“You look great,” I offered. Her caramel hair fell in loose waves, much longer than I’d ever seen it. Her pencil skirt and buttoned-up blouse made her look even more mature than she already acted.
“Don’t mind the work attire. I took a half- day today.”
“Where are you working?” It felt odd not knowing the answer to such a simple question.
“The registrar’s office.” She glanced at the yellowish-brown bruise fading on my cheek. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”
I looked down at my lap, picking at the fringe on my jeans. “It has definitely felt like hell.”
“Yeah, well, it was no picnic for me either.”
“I’m sorry, Carla. I’ve wanted to call you every single day since I left.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“It’s complicated. A lot happened.”
“We have a long ride home. Start talking.”
For the next hour, I carefully went over every detail since the moment I met John and Tommy for the first time at the bakery that fateful night. Every now and again, I would see Carla’s hand lift to swipe a tear off her cheek. Then, she’d readjust her large sunglasses and smooth down her already smooth hair. She didn’t ask any questions. She didn’t make any comments. She just listened. I expected nothing more from her.
“Is anyone going to be home?”
“Yup.” Carla turned down her street. “The fam is very excited to see you.”
Seeing the familiar houses on the block I used to ride my bike up and down, I suddenly wondered who was living in my old house. Part of me wanted to see it, and part of me didn’t. Maybe I was better off not taking that stroll down memory lane. There was no sense in going back. Yet, ironically enough, here I was at the one place I never thought I’d be again.
Carla’s parents were sitting on the porch when we pulled into the driveway. Everything looked the same: the mess of bicycles, sports equipment, and action figures strewn about the front lawn; the matching rocking chairs that creaked whenever people sat in them, and the rusty old car parked in the open garage.
Carla’s twin brothers, Sam and Lucas, bounded down the porch stairs. I knelt and opened my arms wide.
“Charlotte!” They tackled me simultaneously and I was knocked onto my back on the pavement.
“Oh, God! What have you two been eating?” I’d only been gone a year, yet they looked like they’d aged three.
They flashed matching wicked grins as they tickled me.
“Help!”
“This is your punishment for leaving,” Carla stated, lifting her chin as she strutted by.
“All right, boys! That’s enough. Let Charlotte get up.” Robert stood from his rocking chair. His hair was more than sprinkled with gray, and he sported dark rings under his eyes. The twins were not planned and certainly gave Carla’s family a run for their money. Still, I couldn’t imagine their lives without them. Everything happens for a reason, her mother, Beth, would say.
I let the boys pretend to pull me up, and I dusted off my backside. “You should enroll them in football.”
Beth wagged her finger at me from her chair. “Oh, no. My babies will not be playing that brute sport.”
“It’s not a brute sport,” Robert argued. “It’s a man’s sport. You just don’t understand.”
Beth rolled her eyes and smiled at me as I approached the porch. “Charlotte Elaine Thompson, I can’t believe you’re walking up those steps looking like a woman.”
“I can’t believe she’s walking up those steps at all,” Carla said.
I wrapped my arms around Beth as tears sprang into my eyes. I’d forgotten how much I missed her hugs. How much they felt like my own mother’s. How much this felt like home.
“We were so worried about you,” she whispered into my hair as she squeezed me tightly.
“I’m sorry.”
“All right, dear. Don’t suffocate the poor girl.” Robert placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She loosened her grip and touched the palm of her hand to my cheek. “You’re even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. My girls are all grown up. I feel so old.”
“That’s because we are old.”
“Speak for yourself, Robert!”
I slipped my hands around Robert’s midsection and remained there until he patted me on the back.
“I could make this a lot worse, you know,” I teased.
“For God’s sake, Rob. She’s been gone a year. Just hug her!”
Finally, I felt Robert’s arms return the hug. “We missed you, kid.”
And just like that, I was back. I was home.
* * *
After dinner, Carla and I sat in the rocking chairs on the porch, rocking in silence. Though she was normally a woman of few words, she’d been extra quiet today. I thought we’d pick up right where we left off. I didn’t anticipate her being angry with me.
“You think you’ll be mad at me forever?”
She waited a while before answering, keeping her gaze on the setting sun. “I’m not mad. I was worried about you for so long. Confused. How could my best friend just disappear like that, you know? Then, Kyle came back for a visit and ran his mouth about how he ran into you in New York. I almost didn’t believe him. Everyone knew you’d vanished, but their lives went on. You became old news. But for me? My life wasn’t the same without my best friend. Everything changed after that. Now, you’re back.” She shrugged. “It doesn’t seem real.”
“I wish it weren’t. Believe me. Many times I cried myself to sleep, wishing I could wake up from the nightmare.”
It was quiet again. Finally, Carla faced me. “So, tell me about this Tanner dude.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I want to know if he’s worth staying in New York for.”
“Ah, now I see.”
“What do you see?”
“You’re mad at me because you know I’m not back for good.”
One corner of her mouth twitched. “Like I said. I’m not mad.”
“Carla, I missed you every single day. I thought about you all the time.”
“Ditto. I’m just glad you’re okay. Or better than okay, it seems.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Completely. You’re different. I guess love will do that to a person.”
“Maybe it was being hunted down and kidnapped by two psychotic criminals. Puts things into perspective.”
Carla laughed for what seemed like the first time all day. “Or that.”
I hated admitting it, but I actually missed Staten Island. I’d been forced to start a new life there, and it never quite felt like home. However, being away now made me realize that home had nothing to do with a physical place. Home was about the people you surrounded yourself with. I didn’t want my old life back. I wanted the people in my new one. One tall, dark, and handsome person, in particular.
“I wish you could come to New York with me.”
“Maybe I’ll come for a visit one day. Maybe I’ll move up there.”
“What?”
She shrugged. “There’s nothing here for me anymore.”
“Uh … what about Joe? And your family?”
Carla’s eyes dropped to her lap. “Joe and I broke up.”
I gasped. “Carla! When? Why? What happened?”
“Last month.”
“That answers the when. What happened?”
She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. “We graduated, and I guess things got too real for him. He wasn’t ready to step up and be a man.”
“That doesn’t sound like him. What did he say? He just broke up with you?”
“Look, I really don’t want to talk about it. It’s behind me. You’ve been gone a long time. Things have changed.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, Carla. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you when you needed me.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not.”
Silence d
escended upon the porch once more. Carla was shutting me out. There was more to the story than she was telling me.
Before I left Florida, Carla was with Joe, her boyfriend of three years. High school sweethearts. They’d had a plan to move in together after graduation and then get married.
Carla was different now. Sad. She had this faraway look in her eyes. I couldn’t imagine Joe walking away from what they had. Something didn’t add up.
Tanner
“Punch! Come on! You’re slowing down! Pick up the pace!”
I dropped my arms at my sides. “I just can’t right now.”
TJ lowered his pads, and sighed. “Your head isn’t here tonight. What gives? Is your back all right?”
“My back is fine.”
“Did they take the stitches out?”
“Yup.”
“Still nothing from Charlotte?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
Charlotte hadn’t called all week. The only texts were in response to the ones I sent first. She was supposed to come home tonight, but a nervous feeling pooled deep in my stomach. I checked my phone all day, waiting to receive a text stating that Charlotte would be staying in Florida. For good. I tried not to jump to conclusions. I tried not to think about what I’d do if that happened. Still, the feeling was there.
TJ tossed the pads to the floor of the boxing ring. “Why don’t we go grab a slice of pizza?”
“I’d rather go grab a drink instead.”
“So go.” He crossed his arms across his chest, challenging me to ruin all the progress I’d made.
“Fuck you.”
“Give her some time. Remember when that was what you needed?”
“Thanks, asshole. Now I feel even worse.”
“So glad I could help.” TJ grinned as I turned to leave.
As I made my way home from the gym, my phone rang. I pulled over, too nervous to even see straight.
“Charlotte?”
“Hey. I landed.”
I released the breath I’d been holding for the past week. “Great. How was your trip?”
“It was good. Everyone was so happy to see me.”
“I’m sure. You were only gone for a week and I’m going to be thrilled to see you.”
She laughed, and my heart ached at the sound. “I should be home in an hour or so. Then I need to shower the smell of airplane off me.”
“Can I see you after?”
“Sure. Want to come over at eight?”
“I’ll be there at eight.”
* * *
My stomach was in one giant knot as I arrived at Charlotte’s apartment. I called her to let her know I had arrived.
“Hey, are you here? The door is unlocked.”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, I want to show you something first. Can you come for a ride with me?”
“Right now? What is it?”
“I need you to come with me so I can show you.”
“Okay. I’ll be right down.”
I got out of the car when Charlotte walked outside. I wrapped my arms around her, lifting her off the ground in a bear hug. I inhaled her familiar scent, and the knot in my stomach loosened.
“God, I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” she croaked. “I can’t breathe.”
“Sorry.” I set her down. “I didn’t think I’d get to do that again.”
Her nose scrunched. “What are you talking about?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Come on.”
I watched Charlotte out of the corner of my eye as I made my way to our destination. Once we arrived, I parked in front of the brick colonial house.
“Whose house is this?” she asked.
“A very nice couple owns it. Tom and Joan.”
“And you’re taking me to Tom and Joan’s house because …”
“I’m not taking you to their house. I’m taking you up those stairs to the apartment on the side of their house.”
Charlotte’s eyes darted around while her brows pressed together. She followed me up the concrete stairs and watched silently as I turned the key to unlock the door. I switched on the lights and stepped back to watch Charlotte’s expression as she looked around.
“Tanner, what’s going on?”
I closed the door behind her and took her hands in mine. “This is our apartment.”
“Our?”
“I’d been saving to get my own place. I wanted an apartment so we could have somewhere to go without our family members being around. I planned on bringing you here the night we got taken by John and Tommy. We were out of commission for a few days after that. Then, you said you were going to Florida. I wanted to tell you sooner.”
Charlotte’s hands slipped out of mine. I waited for her response as she walked around the living room and into the kitchen.
“I know it’s small, but it’d be just us here. We don’t need anything big just yet.”
“Who bought all this furniture?”
“Tom and Joan’s son recently got married. He left everything here.”
“Wow. Fully furnished.”
I nodded. “What do you think?”
Charlotte turned her blue eyes to me. “I think it’s a little soon for us to be moving in together. Now, with the bakery out of commission, I don’t have an income anymore.”
“The bakery won’t be out of commission much longer. TJ, Derek, and I ripped up the floor in the kitchen and put new tile down while you were gone. Your dad was going to pay someone to do it, but they were going to charge him some astronomical amount.”
Her eyes widened. “You’ve been fixing it?”
“I needed something to do after work while you were gone.”
Charlotte closed the gap between us and wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her head against my chest. “Thank you. You are incredible. I don’t deserve you.”
I pulled her away from me to look at her. “Why would you say that? I love you. We deserve each other.”
Her arms dropped at her sides. “We should talk.”
I sucked in a breath, bracing for her words. “Okay. Let’s talk.”
Charlotte’s eyes were watery, and she wore an expression I couldn’t read. “Now that everything is out in the open, I hope you can understand why I tried to keep it from you. A part of me always knew my past would catch up to me. I burned down the bakery—my mom’s bakery that she loved—and ran away with the insurance money like a criminal.
“But what was even worse, I left John to die in there. I saw him get knocked out, and I looked the other way to save myself. I’ve had to live with that guilt for a year. The guilt of killing a man. I was too scared to tell you. I didn’t want you to hate me.”
“I could never hate you. You did what you had to do to save your and your father’s lives. John would’ve killed you, Charlotte.”
She nodded as the tears ran down her cheeks. “I know. I get that. But it was so hard living with that guilt.”
I wiped her tears. “It’s okay, baby. Everything worked out in the end. We just had to go through some scary shit to get here. But we’re here.”
“I know it’s a big thing to ask, but I need you to be honest with me.”
“Of course. What is it?”
“I need to know if you can forgive me for everything I’ve done. For everything I thought I did in Florida. For everything I’ve done to put you in danger. All of it. Because I love you more than anything in this world, Tanner, and now that everything is out there for you to see, I need to know. I need to know if you can forgive me. I need to know if you still want to be with me.”
My heart swelled. I didn’t have to justify such a silly question with an answer. I gripped Charlotte’s face and slammed my lips against hers. She opened her mouth and our tongues found one another. We stripped each other down in the middle of the living room, our hands frantically searching for skin. I picked her up by her ass and carried her into our new bedroom. It was ours, whether she acknowledged it or not. Drop
ping her onto the bed, I climbed on top and pressed myself against her.
“Tell me you forgive me,” she breathed. “Tell me you want me to be yours again.”
I gazed into her eyes. “I forgive you. I love you more than life itself. You will always be mine because I will always be yours.”
Charlotte didn’t need me to forgive her. She needed to forgive herself. I could help her with that. The way she had helped me.
From day one, something had drawn me to Charlotte. I was never able to pinpoint exactly what it was. She was beautiful. Caring. Smart. But there was always something more. Something I saw whenever I looked into her eyes.
Now, after everything that had happened, I finally knew what it was. Charlotte wasn’t a damsel in distress. I’d had it all wrong. I’d defended her and tried to protect her, but she didn’t need my help. My girlfriend, the love of my life, was a fucking badass. She was an incredibly strong woman who fought for the people she loved.
Technically, I’m the damsel in distress here.
And that didn’t bother me one fucking bit.
Twenty-five
Charlotte
“What do you want for dinner?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t we order in?” I dug my car keys out of my purse and waited for Tanner to lock the garage.
“You’ve wanted to order in a lot lately. I think you like being at the apartment a lot more than you’re letting on.”
“I love the apartment. That was never in question.”
“You’re right.” Tanner grinned and wrapped his arms around me. “The question is, why don’t you want to live there with me?”
“I already told you, I—”
“Excuse me, Ms. Thompson.”
Tanner and I jumped. I clutched my purse out of habit, and Detective Williams smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Says the man lurking in an empty parking lot.” Tanner’s jaw worked under his skin.
I squeezed his hand and swallowed the dry lump in my throat. “That’s okay. We’re both still a little jumpy.”
“That’s understandable after everything you’ve been through.” Detective Williams took a step closer. “I just have a few more questions to ask you. I won’t take too much of your time.”
The Other Brother (The Collision Series) Page 21