Page 56 of Crimson Heart

She exchanged a look with Danielle.

“Take a deep breath,” Danielle advised. “You’ll have to face them. I’ll be by your side. You can do this.”

Grateful for her sister-in-law’s support, she forced a smile but failed.

“Alright, let’s do this,” she said more to herself than to Danielle.

As always during the day, the front door wasn’t locked. In the foyer, her parents were being greeted by Mason. As her cousin hugged them, Charlotte used the few extra seconds to collect all her courage. When her parents both looked over their shoulders, she knew that her reprieve was over.

Her father’s facial expression instantly switched from relatively friendly to utterly pissed off. Her mother looked somewhat disappointed, and—knowing her—she probably questioned her ability to raise an obedient daughter. She’d obviously failed at that.

“Young lady,” James greeted her with a clenched jaw.

He looked like he was ready to toss her over his knees and paddle her ass until she submitted to his demands. Yeah, that wasn’t gonna happen anytime soon.

“Dad. Mom.”

Before he could say anything else, Danielle interrupted, “Why don’t we all go into the living room. I’m sure you’ll want refreshments after your trip.”

Without waiting for a reply, Danielle turned to Mason. “Could you please find Jude and ask him to join us?”

“Sure thing,” Mason said, looking relieved that he didn’t have to be part of this conversation.

“Oh, and please ask Priscilla to bring coffee and tea.”

Mason nodded while Danielle ushered them into the living room. From the corner of her eye, Charlotte noticed a movement and saw that Eve was coming out of Violet’s office, while Heath, Priscilla’s brother, was bringing in firewood on a dolly. He, too, headed for the living room.

“Oh, Heath,” Danielle said, “please leave the firewood in the foyer. We’re gonna be busy in the living room for a while. I appreciate it.”

Heath nodded. “Sure. What do you want me to do with the luggage?”

He pointed to the travel bags her parents had left in the foyer.

“Leave them there for now. We’ll figure out accommodations later. Thanks, Heath.”

When Danielle finally closed the door, silence descended onto the large, comfortable living room. The tension was palpable. While her mother took a seat on one of the large sofas, her father remained standing. It was a power move, Charlotte knew that. He’d been the one teaching her not to sit down during an argument, but to remain standing and make herself appear larger than her opponent. Unfortunately, her father had a good seven inches on her. She was already at a disadvantage, but if she sat down, she might as well throw in the towel and surrender. But surrender wasn’t an option. She had to fight.

“How did you find me?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“You think you’re smarter than me?” her father challenged. “Just because you didn’t book a flight with your credit card and instead rented a car, and switched off your phone, you thought you could disappear? You returned the rental car at SFO. Big mistake. It was pretty clear that you’d come to see your brothers so they could protect you.” He shook his head. “You’re coming back with us. And you’ll mate with Steve Leon. And that’s that.”

“No, I won’t mate with him. He’s evil. I told you that already.”

“There’s nothing evil about him. You just don’t like to be told what to do. We shouldn’t have raised you like that. I should have put my foot down much earlier and not let you get away with all your stupid ideas!”

His face was red now, and it almost looked like his head was smoking.

She braced her hands at her hips, anger churning up in her.

“I don’t have stupid ideas! I wouldn’t take Steve if he were the last man on earth! Forget about it. Besides, I love somebody else. And I’m not giving him up.”

Her parents stared at her, visibly stunned.

“Who?” her mother asked.

“Who the hell is he?” her father thundered.

“Byron Gallagher!”