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HARRISON
I’m watching through the window as she steps down from the car, her face going white with shock as she realizes it’s my car in the driveway.
She stands and talks with her dad for a minute, and then shakes her head and makes her way to the door, where her mom is standing with a guilty look on her face.
I can't make out what they’re saying, but Charlee doesn’t seem very happy with the woman.
Mitchell called me right after he saw Charlee shopping.
I can’t believe my luck. Even Tess has no idea where she is. When I asked Tess to tell me where they’d grown up, she locked up and told me to leave it alone and let Charlee be for now.
Not on my life.
Mitchell told me he’d seen her and I was on the road the next minute, cutting through traffic to get to Latimer as soon as I could. It wasn't hard to find her home address. In a small town like this, people talk. It made me feel like a creepy stalker but I had no other choice.
Charlee’s mom is just as kind and gentle as her daughter, recognizing me instantly and welcoming me into her home.
She told me her daughter had gone to run some errands and offered me water, asking about my life as we waited.
When I asked her why she didn’t turn me away, she said “You’re a good man and you’ve been trying to make things right.”
It touched me deeply, how this woman who just met me could see right through me.
“Mom, why didn’t you call me?” Charlee breezes into the living room, a pissed look on her face.
“Baby, relax. This man hasn’t come here to cause any trouble.”
Her father faces me and sizes me up. “Hello, young man.”
“Hello, Sir,” I greet back, extending a hand. He sizes me up a bit before taking my hand.
“So, you’re the one who’s put my daughter through so much hell. What’ve you come back here for?”
My throat locks up at that. I don’t know how to respond.
“Honey!” Charlee’s mom shrieks at her husband’s words.
“Dad, it’s okay. I can handle this. Can you guys give us some privacy?”
Her dad looks from me to her and back to me again. “I hope you’ve come here to make amends and do the honorable thing. My daughter is a very precious woman. You either make her happy or just let her be.”
Walking away together, her parents head into the hallway on the left corner, leaving Charlee and me alone together.
Charlee folds her arms across her chest and looks away.
“Hey Beautiful. You look amazing today.”
She doesn’t look at me. I thought I knew what I was going to say to her, but suddenly, my mind is blank.
Exhaling, I walk closer to her and take both her hands in both of mine. She doesn’t resist, but she still doesn’t meet my eyes.
“Charlee, baby, no one in the world has messed up their chance at happiness as much as I have. I’ve dishonored you, disrespected you, and I’m so sorry. I have no excuse for what I said. I messed up. Baby, I came here to apologize for everything. I failed you and our baby by listening to my father. I’m so sorry…”
Charlee’s eyes become glossy with tears as she fights to hold them back. “It’s okay. I’m over all of that now and I’m here, starting my life over with my baby. I want to do this on my own. I’ve left Building Bridges and New York for good.”
Her words are like a dagger to my heart. She truly has left everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.
“Charlee, look at me,” I say, squeezing her hands as she finally meets my eyes. “You know your guns, you know your job. Your biggest weapon has been confidence, and I’ve watched you wear it at work like a second skin. I told you they would eventually regret laughing at you, didn’t I?”
