by E. L. Todd
Charlie sat on the bleachers with Denise beside him, the two of them engaged in conversation. Matt sat a short distance away, as if he were giving them space so his friend could seal the deal. Carson was beside him, and when I walked over, she rose to her feet.
I smiled at her cuteness, loving her little workout shorts and her t-shirt. I liked it when her hair was pulled back so I could see more of her beautiful face. “Hey, sweetheart—”
“Yes.” She stood with her hands on her hips, giving me a serious look, her eyes focused on my face like this was a business deal rather than a personal conversation between two people in love.
My smile faded when I heard that single word, the unexpected answer to a conversation we’d had over a week ago. I inhaled a deep breath when I heard that answer, the trumpets playing in my ears. I stood in front of her, looking down at her without touching her.
Her eyes shifted back and forth as she gazed into my face.
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. All I could do was absorb that answer further into my bloodstream, memorize her tone as she spat it out in the middle of a basketball court at a gym. It was blunt and to the point—exactly who she was.
She walked past me then headed onto the court as she joined the guys for a warm-up.
I watched her go before I turned back to her friends.
Charlie gave a slight shrug. “I couldn’t believe it either.”
After the game, we got pizza and wings, as was tradition. The food was so heavy and greasy that it seemed to negate all the exercise we’d just done on the court. I sat beside Carson as we drank our beers and waited for the food to come out.
Charlie was absorbed in Denise, making her laugh and smile, like they were already a couple that hadn’t actually touched each other.
My hand went to Carson’s bare thigh under the table.
She turned to me once she felt my affection.
I gave her a gentle squeeze as I looked down at her, finding her to be the most beautiful woman in the world even when her skin was shiny with sweat and she didn’t wear makeup. “I love you.”
Her eyes softened. “I love you too.”
I wanted to talk about her answer from before, but I almost felt like it was better left unsaid. She’d abandoned all her old ways and completely let me in. It was the biggest declaration of love she could ever make. “So…you want to have kids?” I’d never actually asked her before. I just inserted her into my dream, pictured her as the mother of my children.
She shrugged. “Someday…maybe. I’m open-minded about it.”
“I think you’d be a great mom.”
“I don’t know about that.” She shrugged off my compliment. “I’d probably be a drill sergeant.”
“And is that a bad thing?”
“Well, I’d have to be the disciplinarian since you’ll be the teddy bear.”
I shrugged. “I’m an excellent cuddle buddy.”
She smiled. “You are.”
The waitress brought all the food and placed it on the table.
Matt clapped his hands. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
Charlie didn’t seem to notice the food because he was so absorbed in his conversation with Denise.
Carson immediately grabbed some wings and fries.
I let her go first—as always. “You think he’s going for it?”
She glanced at them across the table, visibly smitten with each other. “I hope so. About time he put his money where his mouth is.”
“You think he’ll tell her he’s felt this way for a long time?”
“I hope not. Kinda creepy.”
“Creepy?” I asked.
“Could you imagine telling someone you’ve been obsessed with them for, like, a year? That you dumped your last partner because you couldn’t stop thinking about them?” She put a few fries into her mouth. “I think it’s a little much.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“He can tell her…but just wait a while.”
I put the food on my plate. “Have you talked to her about everything?”
She shook her head. “I do my best to stay out of things. Learned my lesson.”
“There was no lesson to learn because it wasn’t your fault.”
She shrugged. “Not everyone shares that opinion.”
My hand moved to her back, and I gently rubbed her before massaging the back of her neck. “But they will, in time.”
She lay beside me in the dark, surrounded by windows that showed the city glow outside. The sheets were pulled to her shoulder and covered her naked body, and her hair was all over the place from the way I’d fisted it. She released a loud sigh, as if it was an announcement. “I should probably go. I have to get up early tomorrow…”
“Why don’t you just bring a bag?” I lay beside her and stared at her.
“Because I’m lazy. I hate packing.”
“Then why don’t you bring some things to keep here? A couple outfits? Extra makeup?”
“So, you can have girlie shit in your closet and on your bathroom counter?” she asked incredulously.
“I don’t mind. It just reminds me that you’ll come back.”
Her lips relaxed slightly at my words. “You know I’ll always come back, even if I don’t have anything here.”
“I do.”
She sat up and looked at the clock on my nightstand.
“Why do you have to get up early?”
“Staff meeting.”
“Oh, I know how that goes.”
“I have to give details about everything I’m working on, just like everyone else in the office does. It’s kind of annoying because no one really cares what anyone else is doing because we’re so focused on our own articles, but I get why it saves my editor time.”
“You know, my place is closer to your office, so you’re actually closer when you stay here.”
She grinned at my attempt to keep her around. “Which makes it an even farther commute when I have to go back to my apartment first.”
“Which is why you need to keep stuff here. Besides, don’t you want to be out of the apartment when Denise and Charlie start sleeping together?”
She cringed. “Very true…and well played.”
I propped myself on my arm and moved my hand into her hair so I could kiss her, taste the lips I’d already tasted all night. “Come on, sweetheart. Ditch that place and come live with me.”
Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked into my face. “It sounds like you’re asking me to move in with you.”
“If your answer is yes, I am. If it’s not…you’re reading too much into it.”
She continued to study me, her face unreadable. “You think this is going too fast?”
We’d just hit a roadblock, and the collision was painful. “Do you?”
“No… Isn’t that weird?”
My eyes immediately narrowed on her face because I couldn’t believe what she’d said. “It’s not weird at all.” It wasn’t weird because it felt right—for both of us. “I think we’ve gotten exactly what we deserve in each other. And that’s not weird.”
Her eyes filled with affection as she smiled.
“Could you imagine doing this every day? Every night?”
“I can. But I think after you talk to Charlie, he’ll convince you it’s a bad idea. He’ll tell you about the popcorn in the couch cushions, the time I used his phone as a flashlight and dropped it in the toilet, and how I vacuumed the entire apartment when the bag was full, so I ended up making the entire place even dirtier.”
“He might have mentioned a couple things.”
“Well, there you go.”
“But I also think he wants to get you out of that apartment as fast as possible.”
“That’s what he says, but…I don’t know.” Her smile faded, and she turned more serious. “We’ve been living together for a long time. I think he’d actually be pretty sad if I left. I’d be kind of sad too, you know.”
“Yeah, I understan
d,” I said gently.
“But I also understand that people move on, and that’s not a bad thing.”
Her living with me definitely wasn’t a bad thing.
“So, if my answer was yes…where would we live?”
“Here.”
“In a penthouse?” she asked, slightly incredulous.
“Is that a problem?”
“I don’t know…” She took a look around at all the luxury. “Not really my thing. You know I’m a burger and fries kind of girl. I’m not into Cristal and caviar. I keep it real.”
“Is there somewhere else you’d like to live?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I get the option?”
“Of course. I want to be with you—even if that means renting the apartment above Mega Shake.”
When she laughed, it was so beautiful, the smile that stretched across her face. Her eyes lit up like fireworks, and I memorized it so I could think about it during my boring meetings, when I had to work late and couldn’t be with her. “I don’t know if I’d want to live there…”
“Then wherever you want. I really don’t care.”
Her hand moved to my arm, and she gently rubbed my skin, her gaze becoming serious. “Here is fine.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Moving is a bitch.”
My lips softened into a smile. “It sounds like you’re saying yes…”
Her cheeks started to blush slightly, like she couldn’t believe she was making such a spontaneous decision. “Well, are you saying yes?”
“Yes. A million times.”
“Then…yes.”
I inhaled a deep breath as I looked at the confidence in her gaze, the fact that she knew she wanted to be with me, to leave the comfort of her home and start a life with me. It was like living in a dream, having the one woman you wanted want you in the same way. “That makes me really happy.”
“It does?” she whispered.
“Yes. Just don’t try to vacuum.”
That laughter came back, reaching her eyes. Her laughter was infectious, so I joined her.
“Alright…I guess I’m moving. But I could just leave my stuff there, and Charlie can turn my room into a guest bedroom.”
“You’re welcome to bring your stuff here. I can get rid of some things to make room.”
Her eyes softened all over again, reaching a new depth.
“What?” I whispered.
“That was why I said yes.”
I stared at her face, unsure what she meant. But I knew she would tell me if I gave her the floor.
“That’s why I agreed to compromise. Because you’re willing to compromise. When you told me you would step down as the big CEO to be there for our kids so I could keep working, that meant a lot to me. To find a man who would step back so I could go first…is impossible to describe. You’re a billionaire, but you’ll never make a fuss about me staying home and doing yoga or some shit. You’ll let me live my life the way I want so I’ll have no regrets. And if any woman is lucky enough to find a man like that, she’s got to do whatever she can to hold on to him.”
Transfixed by the emotion in her face, I stared at her. “Because I’m the right man for you…just as you’re the right woman for me.”
16
Carson
Charlie sat on the couch and watched the TV, a beer on the table beside him. He was in sweatpants and a shirt, watching the TV with a sleepy gaze like he was ready for bed but too lazy to get up and walk into the bedroom.
“So, what’s going on with Denise?”
Charlie turned to look at me, clearly surprised by the question. “Nothing. We’re just talking.”
“Why is that all you’re doing?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Still seems weird.”
“I think it’s weirder that you haven’t done anything.”
He gave another shrug. “I guess.”
“And I’m moving out, so…you should think about who will replace me.”
Charlie did a double take when he heard that information. “Say what? Back up. You’re moving out? And where are you going?”
“Oh, come on. Where do you think I’m going?” I rolled my eyes.
“He asked you to move in with him?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Wow…Carson is moving out.” He threw his arms in the air in celebration. “Fuck yes.”
I rolled my eyes again. “Whatever. I know you’re sad.”
“I’m not sad at all.”
“Yes, you are.”
He pivoted his body to look at me straight on. “On a scale of one to ten, my sadness level is a one.” He held up a single finger.
“Bullshit. It’s a seven.”
“Maybe a two.”
“Six.” I felt like we were negotiating back and forth over a deal.
His eyes narrowed. “Four.”
“Five.”
He paused for a while before he gave a slight nod. “Okay…five.”
I smiled. “I knew it.”
“So I’m half-and-half. I’m happy that you are moving in with this guy and getting on with your life, but I’m also sad that I won’t get to see you all the time.”
“What about work?”
“You won’t be doing that for long either, right?”
“He asked me to move in with him. Not marry him.”
“But that’s next on the list.”
It would be weird not to see Charlie every single day, for him not to be the person I spoke to the most. But Dax had already replaced him in a lot of ways. I hadn’t really noticed until now.
“We’ll still see each other all the time. Whether Denise and I get together or not. That’s a promise.”
“I know. But I do hope you and Denise get together—and get married and have a bunch of babies.”
He chuckled. “For now, I just want us to get together.”
“You want me to talk to her?”
He shook his head. “I can talk to a woman on my own.”
“I mean about Kat.”
“You haven’t told her what happened?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t think I could really talk to her about anything, so she has no idea.”
“And that also means Denise hasn’t mentioned me to you either.”
“I try to stay out of your relationship as much as possible, learn from my mistakes.”
He gave me a sad look. “Maybe you should tell her about Kat, that way she knows it’s okay to say yes when I go for it.”
“What happened to you not needing me to talk to a woman for you?” I teased.
“I just think having to have a conversation after I make my move will interfere with all the making out we might do.”
I made a disgusted face. “Gross.”
“Get used to it. I have to watch Dax grab your ass all the time and make out with you in between hot wings, so…”
“But he’s not your brother.”
“But you’re like my sister.”
I shook my head and looked at the TV. “I guess I’ll get used to it.”
“So, when are you moving in with Dax?”
I shrugged. “No specific date. It’s pretty casual.”
“And you’re okay living in a big-ass penthouse?”
“He said he was willing to get an apartment with me, but I thought it would be stupid for him to move out just on principle. He’s got a lot of money, and if I want to spend my life with him, I’ll just have to get used to it.”
He nodded in agreement. “Very true. Isn’t it weird to think that when you get married, you’ll be a billionaire too?”
I didn’t think I’d ever get used to that. I’d probably have my own bank account and my own money, but just live in his house. “I know when people get married, they share their finances, but I just can’t see myself doing that. I’ll live in whatever house he wants to buy, but I’ll never consider his money as my money.”
“Why do you have such a hard time accep
ting his wealth? I know money isn’t important to you, but you seem to despise it.”
I turned back to him. “Because I’ve written a lot of articles about rich people. It’s very rare to hear a story that has a happy ending. The money makes them greedy and evil, and the wealth ends up destroying their lives instead of making it better. Money is the root of all evil, in my opinion. So, I honestly want nothing to do with it.”
He nodded in understanding. “Yeah, that makes sense. But with Dax, it seems like his story will have a happy ending.”
I couldn’t agree more. That was why I was willing to do all of this to be with him. “I think so too.”
“You’re really moving in with him?” Denise asked me from across the table in the sushi restaurant, holding her chopsticks between her fingers. “You? Carson?”
“Yep. The rumors are true.”
She grabbed a sushi roll and placed it in her mouth. After a couple bites, she shook her head again. “I’m really happy for you. Just surprised.”
“Trust me, I was really surprised too. Not surprised that he asked, surprised that I wanted the same things.”
“For what it’s worth, he’s so much better than Evan ever was. You can tell he’s genuinely a good guy. Not to mention, he’s super hot.”
“Yeah. Another reason why I said yes.” I chuckled before I took a bite of my roll. “Do you know who else is super hot? Charlie.”
Her eyebrows rose up on her face. “What did you just say?” She turned jealous immediately, just the way I did about Dax.
Her reaction told me everything I needed to know. “Girl, he’s all yours. Not my type. But maybe you should go for him…”
Her wrath slowly subsided. “Do I make it that obvious?”
“You both do. I think it’s time for something to happen.”
“I don’t know… I really don’t want to hurt Kat.” She bowed her head and pushed her rolls around with her chopsticks.
“I think it’s time for all of us to move on. And you and Charlie would be great together, so I think you guys should give it a go.”
“Really?” she asked in surprise.