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Chapter22
Charlotte
Damien’s lips turn up in the widest smile I’ve ever seen from him, and instantly I know that this was all worth it. “I love you too, Charlotte.” He rests his forehead on mine and exhales. “And don’t be sorry, babe. I wouldn’t change our story. You’re the one for me. It took me twelve years to figure that out, but I know it’s true, deep in my gut. I love you more than anything.”
Not another second passes before I press my lips to his, savoring his kiss—that I’ve been missing every day—and the feeling of being enough for him. We may be scarred internally from self-doubt and seeking acceptance from others, but at least I know that Damien will always accept me. He may have been the person I swore I would never think of again, but now he’s the man I can’t live without—my own enemy turned lover—and I couldn’t be happier.
The ride begins to spin slowly as our mouths move over one another and he pulls me closer, holding me in his arms as I drown in him.
“I missed you so much,” I mumble against his mouth.
“I missed you more, but I knew you needed some space.”
I shake my head at him. “You act like you know me or something.” He laughs. “But you were right.”
“I do know you. And even though it was killing me, I had faith that when you figured out what you needed to do, you’d come to me.” He lifts his hand and cups the side of my face. “I love you, but you are one stubborn woman. But I also know that a lot happened that you probably needed to work through.”
“I wanted to see you last week but you were gone.”
He breaks apart from me, staring down into my eyes. “I know. I had to go help my mom. She’s actually living with me for a while.”
“What happened?” Damien spends the next few rotations of the carousel telling me about how he raced home to help his mom when his dad snapped on her. “I’m so sorry, Damien, but thank God you went back there and she realized what was going on now—the mental and emotional abuse he’s been using on both of you.”
“I know. He’s never touched her until now. And when I saw him, it was all I could do not to punch him again.”
“You’re such a good man,” I tell him as I cup his jaw, rubbing my thumb along his beard.
“It’s important to me to be one after what I witnessed from my father.”
“I know.” I place my hand over his heart. “I know and I see that. No man has ever done the things you did for me. No one has ever made me feel what you make me feel.”
“You’ve allowed me to feel love, Charlotte. There’s no better feeling than that, babe.” Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he pulls me into his arms again. “What ended up happening with your mom?” he asks. Reliving the past few weeks in regards to that brings us to the end of our ride. “I think it’s smart that you take some time apart, and therapy will help. I saw a counselor back in college when I got out here. I didn’t want to live feeling like my dad still had control over me, and understanding what happened helped me move forward and draw lines in the sand with him.”
“I know I need to work through it.”
“Well, I’ll be here every step of the way. You’re going to have a hard time getting rid of me ever again”
“Ditto.” I pull his lips to mine again as a security guard walks past us.
“Time is up, Charlotte.”
Damien cuts off our kiss. “You’re on a first-name basis with the security guard here?”
“Turns out a Snickers bar is security guard catnip.” Damien picks up my bag for me and walks me to my car. “So I guess a reconciliation at your place is out of the question?” I joke.
“Yeah,” he says with a pained smile. “Just for a little while until she gets on her feet. She wants to get a job and take care of herself, but I know she’s also fragile right now, and I don’t want her to feel like she has to leave.”
“Understandable. I’m just happy that she has you.” I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my chest against his. “So my place it is, then?”
Damien crowds me against my car, pressing my back into the metal and lining up his body against mine as heat builds in my core. “Do you think you’re getting lucky tonight, Charlotte?”
“I mean, orgasms and food were part of the deal,” I reply with a shrug of my shoulders and a smirk on my lips.
“You bring the food then, and I’ll bring the orgasms.”
A moan escapes my lips as I feel his erection press into me. “Will Dove chocolates suffice?”
“Only if I get to melt them down, spread them all over your nipples, and lick them off.”
“Oh! I read about that in one of Noelle’s romance novels once. It was hot, and there was peppermint in the chocolate.”
“Then let’s bring all of your fantasies to life, babe. I want to do everything with you, Charlotte.”
I pull him closer. “The only fantasy that I care about is the one where I find a man that loves me unconditionally. And thanks to you, Damien, that fantasy is now a reality.”
* * *
Four Months Later
“This event is insane.” Noelle brings her champagne to her lips as her eyes move around the room. Fabrics and decorations in gold and white cover every surface around us, sparkling in the light.
“I know. And now it’s making me even more nervous for my speech.” Clutching my glass tightly in my hands, I scan the room, looking for the rest of my friends. But then my eyes lock on a man walking toward me, and suddenly my nerves start to dissipate.
Damien strides across the banquet hall while buttoning his jacket, his smile growing wider as he makes his way over to me. His blue eyes stand out against his dark features and full black suit, giving him a James Bond look that is definitely working for him, and my body still reacts as strongly to him as it did six months ago.
“Hi, sweet pea,” he says as he kisses me on the cheek. And even though I initially hated the pet name, it reminds me of how far we’ve come, so I don’t fight it anymore.
“Hey, babe. Where’s your mom?”
“Oh, she’ll be here soon. Theo wanted to pick her up himself and for them to ride together.”
Damien’s mom recently started dating someone, a man she met through a group she started attending once a week for divorcees in their fifties. My boyfriend acted as the protective man that he is when she first told us, but the happiness radiating off his mom convinced him that this was a good thing. She was moving on, healing through therapy, and starting a new life out here, and that made Damien happy.
His father agreed to move forward with the divorce after Brenda threatened to press charges against him. He didn’t want to tarnish his name and reputation any more than was already done, so he’s been quite amicable. But Damien and his mom haven’t spoken to him much since she left. And everyone is happier that way.
His mom is still living in his apartment though, but Damien spends most of his time at my place anyway, so there’s been no rush for her to move. She’s been working at Frankie’s Diner, making her own money for once in her life, and says she feels more fulfilled waiting tables than she ever did being married to Derek. And even though she doesn’t need the money because of alimony, my friends and I make sure to tip her generously on Sunday mornings when we have brunch.
“They are so cute together,” Noelle chimes in as we see Brenda and Theo walk through the door, her reaching out to straighten his tie as they walk toward us. “But sadly, it just serves as a reminder that I’m still single. Please tell me I won’t be fifty before I find my person. No offense to your mom, Damien, but I can’t wait that long.”
