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"Liar," Tate laughs. "You just want her all to yourself."
"That too." I grin, not ashamed to admit it. The way I see it, I have until Tuesday to make her fall in love with me. I'll use every advantage I can get.
"The place is yours." He pauses. "It's not my business, but I'm going to ask anyway. How the fuck are you going to work this out if she's in school here and you're out of the country all the time, X?"
"I won't be out of the country all the time," I mutter, watching as a stray cat wanders up to the hotel. As soon as the automatic doors open, the little thing jumps a foot into the air, all four paws scrabbling for purchase, and then hauls ass back into the bushes.
"You're done with the traveling?"
"Yep," I say, grinning. Part of the reason I've been gone for so fucking long was to ensure that I wouldn't have to keep doing it forever. I've hand-selected and installed people at our satellite offices to handle operations. Aside from trips to check in and ensure everything is running smoothly, I don't have to keep circling the globe. I'll be dealing with contracts, and I can do that from literally anywhere.
"Well, shit. It's about damn time," Tate says.
"I'm actually thinking about making Silver Spoon Falls home," I say quietly. The entire town is crazy, but I find something new to love about it every damn time I'm here. Funny how that happens.
"Jesus," Tate mutters, clearing his throat roughly. "It's about goddamn time, brother. Now, hurry up and sort shit with your girl so we can celebrate."
"Working on it." I hesitate for a moment, looking out at the hotel, and then I sigh. "I need one more favor."
"Name it."
"I need you to get me in touch with Charlie's parents. We need to have a conversation."
Charlie may not be thrilled when she finds out I called them, but I'd rather have her pissed at me for overstepping than living in constant fear of her parents cutting her out of their lives. They might not love that she got booted from college trying to help Chloe Rothman, but I have a feeling they're proud of the daughter they raised.
She needs to hear it. She won't truly be able to make peace with who she is and her place in life until she knows that she's never been a burden.
Chapter Eight
Charlie
"Your brother really lives up here?" I ask Xavier, spinning in a stunned circle in the middle of the luxury penthouse on the top floor of the high-rise sandwiched between the Texas Medical Center and University Place in downtown Houston. I can see my dorm from up here.
"He owns the place," Xavier says, watching me from beneath hooded eyes. "He doesn't stay here as often now that he has a family, but he used to crash here a lot when he was pulling shifts at the hospital. They also stayed here when Scout had her heart surgery."
I stop spinning to face him. "Your niece had heart surgery?"
He nods, a shadow moving through his expression. "When she was three months old. She would have died without it."
"Oh," I whisper. "That's so sad."
He watches me intently for a moment. "She's adopted too, you know."
"Really?" I blink.
"Her mom, Samara's sister, died trying to save her from an outlaw MC. They were involved in human trafficking, and Samara's sister found out. They held her captive to keep her from talking, and Scout went without medical treatment. It's a long, fucked up story," he says, strolling toward me. "But Tate repaired her heart, and then he and Samara adopted her."
"Poor Scout," I whisper, pressing my fingers to my heart when it aches for the tiny girl who endured all of that. And for her mom, who sacrificed everything to save her. I can't even imagine how much they went through. It makes me sad to even consider it.
"I hope she grows up to be half as strong as you are, kitten." Xavier stops in front of me, his eyes locking with mine. "You're pretty fucking incredible."
"Xavier," I whisper. "You barely know me."
A crooked grin tips his lips up at the corners. "I've been doing spy shit with you all day, Charlie. I've learned more about you than you think."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that you throw everything you have into everything you do. You hold nothing back. Whether you're saving a fucking turtle or trying to help someone who needs it, you're all in from the word go," he murmurs, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Nothing stops you or stands in your way, no matter the odds. Even if you have to risk everything, you do it. You're an unstoppable little cannonball, Charlie."
"That's not always a good thing," I remind him. "It gets me in trouble more often than not."
