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“Come on, ladies. We’re about to restart the film,” my father calls out.
Something clangs in the kitchen, but no one answers.
I lean more to the right, trying to see Charlotte, and my anxiety rises more when I can’t sneak a look.
I don’t last more than a few minutes before rising.
They both stand at the island, plating the last of the corn chips into a giant bowl. Something is off. Charlotte’s breaths are deep, and she’s blinking quickly.
“Hi, baby.” My mom smiles, but it’s weak. When she bites the corner of her lip, I frown, looking back and forth between my two most important women.
Charlotte smiles softly as she walks past, carrying the salsa.
“Can you take these, please,” my mom asks, holding out the chips.
I nod, moving forward to take the bowl. Just as my fingers touch it, my mother whispers, her voice barely noticeable, but I do hear her, and my blood turns to ice. “She asked me to help.”
My head snaps up.
“Help her leave,” she continues.
I clench my eyes closed, and the breath twists out of my lungs.
“I will sort it.”
Her chin quivers. She hates this. It’s too much to ask, and I know that. But I can’t give Charlotte up. I won’t.
I had hoped overnight isolation would work, that our pull was strong enough. Charlotte’s reaction when I returned to her this afternoon had given me hope, made me believe that she wanted me just as much as I did her.
Apparently not. It’s time to fix that.
A heavy sigh escapes me, but excitement runs through me at the thought of how my night is about to change.
I brush the blond hair away from my mom’s face, kissing the top of her head. Her arms wrap around me, and I quickly return the hug, something I’ve never done before.
“I will fix this,” I promise.
Her hand tightens on the back of my shirt.
“I will love her enough,” I swear.
Her head rubs against my shirt as she nods, knowing I will not break my word.
I watch as she leaves the kitchen, then pick up the chips. Just as I approach the door, the vegetable rack catches my eye. Swerving to the right I quickly grab the top item and shove it into my pocket.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
Charlie
Fuck!
My hands shake as I place the bowl down. What had I been thinking?
We were having a good night. I was having a good night.
Sam had left the kitchen, and the words just came out. Helen knows. I thought she would help me, but she had ignored me and acted as if I hadn’t spoken. Then Daniel had come in, and I couldn’t take the words back.
And God, did I want to. As soon as the words were out there, I wanted to take them back, just like yesterday.
