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With a muffled sob, he pulled her close.
They hugged each other silently, though Charlotte felt the tremor that went through him.
When he stepped back, he cupped her face in his broad hands. “You’ll never know how much you mean to me. Why don’t you go on inside? I need some time to think.”
He unlocked the door to his condo and stood aside to let her in.
“Where will you go?” she asked him, worried.
“I’m going to walk around for a bit. Don’t worry. I’m okay.” He waved at her and left her standing there.
With a sigh, Charlotte went inside, grateful for some time alone. She hadn’t wanted to let Shane know how shaken she was by his mother’s behavior that she suspected was made worse by drugs of some kind. There’d been a glassy look to his mother’s eyes when she’d taken off her sunglasses to dine.
Charlotte changed into shorts and a T-shirt. Then, realizing how exhausted she felt, she stretched out on the couch. When Shane came back, they’d decide whether to stay in Miami or return to the cove.
Thinking about what Shane had experienced in his life was too much to handle. Her limbs grew heavy. She rolled on her side and let her mind empty of the memory of such a horrible scene.
###
Soft whispers buzzed in her ear. Groaning, Charlotte shifted her position. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eye shot open. “Wha…”
“Charlie, it’s me. We’ve gotta talk.” Shane, kneeling by the couch, looked at her with concern.
She sat up and stretched. “Give me time to wake up. I’ll be right back.”
After splashing cold water on her face, she patted it dry and drew deep breaths. She’d been sleeping hard and knew whatever Shane had to say wouldn’t be easy.
When she returned to the living room, he was standing by the sliding glass doors looking out at his small patio.
She came up beside him. “What is it, Shane?”
He faced her. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?” she asked. Her heart pounded with dismay.
“Us, this, friendship,” he said. “Aw, hell, I’m blowing it. Look, we promised we’d be honest friends. I’m being honest now. I can’t be friends with you any longer.”
Charlotte felt her knees weaken. “Why? I like you? I thought you felt the same.”
“See? That’s why. Youlikeme, but Iloveyou. I felt it when I first saw you on the beach with your cousins. It was instantaneous. The feeling has grown each time I’ve been with you. But I’d made a promise to you, and now …”
Charlotte’s heart began beating so fast she thought she might faint. “Wait! Youloveme?”
“Yes, but our promise …”
Charlotte reached up on her toes, hugged him tightly, and kissed him. “Stop talking,” she said between covering his face with kisses and then meeting his lips.
When he finally pulled away, she said, “I’ve been playing along with the friends idea because I thought it was best not to want more, that you’d walk away.”
He gave her a steady look. “I’m not going to walk away, Charlie, but I can’t promise you anything but my love right now. You know I have things to work through before I can make any other commitment to you.”
She lifted his hand and kissed it. “This is just the beginning. I know it. I love you, too, Shane.”
He swept her up into his arms and held on tight. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise to be faithful to you while we see if it will work between us.”
She listened to his words and felt her heart fill with joy. He loved her. In the days ahead, they’d sort things out. It was what they both wanted.
###
