by Holly Rayner
Charlotte sipped her drink, then, eyeing him. “You know, that all went rather smoothly today. With Katrina. Did you feel anything when you saw Evan? I imagine it had been a while.”
“I hadn’t seen him since he sued me, actually,” Sean said. “It didn’t dredge up any feelings, though. I felt no sense of friendship with him. Perhaps we were never really friends, and he had this plan in the works the whole time.”
“You think he knew you’d be this successful?” Charlotte said.
“I’m sure nobody could have guessed.”
“I did. After your speech. It was like you were on a precipice, about to leap into the unknown. I knew you’d make it out alive. But I couldn’t have imagined I’d know you along the way.”
“It’s a remarkable thing. I’m so thankful for it.”
Their lasagna came, then. Charlotte stuck her fork into it with zeal, bringing the warmth into her stomach.
She shivered slightly, and Sean tossed her a blanket he’d stored beneath his seat. “Once the sun goes down fully, it’ll get chilly. But that’s when it’s most magical.”
“I trust you,” she answered. She placed her fork down and looked out across the water. She felt intensely grateful for each chilly breath, for the love for this man that grew within her, and for the future that stretched before them.
“I’ve been thinking,” Sean said then, interrupting her musing. “Perhaps you’d like to move in with me. I could support you better throughout your pregnancy. I can order you pizzas and buy you midnight ice cream and rub your feet. All that dad stuff.”
Charlotte laughed. “Wouldn’t that be getting ahead of ourselves?”
Sean shrugged. “Look. I really like you,” he began. “And I’d like to see where this goes. Perhaps we could do the whole dating thing in reverse.”
“First you get me pregnant with three children, then we move in together, and—”
“And then we finally get to know each other. Officially,” Sean smiled. He placed his hand over hers on the table, gazing into her eyes. When their skin met, she felt electricity—what people talked about with that one important word: chemistry.
“I think I’d like that,” Charlotte replied. She felt joy fill her.
She leaned across the table and kissed Sean passionately, moving toward him and landing on his lap. His lips were warm, and his beard scratched her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him deeper, with more life. She felt a fierce loyalty to him. She tucked her tongue over his, closing her eyes, thanking her lucky stars that this world had opened up to her.
Around them, Seattle began to quiet down for the night. Far away, Charlotte knew that Katrina and her father were having a bitter fight; she wouldn’t be surprised if Katrina was disbarred. And Evan was surely bickering with his wife, who’d probably learned of the affair by now. Evan Greene would be ruined. But Ellis and Associates would continue to thrive.
As she continued to kiss Sean, forgetting all about dinner, about the dessert that awaited her, Charlotte gave herself over to a final feeling: that Seattle was, ultimately, her home. She’d left the East Coast in a search for something better, and she’d found it. She would raise her children here. She would continue to build. She owed it to the young girl, hidden away in her Yale dorm room, who’d insisted on studying each and every Friday night. She’d been waiting for something better.
Sean carried Charlotte to bed around a half hour later, tucking her into the sheets and kissing her mouth, her neck, her forehead. She yearned for his body, but her eyes wouldn’t open, and he told her not to worry—that they had the morning, the afternoon. Eternity. And she smiled into their final kiss, falling into dreamland.
Chapter 17
Five Months Later
Charlotte felt like a blob. Her legs could hardly carry her, it seemed, and she knocked her stomach into everything when she tried to maneuver, unsure about where the babies began and she ended. “I don’t have spatial awareness anymore,” she whined, leaning her head back in Sean’s car. He drove her to work every morning, these days, given that she was now unable to ride a bicycle. It was winter, anyway, and the rain drizzled constantly.
“You’re complaining, but you haven’t noticed I’ve packed on about eight pounds since you moved in with me,” Sean laughed, turning his face toward hers at the traffic light. He stole a quick, sweet kiss from her before turning his gaze back to the road. “Every time you order takeout or indulge in your cravings for blocks of cheese, I don’t know what you expect me to do. I have to fight to look this good.”
Charlotte giggled. “We’ll go on a serious diet once the babies are born. Which is hopefully soon, because I feel like I’m going to explode any minute.”
“All right, honey. Have a good day at work,” Sean said playfully, using a sitcom voice.
Charlotte lifted herself with a grunt from the passenger seat, stepping onto the sidewalk directly next to Lyle.
“Good morning, Charlotte,” Lyle said, greeting her warmly. He whooshed his umbrella over her head, saving her perfect blond hair from the rain. The lack of bike rides and the pregnancy hormones had truly elevated her hair game. “How was your weekend?”
Charlotte could hardly remember it; she was so plagued by baby brain. But she grinned and pulled a few things from her mind, finally answering the question and asking the same.
“I finally heard from Evan’s attorney. The case has finally been dropped,” Lyle said, propping the door open for her. They stood in the foyer, drying off. “It took far longer than we expected. We had to write several different pleas, explaining the situation. But in the end, the issue of Katrina’s disbarment eventually helped them drop it. It alerted the judge to the severity of the situation.”
Charlotte nodded, walking to the elevator. “Do you miss her around here?” she asked.
“Not at all,” Lyle said quickly, stepping into the elevator beside her. “She made the environment quite tense, don’t you think?”
“I do,” Charlotte murmured, not wanting to dive into the details of it. Truly, Katrina had been reminiscent of some of the worst girls from Charlotte’s elementary school days.
“Did you see the paper this morning?” Lyle asked. “There was an announcement of Evan’s divorce. I can’t imagine what that woman is going through, learning of an affair like that. Such a tortured thing.” He shook his head with sadness, clucking his tongue.
“She should be happy she’s rid of him. I’m surprised she married him to begin with. From what Sean’s told me, he was a wretched boyfriend at Yale. He was always cheating on her then.”
“Maybe this was the last straw. Or it was too public, forcing her to take action.”
They reached the top floor and began to go their separate ways, before Lyle turned quickly, halting her. “Wait. Charlotte. I’d like to schedule a meeting with you today. You’re here for four hours today, correct?”
Charlotte placed her hand on her stomach, nodding. “I’ll be here till around one. But I can stay a bit later.”
“Great. Mr. Ellis and I would like to speak with you about something.”
Charlotte frowned, but agreed, waddling toward her office. She collapsed in her chair. A moment later, Katrina’s old intern entered, offering her tea and a cereal bar, and she accepted gratefully, feeling her hunger escalate with every passing moment.
She worked through the morning, diving into her various cases, happy to occupy herself with such a variety of clients. Although she missed having such high-caliber clients like Sean, she knew that hype generated after exposing Evan Greene for what he was would lead Ellis and Associates to even bigger cases. They were the most talked about tech law firm in the area. The thought of it thrilled her.
At around one, she headed to Lyle’s office. Her heart fluttered, nervous to appear before just Lyle and Mr. Ellis. She hadn’t spoken to them alone since Katrina had been fired, and the memory of it wasn’t a pleasant one for Mr. Ellis.
She entered and sat before them. Mr. Ellis’
cheeks were rosy, his lips moist. Beside him, Lyle sat with a broad smile on his face, assessing her—his favorite employee.
“So. Mr. Ellis and I have been discussing your recent performance,” Lyle began, his voice formal.
“It’s been a real pleasure working here throughout my pregnancy,” Charlotte began. “Thank you for allowing me to cut my hours down. I’ve been so exhausted after lunch. And I don’t want to turn my office into a nap room.”
“Perfectly understandable,” Lyle said, bowing his head. “But this meeting isn’t about that. Rather, we noted there’s a major hole at the office, without Katrina. Of course, she wasn’t doing the work necessary for her position and title. But we won’t go through that again.”
Charlotte’s left eyebrow rose with suspicion. A slight smile crept across her face. But she didn’t yet speak.
“We’d like to promote you, Charlotte,” Mr. Ellis said then. “We’d like to give you Katrina’s old position, along with a pay raise. This would be effective immediately, assuming you’d like to accept it.”
Charlotte kept her composure, but inside, she felt like she was flying, rocketing her way straight up to cloud nine. “I’d love to accept this position. Of course, you know I won’t be back at full speed until after the babies are born.”
“Of course,” Mr. Ellis said, his voice warm. “Take your time. And know that this position is waiting for you when you’re ready.”
Charlotte thanked them both with a warm handshake, then a hug. She felt like sobbing, but she held it in, tracing her eyes from one old gentleman to the other. “It’s been a true gift working for you both. It’s changed my life.” She placed her hands on her eight-month pregnant belly, and gave them a sheepish grin—one, she knew, was overzealous, that made her now slightly chubby cheeks more noticeable. Pregnancy had made her round, but beautiful.
She returned to her office, dialing Sean’s number quickly, feeling elated. He answered her call before the first ring had finished.
Her voice was joyous as she squealed, “Sean. You’ll never believe it.”
“Did they promote you?”
“Wait. How did you—”
“Honey. I’ve been waiting for this moment for months. If they weren’t going to do it soon, I was going to come in and give them a stern talking to.”
Charlotte giggled, staring out the window at the February drizzle. “Thank you.”
“I’m proud of you. You know that.”
“I’m proud of you, too. Always have been,” she replied wistfully.
“Thanks, Mom,” he quipped.
Charlotte sniffed. “You know. I’m going to be a real mom in just a few weeks. Can you believe it? I got promoted. But that isn’t even my biggest leap of the year. I have to step up to the plate. I have to learn how to breastfeed. Oh, God, I have to learn to do a lot.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself. Just enjoy this moment. Look out the window.”
“I am,” Charlotte whispered, placing her fingers against the chilly glass. She shivered.
“Did you know I’m looking back at you? All the way over here, at Lawson Technologies.”
“You stalker,” she tittered. “Get back to work.”
“Not until I go pick my girlfriend up from her office, and take her for a celebratory lunch. No work for me.”
“I’ll see you in five?” she laughed.
“I love you,” he whispered.
She returned the deep, wonderful words, feeling them warm her heart. She swiped her fingers through her hair, letting her head fall back, feeling such unequivocal happiness. It felt as if she’d just breathed oxygen for the first time.
Charlotte eased into the Tesla about eight minutes later, her belly heavy, her body aching. She tipped a small kiss on Sean’s lips, and he drove them toward Capitol Hill, where he parked next to a Mexican restaurant they both loved. He helped her inside, where a surprise guest revealed herself, leaping from her chair and clapping her hands.
“They finally gave you the promotion!” Chelsea exclaimed, pulling her friend into a side hug, unable to wrap her small arms around Charlotte’s round belly. “You’re really shattering that glass ceiling.”
“I do have three other humans to help me now,” Charlotte joked. “That glass ceiling didn’t stand a chance.”
Chelsea giggled, kissing Sean on the cheek in greeting. They sat together, the three of them, and ordered many rounds of tacos, speaking overtop of each other, fueled by each other’s happiness. Sean announced that he wouldn’t be going back into the office that day, that he deserved a long afternoon watching movies with his girlfriend. There was a sense that this cozy Mexican restaurant was a refuge from the cold, rainy Seattle day.
The long afternoon carried on, allowing them to pop popcorn, to dive into one fantastical movie after another. When Charlotte had to go upstairs to take an early nap, Sean went with her, tucking her in and sleeping alongside her, telling her that he couldn’t get enough time with her, not ever. Nuzzled into his arm cocoon, she soon found sleep.
Chapter 18
The following Friday was Valentine’s Day, the very first Charlotte had celebrated with a boyfriend, in all her 28 years.
Never had she been given a chocolate heart; never had she received a dozen roses, nor thrown them away after they dried up in their vase. And for this reason, perhaps, she felt a great deal of excitement for this day—knowing it held the promise of professions of love, of cuddles, of long hours in bed.
But more than that, Charlotte had listed this day, February 14, as her last day at Ellis and Associates before giving birth. She walked into the office with a heavy heart, focusing on the walk through the glass doors, the ride up the elevator. She wondered when she would possibly gain enough energy to come back, after giving birth to three children.
She’d long before given up on heels, and she walked slowly into the office for the final time on black flats, her stomach protruding before her.
“It’s not long now!” one of the interns called, waving to her.
“And hopefully, nobody will remember this look,” Charlotte laughed. “It’s not one I want remembered.”
“Don’t listen to her,” another intern interrupted. “You look gorgeous. Your skin is glowing. Your hair has never looked better. She’s just anxious today because she has a pimple.”
Charlotte worked diligently throughout her last morning, scribbling notes to her stand-in attorney, Barbara, and packing up her supplies. She couldn’t live a single moment without her highlighters and trusty notebook, even if she was going to spend her life in a constant state of breastfeeding and sleeping. My, how things changed, she thought.
Although it was Valentine’s Day, Charlotte knew not to expect much flashiness from the evening; despite his wealth, Sean was nothing if not low-key. He didn’t enjoy flaunting his money—his idea of a glorious date involved going out into the woods and inhaling fresh air. And she loved this about him, truly. She couldn’t imagine dating a male version of Katrina, who flaunted her money with each breath.
Because it was her last day, Charlotte found herself with a million last-minute projects and proposals. She was on a constant trek to Lyle’s office, reminding him of things only she knew about or took care of, passing him folder after folder of information. She knew the man was growing older. She wanted the process to be automatic for him, and Sean had insisted she take a break from all things work related until at least a few weeks after labor.
At around six that evening, she received a text message from Sean. She fumbled for her phone, feeling it piled beneath folders and reminders. It was her natural state, her familiar, loveable chaos.
“I’m outside. Take your time, and come out when you’re ready. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Charlotte’s heart began to patter. She dropped her folders into a box, tossing everything into an unorganized pile. Her fingers shook with excitement. She wrote a note on the box, explaining that it was to be delivered to Sean’s penthouse, given
that she couldn’t carry it. And she waddled into the main office, raising her arm and waving at the remaining workers.
The interns, the attorneys, and even Lyle quieted down, turning somber eyes toward her. Their respect was wholly hers.
“I just wanted to say. It’s been a unique pleasure working with you all,” she began. She felt a rock in her throat as she divulged this truth. “Every day, I’ve learned more about myself and about the law through you all. And I can’t wait to come back after I have these babies and really change some lives.” She rubbed her palms together, giving her colleagues an anxious, ecstatic grin.
And then, Lyle approached her, wrapping her in a mighty bear hug. The interns and other attorneys said goodbye with handshakes, with kisses. Charlotte felt overwhelmed with affection for them all, and she thanked them over and over again before dipping into the elevator and diving to the ground floor. She still felt their warmth on her arms. She still felt their smiles.
As the elevator doors opened, Sean appeared in the lobby, dressed in an immaculate suit that hugged his physique in all the right places. That familiar, 2006 grin swept across his face, and he brought his elbow forward.
Charlotte accepted it, taking stride beside him. “What’s gotten into you, Mister Romantic?” she grinned.
“Can’t a guy take his girlfriend out for Valentine’s?”
“I suppose you’re allowed,” she said. “If it’s really what you want.”
He looked at her steadily. “This is, without a doubt, one of the most important things I’ve wanted in my life. Trust me.”
Charlotte paused, unable to breathe. Something about his words caused her stomach to flip over. The moment was frozen in time, wholly formed in truth. He was her partner. He was her everything.
He tucked her into the passenger seat of the car, and began to drive through the city.
“So, where are we going, anyway?” Charlotte asked. “I suppose we can’t go to any of the usual romantic spots, since it won’t stop raining. No outdoor pier dinner. No drinks on the rooftop terrace.”