terrance, and then locked eyes with Braydon. He’d told her their story earlier, and he could see she was imagining him as one of those children, out on the street, with nowhere to go until they were picked up by the mob, or a gang, or anyone else who offered to give them what they needed. It wasn’t a life he’d wish on anyone else and hoped she saw that as they stared at each other across the counter.
“Do you two need a moment?” Terrance asked with a smirk.
“No, we don’t,” she said. “Right then, where do we start?”
Terrance opened his briefcase and pulled out a large stack of files. “The beginning. We need to showcase what this orphanage has done for children, and even though it might not be profitable in monetary terms, it helps save lives. Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she said, and they went to work.
Braydon listened, helping where he could, but he couldn’t make the final decision. This was out of his hands as CEO. He mentally cursed all those stupid little bylaws that made it hard for him to do certain things yet so easy to do what wasn’t necessary. Soon, he’d have a little meeting of his own and either find a way to change the way it worked or just leave it all behind and move home to Ireland—hopefully, with Charlotte by his side.
***
Charlotte and Terrance finished the presentation and reviewed it for several hours, Braydon chipping in here and there, trying to act like his board members might. It was a bit stressful until Charlotte got so aggravated that she threw an olive at him, hitting him right in the eye. He’d nearly fallen backwards off the stool. She’d burst out laughing and had ended up on the floor as well, holding her sides.
But now, hours later, he could see the weariness on her face. She sat in the chair, trying to keep her eyes open as Terrance rambled on about things they might need to add. But she wasn’t listening.
“Terrance,” Braydon whispered as Charlotte yawned.
“Hmm? Oh. Maybe we’re done for the night,” he said with a yawn of his own.
“No,” Charlotte said as she forced her eyes open and sat up. “I’m awake, really. Let’s keep going.”
Braydon stood over her. “You need to be well-rested for tomorrow morning. Come on,” he said and picked her up gently in his arms. She muttered something about being able to walk, but he didn’t listen. She rested her head against his shoulder as he told Terrance he’d be back down in a minute.
“What about my mother?” she said. “I have to stay awake, make sure she’s all right. Milly will be back in the morning, but I have to be there for her tonight.”
“Dr. Shannon gave her a heavy sedative so she could sleep through the night. You don’t need to worry about her. Besides, I’ll stay the night. I’m a pretty light sleeper. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“Why not? Your mom thinks I’m a hunk anyway.” He smirked.
She didn’t argue with him, told him to do what he wanted. His hands tightened around her as carried her to her room. In that case, he wanted nothing more than to have her lying beside him, naked in bed, and not getting up for days. But tomorrow would come soon enough, and they’d be on their way to an estate in Ireland where no one would bother them.
He set her on her bed, and she curled up in a small ball. He covered her with a blanket, and before he reached the door, she was sound asleep, snoring quietly. The sound made him laugh, and he headed back downstairs, still smiling when he joined Terrance in the sitting room.
“She asleep?”
“Yes. She’s exhausted. The last few days have not been easy for her.”
“But they have been for you,” his friend mused.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Terrance stared at his friend of so many years. “For the first time since I’ve known you, there’s a light in your eyes. You care for that woman, more than you’ve cared for anyone. She needed you, and without even thinking about what you might get from it, you’ve been there for her. When can you name another time or another person for whom you would have done that?” Braydon opened his mouth to answer, but Terrance cut him off. “Your da doesn’t count.”
He glared at his friend. “Well, there’s always you.”
“I don’t count either, not like this.”
“So what? Maybe I just want to sleep with her again.”
“You had a one-night stand nearly a week ago. Have you been in her bed since?”
“Well, no, but things have come up—”
“And how many times have you been together in a situation when you could have e
asily slept with her but didn’t?” Braydon muttered an answer, and Terrance laughed. “Every night? Man, she has you all twisted up inside.”
“The moment just wasn’t right.”
“Or,” Terrance said, leaning closer, “you love her and just won’t admit it to yourself.”
Braydon leaned back in the chair, hoping his face was blank. He had admitted it to himself, on some level. It was more or less the issue of whether he wanted to tell her, whether he wanted to open himself up to that sort of vulnerability. His mother leaving him had caused a distrust for all women—until Charlie. Now, he was scared that even after the crazy few days they’d been through, he would say the words, and she wouldn’t repeat them.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Terrance stood and stretched. “I guess I’ll be seeing you in the morning.”
“Yeah. I just hope they’re all in a good mood.”
“Do you think we have a chance?”
Braydon wanted to say he wasn’t worried at all, but there were men on his board who would say no. It wouldn’t be monetarily profitable to take on such an investment. They wouldn’t like it, and by the end of the presentation, all of them would probably be thinking the same thing. It was a waste of time and their CEO had gone soft. It would be their chance to start pushing for more changes in the company.
But for Charlie, Braydon was ready to face whatever they decided to throw at him.
“I think it’ll go off without a hitch,” he said finally as he walked his friend to the door.
“You’ve always been a terrible liar,” Terrance said with a smile, shaking his hand and heading down the drive.
Braydon returned to his chair and sat flipping aimlessly through the TV stations muted so he could listen for Victoria or Charlie. But before long, sleep took him, too, and all he could dream about was the woman snoring quietly upstairs and what tomorrow’s adventure would bring them both.
Chapter 18