AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s not Charlie. She’s fine—I promise.” He saw them sag in relief.
“Then what’s wrong?” asked Anne.
“It’s... I... uhmm... I need to... I mean... I want to ask... uhmm... Is it okay if I marry Charlie?” Josh was certain his face had never been redder. He felt flushed and hot and almost nauseous. Even worse than when he’d been working up the courage to tell Charlie he loved her.
“Are you talking about a January wedding?” Anne asked.
“Uhmm... Yes, ma’am.”
Steven stood up. “Josh. You told me you were abandoning the idea of a quick wedding. You said you were going to court her for as long as it took.”
“Well, I was. I even told her I wasn’t marrying Olivia and I was adopting Jace and not Chloe. It was her idea.”
“Because she loves Chloe, too. Yes, that sounds like her.” Anne nodded.
“I still think you should date longer. A month isn’t enough time,” Steven reasoned. “This is almost like getting married just because a girl gets pregnant. A child isn’t enough of a reason to get married. We’re talking about a life-long commitment here.”
“We know. We talked about it. Divorce is not an option.” He spoke the words like a vow.
“I still think you’re rushing into it for the wrong reasons,” said Steven.
“But you and I got married a week after you asked me.” Anne tilted her chin toward Steven.
“But that was... that was different. You and I were... I mean we’d already been friends for a long time... And I’d been in love with you for a long time... And...” His voice trailed off as Anne chuckled.
“Charlie and I have known each other for two years.” Josh flashed a grateful smile at Anne. “And I’ve been in love with her the whole time.”
Anne’s raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure, Josh? Because that doesn’t jibe with what you’ve been saying about Olivia.”
“I’ll admit I made a mistake trying to marry Olivia, and I wasn’t entirely truthful when I said I loved her. I do love Olivia, but not like that. Not like I love Charlie.”
“Well, I’d prefer a little more time to plan, but if this is what Charlie wants, you have my blessing.” Anne absently twirled an unruly curl around her fingers. “But this isn’t going to be easy. Usually you have time to be alone together before you have kids. You have time to form a team of sorts. Kids can put a lot of strain on a marriage.”
“I know that’s true, but I really believe we can make it work.”
“I’m not fully convinced yet, Josh,” said Steven. “I think I want to talk to Charlie before I say anything else.”
“Okay.” Josh shifted from foot to foot. What would Steven say to Charlie? Would he tell her Josh had been in love with her the whole time? If he told her, would she be upset he’d planned to marry Olivia when he actually loved Charlie? Or would she believe, as Josh hoped, he was simply carrying out her plan of telling everyone they were in love with each other?
He followed behind Steven and Anne as they moved toward Charlie’s room, murmuring softly to one another. Steven looked over his shoulder. “Sorry, Josh. But I don’t think they want all three of us in there at once. And to be honest, I want to see what she says without you in the room.”
He returned to the waiting room, which suddenly felt devoid of air. In his mind, he imagined all the things Charlie might say, and none of them seemed good. Does Steven have a concealed carry license?
“SO HOW IS YOUR PAIN on a scale of one to ten?” asked Eva.
“Eleven.” Charlie made a vain attempt at humor.
“I’m so sorry, but I think we’ve maxed out your pain meds. Hopefully it will get better soon. Although... Never mind. I shouldn’t say anything.”
“What?” asked Charlie.
“Well, I know some people are never quite the same after thoracic surgery. But I’m sure you’ll be fine. It’s not like you lost your spleen or anything.”
“But I did lose my spleen.” Charlie bunched the sheet in her hand. “Josh told me I’d be fine without it.”
“He did? I guess he didn’t want to worry you. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“What? I want to know.”
